15 Grocery Items From The 70s That Are Worth A Fortune Now
Remember those bright, colorful boxes and quirky cans that filled grocery store shelves in the 1970s? Back then, they were just part of everyday life—but today, many of those ordinary items have become valuable collectibles.
I still vividly remember clutching a crumpled dollar bill as my mom sent me to the corner store, never imagining those snacks and household staples would one day be worth serious cash.
From cereal boxes with cartoon mascots to limited-edition soda cans, these nostalgic gems are now fetching top dollar. Let’s take a trip down memory lane with 15 vintage grocery items from the disco era!
1. Original Star Wars Cereal Boxes
Jedi-approved breakfast, anyone? When Star Wars fever hit in 1977, food companies jumped on the bandwagon faster than the Millennium Falcon making the Kessel Run. I remember begging Mom for these boxes just for the cardboard X-wing fighter cutouts on the back!
Unopened boxes from General Mills or Kellogg’s featuring Luke, Leia, and Darth Vader can command $300-$500 from serious collectors. The rarest version—a promotional C-3PO’s cereal with gold-colored corn puffs—recently sold for $1,200 at a pop culture auction.
Condition matters tremendously here. Mint boxes stored in climate-controlled environments fetch the highest prices.
2. Post Super Sugar Crisp Cereal Box
Remember waking up on a Saturday morning to the sweet taste of Super Sugar Crisp?
The iconic cereal, with its colorful box and friendly Sugar Bear, was a staple in many households. Today, collectors eagerly seek these boxes, especially ones in pristine condition.
The cereal’s charming design and nostalgic appeal make it a prized possession. Even empty boxes can fetch a good price, thanks to their rarity and the memories they evoke.
3. Tab Diet Soda Cans
The pink can that defined a generation! As Coca-Cola’s first diet soda, Tab created a cultural phenomenon with its distinctive saccharin sweetness. Growing up, my babysitter always had one in hand, calling it her “figure insurance.”
Original 1970s pull-tab cans (not the later push-tab versions) in pristine condition can sell for $75-150 each to the right collector. The most valuable are regional promotional versions with special graphics or contest information.
With Coca-Cola officially discontinuing Tab in 2020, prices have jumped as nostalgic Gen-Xers and soda collectors scramble to preserve this piece of beverage history.
4. Quaker Cap’n Crunch Moon Rocks Cereal
Space-age breakfast with actual “moon rocks”! Launched during the Apollo mission era, this limited-edition cereal capitalized on America’s space obsession. The special edition contained star-shaped marshmallows and crunchy blue “moon rock” pieces that turned your milk an otherworldly blue.
Last summer, I spotted an unopened box at an estate sale and nearly fainted when I saw the $800 price tag! Most surviving boxes sell between $200-600 depending on condition.
What makes them valuable? The combination of space nostalgia, limited production run, and the fact that most boxes were simply eaten and discarded makes surviving specimens incredibly rare.
5. Hunt’s Manwich Original Sloppy Joe Sauce
Sloppy Joe night was the highlight of my week in 1974! Hunt’s Manwich sauce first appeared in grocery stores in the early 70s, revolutionizing weeknight dinners with its “just add meat” convenience. The original cans featured that iconic red label with bold yellow lettering.
Unopened cans from the first production runs (check for copyright dates between 1969-1974) can sell for $75-150 to food advertising collectors. The oldest versions don’t have nutrition facts panels or UPC codes.
Serious collectors particularly value the promotional “recipe variation” cans that suggested adding ingredients like olives or cheese for “gourmet” Sloppy Joes.
6. Mountain Dew Collectible Bottles
Yeehaw! The hillbilly-themed Mountain Dew bottles from the early 70s are liquid gold to collectors. Before becoming extreme sports fuel, Mountain Dew embraced its Appalachian roots with bottles featuring a gun-toting, moonshine-drinking cartoon character named “Willy the Hillbilly.”
My grandfather had a six-pack gathering dust in his garage until a collector offered him $900 for the set! Individual bottles with original caps intact regularly sell for $100-200.
The most valuable are regional variants with local bottler information or special promotional text. PepsiCo retired these politically incorrect designs by the mid-70s, making them increasingly rare finds.
7. Marathon Candy Bar Wrappers
Eight inches of braided caramel covered in milk chocolate—the Marathon bar was the stuff of playground legend! Mars discontinued this stretchy treat in 1981, breaking candy-loving hearts everywhere. I still remember the ruler printed on the back of each wrapper to prove it was actually 8 inches long.
Complete wrappers in good condition can fetch $75-125 from candy memorabilia collectors. The holy grail? Unopened bars in original packaging have sold for over $500, though finding one that hasn’t turned to dust is nearly impossible.
Foreign versions called “Curly Wurly” (still available in the UK) don’t command nearly the same prices as the American original.
