Your most prized possession? (autograph, lucky coin, baseball card in your spokes, family heirloom)

[Libertas1776]

Last edited Wed Apr 24, 2013, 10:55 PM - Edit history (1)

What's your most prized possession? And I do mean a material possession, (not like your children, your spouse, or your pets. That's a whole 'nother category IMO ) It doesn't have to be big or extravagant (or it could be!) It could be something small and simple. Perhaps something someone dear to you gave you. Perhaps it brought you luck. Perhaps, to you, its irreplaceable. Maybe an heirloom or one of a kind?


OK i'll start. A news article on "The Shot Heard 'Round the World," autographed and addressed personally to me by the New York Giants legend himself, the now late Bobby Thompson. I am not really a major fan of well...major baseball, or rather of modern major baseball, but am a huge nostalgia buff over the teams of old, (The NY Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, the boys of summer, and so on). It is a great treasure that I cherish. It's not worth much in dollars value (its not an autograph on a ball or a card) but to me, it's priceless. Maybe one day I'll have a kid of my own to share it with and share the love of the game and explore the magic in it's history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_Heard_%27Round_the_World_%28baseball%29



Any other takers, wanna share?

UPDATE: Wow, thanks for all the responses. It's endlessly fascinating to read your comments. So many cool things

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Oh, wow, how to choose???

I have at least a couple of things that I prize...

A quilt from my dad's side of the family, hand-stitched in the 20's or 30's, and my wall clock that is over 100 years old. Original works and all.

Neither of these is worth anything in a monetary sense, but they have huge sentimental value.

[Jamaal510]

2. My iPod Touch.

It is like my best friend. I installed a randomizer on it that has a virtual coin flipper, and a random number generator for when I'm trying to decide on something.
I can also check my email on it, check the weather, set the timer, and it even helps me get to sleep. All I have to do is play some relaxing nature sounds on my iPod, and voila! No more hearing mom and dad's noisy conversations.
I also have about 1000 songs on it, and a personal playlist for every day of the week. This thing goes with me everywhere I go.

[Initech]

3. Probably my self-built PC.

These are the specs:

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nG2B]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nG2B/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nG2B/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

CPU: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53570k]Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-cpu-cooler-m02000000234]EVGA M020-00-000234 84.0 CFM CPU Cooler[/url]
Motherboard: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz77xud3h]Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard[/url] ($135.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-memory-993995]Mushkin Blackline 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7pc128bww]Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk[/url] ($112.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezrx]Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($71.94 @ Amazon)
Video Card: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-111990320g]Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card[/url] (2-Way CrossFire) ($268.07 @ Compuvest)
Video Card: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-111990320g]Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card[/url] (2-Way CrossFire) ($268.07 @ Compuvest)
Case: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-cc600twmwht]Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($163.88 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/pc-power--cooling-power-supply-ppcmk2s950]PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply[/url] ($137.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas124-04]Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer[/url] ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/plextor-optical-drive-pxlb950sa]Plextor PX-LB950SA Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer[/url]
Operating System: [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700404]Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)[/url] ($93.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1600.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-23 01:24 EDT-0400)

[olddots]

4. some stuff we're saving for our grandson

n.t.

[fizzgig]

5. my wedding rings

i was given my great-grandmother's rock of a wedding ring, which we used in the ceremony.

my husband gave me a ring that christmas and i am in love with my ring. garnet in white gold and custom made by a friend of ours.

i am lucky to have two unique and beautiful pieces of jewelry.

[Arcanetrance]

6. That's hard it's a toss up between

A namath jersey signed by him and my 93 Jackson king v my first guitar.

[Recursion]

7. Signed edition of Ray Bradbury's poetry

This Attic Where the Meadow Greens

[Scuba]

8. An old whetstone, used so much there's a valley in the surface ...

... where knife blades have been sharpened for 150 years.

My grandfather used it to sharpen his knife, as did his father, as did his father.

Probably worth less than 25 cents. Except to me.

[livetohike]

9. The shirt my Grndfather wore on the boat when he came to America from Czechoslovakia

in 1929. It's hand embroidered and beautiful. Not sure who I will pass it on to yet. I never had children but do have some nieces and a nephew.

[zanana1]

11. Please be careful about who you leave it to.

I had a locket that had been my grandmother's engagement present from my grandfather and I passed it on to my goddaughter when she turned 21. She never wore it and she finally "lost" it. (As it turns out, not the sentimental type).

[livetohike]

16. I'm sorry about your locket zanana1

That's why this is such a dilemma for me. I don't think my nephew will appreciate it, although he is the only one to carry on the family name (and he has a 2 year old son). However, he is the oldest and would remember stories my Dad told him....Dad was born in Czechoslovakia and came here when he was five years old. He passed away in 2004.

