Look, up on the shelf! It's Superman . . . and Davy Crockett . . . and the crew from Sesame Street!

An auctioneer named J. Louis Karp sells hundreds of old lunchboxes in Cincinnati, Ohio. The lunchboxes are decorated with heroes. Some come from comic books. Others come from TV shows, cartoon strips, and movies. You might not recognize all the characters. But your grandparents probably would! They may have carried lunchboxes like these, with thermoses to match. You can go on the internet to buy old metal lunchboxes from the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. But it’s pretty cool to see 250 of them in the same place. It’s especially amazing for baby boomers—people born between 1946 and 1964. They might spot the same ones they carried peanut butter sandwiches in when they were in first grade.

These lunchboxes are old school . . . but not the most old school. Men carried their lunch in tough metal pails in the 1800s. Later, kids copied their dads by stuffing their lunches into old cookie tins. In the 1950s, television became popular. Lunchbox makers realized: Lunchboxes last a long time. But people will buy more of them if they feature different characters. It takes a long time for a lunchbox to wear out. But a kid might want a box with a new character on it much more quickly—maybe every year.

Bidding for these lunchboxes starts at twenty dollars. Popular lunchboxes may sell for around $200. Mr. Karp lets his sons auction some of his items online. But he still enjoys doing things the old fashioned way on the showroom floor. It gets exciting. Two competitors want the same lunchbox. They watch each other as the bid goes up and up and up. And some winners may even leave with happy tears in their eyes.

Seeing old lunchboxes like this gives people a feeling of nostalgia. Nostalgia is a longing for the past. What do you use every day that might someday give you this feeling?

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. ― Ecclesiastes 3:1