david meissner


What's The Oldest Thing You Own?

Date: []
Categories: [Blog]
Tags: [Challenges]

Thomas Rigby poses an interesting blogging challenge: what’s the oldest thing you own?

There are a couple of variations of the question. What is the oldest used or antique object that has come into my possession? Or, what is the oldest object that I acquired when it was new, and have owned the longest?

I’ve thought about this before, looking at things I’ve been carrying around throughout my life. I have things that are older than I am, like old family photographs that are over 100 years old, or tools from my father’s college days that are at least 75 years old.

I also have objects I acquired when new that I have managed to hang on to through all the times I’ve packed up and moved. A few vinyl records and paperback books I’ve owned since high school, 50+ years ago. Art supplies and tools I’ve owned since high school or college. Mementos.

The oldest thing I own in this category is my original hospital birth certificate with a print of my foot on it. That’s as far back as my personal record goes.

A few others:

I’ve seen a couple of other responses to this challenge: