My grandma and grandpa are no longer alive, but their house, which is just outside of Cleveland, Ohio, is still in my family. Since my grandpa worked as a bricklayer for the first part of his life, it's only fitting that the house is made of red bricks. They built the house sometime between 1945 and 1947. And by they, I am referring to my grandpa and his father, along with a few other people they knew.
My grandparents on their wedding day in April 1940. Adorable!
My dad as a baby with his favorite chair and teddy bear. (1948)
Me with my grandparents (at my house.) They had been married 41 years at this point. (1981)
Nowadays when I am at their house, I love searching around to find old stuff of theirs that is hidden away. It's kind of like treasure hunting. Some of the stuff that I find I recall seeing or playing with when I was growing up. Most of the stuff that I come across though, I have never seen or noticed before...even in plain sight. As anyone would expect, there are still some old knick-knacks and furniture in the house. They also had lots of old photographs, yearbooks, greeting cards, and other mementos - which are wonderful to look through.
I am amazed however at how many commercial items there are, even after all of this time. My grandparents were very clean and neat people, and they were pretty strict with my father, so almost everything they owned was in pristine condition. Here are some of the treasures that I have found (mostly from the first half of the 20th century.)
Games
The game of "Cootie." Much scarier looking than the version I played as a kid.
1949 - $2.00
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_of_Cootie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_of_Cootie
A 1929 Chinese checkers board.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_checkers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_checkers
They kept the marbles in an old margarine tub (circa 1980s or 1990s.)
Toys
"Mickey's Air Mail" (~1940s) I think it is made of rubber.
Scariest kids toy EVER!!! I not 100% certain what it is, even after some searching online.
Ok, so here are some much cuter pull toys. "Musical Elephant" (1948-1950)
"Donald Duck Choo Choo No. 450" (1942-1949)
"Woofy Wagger" (1947-1948)
"Looky Chug-Chug" The eyes move up and down when he is pulled. (1949-1952)
"Looky Fire Truck" (1950-1952)
Possibly a prize from a fair.
Push-up toys/push puppets: "Howdy Doody" (~1950) and "Trix" (late 1940s or early 1950s)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howdy_Doody
and I'm not sure what the story is behind Trix.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howdy_Doody
and I'm not sure what the story is behind Trix.
Snow globe: "The Lone Ranger Round-Up" (1940s or 1950s)
Baby wobble/roly poly toy. Not certain if it has a name. Couldn't find
any details about this toy after a search online.
any details about this toy after a search online.
My dad was an only child, so it looks like he didn't suffer from a lack of toys to play with. I never saw these toys when I was growing up, which is probably a good thing because I had a habit of destroying things.
Books
I had never heard of Beany before. My mom said it was a TV show.
(1953)
(1950 & 1945)
Not a paper book. Based on some online searching, it is likely made of linen or faux-linen.
(1929)
This book has held up very well for being 85+ years old! Very weird nursery rhymes though.
(1949 & 1948)
(1943)
Household items
Plastic Captain Kangaroo cups. (1950s or 1960s) I drank out of these when visiting their house as a kid. I think every single other cup they owned was made of glass.
We got jugs. Little Brown Jug circa 1955 or earlier, since the maker Hemp and Co, Inc., was purchased by American Thermos Bottle Company.
What do we have here? A coffee maker and toaster??
Looks like they're actually travel coffee maker and a kitchen scale.
Anyone need an iron?
Products
Found this in a cabinet in the garage. Metal tin, and I was shocked to find there were still decades old band-aids inside.
Glass peanut butter jars. My grandparents definitely followed the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle motto!
Coffee tins. Wow, a whole 5 cents off!
Glass peanut butter jars. My grandparents definitely followed the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle motto!
Coffee tins. Wow, a whole 5 cents off!
I love the old fonts on all of these items.
"Charles Chips" tin. From sometime between the 1950s and1970s most likely.
Metal tobacco tin. My grandpa used to smoke a pipe.
"delightful and wholesome"
Still sitting on the shelf in the laundry room...after who knows how many years.
Oh, and there's still stuff inside of both of them!!
Did you know that laundry detergent used to come in metal pails? The "all" logo hasn't changed at all though.
Technology and Entertainment
The original tablet. Only 39 cents.
All the lyrics to todays hottest hits! (I have no idea why the top was cut off of each one.)
$1.00 yearly subscription or 10 cents per copy. (Feb 1940)
Before liner notes and google, this was how you found out the words to your favorite songs.
Things certainly have changed a lot in the last 70+ years. One of the most interesting aspects about all of these items is how many of them were made in the USA, or even in Ohio. That is definitely a rarity nowadays.
Some of these items will definitely stay in the family. But I am not certain what will happen with everything. While it would be nice for my parents to make a little money from selling some of the items, it seems that most of the items I posted here are not worth a great deal of money, all things considered. So, hopefully my sisters and I will be able to hang onto these things and then someday the generation after us will get to marvel about them.
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