My nieces are age 20, 24, and 25. I think one of them will end up with it when they get older.

[zanana1]

10. The garnet ring my husband gave me.

We didn't have much money that Christmas but he managed to pull it off. I happen to love garnets and he bought me a great little ring. I only take if off when I was dishes, when I'm in the shower and when I have surgery!

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. Gotta be this guy

.
.
.



79 Ford F150 4x4 extended cab with sliding sunroof.

It ain't worth much in $$$

But I've had it since 1990.

Bought it for 3k

Changed motor from a 351M to a 400M from my 79 Lincoln MkV

Rebuilt the 400 b4 putting it in.

Rebuilt the transmission

Bought and rebuilt a positrak rear differential

all within the last 15k

needs a good body-job tho

workin on that.

CC

[lastlib]

13. I have a three-car cast-iron train my grandfather played with as a child....

...circa 1900. He gave it to me a few weeks before he died. After he gave it to me, he told my grandmother, "Well, I sold my railroad today." I also have his collection of "Sporting News" magazines and baseball almanacs from the 1940s and 1950s--in near perfect condition. I'd never sell any of that stuff.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

14. My greatgrandmother's cedar hope chest!

Both she and my grandmother used it for their trousseau(s)...I used if for mine. My daughter has no intention of every marrying, so it remains with me. I also prize a handmade jacket my father gave me when I was about 5... It is so tiny, he purchased it in Cuba while there on business in 1953! It is hand embroidered and I can still remember how proud I was to wear it...and how sad to outgrow it.

[Aristus]

15. An autographed portrait of King Hussein of Jordan.

The king sent it to my father back in the 70's. My father was part of the medical mission to Jordan during the Black September uprising that threatened King Hussein's reign. My father was decorated personally by the king at the end of the mission. During one of our many moves (my dad was career Army), the medal was lost. He wrote to the king's personal secretary requesting a replacement. The new medal arrived along with the portrait and a personal hand-written letter from the king, thanking my dad for his participation in the mission, and calling my dad "Our Friend."

My father was very moved by this gesture, spoke of the king with great respect until Hussein died in the late 90's. Dad treasured the portrait until his own death four years ago.

And now I have the portrait in my possession.

[benld74]

17. Autographs of Ali, Curt Flood, dad's WWII bayonet to name a few

[kentauros]

18. My signed and numbered lithograph of this painting by Olivia:

(this image has been slightly cropped.)


After that it would be my $15 vegetable cleaver that is my primary knife in the kitchen

[Blue_In_AK]

19. I think my most prized possessions are old photos

I have of my brother and mother who died in separate accidents when I was seven and eight. I have crocheted doilies that have been mounted and framed that my mother or maybe my grandmother made over sixty years ago.

On a lighter note I have a cassette tape of the 13th Floor Elevators that the original bass player made for me about 20 years ago. I used to see them live in Houston back in the '60s.

Other than that, I don't have much. I got rid of a lot of stuff when I was young due to my peripatetic lifestyle.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

47. Wow! I've got the vinyl record with the psychedelic cover!!

[Blue_In_AK]

49. No kidding?

I used to have that album, too, and Easter Everywhere, but they got left behind with all my other good stuff years ago. I've got the CDs, but the quality isn't the best. I think there are probably some better ones out there.

What's cool about the cassette that Danny Gallindo made for me is that you can hear the scratches on the records that he recorded it from. I'm almost afraid to play the cassette because I'm afraid the tape will get eaten by my cassette player. I hate it when that happens.

[sendero]

56. Me too...

..... although picking one photo would be difficult. So I will just say that my prized possession is my box of photos

I'm not much for nostalgia, but occasionally it is "fun" to look at all the old pictures and remember that time.

[TrogL]

20. Signed ELP memorabilia. They hated fan ops but we knew a way around it

This was probably on their last tour before they broke up. They appeared at Alumni Hall in Edmonton on a bitterly cold winter night. I've performed there myself and know the layout so after the concert we nipped around back to the performers' door to wait. They took so long the security guard took pity on us and let us in the first doorway to warm up. Right after that they came out and couldn't get past us because we were there ready to go with T-shirts and markers. They quickly signed, shook hands and nipped out to their waiting van (what? no limousine??).

Keith Emerson's hands are enormous!! I've got big hands and his wrapped around mine like mine would wrap around a baby's. no wonder I can't play half his stuff.

[MiddleFingerMom]

21. Keith Richards said the same thing about Robert Johnson's hands.

[AsahinaKimi]

22. Family Heirloom

Asahina Family treasure, circa 1700, Osaka Japan.

