# Traditional vs Modern Wedding Anniversary Gifts

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-vs-modern-wedding-anniversary-gifts/235919>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 23, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-vs-modern-wedding-anniversary-gifts/235919 "2004-03-23T16:01:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-vs-modern-wedding-anniversary-gifts/235919/1 "2004-03-23T16:01:29Z")

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What’s the Straight Dope on [Traditional vs Modern Wedding Anniversary Gifts](http://www.piglette.com/anniversary/) ?

I was intrigued to discover that out of nowhere, it seems, a ‘Modern’ categorisation of anniversary gifts has been dreamt up. Naturally I’m sceptical, particularly as diamonds have wormed their way into three positions on the chart, surplanting perflectly good traditional ones.

So, who came up with the modern categories, if it wasn’t [Debeers](http://www.debeers.com/) , and what makes them ‘official’?

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**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-vs-modern-wedding-anniversary-gifts/235919/2 "2004-03-23T19:15:05Z")

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These “modern” gifts go back at least to 1970, from my memory of seeing pretty much the same list from that era. It’s VERY interesting that the “traditional” list gives a lot of leeway while the “modern” list pretty much requires that one go shopping in a department store.

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**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-vs-modern-wedding-anniversary-gifts/235919/3 "2004-03-23T19:27:43Z")

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Yeah, imagine my shock when I went to get Lady Chance our 10 year gift and had a list tell me it was diamonds! What a devaluation from 50 to 10!

Bastards. I’ll buy what I want to buy and screw the reccos.

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**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-vs-modern-wedding-anniversary-gifts/235919/4 "2004-03-23T19:38:18Z")

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> [@Jonathan Chance](#):
>
> Yeah, imagine my shock when I went to get Lady Chance our 10 year gift and had a list tell me it was diamonds! What a devaluation from 50 to 10!

But according to the list diamond is 10 and 50, _and_ 30. Obviously someone decided that 50 years was simply too long to wait for a repeat purchase after the wedding ring. Hence my scepticism.

Actually I’m amazed they haven’t gone for the “buy her a diamond every year, or you’re a dead-beat loser who’s obviously cheating” line yet.

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-vs-modern-wedding-anniversary-gifts/235919/5 "2004-03-23T21:44:57Z")

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Diamonds are the 60th anniversary, not the 50th. 50 is, was, and ever shall be, golden.