What's the oldest family heirloom you own?

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Bloatville@reddit

Are houses heirlooms? I'll inherit it in a decade or two. Parts of it are mediaeval, built 1100s-ish.

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Hot_Beef@reddit

Damn, i thought us having one built in the 1500s was cool. That's amazing. There's all sorts of crap in ours from hundreds of years ago. Sadly not going to me though.

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Same with ours 😂
It's full of antiques that have been handed down over the generations, or weird finds that my parents bought for nothing because nobody cared about that sort of stuff in the 70s.
1500s is still really old!
It's only parts of ours that are 1100s (It gets a mention in the Domesday book though, which I think is pretty cool.)
The rest is more like mid C15, some is as recent as early C18 even.

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Namerakable@reddit

I have my great-grandmother's hymn book from the 1900s. The last digit is smudged, so it's hard to tell whether it's 1901 or 1908.

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Diddleymaz@reddit

A bible that commemorates my Mothers birth 1927.

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GretalRabbit@reddit

I have my Great Great Grandmothers wedding dress. The box is dated 1866 but my aunts research suggests she married in 1973.

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Future_Direction5174@reddit

I think you mean 1873…

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GretalRabbit@reddit

Oh darn, I definitely do! I think my fingers autocorrected myself.

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ShopLife907@reddit

I have a chair that when was reupholstered said ‘made in the colony of Victoria 1873’ on the frame.

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thecatsothermother@reddit

Ours is recent by comparison. It's a shallow wooden fruit biwl which will need repairing as a large crack has begun widening in the base. It turns out my Dad made it at the age of about 12 on a wood turner. He's 80 this year.

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Upstairs_Yogurt_5208@reddit

I have a photo of my great grandfather boxing a Canadian soldier during the First World War. They were boxing to determine who would get the decent tents. My great grandfather won that fight so he won the good tents for him and the other British soldiers. It was taken in 1915

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phatboi23@reddit

glad to see some things never really change haha

a mate and his squad foot raced another squad for the good tents in a small FOB in Afghanistan.

he said it was worth it for the good setup haha

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Acceptable-Sentence@reddit

I don’t own it yet but there is a 200 year old welsh bible in the family

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herwiththepurplehair@reddit

Get it conserved when you get your hands on it. I’ve got one and it hadn’t been conserved when I got it and I wish it had.

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Acceptable-Sentence@reddit

No idea what that means, but I’ll look into it

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herwiththepurplehair@reddit

Just means to have it checked for any damage, and if there is any to have it stabilised so it doesn’t drop to bits. Conserved - conservation of the book. I’m extremely lucky to know someone experienced and qualified in the conservation of old books, she stabilised the bible I have so that the damage it has suffered in its life didn’t get any worse!

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mcrm40@reddit

I've got a book in the loft that goes back to the 1850s. Presented to someone on my Dad's side on his 21st birthday. About the life of Christ. Great big thing but not a bible.

Would I just google book conservationist? Hadn't realised I could do anything with it.

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phatboi23@reddit

I've got a book in the loft that goes back to the 1850s.

for a start get it out of the loft.

the wild temperature changes wrecks books!

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herwiththepurplehair@reddit

Yes exactly that. Please make sure it’s worth it though. My bible has family details written in it, so it’s valuable to me, but it’s not a rare book so not monetarily valuable. Book conservation doesn’t come particularly cheap!

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Fine_Cress_649@reddit

I have a trumpet from 1926. My great granddad was a pub landlord. One of his regulars left it in the bar before being deployed in WW2, and never made it back. No one played it for like 70 years until I found it in my granddad's attic after he died and decided to learn to play. I've done about 50 gigs - mostly big band - on it since then.

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phatboi23@reddit

I'm sure the original owner would have loved to see it still being used.

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Total_Aerie_3778@reddit

I’m sure whoever left the trumpet would be pleased to know that his trumpet was being played on and put to good use.

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GhoolsFold@reddit

Love this!

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TransatlanticMadame@reddit

I have a vase that was my grandmother's wedding present, and she carefully brought it to the US when she emigrated. I then hand carried it on a plane when I emigrated to the UK. The vase is over 100 years old.

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InsideSignal9921@reddit (OP)

Who is it made by?

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TransatlanticMadame@reddit

I have no idea.!

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phatboi23@reddit

get a picture of the bottom, there should be a makers mark.

throw it up here or in your main comment and someone will know!

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No_Ring_3348@reddit

Look on the bottom of it

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Original_Bad_3416@reddit

Ming…ing

I jest

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Illustrious-Eye1673@reddit

I like hearing about family treasures that 'travel'. I brought to the UK fr US one of my great aunt's coffe sets and a set of berry/compote dishes which she handpainted with botanical designs. The quality is amazing! In New England I was told it was a popular hobby for 'spinster' ladies who could afford the time and supplies and who liked to paint on white Limoges in the early 1920s.🤔

She had been a business schook teacher and later manager. Mostly taught typing and adding machine use to clerks for shipyards gearing up for WW1 production. Better than handwritten record keeping.👍

Don't know what anyone here in my UK family will do with it soneday, but it's colourful and looks good on its own special shelving and reminds me of her and her brother, my grandad. 😍

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mcrm40@reddit

I read that as coffin set at first.

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Illustrious-Eye1673@reddit

😂😂😂

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RaybeartADunEidann@reddit

A Scottish dirk, took it to a museum and they said it was from the 1600-1650 period.

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CalligrapherExtreme8@reddit

Wow, that's incredibly cool! Any idea how it came into the family?

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RaybeartADunEidann@reddit

No, not really. It has been there forever.

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w00dent0p@reddit

A diamond brooch that my grandfather bought in India, on his way back to UK from being a Japanese POW at the end of WW2. He bought it as a gift for his wife, who he obviously hadn't seen for years. He came back a broken man, and died a few years later. I never met him.

The diamond is apparently an unusual cut by today's standards, and is uninsurable. It now sits in my wife's engagement ring.

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Past-Anything9789@reddit

In our family we have some fabrege (no idea how to spell that) spoons from Russia pre-revolution. My great great grandpa worked building power plants over there and was given them as a thank you.

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lindsayadult@reddit

This is genuinely really exciting. Would you mind sharing a few pics?

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Past-Anything9789@reddit

They are at my Mum's place. But I will have a look to see if I can find similar.

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Past-Anything9789@reddit

Just like this one. The set was 12, then Grandma died and 6 of them were taken by the new wife for her children 😞. The remaining 6 were split between my Dad and his brother. They will likely pass to my brother once my Mum passes, but that's no issue for me.

I always think it's pretty cool to see them though. So much history in the palm of your hand.

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lindsayadult@reddit

absolutely incredible - thank you for sharing. it's my dream to own something faberge one day! its all just so beautiful

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Bloatville@reddit

Fabergé :)

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Past-Anything9789@reddit

Thanks - I was pretty close for a none french speaking mild dyslexic.

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Bloatville@reddit

You were! You had all the right letters

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elladeehex33@reddit

I have a blanket that my great, great grandmother made. She died well before I was even born, but nice to have something that she made! It's knitted and all mismatched as it was made from odds and ends of yarn she had.

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Agentparsnip@reddit

1929 7 drawer singer sewing machine

It was my great grandma’s, who gave it to my aunty, & when she passed last year her son gave it to me

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Rare-Bumblebee-1803@reddit

An 1826 silver vinaigrette

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p_r_d_v_a@reddit

Family are from Poland, most of the stuff got lost in the war, but my grandma went to school under German occupation and we have her school certificate with a freaking eagle holding an actual swastika in its claws on top.

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Not much of interest, although the content is interesting - a couple of books of The Spectator from 1783. Or should I say Fpectator.

