The Lunchbox Kid!
2010 Collector's Pictorial Price Guide for Metal Lunchboxes
by
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My story started in the summer of 1993. I was leading a youth missions trip down in Mexico when I stumbled onto my first lunchbox collecting experience. It was the final day of our trip and we had a couple of hours of “free-time”. I went into a little thrift shop and spotted two vinyl lunchboxes…….a “yellow” Wonder Woman and a “short-hair” Donnie and Marie. I bargained (even then) with the lady in the store, and ended up buying both boxes for under $5.00! I bought the Donnie and Marie for my sister (she loves the Osmond's) and the other I thought would be a cute keepsake in memory of my first mission trip. That, my friend, was the beginning of this crazy, roller coaster ride of lunchbox collecting.
Upon returning to my home town of Porterville, California I was told by my father that these two boxes were actually worth something. I, honestly, had no clue, but just thought they were cool little gifts from Mexico. But, with that little bit of knowledge, I began “hunting” for other bargain boxes in antique stores, garage sales and flea markets. The majority of the boxes I ended up purchasing in those early days were mostly rusted, dented and/or severely beat up. Occasionally, I would run across a decent box for a good price….but that was not the norm! As news about my craze for lunchboxes grew…….my family and a couple of close (and suspicious) friends would buy me a box or two for my birthday or Christmas. Personally, I just couldn't see paying over $100.00 for an old, metal lunchbox……..especially when my mom was telling me she paid $3.00 (or less) for brand spanking new ones when I was a kid! But, that didn't stop me from continuing to go down to a local antique store and hold, examine and admire the Jetsons, Hogans Heroes, Roy Rogers, and other dome lunchboxes. I wanted them, but not enough to pay the unbelievable (in my thinking) high price …… ($200.00-$500.00). Then……something strange happened..….something really, really strange happened! And it could happen to you, if it hasn't already!?!
One day I walked into that local antique store to get my lunchbox “fix” for the week, and they were gone! All of them! Every single, precious, dome lunchbox was gone! I immediately asked the store owner, “What happened to all of the dome lunchboxes?” He answered, “Oh, some lunchbox collector came in and bought all of them over the weekend.” I was devastated….. ”what was I going to do? When was I ever going to hold a `Lost in Space' again? Was `Snoopy' going to be ok without me visiting him anymore?” It was my first realization that I really liked, “needed” and was actually falling in love with this hobby. I was becoming a lunchbox freak!!!
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About the Book
Thad Reece has taken the lunchbox hobby to a whole other level. Little did he know that a simple mission's trip to Mexico would lead him to the promised land of lunchboxes! His amazing insight in collecting metal lunchboxes is above and beyond our wildest dreams. The crazy stories, top ten lists, and incredible information on collecting these crazy metals will surprise even the connoisseurs of the hobby. Never has there been a pictorial price guide this in depth and this complete. Over 1,000 USA, Canadian, Japanese, England, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Spain lunchboxes and thermoses are pictured and neatly categorized. The passion for lunchbox collecting is dripping off every page! This book will TOPPIE them all!
About the Author
Thad Reece is a general contractor and youth pastor in Porterville, California. He started collecting lunchboxes in 1993 when he accidently ran across two boxes on a mission's trip in La Paz, Mexico. A yellow Wonder Woman and a short haired Donnie and Marie started Thad on a whole different mission's trip. This trip has him searching for that one lost box that hasn't been saved! His passion for the hobby has driven him from the west coast to the east coast and many places in between. “Trying to find all the lunchboxes with limited resources became very frustrating to me,” he says... “And it finally caused me to write a book.” His dream is for this nostalgia phenomenon during the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's to be seen as an intricate part of American history. “These pop-culture lunchboxes are not just cool, but have some tremendous stories and information about our country on them.” Thad's desire is to see more lunchbox collections displayed in the public eye, so that more people can enjoy and learn from them. He's convinced that every lunchbox has a story that needs to be told!