The only things I own that are the real deal for me are my books and CDs. I don't really own anything else of value. Unfortunately, I have been gradually selling my belongings due to financial distress. I am heavily in debt due to the dwindling profits of the online book/music selling I've done since losing my last job several years ago. And there are no jobs here in Michigan.
I am considering ripping all my CDs to Taiyo Yuden CD-Rs and selling them - though the thought kills me. A CD-R or DVD-R is not the same as owning the actual item. I think the hardest thing is the realization that I may never be able to afford to replace them. Most of my really nice stuff was bought the last time I had a decent job, which ended shortly after the dot-bomb crash.
Books are rough too - a lot of my more valuable titles are not in the library system here. I have some genre cookbooks like Thai cookery that I hardly use, and know I should sell because of the collectible value, but they're really hard to part with. Maybe the hard thing is accepting the fact that I may never be able to buy books and CDs like I used to again.
A couple of TravelSmith dresses, my mother's wedding pearls, a Liz Claibourne tweed jacket (bought in '89), a 40" square wool challis blue and tan scarf, an off-white wool rebozo that was a gift in 1966, my 4 Waterford champagne glasses, my grandmother's Franciscan Apple dishes, my other grandmother's "good" china and her Irish linen damask tablecloths (from 1911, no less), my mother's 8 sterling silver place settings and my own "Eaton" stainless steel flatware for 12, my dad's bone-handled carving set, the first gift from my husband in 1974, a Joy of Cooking, the oil paintings a 60-year-old Italian POW painted for my father with camouflage paint in a US POW camp near Monte Cassino, the baptismal clothes my aunt made my dead son, and a Flemish tapestry that same aunt rescued from the Marin County dump in 1948.
Sara R.: My dear old mother (90 in March) bought a Hotpoint refrigerator in 1940. It still cools the wine jugs in my cousin's garage. I have in my hot little hands a Sears box fan that another cousin bought in 1956. We still use it outside here when winter temps climb too high for comfort (id est, over 73 LOL). I mentioned the fan to an old-timer Sears salesman, and he said, "Metal fan blades?" Of course. And the motor has NEVER been oiled.
We did it before. Why not again?
I have several Pendleton shirts-yes, they are the real deal. Black Florsheim Kenmoor wingtips-expensive, but you can wear them anywhere with anything and they last forever.
dksbook -- your list looks a lot like mine. Especially the crystal/china/silver stuff: our grandmothers bought that stuff with the understanding that it would be used for generations, so it makes no sense for those of us who inherited it to go out and buy new (though we might swap around if we don't like what we got).
My mom has given me two Waterford goblets every Christmas since I can remember. I deliberately picked the same pattern as hers (Alana), so between us we now have service for (I think) 18. It's a big family, but between us, we've got 'em all covered.
My china is a simple white Haviland with a gold rim, '50s vintage, that belonged to a great-aunt. Not my favorite, but it'll do, and I'm sure as hell not going to put up the $$$ to replace it. The silver set is Mr. R's grandmother's set from the '20s. Again, a bit old-fashioned, but I'm not inclined to change it. I found the Irish damask tablecloths for $10 each at an estate sale years ago. Come the holidays, I'm ready to roll.
Ronzoni, I thought about putting in a paragraph about appliances. My stepmother still uses the Sunbeam iron she got as a wedding gift in 1951. It works great. I have the Sunbeam electric stand mixer my mom got in 1956 -- an early forerunner of today's high-end KitchenAid ones -- and, again, have no reason to replace it, because it chews through cookie dough without a moment's complaint.
Disposable appliances just make me angry. It's such a waste of not only money, but valuable resources. As you say: we know how to make this stuff in a way that lasts for 50+ years. We need to start leaning on manufacturers to produce them that way again.
The principle applies to cars, too. Rolls-Royces are definitely a buy-it-once item -- but so are the old Jeep CJs, the old VW bug, and anything made by Volvo.
I have too many Pendleton's shirts including one of my Grandfather's that must be over 50 years old. The elbows wore out so it is a short sleeve shirt now. Musical instruments are another "real deal". You can't beat a guitar that feels and sounds just right for you. Me? I've got a 1967 Guild F47 6 string, 1985 Guild F212XL 12 string, 1975 Fender Telecaster Deluxe and a 1999 Rickenbacker 330/12 12 string. They will never go out of style or lose their value.
Harris tweed overcoats are another RD. Wear like iron. Mine's 30 year old at least. All I want is a pair of American made Levis but Walmart forced them to outsource to Mexico and they still cost the same. Bastards. I mean Levis and Pendleton shirts, how much more iconoclastic Oregon can I get?
I also have a Lise Claibourne tweed jacket (bought about 1991) that goes with everything -- jeans to skirts. I use a Sunbeam Jr. Mixer that my mother received as an engagement gift (circa 1952)-- still works great.
The principle applies to cars, too. Rolls-Royces are definitely a buy-it-once item -- but so are the old Jeep CJs, the old VW bug, and anything made by Volvo.
Mrs Robinson
Only if its a rear wheel drive model, I've had 3, a 1980 245 (344,000 miles before the heater core started leaking), 1984 740 turbo wagon (wrecked it, damn it) and a 1994 940 turbo wagon, the ultimate evolution of the rear wheel drive Volvos.
I forgot my navy-issue peacoat. I bought it used about a decade ago at a surplus store. I looks good, it fits perfectly, it's durable as hell, and it's mighty warm.
I have to come back to this topic later, but off the top of my head:
--My books and CDs
--My Timbuk2 messenger bags
--My Doc Martens
--My Le Creuset cookware
--My cast iron frypans (a teensy 6" for toasting spices and making one egg; an 8" one for single helpings of veggies or two eggs or baking cornbread in).
More later...
Somewhere, we have a photo of my younger brother -- then just 14 -- wearing my grandfather's WWII navy officer's overcoat. He pulled it out of the closet the day after Grandpa's funeral, put it on, and wore it home.
My brother is now 45 -- and still owns (and wears) that 1942-vintage coat. Absolutely the Real Deal.
Cast iron fry pans and Le Creuset. Great examples, both.
It's interesting how many of us feel this way about our books and CDs. Will we still feel this way in the not-too-distant future, when all that data lives on our hard drives instead of our shelves?
