Did you have a favorite lunchbox in elementary school? You can renew your acquaintance with that squeaky latch and white-bread-and-mayonnaise-aroma at the Lunchbox Museum in Columbus.

Allen Woodall has a collection of over 2,000 of the embossed and lithographed boxes with matching thermos bottles that so many children carried to the bus stop all those years ago.

“Rambo was the last metal lunchbox they made,” says Woodall. Of the 600 designs created in the heyday of metal lunchboxes (1951 – 1985), Woodall  is within “three or four” of having them all. He began the collection in 1985. “I thought they were great pop art,” he adds.

Woodall, whose museum has been recognized by the Smithsonian and several national news programs, co-authored The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Metal Lunchboxes (Schiffer Publishing, ’99) along with Sean Brickell. The first metal lunchbox was issued by Walt Disney in 1935, with, of course, a Mickey Mouse design. It was an oval tin. Woodall has one in his collection, but it’s not on display at the museum. And yes, they can be valuable. Several years ago a 1954 Superman sold for over $10,000, he says. He has a 1954 Superman, but it’s not in the pristine condition of the top selling one.

Obviously, those rust-stained hinges and gravel-pocked designs on that old Flintstones box of yours are going to keep it out of the five-figures. But whether you’re interested in buying, selling or just reminiscing, the designs inside the Lunchbox Museum make for an interesting history lesson in American pop culture – ranging from the stars of westerns originally shown in black and white (Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Wild Bill Hickox, Annie Oakley, Bonanza, Wagon Train) to cartoon characters (the Jetsons) to science fiction (Star Wars, Lost in Space, Land of the Giants.)  The museum includes both a Beatles and a BeeGees lunchbox as well.

The museum is located inside the International Marketplace at 318 – 10^th St. in Columbus. Inside this large antique/flea market, Woodall shares some of his other passions with the public. There are displays of newspaper articles that outline the history of nearby Phenix City,  his collection of classic cars and the Southern Stoneware Museum which focuses on regional folk pottery. The marketplace is located at 318 – 10^th Avenue. It is open from 10 to 6 Wednesday through Saturday and 12 to 6 Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for students and seniors. There is no charge for those under age 10.