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Future_Direction5174@reddit

My great-grandmothers sewing Singer sewing machine. I’m the 4th generation to own it. It will be passed on to my 45yo daughter when I pass. It was purchased before 1900.

Value £25, at most, in full working order….

Not an heirloom as such, but I do jointly own an old hedgerow that is protected by a covenant signed in 1888 by my 3xgreatuncle. I am proud to honour his covenant.

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LemmysCodPiece@reddit

A barometer that was given to my Grandparents, as a wedding present, in 1932. I shave with a Gillette Aristocrat razor that was given to my Uncle in 1953, by my Great Grandmother, when he joined the RAF.

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singletomercury@reddit

A Roman coin from 43ad. It's almost 2000 years old! My grandad dug it up, it is a wonderful object

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jilljd38@reddit

A dead man's penny complete with scroll and box and some more medals from different relatives

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Accurate-Ad9790@reddit

I own the Lesser Watch.

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Ashie2112@reddit

I have a Victorian travel journal written in 1878/79 which details a 14 month round the world trip. Starting from London to Australia, Tasmania, onto New Zealand then home via the USA west to east coast. Everything done by boat, train and horse drawn coaches. It all took quite a long time!

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plantsncats128@reddit

Would be great to follow the pathway from the journal!

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Ashie2112@reddit

I have transcribed the diary and researched it quite a bit. Some parts are quite dull and it takes 3 months to get from London to Melbourne on a sailing ship, interesting to see how they entertained themselves! The author has got money so he mainly travels first class. At the end of the diary he itemises the cost of the trip: £224 … which I worked out would be roughly £20,000 today.

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Taucher1979@reddit

I have an intricately carved walking stick made by a prisoner on St Helena during the Boer war so around 125 years old. It’s beautiful.

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pixelunicorns@reddit

I have cuttings of plants from my partner's family that are older than my partner. Some came from his grandma and his great-grandma. I even got some old seeds, though they don't seem to be viable.

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smoulderstoat@reddit

I've got my great-grandad's half hunter pocket watch. His father gave it to him when he joined up in WWI, telling him he hoped it would bring him good luck. It did - he failed the medical and was back home in a couple of days.

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SignalAd5565@reddit

I have my great grandmother's collection of letters from her brother from WW1, the welcome home table cloth she made for him (he never made it home.) I think the oldest thing I have is a vase that belonged to her mother (1800s).

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Fickle-Public1972@reddit

My great grannies bible from 1888

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Emergency-Draft-4333@reddit

I have inherited all the family photos, and so much more. My home is a museum. I have the family Hoosier cabinet and tons of household items. I have traps from their trap lines, letters and postcards, newspapers, my grandpa’s pipe and his father’s suspenders. The oldest thing I can think of is my Great Great grandfather came to the US from Germany/Prussia in 1842. I have his record of his first communion. It was framed, and I’m guessing from 1820’s, and a couple pairs of his wooden shoes, probably from 1830’s/1840’s.

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Marzipan_civil@reddit

My grandmothers seeing machine, manufactured in 1939

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InsideSignal9921@reddit (OP)

Is it a Singer machine?

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Marzipan_civil@reddit

Yep a singer 99

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Emergency-Draft-4333@reddit

I’ve got my great grandmother’s treadle sewing machine. It’s a Wheeler & Wilson. W&W was purchased by Singer in 1905. It works great.

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Ashamed-Assumption12@reddit

Wedding rings of my G Grandmother, Grandma, Great Aunt & my Mums. Plus beautiful dinner service set my Grandma was given a a wedding present in 1926. Couple of pieces missing which I'm trying to replace.

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Wrong_Duty7043@reddit

Nothing from older than stuff from one set of grandparents possessions from when they were adults. One set were bombed out of their houses during the war so pretty much had to start again with possessions, the other set were very poor and emigrated here so didn’t bring much more than themselves, and didn’t own much ever really.

