Tea Tin Lunchbox

[PleasantMemories]

Someone asked a long time ago about the changes in Samantha’s lunch. I didn’t realize until today that I had two different versions. The version on the left (and the top peach) was purchased in 1987 or 1988. The ones on the right were purchased in 1998. Samantha must have told the cook somewhere along the line that her lunch wasn’t satisfying because all of the newer pieces are a little larger, especially the cookie.

The main difference between the two lunches, is Samantha’s sandwich. The old sandwich is made of the hard-clay material like the other food. The newer sandwich is made of a rubbery material. The lettuce has also gotten paler with time. The peaches are essentially the same. The new one is a little bigger and more colorful. As for the eggs, the old egg is quite small and the white is a little bit translucent. The new egg is larger, more opaque and has more paprika. And now for the best part: the cookie. The old cookie looks a little skimpy when compared with the newer cookie. The napkins and lunch tins are exactly the same and I cannot differentiate one from the other (except for the tag on the napkin).

I love Samantha's lunch and would give it a A-, as I wish that it had a vegetable or a little more food.

ETA: *Samantha's Tea Tin Lunchbox only comes with 1/2 a Sandwich*

[scandia]

I have the new one- bought in late 2006. I am very satisfied with everything in eat. The food looks delicious. The metal is good quality and has not rusted or lost its shine. A+.

[mollygirl1944]

My sister has this set from 2001. It is good quality, although the food does look a little fake (mostly the peach). The tin looks okay if you wipe it off every so often. I give it an A-, because it is a good play item, but the food could easily get lost and I wish it had one more piece of food.

[geneva26]

My lunchbox is probably from the late 1980s and was apparently stored in a humid environment, because it's evenly rusted all over. Even rusted, it doesn't look that bad--as long as you don't know it was supposed to be shiny. It would have been nice though if they had used a non-rusting but still historically appropriate metal like tin or tin-plated steel.

The food is cute but the scale is a little wonky.

i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd236/Anthea899/Samslunch.jpg

The cookie is as big as the sandwich. Other than that, it seems like a reasonable lunch. Eating that peach might be a little messy, but the napkin is more than big enough to deal with that!

i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd236/Anthea899/Backofcookie.jpg

The cookie has a "Silvestri, Made in Taiwan" sticker which is seen on some of the early food pieces.

B+ because the tin has deteriorated over time, but the contents are still in good shape.

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[Clover]

I just bought mine secondhand. The listing stated it was PC, and I do indeed think it is (or is possibly a mix of the two) based on the pictures already posted. The cookie is smaller and the sandwich is definitely made of clay, but the egg has noticeable paprika on it.

The tin could use some polishing, but at least it is not rusted over (still has some shine to it).

The napkin is a napkin. Not much to say there.

This is my first lunch/food accessory set (hoping to get one more), so for now, I am happy to at least have some food for my dolls to play with/pose for pictures with. Plus, I love tea, so to be carrying around lunch in a tea tin seems quite appropriate.

Grade: A-

[WildPigeonChase]

I have the second version with the full sandwich, 2 peach halves, and gingerbread cookie. It's a very cute set, though I do wish I had the deviled egg. The one thing that I noticed is the peach halves look out of proportion to the other pieces. Mine look huge, and are bigger than the sandwich. Also, they seem a bit tight in the tea tin, but it does fit.