Recently, I took a good look at my DVD collection and said aloud, "I love you, my DVD collection. I love you!"
My books and papers, DVDs, and a very few select VHS tapes.
My art collection.
My Patagonia clothes and jackets, some of which I've owned since the mid 80s.
Some of my data I've had since the mid 80s as well.
A few items of clothing from my 20s, accessories mostly, have stood the test. And a wool overcoat which I love.
Oh... and my Lemond carbon-fiber titanium bicycle with Campagnolo Record parts. Rolling perfection. *grins*
Ol' Jesse:
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Jen: I have an old 10" Griswold cast-iron fry pan from Erie PA, which I season and use regularly. I think they called it a "spider" because of the logo on the bottom. The Griswolds were neighbors, once upon a time (I used their road down to the lake, and their neice was one Hope Cooke, once married to the King of Sikkim). Gawd, they sold out to Zurn Industries more'n 70 years ago, I think.
My black leather English country doctor's bag my Mom gave me my freshman year of Med school
My Silver Age Marvel Comics collection
My Brooks Brothers Grey Wool Pinstripe
My Vestimenta Black & Grey Suits
My Prada Cap-toed demi boots
My J. Peterman Suede Leather & Green Twill Hunting jacket
My Armani, Versace, Baker, BBro's tie collections
My RL Purple Label, Burberry, Prada, Pink, BBro's shirts
My Bobby Jones, J. Lindeberg golf kit (shirts, trousers)
My Ping Eye 2 irons
My Mizuno MP 60's
My Bettinardi, Ping & Scotty Cameron Putters
My first edition copy of Ben Hogan - Five Lessons The Modern Fundamentals Of Golf
My vinyl music collection
Tons of other stuff that the ex-/non ex- didn't get her pretty little violinists' fingers on
This was fun Sara - thanks for the selfindulgent respite from the trials and tribulations of daily life in the
"real world". The "Real Deal" stuff makes it easier to live and be happy in that world - even if only superficially so.
I took my Dad's WWII Navy pea coat out of the closet when I was in Jr. high, wore it long into college, wore it out, through Indiana winters. Heavy as lead but the Real Deal.
When I was in Varanasi 7 years ago, I dropped $300.00 US on a shot-silk sari woven in a pattern of tiny flowers. That's my ditto to the Scotsman's dress kilt -- doesn't matter if I go up or down a couple of sizes, the sari is my superduper formal dress for the rest of my life.
But I think we should add: Once you've GOT the Real Deal, treat it like it's the Real Deal -- don't treat it like it's cheap crap, or it will fall apart much, much faster. Clean it, oil it, store it properly and admire it often.
Not that many things, really. An elegant black Tahari suit that is sexy and intimidating at the same time, which I have had for 15 years and is still letter perfect when I need to dress to impress...or terrify. An absolutely damned near perfect bench-made Blue Ribbon saddleseat saddle, which I bought for a SONG on Ebay that is the envy of all who lay eyes on it. And most bizarre, my Acorn ragg wool slippers, which I begin fantasizing about right around mid-afternoon every day - ugly but well, hell, talk about your happy feet.
Fantastic thread. cooltools is one of my frequent reads - and had to do my part to trumpet the volvo 240 on there. Could afford something newer, but why? Even at 258xxx miles, the thing is solid and safe, built to last.
Wow, what's with all the clothes? I've got piles of clothes in my closet but few items I'd call the real deal or would notice much if they went missing. I have a nice leather bomber jacket that probably counts and some weatherbeaten LaSportiva climbing boots.
In terms of my non-clothes real deal items:
Vintage Stanley woodworking tools (mostly planes and chisels) adopted from my grandfather who bought them in the 30s.
1980s vintage Colnago racing bike with Campagnolo Record and Cinelli components.
1960s vintage Vespa scooter still stored in my parent's garage. I used it to ride to HS in Oregon in the 1980s
My leatherman
I'm sure I'll think of lots more in a moment
Bopper, that's one swanky list ya got there. Mine has its fair share of RL couture and an amazing pair of embroidered Prada boots -- but you've obviously been at this longer than I have.
However, I disagree about it being superficial. We spent a huge portion of our waking hours earning money to buy stuff, using stuff, caring for stuff, organizing and getting rid of stuff. Being mindful about what stuff we choose to lavish that attention on is a way of respecting own time, energy, and resources. You can fritter away your entire life on badly chosen stuff; or add a whole new level of satisfaction by carefully choosing the good stuff.
There's a lot at stake here. It's not superficial at all.
Cherish: Yes about the saris (I've lately had a real fascination with going down to Vancouver's huge Indian district and getting a couple salwar kameez suits made -- cheap, flattering, made-to-order, feminine as all hell, and 2000 years worth of classic. Half a billion women can't be wrong, and probably aren't.).
And also about taking care of this stuff like it matters. I remember how careful my Depression-baby grandparents were about tending to their things. They treated their stuff like it had to last -- and lo and behold, it usually did.
the next step for me is, after identifying the real deal, getting rid of the things that are not.
ditching
cleaning
and de-cluttering
it is not something that comes natural to me, but I am trying.
Gator: I've always wondered about how the Japanese handle this.
You've got one of the most densely populated countries on earth, people living closely together in tiny spaces with (ostensibly) nowhere to store a lot of stuff. And, likewise, not a lot of room for landfills.
And yet the Japanese are notorious for buying and discarding all kinds of toys -- electronic gadgets, cute knicknacks, disposable everything.
How does this work? They buy tons of stuff, replace it far more often than we do, have nowhere to keep it, and nowhere to throw it away. It doesn't add up. Can you explain it?
Me naval books........... Coldstream Guards bearskin............ symphonic works of Parry, Stanford and Bax.
Doc Bop...my brotha from anotha motha! 
My list?
My daddy's vintage Penn and Garcia fishing rods and reels.
His collection of Countess Mara, Hermés, and Bert Pulitzer ties. And yes, the ascots too—especially the Hermés.
My entire Ralph Lauren suit collection. His fit model is a clone of me evidently, and suits I bought 10 years ago not only still fit, (thank God for the weight loss) but still look new. The Zegna and Jil Sander which I got for steals at Daffy's here in NYC also make the cut. The Brioni Tux and Paul Smith cream-colored white peaked-lapel dinner jacket are mega real-deals.
