Thomas asks, “I have what I believe is a 1962 green painted metal peanuts toy chest my father bought before I was born. It has painted scenes from episodes such as the famous marcy holding the football for charlie brown. On the inside it is lined with black and white like wallpaper of the cartoon skits. The reason I am sending you this is that for years I have been to research this item without luck. I have not seen so much as a picture on the internet. A search for it yields nothing. Do you know anything about it? Thanks for your time! “
The problem with the internet is there’s no way to put in a photo and say find me more like it. If there’s a way to do this, please let me know!
What might help with your search is knowing just what the item is – a steamer trunk. The one you have looks to be the 30″ x 16″ x 12″ version. It was made by Armored Luggage in the mid-1970’s. Just a note – any copyright information on the trunk refers to the character copyright, not the manufacturing year.
Armored Luggage made a variety of trunks, footlockers and skate cases lithographed with various Peanuts scenes in a variety of designs. They were constructed by wrapping the thin sheet of metal over cardboard and plywood, stapled in place and covered with trim. When they show up on the market, they tend to be very used. Trim pieces and hardware are sometimes lost. The metal sides get dinged, pushed in and scratched. The metal surfaces are prone to rust. The white cartoon paper inside is usually soiled and a little musty. Compared to some, yours is pretty good. It’s still in very usable condition and would make a good display piece. The happiness theme is a current trend with Peanuts memorabilia. In mint condition (like new, no condition issues), the trunk could be worth around $250 in today’s market. In its current condition, without having seen it in person, I would expect it to sell around $40-$80. It’s a great piece! Enjoy it!
Just so you don’t feel so alone in the world of Armored Luggage, there is one steamer trunk on craigslist that’s been for for sale a long, long time because of its high price and not so great condition. Also, I have a few Peanuts Happiness is skate cases in my collection.
Final note: That’s Lucy holding the football.
Have a Peanuts collectible you’d like to know more about? Want to share a story about your Peanuts collectible? Send email us a photo and any information you have to info@collectpeanuts.com.
