What's the oldest thing you own?

[Ben]

I was digging through some totes in my garage looking for old hard-drives earlier, and found a box of books/collectibles that I hadn't seen in a while.

One of those books is a really old one that I don't really remember where it came from. I've just had it for years and keep finding it every now and then.

The History of England Volume VII, by David Hume Esq. Published in 1818. (With upward of 150 embellishments from Thurston Designs.)

It was in fairly bad condition when I found it, and I certainly haven't done much to preserve it bar keeping it out of sunlight. I've mostly been afraid to even try reading it as the spine is so fragile and the pages are stiff, but I'm always curious just what the perspective England was 204 years ago.



Maybe I should try to find a better home for it.

 

[Boots]

I have some old paintings/drawings my grandfather brought home from Japan after WW2. He was a paratrooper. Also, in a couple months my sister is going to bring me a pre-war japanese tea set that he also brought back.

My mom has a musket from the revolutionary war. She joined the DAR back in the 90s (you have to have proof you're a descendant). My dad has an antique sewing machine and victrola he inherited from his parents.

 

[Smacktard]

I have a first edition Jean Jacques Rousseau. Not sure the exact title or the year of publication (it's at my parents' home), but I think it's volume 15 of 26 or something. I picked it up at an open-air flea market in Portugal for like five euros.

It's not in fantastic condition, but I've leafed through it a little bit. Like you, I haven't done anything to maintain it other than keeping it tucked away somewhere out of sight.

 

[Quagmire]

I have a couple of older books from the early 20th century, I have an old retro metal train, not sure when its from, probably 1950s.


My dad has an old newspaper from early 20th century from Cleveland, but it mentions something about Hitler either being elected or early in his chancellerhood before he became more infamous

 

[Olga]

I have some old paintings/drawings my grandfather brought home from Japan after WW2. He was a paratrooper. Also, in a couple months my sister is going to bring me a pre-war japanese tea set that he also brought back.

My mom has a musket from the revolutionary war. She joined the DAR back in the 90s (you have to have proof you're a descendant). My dad has an antique sewing machine and victrola he inherited from his parents.

That tea set is gorgeous! As are the paintings. It's really great that such fragile objects were carefully looked after by someone; competent storage takes sustained effort.

None of the books that I own go back further than about 1950. The one outlier in terms of age, among my belongings, is a silver tetradrachm from ca. 454-404 BC. This time is considered to be within the Golden Age of Athens. The owl tetradrachm is an important item not just now, but it helped establish the greatness of Athens as a state. If you look up this coin, you'll see that it was minted over many years and underwent a number of design changes. Mine is quite "standard" – it's probably the one most people are familiar with – and you can see partly why it had the effect that it did. This design was minted a great many times, deposited in a great number of places, and its aesthetic contributed to the recognition of Athens.

The ancient coin world is... weird. History nerds are weird. I'm not really a history nerd, and my obsession with this coin goes back to when I was about 8 and first saw it in a textbook. Since then, it's acquired a personal meaning for me. After literally decades (owning one someday was my only dream until I hit my 30s), last year I finally went ahead and spent a few months finding the perfect tetradrachm for me: I looked for particular features when it comes to both sides, which I won't mention here. I picked it up on my 35th birthday. I've made a little velvet bag for it, and every time I pull it out and look at either Athena or the owl, everything suddenly looks a little more HD than usual. It's way too heavy and detailed, and holding it is surreal.

 

[A Maybe Baker]

I have a fossilized sponge somewhere that I collected back when I was in school and on a geology trip. But I doubt you're talking things like that.

I actually posted a picture in another thread, but I think the oldest thing I own is my copy of Journey to the Centre of the Earth from about 150 years ago.

The other book there is also over 100 though, just barely from the 1900s I believe, something like 1909 or 1910.

 

[Mark]

I have a bunch of really old tools from my grandfather, stuff he acquired over the years and wanted to pass down to me.

I used to have a vintage guitar that belonged to my great grandmother. She used to play it on AM radio back in the 1940’s, and apparently she was a highly regarded local guitarist. It got destroyed at some point in my mother’s house, so I’m not exactly happy about that… but it’s whatever.

The oldest thing that I’ve acquired that’s currently in my possession is a 23 year old Washburn WG208 guitar that I bought brand new when I was a teenager, that’s what I intend on passing on to my kid when she’s older. I don’t have a current picture of it because I have it tucked away safely, but it’s nothing fancy… just a plain black double cutaway electric guitar with a 5-way pickup configuration.

 

[Smacktard]

I have a fossilized sponge somewhere that I collected back when I was in school and on a geology trip. But I doubt you're talking things like that.

I actually posted a picture in another thread, but I think the oldest thing I own is my copy of Journey to the Centre of the Earth from about 150 years ago.View attachment 1724

The other book there is also over 100 though, just barely from the 1900s I believe, something like 1909 or 1910.

Wow. Those are some BEAUTIFUL covers!

 

[Olga]

Wow. Those are some BEAUTIFUL covers!

For real.

 

[Nae'blis]

I don't have that many old things, the oldest is a teddy polar bear I got from my aunt the day I was born, so soon to be 37 years old!

The oldest in my family's posession I'd say is the house where my mom lives, built by my great great grandfather (I'm not sure how many greats it's supposed to be ) almost 150 years ago. There are some old railroad working tools there too, since the small village where the house is used to be a railroad hub way back.

 

[A Maybe Baker]

Wow. Those are some BEAUTIFUL covers!

There's beautiful art throughout the older one.

Edit: The pages themselves are in pretty good shape on Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Unfortunately, With The Night Mail can't have the same said about it. Nothing is actively falling apart on either though.