Daddy's Burberry trench.
The 1977 Sony reel-to-reel tape recorder Daddy bought off the showroom floor.
My Martin Dingman loafers—the brown suede and black pebbled, pointed 60's “Temptation” jobbies.
My black cashmere Valentino v-neck sweater. Got it in '92—it never ages, grew and shrank with me and is one of the coolest items of clothing ever made.
My father's vintage Dobbs straw fedora which I had restored at J&J Hats in Manhattan—the city's BEST hat store for men.
A toasty camel hair Brooks Brothers overcoat. Back-belted with patch pockets and cuffs. The same model Babe Ruth wore at his farewell speech.
My 1939 Philco tloor model radio which I rebulit from a bare shell a decade ago.
A Wilson Optima Gold softball glove I bought in 1991. So soft, so supple. A simple re-lacing this past summer has extended its life another 10 years!
My father's Omega Seamaster watch. Bought in 1975 and cleaned and restored two years ago. The gold has gone a lovely soft buff color. I wear it rarely.
My full-metal bodied Osterizer, a thirty-five year old machine that will still kick ice cubes in the ass while pureeing like a champion.
My vintage Macs—especially the red “Mogul” I customized.
The vinyl collection featuring gobs of warm, toasty sounding, out-of-print R&B and Jazz, plus a Murderer's Row of 12" Disco singles.
The decade-softened Polo denim shirt and the dark blue linen and wool Polo slacks.
The tan leather Coach monster duffel from the ex-wife (who worked for Coach), It DOES NOT EVER get checked into baggage.
My autographed ABA throwback basketball...signed by Julius Erving!
And too many other cherished, timeless things to mention...
............. and me World Cup dvds.
What's the Real Deal in your life? What good things do you own (or covet) that you expect to see you all the way through?
The Unix operating system.
More tools under the hood than a Leatherman, although not one in fifty Mac or Linux users really understands this.
35 years old and going stronger than ever.
But I must confess to a slight prejudice in these matters.
Since the majority of my academic, professional, and personal computing has been and is being done on various types of Unix, over the course of the last 30 of those 35 years.
Will we still feel this way in the not-too-distant future, when all that data lives on our hard drives instead of our shelves?
Not going to happen.
Hard copy will ALWAYS be with us.
Because it's still there after the power fails, or the circuit board turns into an expensive bookend.
Hmm.
My fencing gear.
My leatherman.
My folks china and silver.
Cast iron cook ware.
My copy of Barry Huhghart's Master Li omnibus.
There are more, but I can't think of anything.
Here goes....Still have the first baseball glove my dad bought me 40+ years ago. First LP I ever bought, in 1972, now part of a stack about 8 ft high. Boy Scout merit badges. Levi denim jacket I bought in 1975. 1956 Fender that my uncle bought new and gave to me a few years ago, about 2 weeks before he passed. All my concert ticket stubs from the 70s. A couple of my dad's shirts he wore when he hustled pool. My shoeshine box.
Very little of monetary value.
mrs.R
the Japanese offices and homes are often piled sky high with crap. And yes they throw out more, recycle less, and are NOT very earth friendly.
I have hopes though and because this is such a group think society once they make a change it is quickly a mass movement. Recycle shops (second hand stores) are becoming more common. Separating trash is becoming more common.
BUT the plastic crap, throw away mentality is HUGE here for now.
I got a new job this summer and immediately started researching what I was going to spend all this money on. And what were the two things I really really wanted? A deep freeze and a tiller. I realized, in other words, that I am exactly the same person as my grandparents.
Other things the money has gone to are: a) a good, deer-proof fence for my garden, 2) fruit trees and 3) plentiful firewood storage, so we can thoroughly cure our firewood before burning it.
Trey - what's your weapon? Where do you fence?
Oh, dear; I wish I could compete in the clothes regime, but I tend to outgrow my clothes as I get older (Dunlop's Disease, dontcha know). Still, I have a very few items that have withstood the test of time:
My Klipsch Forte II speakers-the best audio purchase I ever made, 17 years old and still going strong. If I put them on E-bay tomorrow for $650/pr I guarantee I could get them sold by tomorrow-hell, if I just mentioned on the Klipsch forums I wanted to get rid of them I'd have people offering to drive to pick them up tomorrow! Which, of course, ain't happening. I intend to be buried with those speakers 
My HP Laser Jet 5 printer-bought in '97 and still has three quarters of it's expected drum life left. (And you can still find add-ons for it on the intertubes if you look diligently enough-my duplexer, 500 sheet base tray, JetDirect card and envelope feeder were ALL refurbished and still work as advertised.)
I have a Tappan 1000 watt microwave I bought when I had my house built in '92 that STILL works as advertised. (Does Tappan even exist anymore?)
Of course, my own Bronze Age comic book collection of DC's and Marvels (unfortunately, in the garage, but boxed and bagged at least), from about '83 to '94, when the hobby began to get a bit expensive.
And of course, my own china collection (in my mom's dining room china cabinet, which she gave me when she moved back up north in '96); Pfalzgraff Grand Heritage plates and all the accessories I could cram into the china cabinet, my Cristal D'Arques and Mikasa Jamestown Gold glasses, plus my mom's wedding glasses which she gave me. I finally broke my addiction to the Pfalzgraff Outlet Store in Orlando a couple of years ago...yes, men do get into a well stocked china cabinet too, ladies!
Everything else...well, let's just say that I've been disappointed quite a bit...
Dang, I knew I forgot something...my Pioneer PD-TM1 18-disc magazine changer. Bought it in '92 from Service Merchandise (god, I miss them terribly) and still works. The only other piece of my 'original' A/V system electronics besides my Aiwa 3 head cassette deck that summarily die over the next ten years...
...that DIDN'T summarily die...
...I just got off work, guys...
My bong and my roach clip, man, like from the sixties. Or maybe it was the fifties, man, like I forget.
Wow, what an interesting exercise.
My 1937 Harris tweed coat that belonged to my favorite aunt, who got it in 1937.
A Navy-issue peacoat bought for me by a friend in the Navy -- about 1967.
