Mastodawn

As far as human-made things I own, probably some Native American spear points that are 8-10 thousand years old. The oldest book I own is from the 1860s I think

Oldest cool thing that's not just a plain ole rock? 55 million year-old Trilobite fossil

https://www.lakesuperior.com/the-lake/natural-world/192feature/

@benjedwards Nah, that is nothing... I got a bit of Stromatolite, picked up on the shore of Lake Superior. 🥳

Stromatolites: Our Mysterious Ancient Reefs

Discovery of ancient stromatolites on Lake Superior's shore astounded the scientific world and reestablished the age of the oldest known fossils.

Lake Superior Magazine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Groningen_(1672)

@benjedwards And then there is this canon ball from the 1672 attack by the Bishop of Münster on the city of #Groningen. 🤩

Siege of Groningen (1672) - Wikipedia

@fubaroque Amazing!

@benjedwards These are actually not very rare. People still find them in the mud/clay in the south half of our city. He bombarded us with soooo many of them at the time. The siege lasted from juli 21th until august 28th. And failed, we still celebrate it every year on that day.

This one is solid iron, about 8 cm diameter. But there where also bigger ones and hollow ones that had something flammable in it. Here is a picture of a bigger one... https://cdn.nos.nl/image/2018/06/13/478999/1600x900.jpg

@benjedwards It seems #Bommenberend, as we called him, shot some 9000 iron canon balls and somewhere between 4000 and 5000 mortar- and incendiary bombs at us. And failed to get in... 🥳

No idea how many of these are still around, but they are not really very rare.

John Aycock May 10, 2023

@benjedwards Do you know the geographical origin of the spear points? Their descendants might be keen on having them.

@herrprofdr Great question. In many cases, I don't know because they came from my dad.

I've found two myself in my yard and in one my mom's creek but they aren't spectacular samples or archeologically notable. I have contacted experts about them in the past

@benjedwards @herrprofdr where I grew up there were arrowheads all over, and we found a couple of places where the makers had been sitting knapping out new ones, but it's hard to date stuff like that. Could have been 1860, could have been 4000 years old.

@smellsofbikes @herrprofdr certains styles and sizes of spear points were popular at different times, and that’s your best bet at dating them

Extinction (our fate)May 10, 2023

@benjedwards My house.

Alonealastalovedalongthe May 10, 2023

@benjedwards

Speakers from the late 70s, not that I hunt them down its just over the years I have gotten a couple of really old speakers because nobody wanted them and probably figured they were obsolete or something.

Richard May 10, 2023

@benjedwards 1958 Gibson ES-5 guitar.

@benjedwards In use: wood chisel from 1890's. Just collected, fragment of ring from roman chainmail. Not counting eg rocks from the silurian period.

@benjedwards I'd like to hear your entry for this question.

jordan May 10, 2023

@benjedwards I’ve got a silver dollar from the 1890s

Andrew Madsen May 10, 2023

@benjedwards a stereoscope owned by my great great grandmother. Not sure exactly how old it is, but somewhere in the late 1800s to early 1900s.

Tech Tangents May 10, 2023

@benjedwards I think it would be my 1920s Comptometer Model J

@TechTangents @benjedwards weird buttony things club \m/

Spike

May 10, 2023

@smellsofbikes @TechTangents @benjedwards comptometer ftw

@smellsofbikes @TechTangents Love it

@TechTangents Perfect

ThatKomputerKat

May 10, 2023

@benjedwards I had to think about that.

Probably one of the Kodak cameras I’ve got which is from ~1919.

Photo is of a different one that’s from late 1930s to 1940s that my Aunt gave me a few weeks ago. My others are out of reach at the moment.

Eric Gustafson ☑️May 10, 2023

@benjedwards I'd have to really think about it but off the top of my head a friend gave me an original 1960s era Lava Lamp (and yes it still works). After that maybe various bits of my retro computer collection, and of course the oldest "living" thing I own is "Julia" my dwarf orange tree I got when I moved out of my parents house, Ive been with her longer than my wife.. 😂 (Julia will be 30 years old soon)

FeedMe Doughnuts May 10, 2023

@benjedwards my grandfathers skull.

DJ Tent Mode May 10, 2023

@benjedwards I wear and regularly use my grandfather’s wool Navy-issued raincoat during the winter months. It’s dated 1943. He and I happened to have the same initials and body type so it’s effectively mine anyway!

jdd May 10, 2023

@benjedwards

Could be this book, a compilation of Gustav Dore’s engravings from 1880 or thereabouts

europlus

May 10, 2023

@benjedwards I _could_ be “clever” and say my Hydrogen atoms… Will have to give it some though. Pretty sure I have at least a couple of items from the 1800s, but not sure of which would be oldest.

Chris Chapman May 10, 2023

@benjedwards Rocks.

Akumu May 10, 2023

@benjedwards Hitachi 14" CRT that's older than me. Possibly some tools…

Jason Bergman May 10, 2023

@benjedwards I have (and still use!) my grandfather's Olympia Elite. It has a great story behind it too:

When he fled Germany in 1938, he knew he couldn't bring any cash with him. So he sold everything he owned and bought high end goods like the typewriter and luggage. Then when he arrived in NY he could sell them.

He sold everything else, but kept the typewriter. I've kept it in good shape, and it still works great.

@jasonxbergman Amazing story!

48kRAM May 10, 2023

@benjedwards I'm gonna guess it's a Hummel figurine that my grandfather got during/shortly-after WWII. I might possibly have a coin that's older. Certainly nothing pre-1900. Unless you count a piece of volcanic rock from a Chilean volcano 🤣

Paolo Amoroso May 10, 2023

@benjedwards A book published in 1684.

scottpack May 10, 2023

@benjedwards A copy of "Pilgrims Progress". The school edition, published by Gin & Company in 1890.

@Crapknocker May 10, 2023

@benjedwards Native American spearheads and arrowheads. Probably a few hundred years old. Oldest thing I can accurately date: coverless copy of Whiz Comics #2, first appearance of Captain Marvel, 1939.

@Crapknocker I have several arrowheads that are 8,000 to 10,000 years old. The ones you have are quite possibly that old as well

Sean Coates May 10, 2023

@benjedwards this is a bottle of Bass King’s Ale #beer from 1902. I’ve tasted another bottle from this same batch, but this one is mine.

More info: http://www.mpeterson.co.uk/kings.htm

King's Ale

The Bass Corkers, 1902 King's Ale, Royal Ale

@sean That's really cool. How did it taste?

Sean Coates May 10, 2023

@benjedwards It was a very small sample; we split the bottle with probably 50 people. It was leather and tobacco, molasses and treacle, caramel and sherry. Surprisingly interesting and wasn't nearly as "off" as I imagined it would be.