8. Kool-Aid Packets with Original Mascot
Oh yeah! Those little paper envelopes of powdered happiness featuring the smiling pitcher mascot were just 10 cents in 1975. My grandma kept a drawer full for summer visits, letting me pick my favorite flavor (tropical punch, obviously).
Unused packets from the 70s with the original Kool-Aid Man design (before his 1980s makeover) sell for $15-30 each. Complete collections of all available flavors from a specific year can bring $300-500 from serious collectors.
The most valuable are promotional or discontinued flavors like Sunshine Punch and Purplesaurus Rex. Finding these in sealed condition with vibrant colors (not faded) is increasingly difficult.
9. Coca-Cola Commemorative Bottles
Fizzy investments! During the 1970s, Coca-Cola released limited-edition commemorative bottles celebrating everything from small-town anniversaries to the U.S. Bicentennial. I found one from my hometown’s centennial while cleaning out my parents’ basement—it paid for a nice dinner out!
The most valuable are unopened bottles from smaller communities or significant events in perfect condition, complete with original contents. These can sell for $100-300 each.
The rarest find? A complete set of the 1976 Bicentennial state bottles (all 50 states plus territories) can fetch upwards of $2,000 from dedicated Coca-Cola collectors. Individual state bottles typically sell for $20-75 depending on rarity.
10. Planters Cheez Balls Canisters
Those bright blue cans filled with neon orange, perfectly spherical cheese-flavored puffs were the highlight of any 1970s party. My fingers would be stained orange for days after sneaking handfuls during my parents’ bridge nights!
Original Planters Cheez Balls containers from the 70s—especially the earlier cylindrical blue cans with the clear plastic lid—can sell for $100-200 empty. Unopened containers (extremely rare) have fetched over $500.
When Planters briefly revived the product in 2018 after a 12-year hiatus, collectors went wild for both vintage and new containers. The original 70s packaging remains the most valuable to food advertising collectors.
11. Twinkie the Kid Lunchboxes with Thermos
Metal lunchboxes featuring brand mascots were all the rage in 70s school cafeterias. The Hostess “Twinkie the Kid” version—complete with the cowboy-attired Twinkie mascot—was my personal favorite. Mom would pack it with, you guessed it, a Twinkie for dessert!
Complete sets with the matching thermos in excellent condition (minimal scratches, working cap, no rust) can fetch $300-450 from vintage lunchbox collectors. Even boxes with significant wear still command $75-150.
What makes them valuable? Limited production runs and the fact that kids actually used them daily, resulting in damage. Finding mint condition examples becomes harder each year.
12. Nabisco Bacon Thins Tins
Bacon-flavored crackers in a reusable tin? The 70s really were a magical time! Nabisco’s Bacon Thins came in distinctive round metal containers that became instant kitchen staples for storing buttons, sewing supplies, or cookies long after the original crackers were gone.
Empty tins in good condition (minimal rust, clear graphics) sell for $30-75 depending on the specific design and year. My grandmother kept her crochet hooks in one for decades!
The most valuable versions feature limited-time promotional artwork or holiday themes. Unopened tins with original factory seal intact can command $150+ from serious collectors of vintage food packaging.
13. Hawaiian Punch Tin Signs
Punchy, the Hawaiian Punch mascot, was everywhere in 70s grocery stores! Those colorful tin advertising signs featuring the little character in a grass skirt throwing a punch were marketing genius. My local corner store had one hanging above the drink cooler for years.
Original store display signs (not reproductions) in good condition with vibrant colors sell for $200-350 to advertising collectors. The most valuable feature the classic “How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?” slogan with the original character design.
Look for manufacturer marks from American Art Works or Stout Sign Co. on authentic pieces. Smaller versions made as promotional items typically sell for $75-150.
14. Wacky Packages Stickers
Topps absolutely nailed it with these hilarious parody stickers that lampooned popular grocery products. I covered my school folders with them, much to my teachers’ dismay! “Crust Toothpaste” instead of Crest and “Ratz Crackers” instead of Ritz were just the beginning.
Complete sets from specific 1970s series in mint condition can sell for $500-1,000 to collectors. Individual stickers typically fetch $5-30 depending on rarity and condition.
The most valuable are unused stickers still on their original backing sheets or complete albums with all stickers properly placed. Series 1-5 (1973-1974) command the highest prices due to their status as the original runs.
15. Vintage Tang Space Containers
The astronauts drink! Tang’s association with the space program made it the coolest breakfast drink of the 70s. Those iconic orange plastic containers with space-themed promotional graphics were practically status symbols in my childhood refrigerator.
Unopened containers from special NASA mission promotions (Apollo, Skylab) can sell for $75-200 to space memorabilia collectors. Empty containers with clear graphics still fetch $25-50.
The most valuable Tang collectibles are the special NASA co-branded glasses and pitchers that were available as mail-in premiums. Complete sets of these promotional items in original packaging have sold for over $300 at specialized auctions.