Frye boots, simple, sturdy, I bought in 1968 when I had to wear three pairs of sox to fit in them -- they fit now with only one pair of sox.
A painting on silk I inherited from my mother, who got it from a friend of hers, named Binky, whose family was wealthy until they lost it all in 1929.
A 1947 Joy of Cooking (also a 1954, and a 1975).
My grandmother's 1913 Singer treadle. I used it for a long time, but now the leather belt needs replacing.
A 1950 gas range. It's in storage because I don't have gas here, but I hope to build a house around it someday.
Does my 1990 Subaru count? She has 254k miles on her, and is just starting to feel old.
I still use the blow dryer on my hair that we got when I was in high school (the 60's). It works fine.
My little Sunbeam mixer is so old it's turning yellow with age. But it works. I think I got it in 1971.
My Grandmother's cast iron Dutch ovens, which must be almost a hundred years old. I have three of them (different shapes).
Wool slippers crocheted onto leather soles that my sister bought for me on Prince Edward Island. I've worn out several ordinary pairs of slippers and keep going back to these -- and they are almost new looking.
My grandmother's gold Waltham pendant watch that has a mystery attached to it, that was made before 1900.
My I. Magnin collection: a striped t-shirt that my mother wore for years and I am still wearing. A huge black furry reversible jacket that's very stylish but ageless too, with pockets big enough to put my Messiah score into. and a black velveteen floorlength opera cape -- that's a raincape too.
Have you seen those rings that twirl around? I have one that's the Real Deal, from the jeweler who invented them, and the ball bearings are gold so it swings sooooo smoothly.
I'm something of a packrat, and so was my Mother, so I could go on....
Mrs Robinson, that "superficial" crack was a little self-directed jibe at my overly acquisitive nature.
LoLo, I have to say that I was impressed by at least one item of personal treasure listed herein by each of my brethren and sistern (snicker - I'm just a baaaad boy). but the only thing that made my heart jump and sing songs of remembrance was your reference to your Pops' Dobbs brim and P&G fishing gear. Goddamn that had to be one stylish and badass fisherman!!!
Right now, I don't have a lot that currently fits that category...but
Bostonian wing tips
A Mountain Equipment Jacket that has seen nearly daily use for the last 10 years
A new Patagonia wool sweater is quickly becoming a favourite to cherish
And I think of my Uncle's books (3000 plus), my Dad's record stand full of vinyl, and the 1912 Heintzman upright piano in my parent's living room originally built in Toronto only a few miles from where I now live.
Interesting question.
Got a Braun coffeemaker as a gift in 1990. It's made 2-12 cups of coffee every damned day since then, and it's going to do it tomorrow morning too. I suspect it may still be making coffee for my wake (and I'm 40).
My dad's Harris tweed overcoat, bought for him when he graduated high school in 1959. Lining is getting tatty, but I wear it daily (I live in Oregon) and the outer surface seems wear-proof.
I also have a Filson wool jacket from 1994. Of all the items I own, this one I am absolutely certain will still look brand-new when my son is of retirement age. Filson made stuff for the Gold Rush in 1896, and their designs haven't changed. The coats weigh 20 pounds, but I'm here to say, they don't wear out.
This thread just oozes privilege. The "real deal"? If your family has time and space to conserve it, maybe it's the real deal for you. For most people, the real deal is something serviceable, something time-tested, and worth keeping no matter what. It's not that classic piece of clothing that there was no reason to get rid of. That tweed jacket? My mother and yours bought it at the same time but when we kept moving, it had to go. That china pattern that is the same as the rest? Great if you're living in proximity but most people don't have that. Pendleton shirts, watches, etc., are the purview of people who have at the very least a little bit of discretionary income. They're not tried and true but legacies. That schoolteacher's salary might have been stretched but imagine any one of these things (with the exception of fishing gear which is useful) on a minimum wage. I understand the urge to find comfort in what surrounds one, I have some of that background myself, but the wallowing in material comfort seems almost self-indulgent in this crowd.
p.s. My doc martins which I got after my kid outgrew them...not saying I'm imnune.
Leslie:
Self-indulgent? My grandparents gave my dad one -- one -- gift when he graduated high school. They were wheat farmers, and tenants (not landlords) to boot. That gift? The overcoat I mentioned. The one I wear every day.
The Filson jacket, perhaps a "luxury", was another gift -- and it will be wearable decades after I'm one of the dearly departed.
"Wallowing in material comfort..."? You seem to have misunderstood the purpose of this thread.
The Misses and me have pretty much made a lifestyle on this issue. Being an artist and near poverty line material opportunist with an eye for design and historical significance there is much to be gained - both culturally and economically, while at the same time remaining intentionally divorced from the current mass import driven trash culture we live in. Not surprisingly, America from the industrial revolution to the era of globalized cultural divesment beginning in the 1960's, actually manufactured consumer goods based on quality, reliability, and industrial innovation.
Typically these items manifested themselves as aesthetic icons reflecting the aspirations and dreams of the times, often with an emphasis on individual craftsmanship. Hence, the the particular Arts&Crafts, Shaker Deco, or Modern physical character these object radiate. Ever notice that since the demise of of American manufacturing, there has been a corresponding demise of design character and quality?
This corresponding demise has enhanced a rather fortunate (and expanding) secondary market for indigenous American artifacts. That given a little time, patience, and research can enable a fan of Americana to literally buy and utilize these wonderful things in depth for equivalent money to the crap now being imported, and hold its value (or rise in value)and liquidity (thanks to e-bay) way beyond the other junk. I havent been in a mall or box store in 10 years and have never set foot in a Wal-Mart
I actually look forward to an extended power outage. We just hook up the wood burner, fire up the oil lamps and crank up (literally) the record player and throw on a 78.
I don't know why more people haven't discovered this alternative.
So many things that really are the first of the best.
For me:
A walther p-38 ww2 era bring back.
