they gave it to me in one of those brown packages.. more like an envelope sleeve. Probably refurb, but its it better condition than my old one. My old one had a scratch on a corner, scratched apple logo, and of course the misaligned crescent moon camera and the slight bend/display lift
Apple products (almost all of them) have serial number which tells them exactly when it was purchased and if there is still warranty. You can actually check your warranty to on apple.com/support (somewhere there).
No need for receipt, just the product