Thanks to Sagan for this information.
Here are the biggest Box Sets in the US according to Soundscan (March 1991 - December 2003).
A Box Set must contain at least 3 discs. The list is not comprehensive, especially for the first few years of the Soundscan era, when it tracked only about 75% of the sales.
Highest sales (sets)
(rank, sales in '000s, artist, title (label, year) - discs)
01 780 Jimmy Buffett Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads (MCA, 1992) - 4
02 645 Bob Marley Songs of Freedom (Island, 1992) - 4
03 548 Metallica Live $#!^: Binge & Purge (Elektra, 1993) - 5
04 426 Aerosmith Pandora's Box (Legacy, 1997) - 3
05 294 Eagles 1972-99 Selected Works (Elektra, 2000) - 4
06 279 Bruce Springsteen Tracks (Legacy, 1998) - 4
07 229 Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1-3 (Legacy, 1997) - 3
08 221 Led Zeppelin Complete Studio Recordings (Atlantic, 1993) - 10
09 194 Various Ken Burns' Jazz (Legacy, 2000) - 5
10 185 Patsy Cline Collection (MCA, 1991) - 4
11 178 Doors Box Set (Elektra, 1997) - 4
12 177 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Playback (MCA, 1995) - 6
13 166 Stevie Ray Vaughan SRV (Legacy, 2000) - 3
14 163 Jimi Hendrix Experience Jimi Hendrix Experience (MCA, 2000) - 4
15 122 Kiss The Box Set (Mercury, 2001) - 5
16 119 Various The Doo Wop Box (Rhino, 1994) - 4
17 118 Grateful Dead So Many Roads (Arista, 1999) - 5
18 118 John Lennon Anthology (Capitol, 1998) - 4
19 118 Stevie Wonder At the Close of a Century (Motown, 1999) - 4
20 117 Beach Boys Thirty Years of ... (Capitol, 1993) - 5
21 102 Alice in Chains Music Bank (Legacy, 1999) - 3
22 097 Monkees Music Box (Rhino, 2001) - 4
23 092 Who 30 Years of Maximum R&B (MCA, 1994) - 4
24 079 Fleetwood Mac 25 Years: The Chain (WB, 1992) - 4
25 072 Aretha Franklin Queen of Soul (Rhino, 1992) - 4
26 070 Simon & Garfunkel The Columbia Studio Recordings (Legacy, 2001) - 5
27 069 Phil Spector Back to Mono (Abkco, 1991) - 4
28 063 Elvis Presley Today, Tomorrow & Forever (RCA, 2002) - 4
29 062 Santana Dance of the Rainbow Serpent (Legacy, 1997) - 3
30 056 Aerosmith Box of Fire (Legacy, 1994) - 13
31 056 Elvis Presley Artist of the Century (RCA, 1999) - 3
32 052 Various Nuggets Vol. 1 (Rhino, 1998) - 4
33 049 Grateful Dead The Golden Road (Rhino, 2001) - 12
34 049 Janis Joplin Box of Pearls (Legacy, 1999) - 5
35 045 Various Have a Nice Decade (Rhino, 1998) - 7
36 045 Otis Redding The Definitive (Rhino, 1993) - 4
37 044 Enya Only Time: The Collection (Rhino, 2002) - 4
38 036 Doors Complete Studio Recordings (Elektra, 1999) - 7
39 036 Alice Cooper The Life and Crimes of ... (Rhino, 1999) - 4
40 035 Genesis Archive #1 (Atlantic, 1998) - 4
41 035 Pat Benatar Synchronistic Wanderings (Capitol, 1999) - 3
42 033 Grand Funk Railroad Thirty Years of Funk (Capitol, 1999) - 3
43 032 Jefferson Airplane Loves You (RCA, 1992) - 3
44 031 Cream Those Were the Days (Polydor, 1997) - 4
45 031 Buffalo Springfield Box Set (Rhino, 2001) - 4
46 030 Temptations Emperors of Soul (Motown, 1994) - 5
47 026 Various Beg, Scream & Shout (Rhino, 1997) - 6
48 025 Isley Brothers It's Your Thing (Legacy, 1999) - 3
49 024 Cat Stevens Box Set (A&M, 2001) - 4
50 024 Ray Charles Genius & Soul, 1949-1993 (Rhino, 1997) - 5