6 matching stoneware Martz lamps ( used to be standard in american embassies in the 50's )
The Aeron chair I am sitting in while typing this.
we don't buy in my family. we collectively share and collectively own. there's a hugeass list of things I could go on about but the two things that come to mind are the Steinways, one of which I've already dibbed to borrow when we've moved and the baby is old enough for lessons (we have an electronic keyboard for him to check out for now)
Mrs. R, thank you for bringing us this thoughtful exercise. I know I am a packrat and one of my goals for this year is to start to rid myself and our house of some of the detritus that has accumulated during 18+ years of marriage and 30+ years of living and accumulating prior to that. Looking around, there are things that I know I cannot let go of....the 1000's of cookbooks and other books that line the walls of the office room....not gonna happen. The artwork on the walls....not gonna go. My cast iron pans and the actually very fine stainless cookware purchased at Costco a few years ago....much like allclad and much cheaper. I too have the china from my mother, but I never, and I mean never, have used it....not in the 35 years since she gave it to me. Should I continue to carry that around? I dunno. Two furniture items that will never leave. An antique table, maybe 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 with open, curved, carved legs with metal lions heads on balls for feet, and with a lower ledge/shelf that is held up by metal griffins...totally the coolest table in the world....purchased in the early 40's in New Orleans by my parents. And a hickory dining table with 6 chairs that we bought a few years ago....made by Amish woodworkers, that table will be with our grandchildren (if we have any). Finally, my jewelry making tools and all the findings and metals and beads that I have collected over the years. The only thing I do want that I do not have is a good jeweler's bench. I am thinking that most of the rest of the stuff we have is just that, stuff, and I need to see what I can do about shedding some of that this year.
Not much.
I plead chronic poverty.
But I've got a handmade orange sweater that I've had since circa 1985 ... I even hopped freight-trains in it ... & I swear, it's just NOW getting comfortably broken in. Aliens will find it, & 6 or 8 other artifacts, long after our major structures have crumbled to dust - & assume we had three heads.
I only wish I had 500-750 to plunk down for a Cowichan, or 350 for one of those HBC blankets. Sigh. They ought to issue one of each to every Canadian at birth. Damn, those are true utilitarian monuments.
great thread, Mrs. R. lessee: almost nothing from home, except a few photos, because of extreme financial and other issues when we lost my Mom (and I'm thankful for the pictures). but, on my own:
8 old cobalt blue plates and 1 drinking glass. no idea how old they are. I bought them in an East Village 2nd. hand shop 30 years ago. They have survived a marriage, a committed relationship, several apartments, and 2 countries...as have I
my Skagen watches: actually, they're almost all just the watch, as I've worn out the bands. I have a new instant Skagen heirloom, a gift that I broke the watch face on, unfortunately, but I'll get it back this month and wear it forever...
my books. pretty pared down, but still about 200 essential ones, down from close to 500...including stuff like the Chicago and other Manuals of Style, Eyes on the Prize and related Civil Rights Movement books, books on the psychology of color, my old music theory books, my Neil Gaiman collection, my autographed Howard Dean books...etc.
My Doc Martens: a gift from the Pugs, the Japanese band I managed years ago, during Lollapalooza. We were on the hippie bus traveling from NY to the show, and Honey (of the miraculous voice) told me that her feet were too long for the sponsored Martens, and asked me if they fit me, and they did, and they do...
tagless, heavy leather jacket that I think was 2nd. hand and is probably a man's: just love it, no matter how I fluctuate, the coat manages to keep me warm and and looking like my East Village self.
My PowerBookG4: although I promise myself, when I do get financially able, to upgrade to a MacBookPro, I love my PB - it's taken me from pre-to-post production on countless projects.
I feel blessed that so many of my Real Deal items were gifts from loved ones over the years...
My "real deal" was a Canon FTb camera I purchased in 1976 for $216. The money came from a summer job. For almost thirty years it took great photos before being stolen. I was looking to replace it two years ago and was told I could buy a used one for $500 as that model was phased out out in the late 70's.
Finally purchased a Nikon FM3a which works even if the battery is dead. One manually has to then adjust the camera settings. A reviewer called it "the perfect realization of a 1960's SLR" meaning that what it lacks in fancy features is more than made up in quality.
Fun thread. I forgot the black hand-knitted merino wool sweater my ol' man shipped home from Ol' Blighty back during the Big Deuce, the sweater with the faint whitish stain on the shoulder that my oldest daughter placed on it by puking up a bit of baby formula some 42 years ago. A tad smallish for me these days. I keep it in a closet to remind me what a fine figure of a man I once was LOL.
Yep. Hats off to the the Volvos. A 1988 240 DL wagon is the last car I owned before I moved 9 years ago to a place where I don't need a car. I hated to sell it, so I let my dad keep it with his other car. I drive it the two weeks I'm home, he drives it a few miles to work, and we split major repairs.
The car's worth nothing in the Blue Book, but it gets decent gas mileage and it's roadworthy. Restoring its youth is cheaper than making monthly payments on a new car and it's optional.
Vinyl, lots of it. Records too. Haha. Seriously, about 500 LPs, mostly in storage.
Not much on the clothes front. I've never been a clothes horse. I did break down and buy a Hugo Boss jacket and a pair of good dress shoes, just in case.
Speaking of looking back to a better-constructed past, I've lately been collecting antique photos (amateur mostly), camera, prints, that kind of thing. Maybe I'll deal in this kind of thing one day if I have a job to transition from when the time comes.
Leslie, a lot of these abovementioned "heirlooms" are not so much family heirlooms as the collective heirlooms of a grand industrial past. A lot of this stuff is still cheap at church sales, garage sales, resale shops, Salvation Army, etc., still safely offline. Filene's Basement or your city's equivalent if you're feeling grand.
It doesn't take much money, but it does take a bit of free time, or a commitment to what little free time you have. It starts from interest, a little research at your local standing library, and practice, lots of practice.
It takes proximity to a lot of secondhand shops in a fairly large city.
It also takes space. Over the years I've moved to smaller and smaller spaces (but for good reasons), so that's a big problem.
Also those wonderful Osterizers, Hotpoint fridges and GE stoves, relics of industrial-era grandeur, come from a world that assumed energy would be cheap forever. So if you bring them into your home, make sure they fit into your energy budget too.
Mrs. Robinson, you may be onto something about the Real Deal paradigm. It would explain Steampunk, Make Magazine etc., as being its leading edge, anyway.
