What is it? *pic*

[Stephen Hussar]

What is this and what era? If this is an easy one, hold off answering for a bit... 

[Ken Fleming]

Lunch bucket.  Top is for liquid and its cap is the cup.  I have seen pictures of coal miners carrying these in the 1920's.

[John Kokas]

Yep - lunch box alright.  I remember my granddad having one from when he worked on the DL&W.  Nice part of the top part (liquid) was during the winter months my grandmother would put soup in and gramps would just put it up on the backhead to warm it up.

[Mike Fox]

I would have never guessed that. Thanks for supplying that Stephen.

[Wayne Laepple]

In this part of the world, these things are referred to as "dinner buckets." My grandfather and two uncles carried identical buckets into the coal mines where they worked. Somewhere I have a similar bucket, though it's round and made of aluminum rather than porcelained steel.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

There are 1920s and 30s era photos of WW&F track crews on handcars with dinner buckets on the car.  The buckets were similar to the one in the photo but were plain tinware.  There is a tin dinner bucket in the museum collection that was used on the Maine Central in the 1930s.  The graniteware bucket is rare as there were not many made.  Its also rare to have all the pieces.  Note the tray that kept a sandwich seperated from fruit, etc that was stored in the bottom of the bucket.

[Jock Ellis]

What would one of these cost in the '20s and '30s?  How much now as collectors' items?

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Dinner buckets cost in the $2 - $3 price range when purchased new from a store or catalog.  Some railroaders had buckets made in their shop or by the local tin smith.  The tin buckets sell on ebay or in antique shops for $25 - $50 depending on condition and if all the parts are there.  Graniteware buckets are harder to find and are priced in the $75 - $150 range.  I have only seen two for sale in the last 10 years.