battlemaiden Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 And the only thing she left to my dh is a Hummel plate with the wrong birth year and an Encyclopedia Britannica Birds of Your Garden Collection plate (cardinals). I despise collector plates. They never come out of their boxes. But they are the only thing my dh has from his Grandma. I really don't think my dh has strong feelings about it, but I feel guilty getting rid of them. Would you get rid of them? Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 That's what ebay is for. I have photographs and letters from my grandparents as well as many memories. Those I keep. The rest is just stuff. Don't feel guilty. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 And the only thing she left to my dh is a Hummel plate with the wrong birth year and an Encyclopedia Britannica Birds of Your Garden Collection plate (cardinals). I despise collector plates. They never come out of their boxes. But they are the only thing my dh has from his Grandma. I really don't think my dh has strong feelings about it, but I feel guilty getting rid of them. Would you get rid of them? Jo Yes, and I am. My mom had actual Hummels. From 1950's that she bought in Germany. She specified one to each child. My sister and I got a sort of set (boy and girl under umbrella), I have the boy, she has the girl. I hate Hummels and I'm always afraid this one will get broken, and there goes several thousand bucks down the drain. But I felt a bit guilty and didn't want to get a guilt trip from my sister with the match because, well, they are a match. Well, my sister called a couple of weeks ago and wants to sell hers because she needs the money. She thought we could sell them together and get a bit more. So she's trying to get them sold. :hurray: Get them out. You'll be so happy, and then maybe someone who actually likes such things will be enjoying them and you'll be even happier. I'm all for getting rid of stuff you don't want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 No - there is a possibility that the next generation (or so) may want them. Plates can not be that big - just stick them away somewhere until you can fob them off on a grown child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jail warden Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Well, I had typed out a reply! So let's try again! As logn as dh is willing to let them go, sell them! It's nice to keep something special, but not lots, then it just becomes stuff and your kids will have to get rid of it someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 First, I read the title as "Grandma collected PILATES". I thought you must have a strong Grandma and wondered how exactly you could collect those :001_huh:. Anyway--I'd get rid of them if they aren't important to your dh. They are just things, and if he doesn't have his memories invested in them there is no reason to keep them if they don't bring you joy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 My parents go to a lot of auctions. It's so sad to go and watch these "heirlooms" sell for pennies. It has given me a fresh perspective on stuff. If you think your kids would have memories of it and want them someday, keep it, otherwise sell them. I have a lot of nostalgic decorating items, from granparents etc. I keep them because I like them, and not because of the family connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 If your dh really doesn't care, I'd get rid of them. One thing I learned when my grandmother died is that no thing, not one item, could mean as much to me as the memories I have of her. She had 4 children and a lot of grandchildren, so no one got to have much of anything that was hers. It was hard, but I learned to treasure the love she gave me and not worry about the "stuff." If you have children who are particularly sentimental about that kind of stuff (I have one who is) then I would consider keeping them. Only for that reason though. Dh's parents tried to pawn off a whole bunch of ugly crap on us when his grandmother died and I just wouldn't take it. If we didn't love it, it wasn't staying here. I know they were a little disappointed, hurt maybe, that we didn't want her stuff, but it's not our fault her taste ran to downright fugly. (We're not talking the valuables here; we're talking a family of ceramic geese, a HUGE piece of stained glass, a parrot statue, stuff like that.) I had to laugh at Amy's Hummel post; I despise Hummels and dh's family has collected them for years. His parents inherited all of his grandmother's plates - I shudder to think how many Hummels are potentially headed my way in the near future when the IL's downsize and move to a smaller house. I have the few that I do have carefully hidden away. Bleah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I'm also all for getting rid of what you don't like/want. Ladies, I must be WIERD, because I like hummels! I have 8 that were my grandmother's and I look forward to getting some more from my dad some day. I sit in envy of my aunt who has the boy and girl under the umbrella, but those will go to my cousins, not me... sniff-sniff. Bee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Well, let me know when you decide what to do. DH's grandparents collected Norman Rockwell plates. Alright, a plate or 2 I can handle. We have a few plates from his other grandmother that she painted. I can deal with that. Ladies, we have over 50 Norman Rockwell collector plates up in my attic right now. DH is attached to them. His family is attached to them. I. am. not. This is the same side of the family that gave me 3, yes 3 sets of china because I might need them when I'm entertaining since I love to have people over. Luckily, we have the attic space to just stick it and forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 If your dh really doesn't care, I'd get rid of them. One thing I learned when my grandmother died is that no thing, not one item, could mean as much to me as the memories I have of her. She had 4 children and a lot of grandchildren, so no one got to have much of anything that was hers. It was hard, but I learned to treasure the love she gave me and not worry about the "stuff." If you have children who are particularly sentimental about that kind of stuff (I have one who is) then I would consider keeping them. Only for that reason though. Dh's parents tried to pawn off a whole bunch of ugly crap on us when his grandmother died and I just wouldn't take it. If we didn't love it, it wasn't staying here. I know they were a little disappointed, hurt maybe, that we didn't want her stuff, but it's not our fault her taste ran to downright fugly. (We're not talking the valuables here; we're talking a family of ceramic geese, a HUGE piece of stained glass, a parrot statue, stuff like that.) I had to laugh at Amy's Hummel post; I despise Hummels and dh's family has collected them for years. His parents inherited all of his grandmother's plates - I shudder to think how many Hummels are potentially headed my way in the near future when the IL's downsize and move to a smaller house. I have the few that I do have carefully hidden away. Bleah. Well, here's a Hummel story for you. My Dad was stationed in Germany in the late 1940's and early 1950's (he flew the Berlin Airlift, btw). My mom and her friends had a pretty good time there :wink:, I know there was a lot of wine