Leave old powder in vintage powder compact?

[hoos99]

I have a 1940s (maybe early '50s) powder compact, and it still has the original powder and puff.  Is it best to leave the original powder in there, or should I gently brush it out?  It's a little messy, as the powder escapes the second I open the compact, but I want to sell the compact in its most valuable form.

Also, I found the compact in a small silk or satin "purse" (like a coin purse, with a kisslock) from the same era.  Could it have been the typical way in which a woman would have carried her cosmetics at that time, and is it therefore smart to sell the compact and the little purse together, rather than selling the two separately?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[melda58 · Accepted solution]

I would leave it intact.  As a rule, collectors like things in as original condition as possible.   Let the buyer decide whether or not to keep the powder.  

Rita