Maybe it's the reaction of a people watching its pockets rapidly being emptied but remembering that the wealth in its hands and between its ears is less easily robbed.
I hope it takes hold (*after* I've bought stuff cheaply) out of a real appreciation for craftsmanship, not out of necessity. The only scenarios I can think of that driving the latter are bad ones.
RCA magic eye shortwave consle radio(1941). replaced the tubes a few years back...still humming away.
Stickler, any decent tailor can replace the lining on that tweed coat with a lovely, sturdy new one in the color of your choice. It'll set you back $75 or so -- but you'll get another 30 years of elegant wear out of it.
bjacques states more clearly something that I thought was implicit, but may not have been: these items are a shared inheritance of our great industrial past (and the handful of places in the present that are still operating under the same ethic). Some of us got this stuff from our families; others bought it at estate sales, flea markets, and second-hand stores. Either way, we're the current beneficiaries of somebody's willingness to make and invest in goods of real quality at some point in the long-ago past.
My bedroom furniture -- dresser with mirror, highboy, and two nightstands -- are genuine Art Deco pieces bought by my great-grandmother in the late 20s. My grandmother had them in her bedroom until she died. They're made out of the kind of solid mahogany you can't get any more at any price -- red and sturdy and cut in a simple, vaguely Asian modern shape that suits all kinds of decor.
A canny shopper could score a comparable bedroom set in the used furniture shops of any reasonably-sized city, probably for the ballpark of $1000. That's still a lot of money -- but you could spend that same amount for four cheap veneer pieces at IKEA, and they'll fall apart in under 10 years. As long as you're spending the money anyway, what are you gonna get -- the one-of-a-kind tried-and-true; or the cheap crap?
There are people out there still making the Real Deal. They're harder to find, which is a compelling reason we need to find them and support them. All this Chinese shit we're buying is going to be in the landfill by the time we die (or our heirs will take it there for us when we go). But those same heirs will also find a few things -- a record collection, a tweed coat, a set of china, a pair of broken-in Doc Martins -- that they will seize on and make their own.
If we focus on collecting, using, and preserving that stuff instead of the crap wherever possible, everybody's quality of life goes up forever.
Since puberty, I haven't found a purse I liked. So three years ago I decided I had to create one myself; and fortunately there is such a feature with Timbuk2 Build A Bag. (Since I am so unhandy I'm not even all thumbs... I'm all pinkies.)
So I created one in my favorite colors, with pockets for EVERYTHING for the first time in my life. Light enough to hold a few essentials and be easy to carry, roomy enough to hold my laptop and the current hardback I'm reading.
At last, I'm ready for anything, purse wise. Fantastic investment.
And a great read. This is where I've been drifting for a while now... we've held off buying furniture because I refuse to get that cheap oak junk.
Classic Coach handbags -- the kind that are increasingly hard to find. Heavy, thick saddle leather, they wear like iron, and at least at one time Coach would repair anything that went wrong -- zippers, clasps, or if the piping wore through (which is what happens to mine). But I'm not a handbag-swapper, and a classic Coach bag can be carried for 10 years without a hitch.
Unfortunately, Coach is now making just the ugliest, crappiest bags you've ever seen.
Thanks, Mrs. R. I just wanted to add that Until that promised Diamond Age arrives, any dry good, even a steam iron, if it still works, is officially a Relic Of The Empire. Making it took serious amounts of iron and coal, back when both were easier to get (or steal). Nobody's likely to build such things, anytime soon, in quantity and at a price your average consumer can afford. Limited-runs for the yuppie markets, sure. Mass-market, no. The planet can't support it even if the market can.
Meanwhile, there's a lot of good old stuff out there, for every level of living, available for next to nothing and only needing a cleaning before going back into service. And it's still cheap to find.
Add Limoges boxes.
One sad note on all of this--and LM will understand--MY old Osterizer died two days after Xmas, after living a long life that began as a gift for my Mom's engagement party. That blender WAS almost 45 years old.
Then I tried to make Sarah's rum toddy base mix...and the motor BURST IN TO FLAMES. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.
I can't believe how fast I moved. In less than 30 seconds, I had unplugged it, dumped it in the sink, taken off the (brand-new, irritatingly-enough) bowl assembly (I was NOT throwing out that mix), gotten my kitchen shears in hand, cut the bad cord (FDNY says that WHENEVER an appliance is to be tossed, cut the cord so that nobody scavenges it and sets THEIR building on fire), grabbed my keys, and RAN down 2 flights of stairs with the smoldering, burning plastic/metal-smelling thing (dangling out of one hand by the cord stump) into the freezing rain outside--where I finally dumped the smoking mess in a huge puddle near the curb.
Amusing anecdote related to this. AS I was tearing down my stairs in a T-shirt, fleece pants, and slippers, with a flaming appliance in hand, I ran past one of the mellow Japanese kiddies who lives in my building. WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT, he started to exchange pleasantries.
"SorryTakeocan'
ttalknowmyblenderisonfiregottadumpitoutsideHappyHo
lidays!"
"Oh. That's OK, it's raining out, it get put out right away, Happy Holidays!"
Now I will have to replace it with an overpriced piece of crap that will last 18 months at best. Le sigh.
And Sarah--the mix was AMAZING. I had some the following AM in my coffee, with Jack Daniels added. Think kicked-up Irish Coffee.
Jil--I hear you RE Coach. When I had my first job at 15--as in my first crappy food-service job that you are allowed to have at 15 in New York State--I saved and saved and saved and got Mom one of the CLASSIC Coach bags in tobacco leather. The leather was almost half an inch thick in places, with hardware that looked like it could be a car part. That was back in (IIRC) 1986.
Fast Forward--Mom STILL has the bag; with minimal care it still looks good, never had to have the hardware replaced; it has tons of character.
Nowadays, most of Coach's stuff is this ugly, UGLY overbranded CLOTH crap that costs a fortune, wears like shit, and is available only in hyper-seasonal colors.
I also am the proud owner of a handmade hobo-style bag in black leather. Long barrel-shaped bag with two drawstring straps that also make the shoulder strap. The lip of the bag has 4 huge grommets on it for the laces to pass through.
I got that bag as a 16th birthday gift.
I turn 40 this March.
I STILL use that bag to death.
