This thought just sort of occurred to me out of the blue earlier today.
I have a shoehorn that’s actually made out of a genuine animal horn of some sort. I can remember it sitting on my grandparents’ dresser drawer when I was three years old or so. I have no idea when my grandfather first came to own it, but it’s probably at minimum 70 years old or more. I ended up with it years ago, and I still use this thing multiple times every single day of my life.
This was just what got me started to thinking; I know I have things that are older still. For example, I ended up with some of my grandmother’s knick-knacks, among them a blue glass with Shirley Temple on it.
The oldest of all would be a family Bible, a massive thing with thick, relief-carved binding and pages into which family photos were inserted. Dates from the 1870s or so, most likely. (Hmmm, come to think of it, I have something even older: an 1853 Large Cent, which I bought as a kid via mail-order when I was going through a coin collecting phase.)
What about your place? I’m talking about objects, as opposed to structures that may be a part of an old house you occupy. They don’t have to officially be “antiques,” but could be something very everyday and ordinary — like my shoehorn.
Somehow I get a kick out of the idea that I’m still putting this to practical use every single day.
Do you want to restrict this thread to artifacts? Because otherwise I predict people are going to be posting about fossils and such.
I think the oldest human-made thing in my house is a copy of one volume of Laurence Sterne’s works from 1790, in bad shape. I acquired it during my college years – the school library was throwing it out.
My husband is wearing my paternal grandfather’s wedding ring - it’s almost 100 years old. I have a Singer treadle sewing machine - not sure how old it is, but it belonged to my grandmother. And I’ve got a garnet ring that used to belong to my mother, till she gave it to me - it might be 70 years old at most, probably closer to 65. I think that’s it.
My grandfather gave me a woodcut/ink sketch type thing of a Black Madonna a while back, along with a rather long backstory involving multiple people smuggling it out of various countries. I’ve never found out the exact age, but it’s definitely very old - it’s frame is made of roughly cut pieces of wood tied together, and it just gives off a sense of being aged. I don’t take it out much, as it’s one of those things that’s cool to look at for a short amount of time and then gets creepy.
I have, in my box of curios, a fastener from a Roman suit of armor that dates to about 150 AD. I bought it mainly so I could say I owned something that old, and thirteen years later, with this thread, it’s finally paying off.
I have my great grandfather’s secretary desk, which apparently was purchased when his house was finished, in 1865. The upper portion has shelves behind glass doors. The glass has that wonderful rippling that happens to old glass. I was very grateful to have been able to move it from Illinois to California and then to Texas without breaking anything. It’s got burl walnut inlay on the front and is very beautiful, but mostly I love it because I remember my grandfather sitting at it, updating his livestock records.
I have a couple of pages from a Geneva Bible, the translation that immediately preceded the KJV. These pages, with beautiful wood cut engravings, were printed about 1565. I’m glad I have them but I hate to think that someone destroyed the book to sell pieces.
I believe the Family Bible is dated 1885: possibly 1886. We have a few old cast iron pans, and one or two kitchen knives, that are many decades old, but I don’t think any of them date from the 19th century.
I’m honestly not sure whether it’s some ancient crap my wife hung onto from her grandparents, or whether it’s an old book last published in 1910 on the archaeology of Rome that my dad got me at a used bookstore before my trip to Italy.
Not counting mineral specimens… or fossils… or a bison skull…
Wood category - A piece of HMS Victory - keel was laid 23 July 1759
Metal category - A grandfather clock, whose works date to the 1760’s (case is late 19th century)
Paper category - postage stamp from 1852
Clothing category - Christening dress from my great grandfather circa 1850
A sampler from 1799.
The ugly green chairs we sit on for dinner date from 1820 or so. The folding table we have in the laundry room is from 1840.
My desk is a foldup one with secret compartments which I’ve seen on Antiques Roadshow. I’m not exactly sure of the date but early 1800s I think.
As for books, some Jules Verne books (pirated in English) from the 1870s, some Mr. Dooley collections from around 1900, and some original Tom Swift books from the 1910s.
I have some rocks that are ageless, basically; same with water and wood and other organic materials.
For man-made items…
A primitive painting of a farmhouse and a tree from the 1800’s that I bought at a garage sale.
An old gold ring passed down from my Oma.
A hand-carved stool, probably 1800’s.
A 1939 AKC breed description book.
Two 1920’s cast-iron Griswold skillets, bought on eBay about a year ago (and I use them regularly).