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20127010603170562316@reddit

I sleep on the bed my dad was born on.

Some bits have been changed over the years, like more modern slats, but it's still basically oak and iron.

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Aphr0dite19@reddit

Several diamond engagement rings handed down through mine/ex dh family to me. One belonged to my great grandma and the other a great aunt of my ex fil. Both probably around 100 years old. Also my great grandmas tiny Bible.

Not as old, but my christening gown. I was only a few weeks old so it’s now 51.

There’s probably a few other bits and pieces but it’s late and I’m tired 😅

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atsevoN@reddit

I don’t know how old they are but my Great Grandfather passed down to me 5 silver pocket watches, he was born in 1920

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YouDontLookDead@reddit

I have my great-grandmother's bible, which she herself must have inherited as it is written inside the cover that it was gifted to someone else in 1897

Set to inherit my great-grandfather's old collection of Charles Dickens books at some point

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igual88@reddit

My great great great grandmother's silver bracelet. Was made around 1790

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Gornal-Annie6133@reddit

First edition of Three Men in a Boat by Jerome. K. Jerome. Published in 1889. Also, a very old leather bound book of Whites Natural History of Selborne, early 1800’s.

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Vladamir_pootinn@reddit

I own a painting from my great grandfathers friend Adolf

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Did_OJ_Simpson_do_it@reddit

The Austrian bloke with the funny moustache?

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Shantay-i-sway@reddit

I have some early Victorian rings and jewellery handed down to the eldest/only daughter quite a few generations. Some i wear every day, i love them

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Pure_Air2815@reddit

An alabaster sphinx from Egypt circa 1200bc

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IvyKingslayer@reddit

I have my great great grandmother’s singer sewing machine with the table. It needs a new belt, a few new screws and a good clean but I’m excited to get it working again

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IvyKingslayer@reddit

Oh, and my great grandmother’s bible. Complete with little cut outs on the edge from when she got bored.

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Suspicious_Banana255@reddit

I have quite a few things that were my grandparents. A victorian pine chest of drawers may be the oldest. I'm attached to it as it was in the bedroom I used when visiting my grandparents. I love having things that connect me to the past and remind me of my grandparents.

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pickindim_kmet@reddit

I have an 1870s unique pocket watch that belonged to my great, great grandfather. Also inherited his coin collection, one of which is 1826 the year of his dad's birth, which makes me wonder if it originated from him.

Got some Victorian vases and glassware too.

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Tom_FooIery@reddit

Generational trauma.

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EfficiencyWeird2567@reddit

Great grandmothers gold wedding band, her hands were fekking tiny so it fits literally nobody’s fingers. I’m talking fingers the size of a child’s. It’s on a gold chain necklace I wear for special occasions.

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bakedNdelicious@reddit

I have an Elizabethan brooch that was left to me by my grandmother. I think that’s the oldest.

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decentlyfair@reddit

Not particularly cool but a cut glass jug engraved with my great great grandmother’s name and the date of 1903. I am not one for cut glass but it isn’t overly fancy and is quite classy.

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TheCatWithATiara@reddit

Some hair clips from Claire's, circa 2003

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srm79@reddit

My Nan had a ring that went all the way back to James VI, it was given to my cousin, no idea where it is now - I imagine/hope she's kept it somewhere, her kids are mental 😂

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Rasty_lv@reddit

In my house? Probably this old soviet can opener. Originally it was my great grandmoms (my moms grandmom). She was old school, living in soviet union and was hoarding a lot of stuff. My mom took two from her as she had plenty in her house when she was young. When i moved to uk, i legit hated can openers here. I actually asked my mom to send one to us. I had it for 14ish years, my mom had it for at least 20. My grandmom had it for god knows how many years and im pretty sure that ill pass it to my son.

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xDzerx@reddit

My mother had a similar style of those when I was a kid. No clue what happened to it.

