What's the oldest, low value thing you own?

[FruitPolos]

I've finally managed to sort out a drawer that has been bothering me for ages and have decided to depart with the No 7 make up set I got when I was at university... at the turn of the century (I rarely wear make up, maybe once a year?).

What low value items are you holding onto out of laziness / stubbornness / a belief that it will be "useful" one day?

I’ve got one too, from the early 90s I think. Lots of blue eyeshadow!

My oldest thing is probably my grandad’s watch. It’s very broken but it’s the only thing of his I have. From the 1950s.

I bought a writing set of paper and envelopes for my 13th birthday from boots or smiths, with a voucher from my Grandad. The contents are long since used, but I keep things in the box still today. That's nearly 40 years old now.

One of them clown necklaces that everyone was wearing in 00’s, worth about £50, my friend got it for me for my birthday when I was 13, so I’ve had it 17 years.

An ironing board my dad bought to take to uni. He’s turning 80 in a couple of months.

I have a copy of Don Quixote which we think is most likely from the 1840s. I got it in a charity shop for £2. It’s quite delicate in places so it’s kept in solitary confinement in a drawer instead of stuffed into my packed bookcase with all the other books.

Pretty kitchen boxes with lids, beautifully carved and painted which dm bought post war for her bottom drawer.

An attic full of ancient books I can't bear to get rid of, some pj's my dm bought me decades ago which don't fit but aren't going anywhere:) might make them into a Teddy one day.

Hand made crochet bedspread with my name crotched in and date of birth. Also patchwork quilt made years ago during the war by granny.
Loads of stuff!

Oh wow! I use my children’s old baby towels in my hair—they’re awesome, even though they’re almost two decades old!

Fro my student days in the early 90s, around remington iron that I still use and some towels. My GHD hair straighteners are around 25 years old and still going strong

All the 1950s/‘60s 7” singles my much older sister left in our shared bedroom when she moved out in 1963,

An Afro comb I bought when I had a perm in 1984. My DD uses it now for when she’s loostening curls…. we both have straight hair, it’s not had much use.

Used daily for 30 years are a set of Meyer saucepans, they still look like new.

A cubic zirconia ring. It was my great grandmothers engagement ring from 1912. It’s worth about £40 but obviously is highly sentimental.

2 little tea bowls I was given in japan at a wedding 35 years ago, there used to be 6, I love them and use them for measuring out my porridge oats in winter. They’ll be chucked in the bin no doubt when my house is cleared when I’m gone. But I treasure them and remember that time in my life with fondness.

A large towel I bought from Boots not long after I graduated. (I'm in my 50's now.) It was very luxurious and fluffy once and remained in use for a long time. Is now rather cardboard-y. Has now been relegated and is the dog's towel....

An ancient wooden spoon, so well used it’s worn down on one side, that my mother probably had all her married life (married 1939). I couldn’t bring myself to chuck it when we cleared her house. It’s damaged now, though, so I don’t use it, after dh put it in the dishwasher after I’d said DON’T! put this in the dishwasher! 🤬

An ancient wooden spoon, so well used it’s worn down on one side, that my mother probably had all her married life (married 1939). I couldn’t bring myself to chuck it when we cleared her house. It’s damaged now, though, so I don’t use it, after dh put it in the dishwasher after I’d said DON’T! put this in the dishwasher! 🤬

A cheese grater from c 1986

I have 2 cheese graters. One I took from home when I moved into a student flat in 1980 so that’s probably 50 years old now. The other is a box grater which was MiLs, which is probably somewhat older but in perfect nick - she bought good kitchenware. I’ve all sorts of bits of cutlery from both sides.

The oldest really low value item is an orange plastic measuring jug also part of my student kit. It was already damaged on the base after being momentarily rested on mum’s electric ring hobs. After being retired from the kitchen it was used in the bathroom for hair rinsing (before we had a shower), then dog washing. It’s now what I use to scoop sunflower seeds out of their sack for feeding the birds.

I don’t think the fossils are ‘low value’ - they’re priceless. They’re not making t-Rex or anmmonite ones any more, and the production of new fossils is so slow!

Some of my kids duplo. It was my collection from 30+ years, but a lot of it I got as hand me downs, so some of the bricks are probably 50 years old.

I’ve still got several tops and jackets that my mum made for me when I was 14, and clothes thst I bought from the Biba closing down sale in the late 1970s, and I’m 67 now. Sadly the clothes don’t fit me but they have huge sentimental value.

Re saucepans - I have Meyer still functioning from 30+ years ago and wok of same vintage we use frequently. I also have various pans from my late parents house that are probably even older. They replaced their pan set with glass lidded ones at some point this century and the ones I'm using were older ones off the top shelf. Very sturdy

A 25 yo ironing board, although it's had many covers. I can't see any reason why it wouldn't outlast me.

And I’ve still got many of my toys from the 1960s including about 30 tiny rag dolls that my Mum made for me. the smallest is under 1” tall and has embroidered features and hair.

I have a cardigan I bought from Miss Selfridge when I was 17. I'm 52. It's a thin metallic fabric wear it on the odd night out.

I still use a Mach3 razor that I bought in France when my child was at uni there - 25 years ago. I also use a tin/enamel plate that goes in the oven that I had when first married in 1972 - I've given up trying to get the brown marks off but underneath it is white with navy edging.