These items have been carried by kids to school since the early 1900’s, but they were not sold until the 1950’ and the 1960’s. The influence of television changed the once ordinary looking lunch kit into hot items for collections and for kids' showing off. Hundreds of TV characters became really popular and soon they were showing up on school thermos faces as well. Those boxes that were once carried around by your parents as well as those you had as a kid are now considered as a highly sought after vintage lunchbox.
 VINTAGE FGN LUNCHBOX TRAVEL SUBJECT US $19.90 |
 1973 Vintage Adam 12 Metal Lunchbox US $51.00 |
 Vintage Junior Miss Lunch Box Thermos 1973 US $15.00 |
 Vintage HOLLY HOBBIE metal lunchbox thermos Aladdin US $2.99 |
 VINTAGE STAR WARS 1983 RETURN OF THE JEDI LUNCH BOX US $2.99 |
 Vintage 1980 Star Wars Lunch Box US $19.99 |
 VINTAGE McDONALDS LUNCH BOX SHERIFF CACTUS CANYON 1982 US $10.29 |
 VINTAGE THERMOS BLACK METAL LUNCH BOX W THERMOS US $12.01 |
 Vintage Tamiya Vanessas Lunchbox R C Van US $40.00 |
 Snoopy Peanuts vintage lunchbox circa 1960 US $35.00 |
This popular product was mass produced from the 1950s to 1990s. Although it is a very common item, baby-boomers who were nostalgic about their childhood now enjoy collecting these classic kiddie school sets for any of a number of reasons. And because of nostalgia, they tend to draw attention from a lot of people. Most of the millions sold between the years 1950s and 1970s were decorated or painted with images from popular TV programs, movies, sports and music industry celebrities.
The very first popular character to appear on them was Hopalong Cassidy and launched by Aladdin in the 1950s. It became an immediate success and soon led to some of the other popular TV characters appearing on additional releases. TV characters including western and space heroes and cartoon characters were soon found in the hands of school children all across the country.
Over the years, the two main manufacturers of these items were Aladdin and Thermos. Up to the middle of the 1980s, they metal form factor was the norm, and then soon afterwards, the plastic version came out. Some of the popular choices were: Barbie and Ken, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Disney and others. A vintage lunchbox now sells from $20 up to $400! Antique models should be in a mint condition to sell at a good value. Any dent, scratches and damage will reduce their market value.
Collectors used to look for unique editions at antique shops, garage sales and thrift stores. Now with the convenience of the internet, one can easily search for a mint condition vintage lunchbox with their desired character all with just a few clicks!