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BlueLinnet@reddit

We used to have a similar one. Those were sturdy and worked more efficiently than today's flimsy versions.

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xDzerx@reddit

My Grandfathers wallet, but I've no clue how old it is. I inherited it some 20 years back and still using it nowadays.

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Another_Random_Chap@reddit

I have a daguerreotype of what we think are my 4x great-grandfather & grandmother. We don't know the date exactly, but knowing their dates of birth and how they look in the picture we would guess probably somewhere around 1850.

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CeaselessWatcher00@reddit

A pair of earrings that were given to my Nanna when she had her ears pierced as an infant (1911). And a hymn book (also from my Nanna, circa 1918).

Nothing else pre 1960s and no real heirlooms as I'm from a long line of hard working but poor people!

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Aela_Nox@reddit

My mum has my grandma’s old recipe book from the 60s which she plans to pass down to me… yes we have some secret recipes 😊

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Shannoonuns@reddit

My grandad has my great grandmother's engagement ring. Theres also my grandparents tortoise, hes a family heirloom at this point.

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JBSven@reddit

My mum was an archeologist in her younger years before children.

She attended a dig that no one else was particularly interested in. Paid bad and was led by someone who had been wrong a lot.

They uncovered one of the largest intact Roman banks/counting house or similar.

The man who led the dig gave every one of the diggers a coin as thanks.

It's roughly 1100 years old I think she said.

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dcpb90@reddit

A WW1 German helmet brought back by my great grandfather. The story is he got it in a trade during the Christmas 1914 truce but that’s just what my grandad was old by his older brother.

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C0nnectionTerminat3d@reddit

We’re clearing out the house atm and we found a coin dating back to 1902.

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No_Ring_3348@reddit

I found a King William III shilling on a beach in Ireland when I was about 10, very worn but it's one of my most prized possessions. I still can't quite believe it was there.

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InsideSignal9921@reddit (OP)

What coin is it?

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C0nnectionTerminat3d@reddit

a 1902 edward VII florin iirc

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Nkhotak@reddit

Oldest thing that is an heirloom is a small piece of wood from the original foundations of Winchester cathedral (11th century). I assume it was acquired by my great great grandfather around 1906, when they must have sold off pieces to help fund the shoring up of the cathedral.

Otherwise it’s probably a ceramic plaque that was given to all the guests at a several-greats grandparents wedding in the 1830s.

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Fruitpicker15@reddit

My grandma's dining room furniture from the 1920s and her book of illustrated bible stories from when she was a child. Grandads letters from 1944 as a POW.

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MojoMomma76@reddit

Some handmade crochet swans made by my great great grandmother in the 1880s.

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Shashi2005@reddit

My great grandma's flat iron.

My grandad's ww1 army issue cut throat razor.

My dad's ww2 navy issue shoe polishing brushes.

My uncle's Guinea pig club tie. (The guinea pig club was founded by RAF aircrew members that were badly burned and operated upon by Sir Archibald McIndoe.)

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Forsaken_Bee3717@reddit

Some family photos- I think the oldest is 1896.

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flowershowjudge@reddit

A 1848 quilt given to my great great grandparents as a wedding gift.

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im_not_funny12@reddit

I have a box that belonged to my great great grandfather. It was his carpenters box that he had whilst he was in the navy. One day, my great great grandmother went to meet him off his ship and all she got was the box.

That was how she found out he'd been killed.

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liseyloop@reddit

Oh that’s heartbreaking 💔

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getoutmywayatonce@reddit

Want the normal ones or the weird ones?

Normal stuff is some French guys notes stored in a wooden box my RAF great great grandfather brought home from the 1920 Iraqi revolt. The French soldier I assume was involved in the Franco-Syrian war. Not sure exactly how they met or why he has this French guys stuff lol. I hope it’s nothing dark or weird. My grandma had some really old dolls and toys she’d inherited, donated them to a local museum though but I think they predate the notes. Have some of Winston churchills cigars too.