It has not needed ONE repair in 24 years, despite the abuse I gave it as a bookbag in high school, a gym bag in college, and always as an all-around day bag.
Dang, it's funny that it was mentioned that the big name designer goods originally made products that would be indestructible and wasn't necessarily for show. I'm not sure that's necessarily the case today.
My wife got a Michael Kors luggage from her (very wealthy) sister. I made the comment that it's more for show rather than heavy sustained travel because it will get scuffed up and mar its good looks, and moreover, it is a target for theives. She got pretty upset when I said that. Ditto for the trademark Louis Vuitton luggage - sure it's high quality, but I'd prefer less flashy luggage with a plainer look, such as Tumi, Hartmann, Samsonite, etc., that's just as indestructible and you won't care if it gets scuffed up over time.
bjacques, actually: when you look at the environmental cost of one 1951 Sunbeam iron that's still working 57 years later versus the four Rowenta "professional" irons I've gone through in the past 15 years or so, I think we were well ahead making a metal iron and building it to last. Same with Jen's blender (though the current Osterizer beehive is still a pretty tough customer), mixers, whatever.
Build it once. Do what it takes to built it right, and for the ages. And then you don't have to build another one for a long, long time.
Jen, I was hoping somebody would bring up Coach bags. I have three that are of mid to late-80s vintage. One's stained beyond redemption, but the other two are still in great shape. Coach was one of those companies that consciously set out to build it for life -- that warranty was serious business. But they don't offer it any more.
The bags used to be made in America, out of baseball glove leather. (Those of you upthread who mentioned the enduring nature of baseball gloves will appreciate how this same quality got built into those early Coach handbags.) Now, they're made in Asia, out of canvas, as Jen noted -- though last year, they did start bringing back some of the old glove leather classics.
The bag I carried to YKos last year was a black Coach Soho -- the very first one they ever made, in what turned into their iconic bag shape -- that I bought in 1993. (Best. Handbag. Investment. EVER.) It's still perfect. I recently bought a big black Coach tote for my laptop that coordinates well -- small purse, big tote, and I'm dressed for business.
Silverkris, Michael Kors is a knock-off artist at best. Everything he does is derivative of something somebody else has done better; and most of it isn't great quality, either. He's hardly a legacy fashion house, and likely never will be.
Hartmann, sadly, isn't what it used to be, either. My stepdad uses Hartmann bags that are 30 years old and been everywhere. They look like hell, but they're holding together. My mom got a set 10 years ago, and has not been nearly so happy.
I got three pieces of brick red Tumi for a birthday a couple years ago. Apart from one popped and funky zipper, it looks like it's going to go the distance. The big LV tote doesn't ever get checked, for the reasons you state: it goes on with me.
Mrs. R--for the stained Coach bag, have it overdyed in a darker color by a professional leather cleaner/worker.
silverkris,
You were right. I also wouldn't have purchased that luggage unless I had the plane to go with it.
Who wants to attract the attention of theives in the airport?
Cee,
Interesting point RE luggage.
I have a VERY old, mildew-stained (but not stinky) beaten up, patched real US Navy duffle bag with one big zipper that I salvaged from a pile of damp rotting things in my stepdad's basement. I washed it off REAL good originally intending to use it as a storage bag, but now whenever I travel abroad, I pack it flat with some string (to tie it shut) as a spare bag.
On my trip a few summers ago to Scotland, I was forced to travel on the day of that big terror scare--the one that started the "no liquids" thing. I had two bottles of scotch--VERY pricey--that I wanted to take home. And almost $500 worth of perfume from Penhaligons--I had done my Xmas shopping early.
My solution? Take two week's worth of dirty laundry and other soft things. Wrap around breakables. Put in craptastic-looking bag; tie shut, hope the TSA doesn't bother to open. For good measure, I threw my camera and Ipod into plastic bags and then in with the stinky laundry. I had heard horror stories of UK luggage handlers being terrible thieves, so I packed the priciest stuff in the nastiest laundry.
They didn't bother to untie the bag. They also didn't bother to unlock my 15-year-old no-name rolly duffle, whose runners are held on by duct tape and Barge Cement. On a trip to or from Europe, there are MUCH better pickings for a thief.
Jen: have you had a bag dyed? I've thought about doing this for years -- British tan to maybe a nice dark chocolate brown? -- but haven't found a place that seemed competent to do it, and worried that it might not turn out. (Like I have anything to lose here. I'm not using it looking like it is anyway.)
I can't imagine ever checking anything I valued, or that was fragile. Thanks, but no. I'll either resign myself to hand-carrying it on the plane, or ship it home separately.
But stinky laundry sounds like the best available defense if that's just not possible. And maybe a nice loosely-wrapped round of Stilton cheese tossed in there just to make sure....
Sadly I didn't have the presence of mind to grab some of the "Real Deal" items from family when I had the chance.
Sadly the good china, silver, crystal, furniture, and other heirlooms from mom's parents were destroyed by fire in 1988.
Other items I wish I still had I've allowed to pass from my hands due to not thinking to take care of them or simply not having the space at the time. The biggest regrets on that front are some very nice sweaters, a queen bird's eye maple bed frame, and an upholstered swivel rocker. Thankfully I was able to find good homes for the furniture.
I have bought my kitchenware with an eye to never having to buy it again. My cast-iron, Le Creuset, All-Clad, along with the Shun and Wusthof knives will all outlast me.
I have a few items of furniture that will likely always be with me. Nothing special, but they are solid wood and worth refinishing if and when it comes to that.
Sigh, I really need to change some of the "crap" I own out for fewer well made classics.
Mrs. R--no, but my Mom has. You have to find a true old-skool hippie leather worker shop.
Re checking stuff--didn't have a choice that day; it was pack it or toss it so I packed it...
My uncle gave me his china cabinet, which holds my china (bought by me in the early 80s), Orrefors crystal and the mismatched teacups, saucers and rose teapot that used to belong to my grandmother. I don't use the stuff much, but I adore it.
Not antique but made to last... my parents owned a walnut bedroom set, bought in the late 50s/early 60s with a friends/family discount, courtesy of a neighbor who worked for Drexel (it was considered pricey for new furniture at the time). When my sister got married in 1985, they gave her the long dresser, I got the highboy and they kept the nightstands. All still in use and looking great.
