What's the oldest thing you own?

I have a ring my grandma gave me. Its saphires and diamonds. Not worth anyhing but senitmental value.

I own a ca. 4000-5000 years old piece of broken pottery found in my friends backyard. They lived in the coolest of places, the archaeologists found ie. a viking age sword and a million pieces of stone age pottery there.

The second oldest is a history schoolbook from 1916.

A picture of my great grandfather as a toddler. I think it's from the late 1800's or the first few years of the 1900's.

I have some costume jewelry from my maternal grandmother and a couple of oak pressed back chairs from paternal grandparents.
The "oldest" thing I own is some books from the late 1870's an Eastlake dresser from about the 1880's.

I have a pastel (painting in oil pastels) or my Great Grandmother as a 12 year old it was done in the late 1800's and looks exactly like her. Other than that I have a few artifacts from around the world my hobby being archeology

I have a big, heavy silver Maltese Cross with an alexandrite in the center, and a silver cuff bracelet with something written in Arabic cast into the metal. My Dad bought them in Egypt in 1945, and they were both very old then.

A rocking chair belonging to my maternal great-grandmother. Over 100 yrs old.
My maternal grandmother's diamond engagement ring that is over 90 yrs old.
An ink drawing 80+ years old.
A bible with the year 1902 and my maternal great- grandfathers name written inside.

Most of my pots are from the 70s from my parents. Talk about retro cookingware.

I also have an algebra book that was featured on the Brady Bunch!

I think the oldest thing is the study bible I found in my grandparents basement, it's from the early 70s.

I used to collect 19C art nouveau and I still have a number of pieces, including a beautiful brass chandelier that I converted from a gas lamp to electricity. I also have some antiquarian books, the earliest is fronm 1830. But the oldest things I own are Roman - some glass from Syria and three brass cloak brooches that were found in Bosnia and were dated at the local museum as being around 300AD. I just love old things (maybe that's because I'm getting old myself!)

My dresser, for sure. It was given to my great great great (I think that's the right number of "greats") grandparents in the mid 1860's. Aside from the fact that the top part that holds the hankie drawers is a bit loose, it's in pretty good shape.

Amber

Silly me. I forgot I have some fossils collected locally that are 600,000,000 years old. (Give or take a millennia... )

I have a crochete (sp?) needle that belonged to my great great great grandmother it is hand carved out of a piece of ivory i have several things like that. lol my family never gets rid of anything (a vicious cycle I am trying to stop lol) I could prob. make a fortune at the antique show hahaha j/k i would never get rid of this stuff

Originally Posted by gemlady

Silly me. I forgot I have some fossils collected locally that are 600,000,000 years old. (Give or take a millennia...

)

Click to expand...

You say that as if its an everyday thing for someone to have something like that.
That is pretty amazing!! Do you own a museum? (J.K.)

Hmm I think its my violin. It was a copy off of someone famous but it was made in the 1800's unlike what the label says (1600's). I asked a friend to tune it for me (all those years of lessons and I can't even tune it!) and he freaked out when he saw the label. I had to reassure him that it was not authentic but a copy.

I own a few moon rocks and a piece of a meteor. Lord knows how old those things are

I am having a hard time answering this. I do have some Depression glass that belonged to my grandmother. That might be the oldest thing I have. I do have a small piece of Blarney Castle. I guess that would actually be older.

Originally Posted by AbbysMom

I do have a small piece of Blarney Castle. I guess that would actually be older.

Click to expand...

Oooh, that reminds me-I have a rock from Loch Ness. A friend got it for me when she and her husband went to Scotland-who know, the Loch Ness Monster might have stepped on it! That must be the oldest thing I have.

Originally Posted by Taurus77

You say that as if its an everyday thing for someone to have something like that.
That is pretty amazing!! Do you own a museum? (J.K.)

Click to expand...

Yes, it is rather normal for me to own such things since I am a 'rockhound". No museum, but I do take rocks, minerals, and fossils to schools and talk to kids.

As for the moon rock, it may be along the lines of 4.5 billion. I may have a couple of rock samples that old.

I have a small wooden cabinet that would have been used during the 19th century to hold a chamber pot. I use it as a TV stand.

I have a cedar chest with these cool copper strap things from about 1920 or so that my great aunt passed on to my mother when I was a tiny thing. I always told my mom that I loved that chest, so when she moved into a small retirement apartment, she gave it to me. I'm in the process of refurbishing it now.