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There's something about metal lunch boxes that intrigues Joe Shuler.

"To me, they're beautiful," the 57-year-old Bogota man said. "I like the graphics. I like bright colors." Shuler likes metal lunch boxes so much, in fact, that in the past 18 years he's rounded up about 400 of them. He displays them on shelves in his office, periodically turning them for a change of scene, or replacing them with others that are kept in storage.

This month, however, about 100 of the lunch boxes are appearing at a library near you the Johnson Free Public Library in Hackensack, where row upon row greet are arranged in glass cases that line a wall in its front hallway.

Each of the vintage pieces conjures up memories of days gone by.

Remember "Flipper," "The Monroes," "Gentle Ben," "Family Affair"? How about "Hee Haw" or "Happy Days"? These are just some of the television programs that the flat or embossed boxes document.

Shuler said he began collecting the King Seely and Aladdin boxes in 1972, when one caught his eye at a garage sale. The box depicted combat troops in the jungles of Vietnam and bore the words, "G.I. Joe. " Shuler had been a soldier, his brother had fought in Vietnam, and the onetime Pittsburgh steelworker was drawn to the box's metal construction.

From that day on, Shuler made it a habit each August to comb area stores for the latest lunch box models, shelling out 75 cents here, or $3 to $5 there, for the objects that could now bring $40 to $50.

But all good things must come to an end, as did the production of metal lunch boxes and, along with it, Shuler's annual trips to the store. In 1985, plastic became the rage.

"I don't collect plastic," said Shuler, who designs computer forms and labels. Calling the production move "very disappointing," he said, "To me, they just can't hold a candle to the metal ones. "

Most of the lunch boxes on display at the library are from the years 1960-70. Shuler said his favorites are the Cracker Jack and Muppet series boxes.

The Zorro and Yellow Submarine boxes are among the most rare in his collection, Shuler said. Each nowadays carries a $200 price tag.

When it comes to value, however, age has little to do with it. "The main thing is condition," Shuler said. "If they've never been used, they're much more valuable. "

Yet, as with other collecting hobbies, the number produced also plays a part.

"The hardest one to get is the Jetsons," he said. "It's worth over $1,000."

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