51 024 Police Message in a Box (A&M, 1993) - 4
52 024 Al Green Anthology (Right Stuff, 1997) - 4
53 022 Various 80s Pop Culture Box (Rhino, 2002) - 7
54 022 Various The Disco Box (Rhino, 1999) - 4
55 020 Various Loud, Fast and Out of Control (Rhino, 1999) - 4
56 020 Various Cowabunga: The Surf Box (Rhino, 1996) - 4
57 019 Various Nuggets, Vol. 2 (Rhino, 2001) - 4
58 018 Iron Maiden Eddie's Archive (Legacy, 2002) - 6
59 018 Various Hot Rods & Custom Classics (Rhino, 1998) - 4
60 018 Doobie BrothersL ong Train Runnin' (Rhino, 1999) - 4
61 016 Hank Williams The Complete (Mercury, 1998) - 9
62 016 Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival (Fantasy, 2001) - 6
63 016 Herbie Hancock The Herbie Hancock Box (Legacy, 2002) - 4
64 016 Kenny Rogers Through the Years (Capitol, 1991) - 4
65 015 Various The Funk Box (Hip-o, 2000) - 4
66 015 Everly Brothers Heartaches and Harmonies (Rhino, 1994) - 4
67 014 Yes In a Word (Rhino, 2002) - 5
68 014 Electric Light Orchestra Flashback (Legacy, 2000) - 3
69 012 Various The '70s Soul Experience (Rhino, 2001) - 6
70 012 Supremes Supremes (Motown, 2000) - 5
71 011 Deep Purple Shades: 1968-1998 (Rhino, 1999) - 4
72 010 Linda Ronstadt Box Set (Elektra, 1999) - 4
73 007 Rod Stewart Reason to Believe (Mercury, 2002) - 3
74 006 Carpenters Essential Collection (A&M, 2002) - 4
75 005 Various Supernatural Fairy Tales (Rhino, 1996) - 5
76 004 Frank Sinatra The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings (Reprise,1998) - 20
77 002 Miles Davis Complete Montreux 1973-1991 (Legacy, 2002) - 20
78 001 Elvis Presley The Collection (RCA, 1999) - 30
Here are the biggest Box Sets in the US according to Soundscan (March 1991 - December 2003).
A Box Set must contain at least 3 discs. The list is not comprehensive, especially for the first few years of the Soundscan era, when it tracked only about 75% of the sales.
Highest sales (sets)
(rank, sales in '000s, artist, title (label, year) - discs)
01 780 Jimmy Buffett Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads (MCA, 1992) - 4
02 645 Bob Marley Songs of Freedom (Island, 1992) - 4
03 548 Metallica Live $#!^: Binge & Purge (Elektra, 1993) - 5
04 426 Aerosmith Pandora's Box (Legacy, 1997) - 3
05 294 Eagles 1972-99 Selected Works (Elektra, 2000) - 4
06 279 Bruce Springsteen Tracks (Legacy, 1998) - 4
07 229 Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1-3 (Legacy, 1997) - 3
08 221 Led Zeppelin Complete Studio Recordings (Atlantic, 1993) - 10
09 194 Various Ken Burns' Jazz (Legacy, 2000) - 5
10 185 Patsy Cline Collection (MCA, 1991) - 4
11 178 Doors Box Set (Elektra, 1997) - 4
12 177 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Playback (MCA, 1995) - 6
13 166 Stevie Ray Vaughan SRV (Legacy, 2000) - 3
14 163 Jimi Hendrix Experience Jimi Hendrix Experience (MCA, 2000) - 4
15 122 Kiss The Box Set (Mercury, 2001) - 5
16 119 Various The Doo Wop Box (Rhino, 1994) - 4
17 118 Grateful Dead So Many Roads (Arista, 1999) - 5
18 118 John Lennon Anthology (Capitol, 1998) - 4
19 118 Stevie Wonder At the Close of a Century (Motown, 1999) - 4
20 117 Beach Boys Thirty Years of ... (Capitol, 1993) - 5
21 102 Alice in Chains Music Bank (Legacy, 1999) - 3
