My advice to those who purchase lunchboxes and thermoses!

(and any other collectible item) 

I love collectible items!! My lunchbox collecting began when my husband and I first moved in together. With him came is childhood lunchbox that had been packed away for 20-30 years! I saw it and thought it would be so cute to find my childhood box to sit on display with his.  I went online and found my box! I then realized that so many of the boxes brought back so many memories that I started a collection of the ones I loved. As my collection grew, so did my knowledge.  I had a very large collection including most every Disney box I could find!!

A few years back my daughter got ill and I had to raise money for mounting medical bills. I listed several of my collectibles on eBay and I found a large sub-culture of lunchbox collectors.  At one point I came into a couple large collections and began to sell those. From Sept. of 2003 - early 2008 I  maintained an uninterrupted power seller status! I have done hours and days of research on lunchboxes and thermoses and have maintained a relationship with several old time boxers that I call on for advice or with questions when I dont know the answers.

In early 2008 I closed my store in order to focus on a serious family health crisis. It is up and running again now, and I am specializing in replacement parts for lunchboxes and thermoses.

• Lunchbox Handles
• Lunchbox Clasps
• Thermos Cups
• Thermos Fillers / Liners
• Thermos Stoppers / Plugs
• and many more
  

I also collect and sell vintage Disneyana, Tea Sets, Ohio Art Toys, Jack in the boxes, Dime Banks and many other pre-1950's tin toys.

I have a relationship with many other powersellers who sell items similar to mine and I recommend many of them!!! (Feel free to contact me for a recommendation!)

I have written this guide to help all you out there enjoy the collectibles I enjoy!!

Before you commit to purchasing an item:

Read the sellers feedback.  Although many of us sellers do have negative feedback its not always deserved. However, a good seller will have minimal negative feedback in comparison to their positive feedback. Read the feedback left by buyers. Do they ship quickly, was the item as described? Email the seller and ask ALL QUESTIONS prior to bidding. Read their policies and if they dont have them listed ask what they are!! Look at the photos and if the seller has a limited amount of photos ask that more be sent to you. Look for similar items that are currently for sale, or that have sold recently.  (There is an option to do that).  Do not be surprised or disappointed with the item you recieve!!

Know what you are looking for and what you are willing to settle for.

Many beginner collectors are looking for a lunchbox or thermos that brings back a child hood memory.  I was one of those!!! It usually starts there and becomes and obsession! Most new collectors will easily settle for less desired condition lunchboxes to use as filler pieces until they can find or afford the higher quality lunchboxes!! This is a great thing to do. But as always buyer beware. Ask questions, get photos and look for other items!! It may be that you can find a much nicer item for a few dollars more!!

Where can I find information on the parts of lunchboxes and thermoses and can I buy replacement parts?

Yes, most lunchbox and thermos parts can be found. My store actually carries the largest selection on ebay of replacement parts for lunchboxes and thermoses. I have several pages in my store "Grandmas Collectible Lunchboxes" that will show photos of each part of a lunchbox and thermos that will help guide a buyer as to what they may need.  If anyone has any questions they are always welcome to contact me directly through my store.

How can the value of a lunchbox be determined?

Determining actual value of any collectible is impossible. All collectors books are meant only to be a guide. The true value of a collectible item is solely what someone is willing to pay for it.  The values and sales prices of items change from day to day. There may be a collector who wants all vinyl lunchboxes and will pay top dollar to complete their collection.  Once that collector has all that they are looking for, the competition for those items may decrease and hence the value will too.  Most items on Ebay sell for about 40% of the listed value in price guides, and some sell for triple the listed the value. All depends of the condition, the collector and the sellers reputation!

Where can I find a rarity and condition scale.

I have compiled these lists into pages in my store. Click this link to go directly to that page: Rarity and Condition Scale.

Where can I learn more about the history of lunchboxes and the manufacturers?

Click this link to go directly to the History page: History of Lunchboxes, Manufacturers and Markings

With all the price guides on the market, Which one has the best information and is best for me?

I have closely studied the price guides" that are currently on the market. Through my years selling lunchboxes on Ebay I have been fortunate to work with several of the "boxers" who contribute to these guides, with either photos or information.

The first price guide, I am aware of, was written by Bruce Scott. It was a simple soft cover book that was pretty comprehensive in the amount of lunchboxes listed. However, it was written nearly 20 years ago, before collecting these items became a fad.

Bruce Scott also put out a photo price guide a few years later, but was limited to only a few lunchboxes and photos.

In the early 1990s  Larry Aikins put out a very comprehensive set of books. One showing steel lunchoxes and another showing plastic and vinyl. To this day these guides are the most comprehensive. Although their prices are outdated over the years (and the inception of Ebay made these item much more accesable than when the books were written) you still can use these books to view the different styles of boxes. There are ofcourse many many other boxes Aikins did not list.

Contributors to Aikins lunchbox books include: Ralph Persinger and Lazlo Ficsor. Lazlo once once called the King of Vinyl lunchboxes as he once had the largest collection of rare and mint vinyl lunchboxes. He now sells many of his mint and rare items on Ebay.

Aikins has since retired from the lunchbox buisness and has sold off most if not all of his collection. Most all of his items have been sold on Ebay by several different dealers.

In 1999 Allen Woodall and Sean Brickell put out a nice book on steel lunchboxes. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Metal Lunchboxes. This book had contributors such as Ralph Persinger and Fred Carlson. These are two long term boxers who to this day probably have the most complete collections of all styles of lunchboxes. This book has a lot of great photos of items, and especially photos of items you can not find in other books (i.e., carry-all and odd items). However, not all are priced and again, the price guide was written long before the ebay generation.

In 2001 Betty White wrote the Collector's Guide to Lunchboxes. This included steel, vinyl and plastic. It provides a good amount of items that are largely photographed and very clear. Again one of the contributors was Fred Carlson. This book gives a bit more information on the lunchboxes, such as artist and if there were several styles. Again, this book was written 6 years ago.

In 2004 Mingo and Barrett put out a book called Lunchbox Inside and Out. This book was solely meant to be a coffee table book and not a price guide. There are some nice photo's you might enjoy.

In 2006  "Toys and Prices 2006 was published. This book has a limited amount of information on lunchboxes, and very limited, unclear photos. This book also fails to state at what condition the prices in the book are based on.

In 2008 a new publication came out and I was told from the contributor he has added more clarity as to condition scale for the price guide than his earlier books. HOWEVER, I have not seen nor reviewed this book.

One thing that must be noted is that only the very early version of price guides were written by collectors of lunchboxes. The 2001, 2004, and 2006 books were not written by collectors of lunchboxes and hence were given advice on what the prices should be set at.

Collecting any type of collectible is like real estate. Some times it is a sellers market and some times it is a buyers market. Currently, on ebay it is a buyers market. There are new collectors every day entering eBay and adding to their collections. However I have noticed that most of the large volume buyers have picked up their collections already and now only buy the mint and the rare.

The value in a particular lunchbox today is what you are willing to pay for it, how bad do you want it. It is said the Beatles blue lunchbox and thermos are very rare (the books say) but in Ebay world you can find at least one up for auction each week.

Still have questions? Feel free to email me through my store:

Grandmas Collectible Lunchboxes.

Want to learn more about me? Read my ME pages.