diff --git a/packages/@glimmer/runtime/lib/compiled/opcodes/component.ts b/packages/@glimmer/runtime/lib/compiled/opcodes/component.ts
index f6f6486..bcbc891 100644
--- a/packages/@glimmer/runtime/lib/compiled/opcodes/component.ts
+++ b/packages/@glimmer/runtime/lib/compiled/opcodes/component.ts
@@ -353,6 +353,7 @@ APPEND_OPCODES.add(Op.GetComponentSelf, (vm, { op1: _state }) => {
   let { definition, state } = check(vm.fetchValue(_state), CheckComponentInstance);
   let { manager } = definition;

+  console.log(manager, state, manager.getSelf(state));
   vm.stack.push(manager.getSelf(state));
 });

diff --git a/packages/@glimmer/runtime/lib/vm/gbox.ts b/packages/@glimmer/runtime/lib/vm/gbox.ts
index 8f5b288..b559282 100644
--- a/packages/@glimmer/runtime/lib/vm/gbox.ts
+++ b/packages/@glimmer/runtime/lib/vm/gbox.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import { assert } from '@glimmer/util';
 import { DEBUG } from '@glimmer/local-debug-flags';
 import { WasmLowLevelVM } from '@glimmer/low-level';
-import { isConst } from '@glimmer/reference';
+import { isConst, ConstReference } from '@glimmer/reference';
 import { ComponentInstance } from "../compiled/opcodes/component";
 import {
   ComponentDefinition,
@@ -72,6 +72,14 @@ export class Context {
   }

   encode(a: any): number {
+    if (a instanceof ConstReference) {
+      console.log('encode', a);
+      return this.encodeRaw(a.value()) | Flag.CONST_REF;
+    }
+    return this.encodeRaw(a);
+  }
+
+  private encodeRaw(a: any): number {
     switch (typeof a) {
       case 'number':
         if (a as number % 1 === 0)
@@ -93,13 +101,23 @@ export class Context {
   }

   decode(a: number): any {
+    const ret = this.decodeRaw(a);
+    if (this.isConstReference(a) ) {
+      let r = new ConstReference(ret);
+      console.log('decode', r);
+      return r;
+    }
+    return ret;
+  }
+
+  private decodeRaw(a: number): any {
     switch (a & TAG_MASK) {
         case Tag.NUMBER:
           return a >> FIELD_SIZE;
         case Tag.NEGATIVE:
           return -(a >> FIELD_SIZE);
         case Tag.BOOLEAN_OR_VOID:
-          switch (a) {
+          switch (a & ~Flag.CONST_REF) {
               case Immediates.False:
                 return false;
               case Immediates.True:
@@ -127,7 +145,7 @@ export class Context {
     return this.stack[idx];
   }

-  isConstReference(gbox: number): boolean {
+  private isConstReference(gbox: number): boolean {
     return !!((gbox & FLAG_MASK) === Flag.CONST_REF);
   }

@@ -143,12 +161,12 @@ export class Context {
   private encodeObject(a: any): number {
     const idx = this.stack.length;
     this.stack.push(a);
-    return this.encodeNumberAndTag(idx, Tag.ANY, isConst(a));
+    return this.encodeNumberAndTag(idx, Tag.ANY);
   }

-  private encodeNumberAndTag(a: number, tag: number, isConst = false): number {
+  private encodeNumberAndTag(a: number, tag: number): number {
     assert(a < (1 << (32 - FIELD_SIZE)), 'number too big');
-    return (a << FIELD_SIZE) | tag | (isConst ? Flag.CONST_REF : 0);
+    return (a << FIELD_SIZE) | tag;
   }

   private decodeComponent(component_idx: number): ComponentInstance {
diff --git a/packages/@glimmer/runtime/test/gbox-test.ts b/packages/@glimmer/runtime/test/gbox-test.ts
index 6784f21..f67a1fd 100644
--- a/packages/@glimmer/runtime/test/gbox-test.ts
+++ b/packages/@glimmer/runtime/test/gbox-test.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ QUnit.test("serializes JavaScript objects", assert => {
 QUnit.test("annotates ConstReference objects", assert => {
   let ref = new ConstReference(true);
   let gbox = ctx.encode(ref);
-  assert.strictEqual(ctx.decode(gbox), ref);
-  assert.ok(ctx.isConstReference(gbox));
+  let ref2 = ctx.decode(gbox);
+  assert.ok(ref2 instanceof ConstReference);
+  assert.strictEqual(ref2.value(), ref.value());
 });