What’s the oldest item that you own, something that immediately brings you back to a certain time and place?
Odds are pretty good it’s forgotten , languishing in a drawer somewhere. In any event, seeing these random keepsakes is a trip down memory lane .
“Some of my old concert tickets.”
Don’t look too closely at these tickets, because it’ll just make you feel resentful about how much prices have increased. Not to mention getting to see some of these legendary acts live.
“An old New York City keychain I found from 1993.”
Even now, more than 20 years later, it’s impossible to overestimate the effect that September 11th had. In an instant, one of New York’s most recognizable landmarks was obliterated.
“My aunt has an old Colgate box in her bathroom.”
This box is so old that I’m not even sure what it actually contains. Dental cream? Is that toothpaste, or some kind of old-timey thing?
“Finally traded out my 30-year-old tool box!”
All the new toolbox needs is a ‘not a step’ decal and several decades of wear. After that, it’ll fit right in.
“The one and only basketball that lives at the local park and somehow still bounces.”
If you’ve ever had a basketball for a long period of time, you know that under the surface, there’s this weird…hair. Here’s a fantastic example.
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“About time I bought some new work boots.”
It’s hard to believe that the boot on the left was worn as long as it was. I mean, it almost doesn’t even look like a boot anymore.
“Found some change that had been in the brushes in the clothes dryer.”
It’s always kind of fun to see what happens to coins after they’ve spent some time getting agitated in the dryer. It’s kind of the low-key version of putting them on train tracks.
“My parents got this spray bottle of Windex in 1979 and have been reusing it ever since.”
At first, I thought this bottle still contained the original Windex from 1979, which begs the question of how often they use Windex. But it turns out they’ve been refilling it.
“I found an old Beanie Baby price guide, and each Beanie has an estimated 10-year future value.”
If you lived through the ’90s, you probably know someone who invested heavily in Beanie Babies. Some of those folks are still waiting for their stuff to appreciate in value.
“My winter jacket is so old that it came with separate pockets for a MP3 player, cell phone, digital camera and calculator.”
Remember when we all had tech in our pockets, but it came in the form of about four different devices? I don’t really miss those days.
“I daily drive an 86-year-old tow truck that still tows.”
Sometimes, the older something is, the easier it is to maintain. I’m guessing this truck will be able to run indefinitely because its components are easy to service.
“Found a sealed 1985 ‘MacPaint’ sorting through my dad’s old bookshelf.”
I can’t think of much that’s more useless than old computer programs, given the difficulty of getting them running again. But seeing this old box certainly brings me back.
“This old TMNT floppy disk.”
That Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game was probably terrible and occupied about four kilobytes of memory, but I still have the urge to dust it off and find an old computer for it.
“A new condition version of my 20+ year old childhood teddy bear.”
It’s weird how the newer bear has a satin finish that almost makes it look gaudy and cheap, while the old one has a completely different aesthetic.
“Some old Pfizer Polio vaccines I found in an open house for sale.”
And there’s no reason to need them anymore, either, because they worked. Vaccines beat polio.
“30-year-old balloon still fully inflated.”
There has to be some kind of witchcraft at play here, because usually these balloons deflate after a few days.
“You can tell the era my thrifted computer bag was made by the matching iPod case that came with it.”
I kind of miss my old iPod. It was simple and it worked, even if it didn’t have Bluetooth or wifi.
“My 34-year-old VHS copy of The Land Before Time.”
Kids these days don’t know what it’s like to have their TV entertainment restricted to the same four or five video tapes.
“I found a perfectly preserved Taco Bell receipt from 1999 in a library book I was scanning.”
Taco Bell has never been the epitome of fine dining, but it used to be a lot more affordable than it is nowadays.
“My 1TB storage expansion next to my 128k memory card.”
It’s kind of hard to believe that 128 kilobytes would be enough space to store anything, let alone save files for multiple PS1 games.
