What do you know about YOUR family heirlooms?

For a start, do you have any heirlooms? A grandson visited us the other day and we were a bit surprised at what he saw as old family things. For us they were just household objects but to him they seemed to something special - almost as though he felt they were part of his history.

It shouldn’t have surprised me as for twenty five years I was involved in selling antiques and collectors items for people. No buying and selling, just selling. I always claim I don’t know a lot about anything but a little bit about an awful lot.

The big interest to me was not so much the value but the stories behind the object.  For instance, the fine porcelain clock, looking so out of place in a little terraced house in Nelson; the three first world war medals (Known to medal collectors as Pip, Squeak & Wilfred) lying at the back of a drawer; the dark brown, rather crude earthenware pot at the back of the garage.

The clock had perhaps belonged to great aunt Esme who, as a twelve year old, had gone into service as a maid with Lord Alpus. When the eighteen year old Esme Munnicom married the butchers boy, the family rummaged in the attic and gave her an old clock as a wedding present. It was now treasured possession in the Munnicom family.

The medals might have been issued to Private Hugh Nevvar, grandfather of Willy Nevvar. 

The owner of the earthenware pot had been given it by her great grandfather who had worked on the American Railroads in late 1800s. It had been imported from china and had contained soy sauce for the Chinese men working on the railways.

I used to see similar sets of medals. They were engraved with the name, number and regiment of the individual and I have no doubt you could have found more details from official records. The thing you couldn’t find was the personal information about that man, where he lived, what he did for a living, what sort of a man was he. 

If the clock goes out of the family or the story gets lost as time goes by the story of Esme will disappear.

The lidded pot might be identified by a specialised collector - if he sees it - but most likely it will be chucked out as an ugly old pot.

So, take a look round at some of the old family things you take for granted. Sit down and write down what you know about and keep it with the object. Just take care that you don’t embellish the story!

Take Esme’s clock for instance. More than once when looking at similar objects I was told a story that might be something like “You see that theer clock? Well, there were only ever three of ‘em made. Queen has one, there’s one in’t Albert and Victoria museum an’ I have t’other!”

These were not an attempts to deceive, but embellished family stories. “Old aunt Esme worked in a house where the Queen once visited”; “It were real posh - just like a museum”; “They gave her this very rare and expensive clock when she got married”; “Nobody else (in the family) has a clock like that”. So easy for it to finish up as one of only three !