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What is the oldest man-made object in your house?

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Posted - October 2, 2020

Responses


  • 19937
    I was going to say "Me," but I have a beautiful antique desk that I inherited from an aunt and I'm pretty sure it's older than I am.
      October 2, 2020 9:02 AM MDT
    6

  • There are a few items (a large wooden chest, a belt, a few other small things) that my ancestors brought to California with them in the 1840s. And they weren't brand new then either. 
      October 2, 2020 10:38 AM MDT
    5

  • 1953
    I'm an antique collector so I have a lot of old man-made things in my house including the house itself, it's a 1909 Craftsman style bungalow. I would say my oldest collectible is maybe an Ansonia Royal Bond porcelain boudoir clock circuit 1885.
      October 2, 2020 3:37 PM MDT
    5

  • 17584
    What is a clock circuit?
      October 3, 2020 12:24 PM MDT
    1

  • 1953
    Thank you for pointing out that typo, I meant to say circa.
      October 3, 2020 3:58 PM MDT
    1

  • 17584
    I wasn't sure it was a typo.  I thought it might be a display of antique clocks or something.
      October 3, 2020 6:25 PM MDT
    1

  • 53498

     

      It’s either one of these two, I cannot remember which one was acquired first:

    Within a very short while after getting married, I purchased a set of dinnerware, and separately, a rice cooker. The former is extremely sturdy and well-crafted, because decades later, every single one of its dishes is still intact. The lid to the rice cooker lost its handle years ago, but other than that, it has served us reliably and faithfully as much today as the first time we used it. (My wife being Asian, rice is truly a staple of daily sustenance in our family, and our children were raised with more affinity for rice than I ever had before marrying their mother.  The rice cooker has been in daily use for the better part of every single week for all these years.)
      When we were first married, it would be two and a half years before we began to have children, so in the beginning, the tiny rice cooker that serves about six people was sufficient in size for us.
      In later years, we have purchased or received as gifts other rice cookers, some larger, fancier and more elaborate than the first one, bit not one of them has met my wife’s approval and after a short time in the rotation, each was soon shelved in deference to the original one. 

    ~

      October 2, 2020 3:39 PM MDT
    4

  • 17584
    Yep, we like what we like regardless of age or koolness.
      October 3, 2020 12:25 PM MDT
    1

  • 53498

     

      October 3, 2020 1:38 PM MDT
    1

  • 10052
    I have a few American Indian tools. I'm certain they're older than any of the antiques or family heirlooms I have, and some of those are 19th century. 
      October 2, 2020 4:30 PM MDT
    4

  • 7280
    Surprisingly, it may just be me.
      October 2, 2020 5:13 PM MDT
    4

  • 17584
    All of the family heirlooms were left in my house when my daughter bought it.  I suppose the oldest thing I have with me is a little tiny heart shaped glass bowl that my mother-in-law kept her rings in when she showered or washed dishes.  She said it was very old when she first got it and when she died it was the one thing I said I would like to have that belonged to her.  I use it in my coffee maker under the cup to catch any drips, so I actually use it every single day.   I think of her each time.
      October 2, 2020 11:32 PM MDT
    4

  • 10984
    I have a decorative bowl that belonged to my grandmother. It is marked 'Made in Occupied Japan'.
      October 3, 2020 5:48 AM MDT
    3

  • 53498

     

    Wow!
    ~

      October 3, 2020 5:51 AM MDT
    1

  • 10052
    I was recently trying to find a value on an occupied Japanese figure I have. I can't find anything at all similar online, so I'm thinking it's rare. 
      October 3, 2020 7:26 AM MDT
    2

  • 10984
    Most of the ceramic pieces made in Occupied Japan were mass produced and sold at retailers like Woolworth. They are collectible, but not really valuable. The piece I have is a lot more elaborate that most I have seen. I thought I'd share a photo. This sat on Grandma's coffee table since before I was born and the wonder is that is survived eight rowdy grandchildren.




      October 3, 2020 6:51 PM MDT
    2

  • 10052
    That is elaborate! 

    I wonder if anyone here might guess the subject matter of the piece I was trying to research?

    :)
      October 3, 2020 7:25 PM MDT
    1