You're right Hector, they are addictive. At least for me they are, as I recently took the plunge into collecting old lunch boxes, and it's hard to stop!
I don't collect mint, perfect ones with tags really. If I see a great deal on one like that I'd definitely pick it up, but as long as they're still fairly clean and not too rusty or scratched up I'll collect 'em. Certain ones I'm kinda holding out for mintier examples, like the mid-seventies Marvel Super Heroes lunchbox. I've wanted that since I was a kid, and I come across alot of beaten up specimens, but the minty ones are pretty pricey.
The nice thing about collecting these is that my wife likes them too, and she enjoys going on Ebay with me, or looking around in other places for boxes she used to have. It's nice to have a hobby that we both can appreciate together. Plus, the other nice thing is that if you're not overly picky about condition, it's a fairly affordable hobby.
But man these things take up alot of space!! We're still trying to figure out the best way to display them, as the collection grows.
i've always wanted the six million dollar man one, but dont want to get hooked on another collection as well!!
I wanted Star Wars, KISS or one of the Superhero lunchboxes. Mine was Land of the Lost. Although I liked the show, it certainly wasn't the coolest lunchbox as a kid. Looking back on it, I wish I still had it and it actually was pretty cool because if I had one of the others, it would have been hard to keep it separated from the other kids' lunchboxes. I was the only guy with Land of the Lost. I still remember how it smelled - like hot PB&J!
Nostalgia just ain’t what it used to be.
I've got 3 from my childhood: The Marvel Superheroes, The Road Runner/Coyote, and Disney's Jungle Book.
I have Superman 56', 67' and 78'...
For many years the only lunchbox I owned as an adult collector was the KISS one, which I bought pretty cheap back in the early '90s. I'd wanted to collect more, but every time I went to a collectibles show the ones I wanted either were too costly or in bad shape. Now with Ebay I can find them much cheaper, thankfully. Now and then I find them out in the wild, too.
Just today I got a 1980 Pac-Man lunchbox![]()
I am getting Superman lunchboxes now.
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Love old Lunchboxes.
I honestly feel like kids today are totally ripped off of the experience of getting to pick one out to carry for the next year or two.
I had a discussion with my parents a while back about my lunchbox preferences as a kid. We didn't have much money back then, but that was one thing they felt was worthy of an expenditure (they really were kind of affordable), but I would not give up my Evel Knievel lunchbox from 2nd grade through 6th. They offered to buy a new one every year and I kept on carrying Evel because I loved it so much.
I still have it. Thermos and all. Still in beautiful shape and I am looking at right now because it is displayed right above my computer.