[mokawanis]

23. A ring my grandfather bought when he was in the Navy

It's nothing fancy, but it's the only thing of his I own. When he died I told my family it was the only thing I wanted from his belongings.

[Bennyboy]

24. Origninal ACID Test poster signed by Kesey

and other pranksters.

[IrishEyes]

25. Political pin collection.

I have been collecting political pins for years. I have a lot of pins. I have them displayed so I can keep adding to it. I would like to have a political pin from every presidential candidate someday.
My coin collection. I have been collecting for a long time. I have over a hundred coins from all around the world. My parents and siblings bring me back coins whenever they travel. I have a lot of old coins. My oldest coin is from 1806 Ireland. I would like to have a coin from every country someday.

The watch my brother gave me.

[blue_roses_lib]

26. Old photos, written histories..

and hand written recipes from my grand mothers and great grandmothers. They're links to family I didn't have an opportunity to get to know growing up.

My dad's rosary from growing up; blessed by Pope Paul VI.

Third Class reclic of Bl John Paul II

On a lighter note, a postcard from Viggo Mortensen, saying thanks for writing.

[Drummerboy2277]

27. Actually a few things are so very prized...

The house I live in has been in my family since it was built in the late 1700's many generations have been born and died here.... My wife and I sleep in the master bedroom that my great great great great etc grandfather paternal slept in.... The house is filled with over 200 years of relics in the family all of which I say I am the curator of till the next generation.... We cook using the same cast iron that my great grandparents used, use the same special china that was my grandparents wedding present in 1911, I carry a pocket watch carried by my great great grandfather at the battle of Gettysburg, the giant hall clock made in the 1820,s is still wound every 30 hours and marks the pasSage of time, each new child born has his/her name written on the inside of the door of the clock.... Well over 100 names now..... I sit at a desk as I type this, the very desk that my father and his father and fathers father all the way back to the colonial 1700's all sat at to read or write their papers, I have journals and diarys well over 200 years old that have been passed down.... My wedding band to my wife was my great grandfathers on my fathers side and my grandfathers on my mothers side and my fathers, all 3 cut and pieced together to make my ring. The bedroom set that is my wife's and mine was originally my grandparents from the 20's..... These are some of the rings in which hold the greatest sentimental attachments and of course pictures dating back to the 1860's showing those that were here before me in this house and some things pieces of furniture a mirror. A painting or a knick back that you see in a picture from 100 years ago is still there in the same place.... What I consider a true home that's been home my entire life and I will leave my mark here as the others that did before me and hopefully one of my children will continue on here .....

[MadrasT]

42. That is really cool.

And welcome to DU.

[me b zola]

28. The necklace that my mother sent me for my 50th birthday

Hands down the best and most treasured item that I own

[Libertas1776]

29. So many...

so many great things, guys

[Bertha Venation]

30. My bracelet.

A gift from my sisters on my 40th birthday. It is my talisman, and my contact point with my beloved sisters, who are 2,600 miles away.

[Loryn]

31. A little white porcelain laughing rabbit.

My mother bought it for me years ago, it's laughing so hard it holding its stomach. I love it!

In storage in California, and this year I'm gonna go get it, come hell or high water.

[Iggo]

32. Sole surviving spoon from the silverware we had when I was a kid.

It's nothing really. But when my sibs come over, they're all "Ooh" and "Aaah" "Can I have that?"

[redwitch]

33. The ring my mother left to me.

It is treasured for sure. When I was little I used to take it off her finger and put it on mine. Given to her by her father for her sixteenth birthday 69 years ago.

[Katashi_itto]

34. An Edo period Katana. An unopened bottle of Champange from the same lot that went aboard the Titanic

[greatauntoftriplets]

35. My grandfather's pocket watch.

It's not in great shape, but worn from long years of usage. He died many years before I was born.

[whistler162]

36. My grandfather piggy bank....

I mean one he made and gave my father. He was a tool and die maker.

[clam happy]

37. My wedding ring.

I also have Jim Abbott's rookie card. Not exactly prized, but cool, I think.

[cbdo2007]

38. pictures

Out of all of my material possessions, the only thing that is truly irreplaceable are the pictures - from when I was a kid with certain deceased relatives, and now of my kids when they were younger.

I have other interesting memorabilia and stuff I have but all of it could be replaced. Even my wedding ring, sure it would suck to lose it and have to buy another one, but I literally can't replace my pictures.

If I absolutely had to pick SOMETHING like a collectible or whatever, it would be a 1978 B.C. Rich Mockingbird guitar that I inherited from a family friend a few years ago. It's freaking beautiful and sounds amazing and is worth about $3,500.

[Boomerproud]

39. Photos and other documents pertaining to my ancestors.

I worked long and hard at genealogy and have met two 3rd cousins whom I treasure.