The weird stuff… I suppose that’ll be the bag of hair my grandma cut off circa 1945 and has kept ever since for some unknown reason 🙃she hasn’t given any instructions for what she wants to happen to the hair bag when the time comes which makes me uneasy lol

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CalligrapherExtreme8@reddit

Is it her hair?

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getoutmywayatonce@reddit

Yes it is! She had hair like a horses tail honestly. Almost unbelievably thick and extremely long. The bag is huge!

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BeanOnAJourney@reddit

There's probably all sorts in the attic that i'm not aware of but of all the stuff I do know of it's probably a paperweight that used to be my nan's, it's the one possession of hers I chose to keep when her home was being cleared after she'd died. No idea how old it is, probably not that old really, but I love it endlessly.

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Reaganson@reddit

An 1864 Civil War letter to my Great-Grandmother when she was a young adult.

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Absentmined42@reddit

Some of my Great Grandad’s (and a lot of my Grandad’s) tools, some dating back to 1900. They were both shipwrights, so I’ve got some specialist ones for shipbuilding, and some that they handmade. I studied furniture conservation at uni so I use some of the tools myself and it always makes me feel connected to my grandad when I do.

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Super-Craig@reddit

About 750-ish years, though I'm not sure if I can really call it an heirloom, it's massive and built into the foundation of the house.

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Wandering_ENTJ@reddit

Is that the trebuchet lever arm?

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Super-Craig@reddit

Yes, although the lever arm is the main feature that runs the entire length of the cottage, other parts of the trebuchet and even what is believed to be parts of a siege tower were used as well.

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Fancy-Professor-7113@reddit

You sound like you live in a brilliant house

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Super-Craig@reddit

I don't live there. I pseudo-rent it out for charity, but it's not an officially recognised charity, so I can't actually claim any tax credits on it. It's an older couple and their middle-aged autistic that live there and run a day care / after school club for the local village. Technically they operate it as a business, not a charity, but they wouldn't be able to stay in business if charged them rent. So they basically just pay the property tax and the utilities bill, and if there's ever an issue with the property they call me and I send one of my guys to fix it, which is like once in a blue moon. They love the place and take really good care of it, and they keep their prices fair and affordable. They're a huge boon to the local communities and the children love it there.

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Fancy-Professor-7113@reddit

That sounds genuinely lovely. Good going Super-Craig.

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Wandering_ENTJ@reddit

/#Landlords that actually give a fuck about their local community.

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Wandering_ENTJ@reddit

Britain is such historied country. Homes quite literally built on ancient siege weaponry.

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Super-Craig@reddit

Technically ancient history is the period from the beginning of recorded human history to the early Middle Ages (3500 BC - 500 AD).

So, this would be considered medieval siege weaponry, rather than ancient siege weaponry.

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No_Acanthaceae_362@reddit

Or are you just pleased to see me?

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Wandering_ENTJ@reddit

Maybe... 😏

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InsideSignal9921@reddit (OP)

What is it?

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Super-Craig@reddit

A medieval trebuchet; In particular the lever arm which is the main foundation support beam.

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InsideSignal9921@reddit (OP)

That is such a cool heirloom - I'm jealous!

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Super-Craig@reddit

We almost lost it a few years back as the conservationists were considering it as one of the prime replacements for the central support beam in the Notre Dame Cathedral repairs, but they recieved backlash from the local community, so the ended up looking elsewhere.