Concurring on Coach: I bought a small red Coach bag at one of the outlet stores in 2000; the outsourcing may have already started but this was made in the U.S., from glove leather. Looking at the newer stuff, I wish I had gotten a larger bag or tote back then.
Another real deal: a black London Fog balmaccan style coat from about 10 years ago. That's my workhouse outwear for rainy Bay Area winters. I'd love a camel or dark cashmere topcoat but I'd roast in it.
For power outages, there's the Western Electric Touchtone phone that doesn't need electricity and could double as a weapon. But I have cast iron for that.
good thread.
For me, a lot are tools. Craftsman hand tools with the "we don't fuck around. No seriously." guarantee. My milwaukee worm-drive circular saw I bought used for $75. My dewalt air compressor. The tru-temper hammer my dad gave me that dates from the 60s. It's heavy but balanced, has straight claws that are perfect for demo or nail pulling and as a kid every time we worked on a project I wanted to use HIS hammer. Same for the black & decker (back when they made the stuff that later got branded dewalt) 1/2" drill.
In the kitchen, I'd say it's lodge (or grizwold, if I could find one, or le cruset if you want enamel) cast iron pans, my wusthof knives, a swing-a-way can opener, and a (I don't have one yet but will someday) hobart N50 stand mixer. Oh, and a good two-stage waiter's corkscrew. Fuck you and your rabbit ears or any other gimmick, I've never broken a cork.
Other than that, a moleskine notebook and a parker 51 "aerometric fill" fountain pen and a bottle of quink.
You know, I have been using my Size 14P (a size they no longer make in the original cut by the way) London Fog women's trench coat with zip-out liner for so long, that I forgot to include it here.
I got it when I got out of law school.
In 1993.
It looks new.
Every time I bring it in for its seasonal "maintenance" (tightening buttons, pressing, thorough cleaning), my drycleaner is always amazed.
It was $180 new at the time.
I still haven't found anything similar for the money.
Ol' John:
The fry-pan's a Griswold, Erie, Pa., and if you can find one uncracked, or if you have one, collectors will pay bigbux for it. Better to keep it.
My grandmother, an old Hoosier schoolmarm who was a lifelong conoisseur of The Real Deal, swore by her London Fog balmaccan. I've been looking for a raincoat I could love as well for the full four years we've been here, and have yet to find it.
On the other hand, my winter coat is one for the ages. It's an ankle-length shawl-collared 100% baby alpaca swing coat I picked up for half price at the Peruvian Connection outlet in Santa Fe nearly 10 years ago.
It came in a lovely gray-green that sets off my eyes; and it's light as a feather (especially considering how much fabric there is). It feels like being swaddled all the way up to the chin in a soft blanket, even on the coldest days; and it looks downright queenly in spite of the extreme comfort. I get bombarded with compliments whenever I wear it.
I took a kid to the ER in the middle of the night last week, and threw it over my sweats. Added gloves and boots, and I would've been fine anywhere in town -- as long as I kept my coat on.
I should probably cut off 4" at the bottom to bring it to mid-calf length and keep it out of the rain and mud; but I just can't bring myself to do it. It's one of the best Real Deals I own.
Mrs. Robinson,
This coat is close, though mine is more of a swing/trapeeze style.
http://www.boscovs.com/StoreFron...28&
type=Product
Okay, I'm going to dig myself s deeper hole clasism Because unexamined reactions bother me, because the issue of class bothers me and because I'm ornery.
Can I dye my second hand things? Do I live in a city big enough to provide me with designer duds at a fraction of the cost? If I don't, am I somehow less worthy? Or, wait, if I spend my time doing "job re-training" and therefore can't scout out the local good will for these worthwhile things, am I doomed to never know the good things in life?
Are we all 20 something hipsters or comfortable boomers here? I doubt it. (And, by the way, I am technically a boomer, barely.) What bothers me is the way this thread seems to tend towards entitlement. I don't know anyone here beyond what I've read and so it is both easy and difficult to make any suppositions. What I have noticed is a healthy discussion of race and politics and a relatively healthy discussion of gender and I appreciate all of these. So, because no one can be everything to anyone, where would anyone suggest for a discussion of class? I want to believe that there is a forum which tackles these issues (indeed, I find it difficult to believe there is not) while still maintaining the political focus I find here.
That said, I still find an undercurrent of classism, not necessarily upper classism, permeating this thread. If you're hip and broke it's all about second-hand shopping. And with apologies to a few, mostly it's otherwise about what you got because your family had it first. Having lived both sides of that, I can certainly appreciate the sentiments. I still feel as if there is no thought here for the huge percentage of people for whom this whole meme is inappropriate.
And, yeah, I get all riled up about this. Because I see it every time I find discussions I would like to follow. I see it on every blog, every news source. The basic premise is this: poor people don't exist. (Or, if they do, they don't have internet access. Or, if they do, why are they wasting their money on it?) Or poor people only exist so the rest of us can cite them in our arguements.
'
"I still feel as if there is no thought here for the huge percentage of people for whom this whole meme is inappropriate."
And how would you propose to discuss the topic? I'm asking honestly, as outside of sliding wholesale into a discussion of strict communism, I don't see how.
Ruger Security-Six .357 Magnum: out of production for a couple of decades, but a fine piece of craftsmanship that never fails in any weather.
Leupold Gold Ring variable 3-9x scope mounted on a Browning .270 with a floated Parkerized barrel. Best piece of optical equipment I have, fixed to a superb trigger action. Trigger pull is exactly like breaking a glass rod with your finger, the way it's supposed to be.
Randall Fighter 2. Keeps a razor's edge with no effort.
These are essential tools for living on the land that I've had for decades and expect to hand down to my daughter.
I'm not sure I'd call the mukluks The Real Thing as far as durability is concerned. Yes, if you only spend a week or two per winter out in the snow they will last. However, back when my family was racing sleddogs, I went through three pairs in six years.
On the other hand, I have my grandfather's Alligator wool raincoat. don't know when he bought it, but I've had it for over fifteen years and it's still warm and looks great.
Tilley's Endurables slacks last about four times longer than slacks from Sears or LL Bean.
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