[sinkingfeeling]

40. Picture of my great-great grandparents, about 1845. And all my scrapbooks.

Also, the ashes from my 7 dogs, but you asked not to include pets.

[Libertas1776]

50. Actually,

in that case, the cherished remains of a dearly departed doggy or the like would fit the bill as a prized possession.

[Jokerman]

41. My mom's stuffed donkeys and her NARAL coffee cup.

She was a democratic county chairman and an abortion rights activist.

My wife also wears her donkey pins to political events.

[DFW]

43. It's a tie

A matching pair of 6 and 12 string guitars made for me by master luthier Božo Podunavac inscribed to me and with my initials inlaid on the fretboards...................or...............

An autographed picture of John F. Kennedy made out to me for my birthday in 1963. My dad was a friend of JFK's press secretary, Pierre Salinger, and arranged for it to happen. I still have that in the original frame it came in (in 1963).

[PD Turk]

44. 1998 Fender Nashville Hot Rod Telecaster

It came stock with the 3 pickup set with a Texas Special in the middle position and best of all it has a factory installed Parsons White B-Bender. Only made one year and finding one in white is extremely rare, most were black or sunburst. She's my baby


This one isn't mine but it's identical

[MadrasT]

45. The original Civil War officer's commission document...

...that my great great grandfather received from the governor of PA when he was last promoted in 1865. It's in a frame that looks almost as old as the document itself (nearly 150 years old).

My dad has it now and it will come down to me someday.

I am not in any hurry for that day, but it is the most prized family heirloom of all (to me and my dad, anyway, nobody else in the family seems to care much about it).

[First Speaker]

48. The May, 1942, issue of "Astounding Science Fiction"

...My Dad left me a lot of old pulp mags. Most, of course, are dissolved into their component elements, long ago...sigh. But this one has stayed together, kinda, though if I ever removed it from its wrapper and actually *read* it, it too would be gone with the wind... But this is one of the legendary magazines of the 20th century, pulp or no pulp. And that's because it has in it the following stories: "Asylum", by A.E. van Vogt, maybe the greatest literary acid trip of all time before Phil Dick, a story that just oozes strangeness and glamor, in the original sense of that word. But that's not the highlight, because it also has the final installment of a novel called "Beyond This Horizon", by one Anson McDonald, aka an obscure wordsmith named Robert A Heinlein--the greatest Utopian novel ever written, and the only one I'd actually want to live in. And *that's* not the highlight of that issue, because it also has an obscure little story by a certain isaac Asimov titled "Foundation"--indeed: the first story of the Foundation series.
Not a bad line-up, huh? That issue is now regarded as the peak of SF's Golden Age, and probably the greatest single issue of any pulp magazine ever--not even "Black Mask" can match it...and despite its uselessness as an actual magazine now, it's priceless to me...

[rurallib]

51. I would say my Barack Obama signed copy of Dreams of My Father

[kurtzapril4]

52. Personal correspondence from Pete Townshend.

My 1967 Gibson SG. Guitar picks from Eric Clapton. A ticket stub autographed by John Entwistle. A poster autographed by Peter Gabriel. Some really exquisite victorian jewelry from my great grandmother.

[Tobin S.]

53. I was going to say my computer or my car

My wife says my computer. I'm going to school part time and I couldn't do so without my computer. I live a mile from work and the grocery and bank are close by, too, so the car isn't as much of a necessity, but it sure is nice.

[Bombero1956]

54. I was going to say my car

But I also collect diecast from the movie Cars. At the very beginning of the movie there is a sequence at a race track where you see almost every car in the race. About a year after the movie came out Mattel decided to make a limited edition set of those cars. There were only 1,000 sets made and cost $300 directly from the HotWheelsCollectors.com and you had to be a member in order to buy one. Currently the set is worth $4,000 if you can find one on Ebay. There is one car in the set that will never be available anywhere other than in that set and that is the Apple ICar. After the set was made Apple canceled licensing of it's name so none were made as singles. The ones found on Ebay are customs selling for $50-60. In the set there are only 3 cars that actually exist, they are Dale Earnhardt Jr., The King (Richard Petty) and the Apple Car. All the others are fictitious.

[Locut0s]

55. Corny and sad I guess but I too have to say my computer. Killer specs though :P

Intel i7 970
18GB RAM
120GB SSD
2TB (2x2TB RAID 1 So actually 4TB) HDD
Radeon 5970 Video Card (off for repairs ( )
Sound Blaster XFi
Blu-Ray DVDRW Combo
Dell 30" IPS LCD Display (this in itself is a prized possession actually) + 24" Samsung LCD
DAS Keyboard Mechanical keyboard