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bandarine@reddit

WHAT. That is crazy cool! I'd love to see a picture of how that looks. We have old houses here in Austria too, but I've never heard of anybody having a 750 year old house, nevermind with built-in weaponry! Damn, now I'm jealous lol

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MPD1987@reddit

A cast iron skillet that belonged to my great grandma. My grandma was born in 1932 (still alive!) so that skillet is at least from the 1910-ish period

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CauseOptimal8501@reddit

My great, great grandmother gold wedding band. The tiniest thing, can only fit it on my pinky finger

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Cuznatch@reddit

It's not mine yet, but a ring will be one of mine too. My great grandmother's wedding ring, which was made out of Gold my great grandfather prospected himself in Burma (where he lived until during/post ww2). Unfortunately my great grandmother died during the war, but the ring was recovered, and is currently in my Dads possession, along with his kukri and British Empire Medal awarded for acts of gallantry while serving in Burma restoring power, water, and communications as well as taking refugees as far out of the country as possible.

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CauseOptimal8501@reddit

That’s a fantastic story, I hope you’ll treasure your heirloom as much as I do mine. They all have history of their own.

Wow, you have kukri in the family? I’ve only ever seen in them in my childhood village pub owned by a Nepalese family whose head was a retired Gurkha. Beautiful. Huge respect to your Great Grandfather

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shazj57@reddit

My great Aunts drop sided table

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Queasy_Difference_96@reddit

My great grandmothers bone crochet hooks. My grandma gave them to me in 2024, I’m not sure how old they are exactly but they’re over 100 at least.

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Arbdew@reddit

I have a wooden rolling pin that was a wedding present to my great great something grandmother in the the 1830's. Its been passed down from mother to eldest daughter ever since. I use it often for pastry etc. God knows how many miles its rolled but it is a thing of joy to use. Absolutely perfectly smooth.

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gone-in-a-spark@reddit

My mum’s tortoise. He’s 62

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Ashie2112@reddit

😯

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velocitas80@reddit

a bag for life from 2002 filled with empty cheap wine bottles.

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rice_fish_and_eggs@reddit

Did they even exist in 2002?

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InsideSignal9921@reddit (OP)

Yes, introduced in 1998!

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rice_fish_and_eggs@reddit

Wow, really. I was googling it and the bag charge was only introduced in 2015 (felt longer ago to me) and I can't really remember seeing them much before that.

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giraffe_cake@reddit

I bought a few bags for life before the bag charge. The standard bags we buy now like in tesco or asda used to be the bags for life. You buy one, and once it broke or whatever you got to exchange it for another for free.

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AClockworkLaurenge@reddit

Surely a bag like that should be filled with other bags for life, as ancient tradition decrees

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Acceptable-Sentence@reddit

2002?? Look forward to seeing you on antiques roadshow!

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InsideSignal9921@reddit (OP)

Make sure you look after that precious heirloom

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wnttak@reddit

My great grandma's trifle dishes. They must be 1920/30s.

I didn't realise they had so much history but I'm so glad they're mine.

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MeltingChocolateAhh@reddit

Apparently my grandad has his dads "dear john" letters. I don't really own any family heirlooms. I probably have some photographs as old as, or older than me somewhere though.

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Teleopsis@reddit

Two engraved brass shell cases from WW1

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Lau_kaa@reddit

My great-grandmother's engagement ring from 1901.

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BlueLinnet@reddit

I guess diamond rings weren't a thing back then?

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PomPomBumblebee@reddit

No idea how old my great grandmother was but my grandmother was 9 when WW2 started. I imagine her mother was born around 1910 so a little later.

A few years ago my mum gave my sister and I both her grandmother's engagement rings, both diamonds I believe and the ones we chose were the ones that fit us perfectly first time.

Mine is a small stone with cutting around the settings to make it look bigger than it is

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BlackCatWitch29@reddit

None at all.

Relatives weren't spoken about at all while I was a child either. They were just names and faces, if you were lucky enough to know that much.

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Chance-Bread-315@reddit

Did/does that bother you?

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ShineAtom@reddit

I have a Victorian(?) bureau that belonged to my great uncle. He left it to his sister, my maternal granny who left it to my dad with instructions that it was to come to me when he died. It's rather nice. Also a sampler dated around 1780. Apparently made by a long gone relative on my mum's side but I have no real idea about this because, like so many of us, I failed to ask the right questions and take notes when it was possible to get some kind of information about it.

