Vintage Metal Lunch Box Rarity Scale
The rarity of a lunch box has a lot to do with several main factors:
- Age
- Number produced
- Condition
Age
The older the box, the less likely you will find one in a mint condition since people back in the day did not see
them as being collectible but instead as a way to transport their child’s lunch to school.
Number produced
If the box sold well, then more were produced, making it easier for collectors to find one in later years.
Another factor that had to do with the number produced was determined by the popularity of the characters
that were portrayed on the box. Kids related a lot to the Disney School Bus so nine million of those were made,
making it the most produced vintage metal lunch box.
Condition
Some boxes may only have a rarity of 5 but a mint condition one might make it as hard to find as a 7 rarity.
Condition can sometimes out way the standard rarity number given to a particular box since it is more rare
in a higher grade.
Rarity Scale
- 10: Very rare, only a few are known to exist. ex. 240 Robert, Toppie
- 9-8: Tuff to find especially in a high grade condition. ex. The Jetsons Dome
- 7-6: Still considered hard to find and very desirable to advanced collectors. ex. Police Patrol
- 5-4: Sort of common now especially in lower grade conditions, however, higher grades of this rarity
are becoming sparce. ex. Berenstein Bears
- 3-1: Most of the 80s boxes since people started to realize that boxes were becoming collectible.
These are great boxes for the beginner and will become more rare in time,
especially in mint condition. ex: Annie, Popples.
