is for Handmade, Hand-me-down, Heirlooms in the A to Z of Tools for Legacy
Lumpers and splitters are very different types of people. Some people want to group things together, some want to create subgroups with larger groups or topics. It is really about similarity and difference. This is a great tool for helping to determine authenticity, meaning, and value of all the things you have collected over the decades when you relocate, downsize, or just pragmatically pare down possessions.
I use the terms handmade, hand-me-down, and heirloom to make parsing items a bit easier than using authenticity, meaning, and value that can seem rather alien when talking about possessions that have accompanied you and provided context for you through significant parts of your life.
Handmade/Authentic
If something is handmade, or you know who crafted the item, when it was made, or where it was made, document what you know, and how you know it.
For example: Great Uncle Carl collected these paintings in England during WWII. They are water colors painted by a person far more famous for his writing. They were given to him by a Swiss friend he met in London who was a friend of the artist.
Provenance is the personal history, or story, of an item. This helps in authentication of items. Materials used in item can also help validate its time period. Bakelite jewelry was manufactured from around 1920 through the 1940s. Silk was needed for parachutes so it was rare in fashion during the early 1940s.
Hand-me-down/Meaning
Knowing the path of ownership and how something came to be yours, who owned it before you, and how that person came to have it, provides a personal context that can be interwoven with other stories of the life of that person.
A wall hanging may have little significance to most people, but having a hand-stitched hanging that your grandmother gave to your mother who in turn gave it to you can be considered a treasure. Something that is handed down generation to generation can be very meaningful to members of a family simply by virtue of having been touched by those you loved and those they loved.
Items can be thought of as important simply by who handled the item. Signs of wear that might take away monetary value can add personal value.
Heirloom/Value
A silver tea service made in Colonial America by Paul Revere has signifiant monetary value. Items made of high value materials are often accorded status as a family heirloom. Status is often transferred with the object. Eldest sons often inherit such items along with the status of family patriarch.
Assessment of these traits will often clarify whether something should be preserved, to whom it could be meaningful, and whether documentation needs to travel with the object. It is also good to remember that these aspects may be attributed by others to items you own and to which you have no special attachment.
A cookie jar from J.C Penney may be special to someone simply because it sat on your table when she was small.
Noting what you attribute to each category mentioned above for individual items as well as what others attribute may help you decide how to handle specific items for storage, giving, and sale.
Legacy Tools
April 2016 A to Z Challenge
Letter Legacy of Handmade, Hand-me-down, Heirlooms Tools for Legacy projects
Fascinating.. I wouldn’t have thought to create little vignettes about items. Enjoyed this! Thanks!
Many Blessings,
Lori
My A2Zs @ As the Fates Would Have It & Promptly Written
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I hadn’t thought about this distinction before reading this, but now I do. I absolutely love having things with historical value, especially family history. For me, value is all in the sentiment.
Me too. Memories, sentiment – that is the key for me. I’ve been thinking about moving from AZ and about what I would want to take with me.
When my mother passed away and I had to clean out her home, she left us all instructions on what pieces went to who and why. I thought this was so special because we understood the meaning behind why she chose who to get what.
The thoughtfulness of doing this is a treasure in and of itself. And it helps with the inevitable spats when dealing with an estate.
I recently wrote a post about the last gift from my mother before she died. It is something I treasure. As we get older we see the value in heirlooms and learning about our family history. I enjoyed your description of each of these ‘H’ words each can bring their own memories. Sue from Sizzling Towards Sixty.
I try to give readers a new way to look at or understand common processes. Yes, it is a product of aging.
One of the pleasures that Europe has opened my eyes to is the beauty of things handmade and objects and houses that have been restored that have been standing for centuries. Last year I had the opportunity to work at an archaeological digging where a village from the 13th century was discovered.
Interesting post.
Visiting from the A to Z Blog Challenge.
Shalom,
Patricia @ EverythingMustChange
Reveling in craftsmanship and history must be an acquired taste, I’m glad I acquired it. I think older cultures understand this more than the U.S.
What a lovely and helpful way to look at this.
Thank you, Deborah!