Would You Pay $11,865 for This Lunch Box?

Back in 1954, this metal lunch box cost a few dollars. The kid it belonged to probably never thought that one day, it would become a treasure. Yet someone bought it for $11,865! Sounds crazy?

Lunch boxes from the 1950s and ’60s often sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Why would anyone pay that much?

This lunch box is from 1954. Back then, it cost a few dollars. The kid who owned it probably never thought it would be a treasure one day. Yet someone bought it for $11,865! Sounds crazy?

Lunch boxes from the 1950s and ’60s often sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Why would anyone pay that much?

At that time, kids didn’t have social media to shout out to the world what movie characters and superheroes they loved. They didn’t have iPhones or speakers to play songs from their favorite bands at recess.

And so their lunch boxes were a way to show off their interests and make friends. A lunch box said: “I’m into Superman. Are you?” It was the perfect conversation starter.

Today, old lunch boxes are so valuable because they remind people of times gone by—a favorite TV show or a special friend. “People collect things to remember their childhood,” says Phil Weiss, who sold the Superman lunch box. “It’s very nostalgic.”

At that time, kids didn’t have social media. They couldn’t post about what movie characters and superheroes they loved. And they didn’t have iPhones or speakers to play songs from their favorite bands at recess.

So their lunch boxes helped them show off the things they liked. A lunch box said: “I’m into Superman. Are you?” It was the perfect way to make friends.

Today, old lunch boxes are worth a lot because they remind people of times gone by. They might bring to mind a favorite TV show or an old friend. “People collect things to remember their childhood,” says Phil Weiss. He sold the Superman lunch box.

Lunch boxes aren’t the only memorabilia people like to collect. Some sports fans love to buy things that were worn or signed by their favorite players. LeBron James’s high school basketball jersey sold for $512,000.

Objects from the Titanic, which sank in 1912, are also popular. Someone paid $153,000 for a letter written by a passenger on the doomed ship.

These items are relics. They evoke the lives of the people they belonged to. Or they create a connection to a famous event from the past.

So maybe hold on to that letter you wrote during the pandemic or that Pop It! toy you own. Who knows? One day it could be worth a fortune.

Lunch boxes aren’t the only memorabilia people like to collect. Some sports fans love to buy things that were worn or signed by their favorite players. LeBron James’s high school basketball jersey sold for $512,000.

Objects from the Titanic are also popular. The famous ship sank in 1912. Someone paid $153,000 for a letter written by one of the people
on board.

These items are relics. They evoke the lives of the people who owned them. Or they make a connection to a famous event from the past.

So maybe hold on to that letter you wrote during the pandemic. And don’t throw out your Pop It! toy. Who knows? One day it could be worth a lot of money.