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1967 Aladdin lunchbox ad, “presenting a
cavalcade of stars,” with “exclusive 3-D
embossing.” Among those in the cavalcade:
Dick Tracy and Tarzan.

collection resides in the archives at
the Smithsonian. I offered to buy,
but they respectfully declined.”)
Kelehan’s exhibit, which he created
with support from The Durham
“Space – the final frontier.” Star Trek Where would Star Trek be without its Museum, featured over 500 of his
domed box, Aladdin, 1968. stars? “Mr. Spock” and “Captain Kirk” lunchboxes, as well as numerous
on Aladdin lunchbox reverse. examples of lunchbox art and
production materials. In addition to
listings. Many, of course, are in less than pristine condition since they detailing the history of lunchboxes,
were used for daily not-so-delicate use and have been knocking around their major manufacturers, and their
for at least 60 to 70 years. The selling price for a lunchbox in “average” vibrant artwork, his writings for the
condition can range from $50-70. A box with significant damage, unless exhibit cover primary factors in their
it is historically important, will sell for much less. One with its original development. Among them: marketing
tags will sell for much more. For truly determined “paileontologists,” research, license acquisition, actual lunchbox production, and, of
Holy Grails include the 1954 Superman lunchbox. In 2021, a mint course, the world of lunchbox collecting, from its origins in 1979 up to
lunchbox featuring the strange visitor from another planet realized the present day. Future goals, already in the works, include having the
$18,000 at auction. An analysis of eBay lunchbox sales for 2022 showed exhibit travel to other venues across the nation, plus one or more books
a total of over 29,000 sold, with receipts totaling almost 2 million dollars on lunchboxes. Says Mark, “I think the topic and insights are timeless,
(which will buy an awful lot of peanut butter and jelly). and are a great reflection of history and popular culture in the United
States. They all tell stories.”
Judging by survey responses during the Omaha showing, those
stories still resonate. Asked what they enjoyed most, similar phrases
from attendees popped up with regularity: “the nostalgia”; “the history”;
and (here’s the most important one), “the fun!” That’s just the reaction
Mark Kelehan was hoping for: “In my opinion, collecting anything,
including vintage lunchboxes, should first and foremost be fun. If you
can have fun and accomplish what you set out to do, you will get a great
sense of self-satisfaction and accomplishment. Once you accomplish
your initial goal, you can display them for you and others to enjoy, and
call it a day. Or, if you’re like me, you set new goals, and then progress
toward those. That statement applies not just to collecting, but to
almost anything you want to accomplish in your life. Set aspirational
goals, work hard with integrity to achieve them, don’t give up, and—
Bonanza lunchbox, Aladdin Lots of action at the Ponderosa: original most importantly—have fun!”

Industries, 1965. artwork for Aladdin’s Bonanza lunchbox, 1965.
A rarity, as most lunchbox art no longer exists. Lunchboxes = History + Nostalgia + Fun!
Some things just kind of go together. Sort of like
Thinking Outside The Box peanut butter and jelly.
At left: For those without a lunchbox, resigned to brown-
For those who grew up outside of the baby boomer timeline (or who bagging it: a package of paper lunch bags from the early 1950s.
were around then, but unfortunately had to brown-bag it), there are
still opportunities to chow down on the lunchbox experience. Recently,
Mark Kelehan’s collection was the focus of The Lunchbox: Packed With All photos and reference materials courtesy of
Pop Culture, a major exhibit at The Durham Museum (a Smithsonian Mark Kelehan (mak.lunchbox@gmail.com)
affiliate) in Omaha, Nebraska. Notes Kelehan, “There have been sever-
al displays of lunchboxes at various museums, but there has never been Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann
an exhibit that displays all the one-of-a-kind paintings and original pro-
duction artifacts, which are super cool!” Kelehan believes his collection Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous books on design and
of original lunchbox artwork is the largest in the world. (The world’s collectibles, including Postwar Pop, a collection of his columns. He lived
largest privately held collection, that is. Mark admits that “the largest near his school, so he usually went home for lunch. Please address inquiries
to: donaldbrian@msn.com

Three of Marvel’s finest: Thor, Spider-Man, Time to phone home? E.T. Lunchtime around the world: “España Rambo, the last metal lunchbox
and Captain America, in action on an Aladdin lunchbox, 1982. 82” (World Cup) lunchbox, by SORFIM mass-produced by King-Seeley
Aladdin Industries lunchbox, 1976. (France), 1982. Thermos, 1985.
30 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles