The Vintage Collectible That Is Highly Sought After In Thrift Stores

There are certain sights and sounds that can send you straight back in time, and the clinking of a tin lunchbox is one of them. For the longest time, these metal boxes were the meal transporters of choice for children's school lunches. The designs on the exteriors were far more valuable to kids than the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they carried, though. From the first character design in 1935 to today, these boxes have been a way for people to display their interests and personalities. Your lunchbox was a way to show off your favorite show, movie, game, character, or person, and these designs made them all the more fun. Recently, people have been feeling this nostalgia as they find tin lunchboxes in thrift stores.

The highly durable nature of the metal makes the lunch tins enduring items, and you can find them in impressively good condition at secondhand stores. If you do happen to find one, though, you might notice a major markup in price. A new tin lunchbox today costs between about 15 and 30 dollars, but if you find a real vintage one, it could cost far more and be quite valuable. While tin lunchboxes are still in production, the exact design you had as a child is likely quite rare, and it can be difficult and expensive to get your hands on a vintage version. They really are an example of vintage decor you should definitely snag if you see it at the thrift store. If you do happen to get one of these collectible vintage lunchboxes for your home, there are plenty of fun decor opportunities.

If you find yourself staring at a vintage lunchbox in a secondhand shop or find it among other household items that may be more valuable than you think, you should definitely search online for its worth. Some of the rarest and most sought-after boxes are worth thousands of dollars. Even if you do not want to purchase it, it can be fun to know how much it is worth as a collectible. Be sure to check details like the overall condition, design of the hardware and handle, and color of the interior against the lunchbox you believe it to be to determine if it is an original or a reproduction. Of course, if you want the item for your own enjoyment rather than as a collectible, the details may matter less.

If it happens to be a character, person, or other design that you like but are having trouble justifying the purchase, think about all of the decor potential. You can display it as a collector's item, highlighting and protecting it on a shelf or in a display cabinet, but it can also be an adorable addition to a kitchen. Whether it sits on a shelf or countertop for storage, a vintage character lunchbox offers a burst of color and personality for your kitchen. They will look especially good with the other vintage kitchen accessories that are making a comeback. To get a similar effect, you could also make a DIY project to transform a lunchbox in poor condition by cleaning it, removing any rust with WD40, and repainting the box with your choice of designs.