22 097 Monkees Music Box (Rhino, 2001) - 4
23 092 Who 30 Years of Maximum R&B (MCA, 1994) - 4
24 079 Fleetwood Mac 25 Years: The Chain (WB, 1992) - 4
25 072 Aretha Franklin Queen of Soul (Rhino, 1992) - 4
26 070 Simon & Garfunkel The Columbia Studio Recordings (Legacy, 2001) - 5
27 069 Phil Spector Back to Mono (Abkco, 1991) - 4
28 063 Elvis Presley Today, Tomorrow & Forever (RCA, 2002) - 4
29 062 Santana Dance of the Rainbow Serpent (Legacy, 1997) - 3
30 056 Aerosmith Box of Fire (Legacy, 1994) - 13
31 056 Elvis Presley Artist of the Century (RCA, 1999) - 3
32 052 Various Nuggets Vol. 1 (Rhino, 1998) - 4
33 049 Grateful Dead The Golden Road (Rhino, 2001) - 12
34 049 Janis Joplin Box of Pearls (Legacy, 1999) - 5
35 045 Various Have a Nice Decade (Rhino, 1998) - 7
36 045 Otis Redding The Definitive (Rhino, 1993) - 4
37 044 Enya Only Time: The Collection (Rhino, 2002) - 4
38 036 Doors Complete Studio Recordings (Elektra, 1999) - 7
39 036 Alice Cooper The Life and Crimes of ... (Rhino, 1999) - 4
40 035 Genesis Archive #1 (Atlantic, 1998) - 4
41 035 Pat Benatar Synchronistic Wanderings (Capitol, 1999) - 3
42 033 Grand Funk Railroad Thirty Years of Funk (Capitol, 1999) - 3
43 032 Jefferson Airplane Loves You (RCA, 1992) - 3
44 031 Cream Those Were the Days (Polydor, 1997) - 4
45 031 Buffalo Springfield Box Set (Rhino, 2001) - 4
46 030 Temptations Emperors of Soul (Motown, 1994) - 5
47 026 Various Beg, Scream & Shout (Rhino, 1997) - 6
48 025 Isley Brothers It's Your Thing (Legacy, 1999) - 3
49 024 Cat Stevens Box Set (A&M, 2001) - 4
50 024 Ray Charles Genius & Soul, 1949-1993 (Rhino, 1997) - 5
51 024 Police Message in a Box (A&M, 1993) - 4
52 024 Al Green Anthology (Right Stuff, 1997) - 4
53 022 Various 80s Pop Culture Box (Rhino, 2002) - 7
54 022 Various The Disco Box (Rhino, 1999) - 4
55 020 Various Loud, Fast and Out of Control (Rhino, 1999) - 4
56 020 Various Cowabunga: The Surf Box (Rhino, 1996) - 4
57 019 Various Nuggets, Vol. 2 (Rhino, 2001) - 4
58 018 Iron Maiden Eddie's Archive (Legacy, 2002) - 6
59 018 Various Hot Rods & Custom Classics (Rhino, 1998) - 4
60 018 Doobie BrothersL ong Train Runnin' (Rhino, 1999) - 4
61 016 Hank Williams The Complete (Mercury, 1998) - 9
62 016 Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival (Fantasy, 2001) - 6
63 016 Herbie Hancock The Herbie Hancock Box (Legacy, 2002) - 4
64 016 Kenny Rogers Through the Years (Capitol, 1991) - 4
65 015 Various The Funk Box (Hip-o, 2000) - 4
66 015 Everly Brothers Heartaches and Harmonies (Rhino, 1994) - 4
67 014 Yes In a Word (Rhino, 2002) - 5
68 014 Electric Light Orchestra Flashback (Legacy, 2000) - 3
69 012 Various The '70s Soul Experience (Rhino, 2001) - 6
70 012 Supremes Supremes (Motown, 2000) - 5
71 011 Deep Purple Shades: 1968-1998 (Rhino, 1999) - 4
72 010 Linda Ronstadt Box Set (Elektra, 1999) - 4
73 007 Rod Stewart Reason to Believe (Mercury, 2002) - 3
74 006 Carpenters Essential Collection (A&M, 2002) - 4
75 005 Various Supernatural Fairy Tales (Rhino, 1996) - 5
76 004 Frank Sinatra The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings (Reprise,1998) - 20
77 002 Miles Davis Complete Montreux 1973-1991 (Legacy, 2002) - 20
78 001 Elvis Presley The Collection (RCA, 1999) - 30