Just curioius. What’s the oldest man-made item you own? For me, it’s an indian arrowhead that I found in a creek bed when I was a teenager, back in the early 1980’s. I’m not exactly sure how old it is, but I’d say it’s at least 250-300 years old (and probably much older).
The second oldest thing I own is a pitcher and bowl that my great, great, great grandmother brought with her when she moved to the USA from Germany. This was in the early 1800’s.
This. From 1745.
I also own an arrowhead with Native American origins.
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A piece of fabric from a South American culture (predates the famous ones.) 500AD or so.
Arrowheads and a stone axe I found on my Uncles farm in Illinois.
Though I would never pick them up now, I have a few painted pottery sherds (Native American) from approx 1200-1400.
Other than that, we have a few lamps that date from around 1910.
I have a couple of Chinese coins from around 1000 AD.
They’re not all that rare; the Chinese made millions of coins in that era and they were used as currency for centuries. I paid only $1 for each of them.
Likewise… arrowheads. (dates unknown)
Not trying to hijack your thread, but how about a sub-category? 
Oldest electrical appliance/tool that still works?
I’ve got a General Electric ceiling fan, circa 1932, that is quietly spinning away as I type this. (And get this… its filled with oil! :eek:)
I also have an electric ‘curling iron’, not sure of the age though. The plug is a screw in type, the same size as a light bulb. (I’ve even got one of the ‘wall sockets’ that it screws into. :D)
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I found a stone arrowhead at cub scout camp when I was a kid. I recently found a website that helps you identify the type of arrowhead and approximate age. In my case, I found a Cobbs Triangular http://www.projectilepoints.net/Pages/Searches/Points/Cobbs.html which is between 5,000 and 8,000 years old. In the link I posted the second picture with the blue background is exactly what my arrowhead looks like. After a little more research I learned that my “arrowhead” was actually probably used more like a knife. It’s pretty comfortable too - I wonder how the family will react if I use it to carve the turkey this year??
Off the top of my head, probably a 1775 copy of The Gentleman’s Magazine.
It’s not mine, but a good friend an old Roman coin. It is basically a lump of silver with Caeser’s head on it, shaped somewhere between a sphere and a disk. He told me he paid around $50 for it. And no, it does not say 50BC on it.
Probably my grandfather’s railroad pocketwatch from the 1930’s or 40’s. It still works although I can’t set the time on it, time setting must be done by a jeweler. I guess I could start winding it just before the time on the face and accept the time being off a little.
I will break the rules and add the oldest awesome thing I’ve held, not owned.
My college professor had a first edition of Tristam Shandy signed by Laurence Stern. In fact, it came in multiple thin volumes and a few of them were signed by him.
It was cool. Hand colored pictures, too.
I’ve got some old army gear (pouches & belts) of my grandfather’s from the late 1890s, when he fought in the Boer War.
I have a bunch of Roman stuff I play with and use/wear on a regular basis, but that rather comes with my area of interest – a few coins (Marcus Carusius is my favorite), a soldier’s fibula, a bracelet made from glass beads, a wearable intaglio ring with what was once a painted honeybee on it (you can just see traces of blue and red paint, but now he’s a mostly white bee), a silver honeybee ring, a really lovely terra cotta perfume jar, all about 2,000 years old.
I’ve mentioned some of my spinning stuff in other threads when this comes up; I have a few working-condition tools from c. 1750 that I use on a regular basis.
The office I’m sat in now (I’m subbing for a prof pal who’s on sabbatical) has Egyptian artifacts and some other bits and bobs that are even older than my Roman junk, and he’s got some Neolithic sundries as well.
None of it is properly museum quality, so no national treasures being used and abused here! (Although when I worked at the British Museum a while back, a colleague and I did re enact a scene from Space Balls – no, sir! I didn’t see you playing with your dolls again, sir! – with the Lewes Chessmen one morning.)
Slightly off topic, but I was travelling in Rome on my honeymoon [humblebrag] and we stopped into an antique store. They had a display case with simple handmade bowls that were about 2000 years old for sale at around $300 a pop.
I didn’t have $300 at the time, but it’s crazy to me that you can buy something so old and fragile for what amounts to about a day’s wages. I mean, this thing was new right around when Jesus was stirring up trouble!
Just checking, and… yeah. They’re still about the same price:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290602914119+
Incredible.
I have an ushtabi figure and small scarab bead from a dig an archeologist I was dating was on that he sort of swiped - it was from a faience workshop rather than a tomb, both with the cartouch of Ko Ehm Ankh, roughly 700 BCE - both had manufacture damage which is why they were in the garbage tip.
Small Wingate polychrome bowl my Dad picked up in Arizona back in the early 30s, dated roughly 1100-1200 AD. Some jackass at a party used it as an ashtray :mad: Last time I left my bedroom unlocked when I was out. Roomie had some asshole party guests who decided to screw in my bedroom.
Assorted Roman and Greek coins, some assorted Chinese coins, assorted dating. I have a roughly 0 BCE widows mite, I would have to dig them out to get the specifics on the others.
some assorted swords and knives all ranging from 1600 to 1890s from assorted regions of the world.
My best china is a set purchased and imported in 1835 along with crystal and silverware that is really silver when my G’G’G Grandfather got married, we still have the reciepts and bill of lading. Don’t have the shipping barrels =( It is full limoges for 16, I am missing about 5 pieces from breakage over the years.
I’m wearing underwear from the Reagan administration.
A saber from the American Civil war.