Do not leave it too late to talk to your family about their history and also to get them to identify the people in those random photos. I have a couple of boxes of them from both sides and frankly it is down to guesswork now!

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atomic_mermaid@reddit

A walking stick and umbrella of my great-great-great grandad's, from about 1900. He was a silversmith and made the decorative silver handles on both.

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Chance-Bread-315@reddit

Personally, I have a couple of ink paintings my dad brought back from Singapore in the Navy in the 60s and a couple of bits of cheap jewellery from the 1950s.

In the family, there's a late 18th century grandfather clock, a Victorian rocking chair and photo albums and linens going back to late 19th century at least. There are also some much older pieces of china but they haven't been in the family that long - my great grandmother used to go and pick things up from the estate sales when all the rich folk had to give up their grand houses in the 20th century.

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h00dman@reddit

Two used WW1 artillery shells that have simple engravings carved into them.

My great grandfather brought them back from the trenches when he came home after the war, having done the carvings during some episodes of extreme boredom (in between episodes of extreme terror).

I don't know what year they're from but seeing as the war ended in 1918 and it's now 2026, they're at least 108 years old.

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Theallseer97@reddit

Technically not mine yet but my great grandads knuckle dusters he used/had during world war two. I don't know much about them, where he got them from etc as I've never asked I just know that my uncle has left them to me in his will.

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sjw_7@reddit

I have two family bibles from the 1850s.

I also have my great grandfathers whisky glass from about 1900 and on occasion I still use it.

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snowmanseeker@reddit

Our family has a Victorian oak display cabinet. Hopefully I will soon be getting it restored.

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Mr5wift@reddit

I have a guide book to Rome from 1881. It has pull out folded up maps too, which is pretty cool.

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Other_Bookkeeper_279@reddit

It’s our family tree dating back to 1724, I have another from 1740’s. We have lots of stuff, been farmers we have old tools etc. personally it’s my grandfathers 410 double barrel hammer action shot gun, 1940’s

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Dutch_Slim@reddit

So I have a plate.

My nan was born in 1916. Her best friend was called Vera Knife. Vera’s mum gifted my nan a special plate. When my nan died, my mum got the plate. She gave it to me a couple of years before she died.

We use it for cake at Christmas.

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EAGLE-EYED-GAMING@reddit

Off the top of my head, I’d probably say my great grandads cap badge from ww1 and his driving licenses from the 1920s.

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BumblebeeNo6356@reddit

My grandad.

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deerbagel@reddit

My mum has a mechanical kitchen whisk from the 1880s

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OhNoUNintendidnt@reddit

We have a nearly 200 year old grandfather clock.

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Apprehensive_Jaguar@reddit

A 'don't worry, we'll be home by Christmas' type letter from my Great Grandfather to his wife. He died before she received it, going down on the first ship sunk in WW1.

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InsideSignal9921@reddit (OP)

Wow! That's an astonishing thing to have inherited

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stargasm420@reddit

I've got a t shirt from the 2013 Amsterdam cannabis cup

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Upbeat-Fish-3348@reddit

We have an old porcelain dog sculpture from the 1940's, it was originally my great grandma's but she passed it down to my grandma and now it sits on the side board. She also passed down a whole set of Dining plates, bowls etc from the 1970's and they're sat inside the side board not on show and never used.

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ClarifyingMe@reddit

My mum's silk pajamas that no longer fit me.

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Specialist_Emu7274@reddit

I don’t own any myself my parents still have most of them. We have my great great great great grandad’s top hat. It’s from mid 1800’s ish. It’s been sitting in a box for years though. Less heirloom (yet) but my mum still has her very first teddy- it’s 63. It’s missing an eye and barely has any fur.

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It now sits in a very old box in my safe. It might even be then original box, I can't remember.

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lime-enthusiast@reddit

The top of a German helmet from WW1

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