I am an avid collector of metal lunch boxes from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, but I will accept boxes from the 1990s. My current collection consists of 15 boxes that were sold to promote various sitcoms and movies from the 1970's and 80's. According to Roadsideamerica.com, metal lunchboxes were “a critical accessory for school kids.”

The lunch box industry started to produce lunch boxes in plastic in 1986, when a ruling of the Florida legislation claimed that metal lunch boxes were lethal weapon. The ruling drove metal lunch boxes into the crawl spaces and basements of American households, where the boxes were subjected to the elements. Many boxes suffered rust and decay before they became collector items in the mid to late 1990’s. The challenge to find boxes in good to great condition has become a passion for many collectors.

In first grade, I got my first lunch box for Christmas, which was from the Kung Fu television show staring David Carradine. Back in the 1970’s the show was very popular when the lunch box business was booming. The Kung Fu lunch box is difficult to find in good condition; however, I do see them floating around on EBay occasionally, but most are priced too high.

One of the thrills of collecting lunch boxes is searching through antique stores and flea markets not knowing what I may find. There is a store in Stone Mountain, GA that has a large amount of lunch boxes for sale, but many are priced too high or are in poor condition.

My latest find is the Adams Family box from the television show from the 1960s and 1970s. The thermos was included, which is a rarity. I recently spotted a Dukes of Hazard box in great condition. Unfortunately, the dealer’s price was over three hundred dollars, which is too high for my budget.

Tim