"The World of Dr. Seuss" Lunch Box Art, ca. 1970
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GUEST:
I was born in La Jolla in San Diego, and when I was very young, Dr. Seuss used to, uh, read books to children at a, a local bookstore. And that's the first time I actually got, got the chance to meet him. I've tried to collect and find him at any estate sales I go to, and bookstores, and I found these at an estate sale in Long Beach. The person who I bought them from said that she had purchased them from someone in Texas, from a person who had worked at a lunch box company, and that Seuss did the artwork for some of the lunch boxes. And that's all I know about them.
APPRAISER:
What you have here is some original artwork for the World of Dr. Seuss lunch box. This lunch box was created by Aladdin in 1970. And what I love about this overview that you have here, is, you have the original stamps from it. And Dr. Seuss was extremely meticulous about controlling his art. If you've seen it, the, the lunch box, which sells in great condition for about $400, you'll know that you have the back panel. The back panel has Horton and some of the other wonderful characters. And this is the exact colors that were used in the back of the lunch box. The front panel of the lunch box is actually the Cat in the Hat, and that's blue.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So there's another panel that you're missing.
GUEST:
Oh, I...
APPRAISER:
You have also what are the sides. It has the Sneetches on it and another example of a side. So we have wonderful original art done by Dr. Seuss. You are, again, missing the Cat in the Hat, which is almost the most iconic figure.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
But nonetheless, I feel that something like this would easily bring between $10,000 and $15,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Oh, my God! Really?
APPRAISER:
Yeah!
GUEST:
(laughing) That's amazing.
Appraisal Details
Current Appraised Value: $26,400 (Increased)
Guzman informed us that this Dr Seuss lunchbox art was sold at the Bonhams Books & Manuscripts Auction in October of 2008 for $24,000, plus a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
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