The story of why I have these: My great grandfather owned a pawn shop way back when. When he died, he left my grandmother the entire book collection. There was some extremely cool shit in there that we all (my aunts/uncles/dad/cousins) split up when we helped the grandparents move. I saw these two and grabbed them immediately, as the first person to take anything. There was also a complete collection of original prints of Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle (from before he was knighted), and some others as well.

 

[A Maybe Baker]

As an FYI, it was this guy who made the art: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Édouard_Riou

 

[Nae'blis]

There's beautiful art throughout the older one.
View attachment 1725

That's really cool!

 

[Boots]

That tea set is gorgeous! As are the paintings. It's really great that such fragile objects were carefully looked after by someone; competent storage takes sustained effort.

He passed in 2021 and family sold my grandparents house not long after. Despite the fact I didn't make it for the small private burial service, and have been very low contact for years, my sister kept asking me if there was anything I remember from my grandparents house that I would like to keep. There are 8 or 9 of these framed pictures, several of which lined the stairwell up to the bedrooms. I have a fond memory of my dad sleepwalking and forgetting which house he was in (we were visiting from out of state and always stayed with my grandparents). He took a spill down the stairs (uninjured) but he pushed his arms out and a few of the framed pictures came tumbling down with him.

My grandmother was a painter and must have been the one to mat and frame them. When I received them in the mail only 1 of the glass in the frames broke. Also enclosed were the pictures that they didn't frame, and a sketch I can only presume my grandmother did of the pet dog they owned when my mother was young. So I'm glad I asked for the japanese pictures and my sister made the decision to save me the tea set as well, something I didn't even know existed.

All the jewelry went to my mom and antique firearms went to her brother. My relationship with my mom is strained and pretty much no contact, so I've long assumed I've been written out of any will. There were monies given from my grandparents to my mother to hold on to give to me when I was older, but I never received a dime. My sister got it because she's older, so that's how I know about it. This was a rare chance to get anything passed down to me.

 

[Tirith]

Oldest things I have are a china cabinet that my grandparents acquired (used) in Turkey in the 50s, a china set that has been passed down through the family (date unknown), and a legit Afghan rug, estimated to be crafted in the 1920s. Other than that, all my old stuff got "lost" by my ex wife.

 

[Duke Nukem]

A stamp collection I inherited from my grandfather after he passed in 2006. He's had it since he was a teenager. I've had it valued by professionals, despite being an impressive collection of various random, foreign, older stamps, it's not really of significant value. Best they could do was about a hundred bucks. I decided to keep it instead.

 

[Gloom-is-good]

I don't have a picture but I have a piece of the pyramids. An ex told me he broke a piece off and snuck it back while he was on deployment in Egypt. He definitely was in Egypt but I can't confirm the story of the rock... he had a tendency to lie...

 

[Mark]

I don't have a picture but I have a piece of the pyramids. An ex told me he broke a piece off and snuck it back while he was on deployment in Egypt. He definitely was in Egypt but I can't confirm the story of the rock... he had a tendency to lie...

Gloom… is this you confessing to being in possession of a pyramid keystone that awakens the pyramid to transform into a spaceship or some shit? Are we gonna have to start a lore page for here next?

 

[A Maybe Baker]

Gloom… is this you confessing to being in possession of a pyramid keystone that awakens the pyramid to transform into a spaceship or some shit? Are we gonna have to start a lore page for here next?

Someone can just use the "Writing" page for original content to write a story about how Tu is in possession of a device that will summon aliens to the GW forums.

 

[Mark]

Someone can just use the "Writing" page for original content to write a story about how Tu is in possession of a device that will summon aliens to the GW forums.

Look around… the aliens have BEEN among us.

 

[A Maybe Baker]

Look around… the aliens have BEEN among us.

Fine, a device that will summon MORE aliens. Competent ones who can build shit like pyramids.

 

[Mark]

Fine, a device that will summon MORE aliens. Competent ones who can build shit like pyramids.

Eh, at least we’ll have some fresh meat on the boards.

 

[Kattastical]

I have an old clock that belonged to my great-grandmother and my grandmother owned it for a while until my dad inherited and he brought it to my house a couple years ago. It's over a hundred years old. It's not my favorite, and when my dad passes, I'll inherit his cool art deco clock which is more my style.

 

[Marlfox]

Can’t match you impressive folks. Book of Scottish poetry from my grandmother is probably oldest. I do have a lot of old wood furniture from charity shops though so who knows how old some of that is. My dad has the family treasure, an officers sword from the Royal Navy. My great great grandfather was a Navy officer, as was his son and his son. Fortunately my dad broke the chain so I had no family pressure to join up myself.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

My house, if that counts. Think it was built in the 50s.

 

[Meathos]

I'll try to get some pictures up if I can dig it out.

I've got a coin from Alexander the Great's reign.


I also have a pressure gauge from a Nazi u-boat that I think I showed off on the old site. Couple of other war trophies, like bayonets my grandfather would use as tent pegs. Helmets. I have a Monopoly game from the 1930s but it's missing the board.

 

[Marlfox]

It suddenly occurs to me that I own a 150 million year old Jurassic fossil
Suddenly this is a thread where fossil collectors are OP

 

[Nae'blis]

Suddenly this is a thread where fossil collectors are OP

Finally!

 

[Squall_Lionheart]

My house, if that counts. Think it was built in the 50s.

actually, good point. i was scratching my head. i think my house was built in 1908 or something.

i was gonna say my grandad's ww2 medals otherwise

(i don't own many "things")