Not just a nostalgia item, that box represents the intersection of two American pop cultural forces of the era: The Beatles themselves, of course, and the rise of the lunchbox as an expression of self-identity for kids (and a way to market to them).

"A lunch box was not merely a lunch box, but a statement of who we were," as the Smithsonian's exhibit, Taking America to Lunch, put it.

This 1968 Yellow Submarine Beatles lunchbox sold for $851.60 in 2011. Photo: Courtesy of Hake's Americana & Collectibles

These days, even a beat-up version of that 1965 Beatles lunchbox can sell for $200 or $300, Crews says.

A second Beatles lunchbox was released in 1968 to mark the release of Yellow Submarine, that trippy cartoon phenomenon based on the band's music. Those babies will fetch $400 or more these days, says Crews.

While an original Beatles lunchbox will cost you hundreds of dollars, fans can pick up a version made in the '90s or later in the $10-$25 range. Here's one based on the 1965 album Help! It's being sold on eBay as part of a set of 13 lunchboxes, each based on a different Beatles album cover. Photo: mrapp123/eBay

And it wasn't just lunchboxes. Apparently, food manufacturers would use the Fab Four's image to sell just about anything – ice cream bars, Nestle Quick (this vintage tin of the chocolate drink mix went up for auction starting at $1,200!), even bubble gum. (Although whoever thought it wise to make Ringo Starr the heartthrob focus of this gum wrapper, while leaving Paul McCartney off completely, had some serious judgment issues.)

More recently, cookbooks have offered up recipes — like "Strawberry Pie Forever" and "Can't Buy Me Fudge" — inspired by the lyrics of Beatles songs.

The Beatle's 1966 album Revolver is depicted on a retro-style, modern metal lunchbox. Photo: mrapp123/eBay

Take Abbey Road (1969) to lunch. Photo: mrapp123/eBay

"It's amazing how they managed to infiltrate every part of pop culture," says Spizer.

For those of us who want to rock a retro Beatles lunchbox without selling an organ to pay for it, there are always the reproductions and new versions that hit the market starting in the the 1990s. You can pick one of these up in the $10 to $25 range.

Copyright 2014 NPR.

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Beatlemania! When The Fab Four Rocked The Lunchroom