this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025
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Could be an attached memory or sentimental value, whatever.

Conventional worth be dammed.

Given to me it would either be the quilts my grandmother made, or the charts my grandfather followed along with during the moon landing.

Personal items would be the assorted thank you notes the elderly have given me from being in retirement industry. Want to make a collage of them one day.

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[–] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

This weird box that apparently once held candy that I think came from my grandmother but am not sure, and it's full of buttons. It says Blue Bird Confectionery on the bottom, and it's full of an assortment of buttons that I have no idea of the origin of. It's just sat on my shelf for decades.

[–] bizzle@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

I'm still using my grandma's ashtray. She didn't smoke chronic but I remember sitting with her at the table dropping winstons into that MF all day long. After she died (of cancer obviously, she smoked a pack a day since she was 12 years old and made it to 79) I took it. Now it lives in my library, and even though I don't smoke cigs I use it every day for my joints.

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago

Grandmother's napkin holder. I remember it from decades of family dinners.

Grandfather's humongous old dictionary.

[–] StorageB@lemmy.one 2 points 5 hours ago

The set of cast iron pans from my grandma that are over 100 years old

[–] TheGoddessAnoia@lemmy.ca 7 points 12 hours ago

My mother's wedding ring. My father was a monster, so it's not because of the marriage it represents. It was the cheapest he could get, it's thin and worn down and battered, and, of all the kids, she gave it to me. When I die, however I am disposed of, that ring goes with me, because... she gave it to me!

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 13 points 15 hours ago

From my great grandmothers kitchen:

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 14 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

The Don Quijote painting my Babushka made. I love it. I'm glad I got it when she passed. As far as I know there are two in the family. This one and one in blue.

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 8 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Not worthless. That is some dope piece of art! I bet that would put your dining room together nicely!

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 9 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

This post actually gave me the idea to make a website with all her art. I hope my relatives participate.

Edit: And it's live at https://brigitte-tantau.de/.

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago
[–] sxan@midwest.social 3 points 12 hours ago

Whoa, now; I suggest you take a peek at the quilt market. Old quilts in good condition can demand astonishingly high prices.

Photos & letters all fall into this category, I think. I suspect that some future historian might find some value in them, but if we don't extictify ourselves, there's so much digital material - photos, videos, emails - that anyone studying any period after 2000 is going to be doing a much different job, involving much less sleuthing, than those who studied ancient periods.

My great grandfather’s black leather Stetson flat cap. Wearing it now, in fact.

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 9 points 17 hours ago

I have a letter opener made by my great uncle for my grandfather.

What makes it interesting is that my great uncle worked as a mechanic for the RAF, keeping Spitfires flying during the Battle of Britain and the letter opener is made from discarded parts from Spitfires he worked on. Not sure what the blade was, some small strut or something, I suppose, and the handle is made of different-sized washers.

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 9 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

A rubber stamp of my grandfather's initials, which happens to be exactly my initials.

Nobody else in the family have this initials, so this really would worth anything only to me.

[–] zxqwas@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago

Great grandfathers service medals from the continuation war.

As I understood it from grandma he was doing damage control when the Soviet fire bombed towns.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 12 points 18 hours ago

My grandfather's dog tags from Vietnam. He always kept them swinging from his rear-view mirror. Swore they kept him safe.

Also swore up and down that he wasn't superstitious, lol.