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Below is the lunch boxes section reprinted from the original article on collecting--

Thank the Smithsonian for renewed interest in this classic collectible category. "Taking America to Lunch" is currently on view at the National Museum of American History. And "Lunchbox Memories," a show of 64 boxes, has been crisscrossing the nation since 2002 and will hit five more cities by 2006. The interest is fueling steady price increases for iconic metal boxes, such as one from 1954 with Superman lithographed on the side. It sold for $13,300 at auction in 2003.

A big warning: This is a market that's still sorting itself out. After a hot streak in the early '90s, prices bottomed out with the rise of eBay. "Boxes started coming out of every attic in American," says Gary Sohmers, a Massachusetts-based dealer who just sold a cowboy-theme box for $50-- the same one he sold for $100 at the peak of the market.

But remember an old collecting saw: In chaos there is opportunity. Dealers and appraisers say the market is poised for a renaissance not only because of the museum shows, but because they're starting to get a handle on what's truly rare.

That Superman box went for so much money because few examples have emerged over the years, or at least few good examples in collectible condition (no nicks, dents or rust marks from leaky thermoses). Indeed, a nearly identical Superman box from just over a decade later, 1967, sells for a fraction of the price because it was much more widely manufactured. How do you sort it all out? Ask a pro: The Web sites lunchboxpad.com and lunchboxcollector.com have tips on what to buy where-- and what to avoid.

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