Passing things on

One of my DGS’s is very interested in history, including that of WW1 and WW2. He was very pleased to discover that three great, great grandfathers joined up with the local regiment, and were in WW1. An older family member still has one of those great great grandfather’s regimental kilt, and is passing it on to my DGS. He is delighted.

Skydancer

I have a pretty dish which belonged to my Grandmother. Nobody in my family would want it but I could not bear to give it to the charity shop. I would love to donate it to the National Trust or another organisation but I don’t know if they would accept it or whether it would be valuable enough? Has anyone done anything like this?

Yes. I have gifted a complete wardrobe of Victorian mourning dress outfits to a museum.
Send photos in an email and say you are hoping to gift.
They will let you know what they think.

They did not want an "advanced" 1940s hearing aid system even at the hearing museum though.
I took a photo and reluctantly parted with that!

I have lots of lovely things from my Grandparents & Mum but the one that is used the most is “ the sharp knife”absolutely
blunt but a really good spreader !

I am the end of the line, so family antiques and dh's tools (when he can no longer use them) will be sold off so we can enjoy our old age. Anything left when we have popped our clogs, our solicitor is instructed to ensure as much as possible goes to charity shops so others can get the use from it.
I love "hand me downs" and not to proud to accept. Often do swaps with neighbours.

I hate seeing things go to waste, so lots of things do get passed on here. If family don't want certain items, I will either try to sell or give them away on Facebook or Gumtree.

I thought everyone passed things on.
It's the most natural thing, if you have something that might "do someone a turn".

Yes! I delight in it. Nothing gives me more pleasure and I really don’t know why. Be it clothes, jewellery household items or food that needs using…….family members live close by.
It’s not that I’m tight fisted either.

When my son visits with his family - especially at Christmas, they don't want me to buy them prezzies. They like to look around and fancy things from here. Even the children pick up little knick- knacks and ornaments that they like. Suits me as I have far too many things and enjoy this 'natural downsizing'. Much of my "stash" has been handed down through three or four generations already.

My children never want anything. I have had to take lovely china tea sets to the charity shop. They did accept some beautiful crystal wine glasses.
The only things I have been told they wouldn't mind, is a set of red plastic-handled very, very sharp serrated edge fruit knives which we bought in Florence for about 2s/6d for four ! We would never part with them. They do fruit, bread, and anything that needs a good clean cut at the dinner table. They are always put out with the knives and forks when setting the dinner or lunch table! Still very sharp. DH uses them when doing the vegetables for me (I have a decent set of kitchen knives!).

When my grandchildren visit me, they play with toys their parents played with, and after I die, I hope those same toys will be played with by my (as yet unborn) great grandchildren. Lovely to have things passed down the generations.

We live on an estate with a WhatsApp group and whenever anyone has anything that they no longer need they can ask if anybody else needs it.
We've passed on many thing in this way and my daughter has picked up useful things too. Often you only need expensive baby equipment for a few months and this system works so well. There are often things that you need to offload if you are moving house, people rarely charge for anything.
It works for borrowing things too, or for advice about finding local tradesmen.

I'm glad you are all able to pass stuff down. None of mine are interested!

Lovely chair foxie has it got an iron frame?

Two of my daughters wear a grandmothers
engagement ring, and my son's wedding ring was my fathers, reduced in size ( my father had huge fat fingers!) They like the history- all of them reference long, happy marriages.

We’ve always passed on whatever we can, including clothes.

All our family are passers on. When I see things like the Antiques Road Show and there are lots of things on it that we have in the house simply because they were passed down to my parents from their grandparents etc, so lots of things I grew up with are really quite old. My granny was always in demand as she used to go to her local market and if you broke any china , she was very good at finding spare cups or plates to match in . I am only regretting a little that I gave my sons lovely big Tonka toys to the kindergarten as I now have a grandson who would have enjoyed them. Ah well so long as someone enjoys them and they dont end up in landfill it is worthwhile

Well done everyone!

I have a houseful of furniture, books, bedding, tools , musical instruments and general clutter.
I rehome things from time to time but it's never-ending.

I recently passed some of DMiL's things to DS3 . He took 2 paintings and a punch bowl.
DD says she wants things but never collects them. She has very little space.

I love your chair Foxie. Well done!

I have 2 daughters in their 40s and no grandchildren. I know they wouldn't want any of it.
I recently saw a lot of ads for Vintage Cash Cow and decided to go through my jewellery box. It was full of stuff I never wear and some old watches. I added some other bits like an old metal compass that was my dads and a pewter tankard that my DH said to send. I boxed it up and with the labels they sent me posted it off. I said we'll be lucky to get £50 for it all. I was delighted when they phoned me and offered me £300 for the lot. It was in my bank the next day.

Dark wood furniture and antiques are coming back into fashion at last Monica, the interiors magazines are full of lovely old pieces these days. I love it, but Georgian rather than Victorian - I don’t like fancy legs.

foxie48

I have a knife that came from OH's grandfather via his mother. It tends to go rusty if I'm not careful but I love the fact that it's been held by so many people in my husbands family. MIL lived with us until she died here with us aged 101. I kept her favourite little chair and earlier in the year I went to an upholstery class and recovered it. The little antique desk also came from OH's grandfather, in fact a lot of our furniture did and I hope our daughter wants it when we no longer have need for it all.

What beautiful little nursing chair, I have a similar one that needs re-Upholstered, quoted £450 & £500, plus material, so well done to you 😊

If I am grand I say that almost all contents of my house are inherited.

Or to put it otherwise, whn ever a family home is being empties after a death, the first thing we do is see what contents can be reused by other memebers of the family. Often, one nice piece of furniture from a relations house can be swapped in and something less good passed on to a charity shop or advertised on the village Facebook.

The result is that we have a houseful of really beautiful antique furniture, which is now almost worthless because it is so deeply out of fashion.

I have a pretty dish which belonged to my Grandmother. Nobody in my family would want it but I could not bear to give it to the charity shop. I would love to donate it to the National Trust or another organisation but I don’t know if they would accept it or whether it would be valuable enough? Has anyone done anything like this?

I have a small table passed on from my Grandma. It’s the kind that looks good with a plant etc on top. I keep it in my bedroom. I wouldn’t part with it but don’t think my son would want it after me.

My MIL passed on a willow pattern oval platter that had been in the family. It comes out always for the Christmas turkey and also if we have a large piece of meat at a weekend. DIL might like this though as she is a foodie.

My late BIL built a doll's house for my granddaughter, it was amazing.
It has now been passed onto her toddler cousin, who is fascinated by it.

We are all passer on people in my family. I’ve just had my mum’s chair which her parents gave her on her first birthday restored for my little granddaughter. It’s got the cow jumping over the moon inlaid on the back. My mum, me, and my daughter have all used and loved it, so it’s on its fourth generation.

I have tried to pass things on. Nothing fancy.
My lot seem to have gone a bit minimilist.