Inherited Ornaments

I don't have as much as you but last year I packed it up in labelled boxes and put it in the loft for the children to sort out eventually.

If they are all dead, give it to Oxfam. You could keep anything of sentimental or beauty value.

William Morris: "Keep nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." Or words to that effect.

We can't agree as to which pieces, that is partly the problem. We have such different tastes. What has happened is that it is my own ornaments and pictures that have ended up in the loft since we downsized, the inherited stuff is all out. I agree with William Morris and always tried to live by that maxim, and I think that on the whole one memento per much-loved relative is sufficient as a lovely reminder, but things have got out of hand. I think just writing it on here has cleared the fog a little, I shall make the children tell me which pieces they really want kept and put them away in the loft, then we must choose which pieces we like to see from what is left, and the rest must go. Life is too short to spend most of it thinking about dusting knick knacks.

I have two Staffordshire pottery dogs. Very common in Victorian times. They were my great grans. They are unusual in that they are green and white. I've never seen another pair that colour. Has anyone else?
I have put them away as my cleaner is rather clumsy.

One tip I read was to take photos of stuff before you give it away or pack it in the loft. I've never done that myself though.

My mum had two statuettes, La Belle Dame Sans Merci and a matching one. I would give anything to have those statuettes now but where and when they went is a mystery. I want my kids to go through my stuff and tell me what they want to keep, but they 'never have the time'. I've even resorted to things like putting lables on things saying 'this could be worth something'.

I think you've worked it out jane - sort out with your family who wants what and pack away in separate boxes in the loft. Anything else either sell or give away. Sounds heartless, but I've done the "down-sizing" a couple of times in the past 10 years and have made myself get rid of stuff I don't like! Can be quite cathartic

If things are breakable, DGC or large dogs can usually be relied on to dispose of them. If not, a box in the garage and if nobody has noticed for at least a year....out. BUT do not on pain of major grief watch Antiques Road Show /Cash in the Attic/Flog It or any such like as you will see the item and it will be worth an arm and a leg. Don't say you have not been warned.

I glanced at this thread whilst de-cluttering my bedroom and wondering what on earth to do with a wooden hand mirror that used to belong to my husband's grandmother. The other things I inherited from her were a few bits of costume jewellery and a beautiful silver candleabra and a crystal decanter; the latter things I gave to my daughter who really appreciates such things.

That's the problem with DBH, he lives in hope! I do think the idea of taking photos first is excellent, just to remind us of all the crap treasures we possess. I shall force the kids to decide, then they can bear witness to each other's choice should we throw 'the wrong thing'.

Am I alone in this then? Does no-one else have this problem, or were you all blessed with relatives who sensibly left you money only? My latest bequest was money with a side order of the elderly salt and pepper pots, because I (apparently and stupidly) agreed one day that yes, they were very pretty.

We have just sorted the loft which was ful of ancient artifacts including ,to my mind, a hideous chinese vase. We sent it all to auction and the chinese vase realised £1,500. My colleague and I have lots of interesting old things that are no longer in everyday use and we have turned these into an interesting talk which we do for WIs and other similar groups. The next generation are not particularly interested but the one after seem to be. Grandson was quite overcome when he put on his Great, Great Grandfather's opera hat.

I had an old necklace of my paternal Grandmother's and thought I would give it to a charity shop. However I decided to have it valued, just in case!!
I had always thought it was some kid of plastic or whatever was used over 100 years +. The jeweller told me it is real amber, very old and worth rather a lot of money.
So janerowena do be careful, as what I thought was junk, certainly was n not.
On the ornaments front I have a stack of Limoge that my mother collected, it is in the loft. No-one wants it and I just can't bear to throw it out.

I have a few old pieces but some of the stuff I have managed to pass on DD who loves vintage china ( thank goodness). I am still over stocked as we are going through stuff from two houses and getting it into one. We have been sorting through a few boxes today and been quite successful in what we have found and what we have managed to dispose of! I am also sorting kitchen. Cupboards and swapping some items. I have a glut of cutlery at the moment which I am trying to deal with - non solid silver or ancient unfortunately!

I'd find a decent auction house, sell them and spend the money on something I really wanted. That way you can enjoy what you have but thank Aunt Agatha, Granny Mabel et al for providing you with the means to buy it.

I agree with vampirequeen. I have been lucky in that anything I have been left has been my choice except for 2 things an aunt left me. The first was her best teaset which had 2 cups with hairline cracks which leaked all over the place and the second was her oak trolley which was so light weight it could be picked up by a child ! The teaset went to a charity shop (with a note about the 2 cups) and the trolley holds my wine stash.

I have never been left specific items, although, I have inherited houses and contents as part of an estate and also been an executor or had a POA for someone in care and had to dispose of house and contents.

The first house I dealt with was my sisters and the family as a whole kept almost everything. She had such a distinct style and died suddenly in a road accident when still quite young, However we all found that time 'cleansed' many of the objects we kept so that what we couldn't part with when she died we happily gave to a charity shop five years later.

I really think that if one has banged on for several years to children to 'take their pick now' and they keep coming up with excuses why they have not done so it is probably code for 'Thanks but no thanks'

I've just inherited a blue and white patterned plate. Well, it would be white if it weren't for the terrible glaze, badly done transfer, enormous crack and chips around the edge. Apparently it belonged to my maternal great grandmother and was the first thing she bought after marrying 'up'. She came from one of the worst slum yards in Norwich and married a blacksmith so could afford to buy a proper plate just for decoration.
I have instructions that it must be passed on to my DD1 and then to her DD1 so we remember where our roots are. It's wrapped carefully in bubble wrap in the loft. I'm terrified of that crack giving way!

I can see the point of keeping the plate. It has a chunk of family history and a story connected to it.

My house was crammed with inherited bits and pieces from my mother's large family and from my mama herself – she was the last one of her generation. I gave some things to charity shops and sold some others when I put the house contents in store while we were doing a major refurbishment. When they came out of store, I did another sort as I unpacked and found that there were still quite a few things I really didn't want, so I sold them or gave them away. After all, you don't need things to remember the people you loved. We then moved out of London and did a further cull and, finally, did the same thing before we moved to New Zealand. I have ended up with the things that I really like – and use – and those which are somehow special. Whether absentdaughter will want to keep them once I have popped my bucket I have no idea. It's up to her.

My dad kept his dad's and his grandad's Davey lamps for similar reasons, nfk. My mum still has them.

Is that why mine have always been known as Gog and Magog? I didn't name them.
BT the way, they were Cornish giants of legend allegedly, so why in America?

I've my fil's inspectors mining lamp(I hope! In the garage somewhere!)