Someone did!
Take a look at the lunch box below. Back in 1954, it cost a few dollars. More than 50 years later, it sold for $11,865! Why would someone pay that much for an old metal box?
Weiss Auctions, Oceanside, NY
More Than a Lunch Box
Andrew Schwartz/Splash News/Newscom
In the 1950s, a lunch box was more than just a way to carry your food to school. Back then, there were no computers or tablets. Kids couldn’t pull up their favorite YouTube video to share with their friends. And they didn’t have the phones to compare pictures of their favorite sports teams.
But they did have lunch boxes. These lunch boxes let kids show off their interests without saying a word. A lunch box said, “I’m into Superman. Are you?” It was the perfect way to start a conversation or make a new friend.
Happy Memories
Hector Mata/AFP/Getty Images
Today, lunch boxes from the 1950s and ’60s often sell for thousands of dollars. The reason? They bring back happy memories.
“People collect things to remember their childhood,” says Phil Weiss. He’s the man who sold the Superman lunch box.
Other old items—like action figures, Pokémon cards, and games—have sold for a lot of money too. Like lunch boxes, they can remind people of a favorite movie, a special friendship, or a fun family game night.
So you might want to hold on to that Fortnite water bottle or Pop It! toy you own. One day it could be worth thousands—or more!
FACT FINDER
Can't Miss Teaching Extras
For a deeper dive into the world of collectible toys, check out our February 2019 Paired Texts story Toys or Treasures?
Some people love collecting old items because they are reminded of important events from history. Learn about the thrilling story of how one explorer discovered the remains of the sunken Titanic, and the fascinating objects he found inside, in our Big Read feature from September 2020, “Searching for the Titanic.”
Fun facts: A baseball card for the player Honus Wagner sold for over 6 million dollars. A painting by Leonardo Da Vinci once sold for 450 million dollars, making it the most expensive piece of artwork in the world!
