Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Double R Bar Ranch Lunch Box

Q:         I have a Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Double R Bar Ranch metal lunch box that pictures Roy on Trigger, Dale Evans waving her hat in greeting, and their dog, Bullet, running alongside. The back and sides look like wood grain and there is a “brand” on the back. Can you tell me when it was made and what it’s worth?

A :        Your lunch box was made by the American Thermos Co. in 1953. A nearly identical box with blue or red sides and a wood grain back was made in 1954. It came with a matching thermos. It was the first completely lithographed steel lunch box made. The lunch box with thermos sells for $75 to $100 today; the lunch box alone for $50 to $80.