consumption. Anyway, my mom liked Hummels, but her friend, Sally LOVED them. When it was time to come back to the states, Sally's husband, Frank, told her to get rid of the Hummels, they weren't shipping all those Hummels back. Well, unbeknownst to Frank, Sally packed up two huge trunks full of Hummels and sent them back. They could probably buy a lovely home with those Hummels today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I did and would again. My mother collected those :cursing: plates from the Franklin Mint. I hated them growing up, and I hated them even more when I inherited them and discovered how much she paid for things that never came out of their boxes. They wouldn't even sell on eBay. Plates she paid $25 a pop for went for pennies (not exaggerating!) at a church rummage sale. :banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Since there are only two of them, I would wrap them up in tissue paper and stick them in the attic to be forgotten about unless your dh tells you specifically that it's okay to toss / sell them. Now if he says to get rid of them, I'd have them at Goodwill the next time I walked out the door. (My great-grandmother collected plates. Even as I child, I could *not* understand the appeal!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommylawyer Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I'm with the pp who suggested keeping it - one of your children may want it in the future...maybe. This, coming from a woman whose husband's grandmother left him ONE silver plated chalice out of a set of 4! (One of DH's cousins got another and she and I always joke that we need to get our cups together and have a drink!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I don't like collector plates either, but I'd keep these. Two plates aren't hard to store, and since they are the *only* things you have from her, I think they're worth keeping. We have a few items from my husband's ancestors that really aren't that great, but they're worth keeping because those items were important to those ancestors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paula j Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 No, I wouldn't get rid of them. Of course you're talking to someone that has dfil's favorite Casey's coffee to go mug sitting on her nightstand to remember him by. He carried it everywhere, it is well stained, it is ugly, and this is what dh wanted to keep to remind him of his dad. I put pens and pencils in it and sat it on our nightstand. If your dh doesn't want the plates then I would see if perhaps someone else in his family would like to have them and this way you wouldn't feel bad for getting rid of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabeth in IL Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 No - there is a possibility that the next generation (or so) may want them. Plates can not be that big - just stick them away somewhere until you can fob them off on a grown child. I agree. I'd keep them for the next generation. I love Hummel's!!!! My mom does not. If my Grandmother would have had them and I found out that my mom got rid of them before I had the chance to claim them, I would be soooooo sad about it. If it doesn't take alot of space and had a bit of a value, I'd keep the item even if I didn't like it. It may stay in a box until one of my kids claimed it or they all decided that they didn't want it but I'd keep it for the time being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 No, I wouldn't get rid of them. Of course you're talking to someone that has dfil's favorite Casey's coffee to go mug sitting on her nightstand to remember him by. He carried it everywhere, it is well stained, it is ugly, and this is what dh wanted to keep to remind him of his dad. I put pens and pencils in it and sat it on our nightstand. If your dh doesn't want the plates then I would see if perhaps someone else in his family would like to have them and this way you wouldn't feel bad for getting rid of them. Well, I think your mug is a bit different. It has special meaning to you. I have my mom's favorite old mixing bowl. Every batch of cookies or cake she ever made got mixed in that bowl and it has very sentimental meaning. Unlike the Hummel. It doesn't sound like these plates really mean alot to Jo's DH, that's why I say ditch them. I would agree that if someone else in the family really wants them, then hand them off to them - that's really the best possible scenario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate CA Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I am totally *not* "down" with the idea that one must keep something because someone sometime in the future may want it. That just makes no sense at all to me. Why you would keep something your children "might" want--and two plates at that? :tongue_smilie: We had the truly horrible job of cleaning out not one, but two, storage rooms as well as the small home of a grandpa who kept everything because "someone might want it" or "someone might need it" or "it was so and so's in the family." It was a nightmare. Ten years later we are still processing his junk. Things are just things. Certainly there are special items we all cherish, but to keep something your dh does not have any interest in (and likely your dc will not) does not make any sense to me. Give me my memories, a special letter or two, pictures, a hand-made or hand-stitched something, a military medal, etc. - those things have lasting value and add to one's life. It was a part of the person. Printed plates are impersonal and just aren't, IMHO. Keep in mind, I don't keep stuff for the sake of stuff and I don't see memories in everything--that is me. You or your dh may be different and I respect that. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 There are brass plate holders that allow you to hang plates on a wall as decorative pieces. You could pair them with pictures, mirrors, etc. to make a wall art collection and honor her memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I would store them away for your dc. I know my g'ma has a collection of tea pots (don't laugh:lol:), and she has designated one for each family member...along with a letter. She is just preparing for her homecoming. Seeing the thought she is putting into those teapots, makes them something I will keep to pass down. They are artifacts from family history.;) My grandpa (other set of g'parents) passed away years ago, and had an extensive collection of pipes along with other heirlooms. They were sold by his 2nd wife's children and the $$$ is long gone....yet several family members would have liked to have kept them for memory's sake. It is just stuff, but that's my pov. If the plates are truly of NO sentimental value, I would make sure no one else in the family wanted them before I sold them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 This, coming from a woman whose husband's grandmother left him ONE silver plated chalice out of a set of 4! (One of DH's cousins got another and she and I always joke that we need to get our cups together and have a drink!) One of dh's cousins got Grandma's silver. It had 12 place settings, complete with pickle forks. He didn't want the pickle forks, so each cousin got to have one. I am the proud owner of one, yes, ONE pickle fork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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