Trophies, plaques, certificates, yearbooks ... what to do?

[Mdlerth]

Unto dust ye shall return

I have some pictures of my parents in their prime; that's all I intend to keep. When they finally drop off the twig, whatever is left in their house will be picked over by my siblings and the residue sold or tossed.

I can't think why anything from my own life other than a few photos would be of interest to any of my survivors. When DW and I finally move to our retirement house, most of our current clutter won't make the trip with us.

Wistful thoughts for a Friday afternoon. Sigh.

 

[Walt34]

One thing I noticed about the really old photos like above is that no one ever is smiling.

There was a whole different attitude about photographs then. This was serious business because it was (for most people) very expensive and not to be taken lightly. Not having any idea when that photo was taken I can't guess, but in the early days of photography exposure times were so long that casual poses were not encouraged since any movement blurred the image. So that may be a factor as well.

And I think part of it was cultural as well. Photographs were seen as a less expensive alternative to paintings, and no one is smiling in them either so the attitude carried forward.

Casual snapshots costing pennies were a long way off yet.

 

[omni550]

There was a whole different attitude about photographs then. This was serious business because it was (for most people) very expensive and not to be taken lightly. Not having any idea when that photo was taken I can't guess, but in the early days of photography exposure times were so long that casual poses were not encouraged since any movement blurred the image. So that may be a factor as well.

And I think part of it was cultural as well. Photographs were seen as a less expensive alternative to paintings, and no one is smiling in them either so the attitude carried forward.

Casual snapshots costing pennies were a long way off yet.

Also, dental care/condition was likely not what it is today.

omni

 

[joeea]

But then the box of yearbooks appears. Then the plaques. Certificates. Trophies. Oh, and let me lump in my own childhood plaques and trophies.

We look at them, cry, and want to move on.

What to do? How on earth do I part with this stuff?

What to do?

Everything gets easier over time, but some things proceed at different rates.

If you can't part with it now, then don't. Hang on to it, bring it out now and then, cry, and put it away again. Maybe you'll feel different later, maybe not.

When you are gone, your heirs will decide if they can part with it or not.

 

[Pellice]

When each of my parents passed, I went out and purchased an 18-gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck tote for each, then ruthlessly distilled their lived down into a collection that would just fit in each. You know - war medals, log books, diaries, photos, old toys, pocket knife, whatever. I then labeled each with DOB, DOD and name, then put each in the attic - then told my son that, upon my passing, he has my permission to discard both, either or none...and to do the same for my belongings. That way, I wasn’t forced into deciding what items that formed the essence of the memory of my departed parent I would discard. All that said, taking digital photos of the various items is an excellent idea that I will likely do - thanks.

This is a good compromise approach. It is manageable and provides a road map. I've labeled a number of files, "Discard at will."

 

[JoeWras]

There was a whole different attitude about photographs then. This was serious business because it was (for most people) very expensive and not to be taken lightly. Not having any idea when that photo was taken I can't guess, but in the early days of photography exposure times were so long that casual poses were not encouraged since any movement blurred the image. So that may be a factor as well.

And I think part of it was cultural as well. Photographs were seen as a less expensive alternative to paintings, and no one is smiling in them either so the attitude carried forward.

Casual snapshots costing pennies were a long way off yet.

Yes. The photo was taken somewhere in Belgium, about 1903, plus or minus a few years. I have quite a few of the family from then and there are no smiles. Children are frequently propped on small stools. These are quality shots mounted on card stock. They must have cost a fortune.

WWI came and the family went to chaos along with where they lived. Photos reappeared in the 20s in the USA. Every single one of the same characters (my great uncles, etc.) that were dour faced in the oughts pictures, now had huge smiles. What a change.

 

[Pellice]

And there's a lesson for all of us as well -- I've already thrown out all my yearbooks and work certificates. I have my own mementos pretty distilled (and labelled).

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Sometimes public libraries keep collections of old high school yearbooks. That's where I donated my dad's 1940 hs yearbook.

 

[kitesurfer2]

ive got a lot to say on this subject, but can't yet. My dad died at the end of the super bowl last year, as the nurse was turning off his tv...one year tomorrow. my mom died Jan 2 of this year, and I still cry for her daily. reading all of these post is therapeutic for me. realizing others have lost parents helps...

 

[EastWest Gal]

Sometimes public libraries keep collections of old high school yearbooks. That's where I donated my dad's 1940 hs yearbook.

Thanks for the idea. I’m in possession of my grandparents’ yearbooks, as well as my aunt’s. I think my dad tossed his. Donating them to the local library (local to the small town they lived in) might be something that interests the library.

We dumped our own trophies long ago, including DS’s, with his consent. Except one very special one.

Trophy stores will often take back recent undamaged trophies for reuse, as all the parts are fairly standard.

 

[socca]

A few years ago my sister used a commercial service to digitize a whole bunch of old family videos my Dad made back in the 60's. Most of it is rather boring - holidays and family vacations - but nevertheless they are fun to watch. However, within one of the tapes there is a 15-second segment of my Mom sunbathing in the nude. I'm glad these tapes never made it out onto the internet.

 

[Carpediem]

Sometimes public libraries keep collections of old high school yearbooks. That's where I donated my dad's 1940 hs yearbook.

I looked on eBay and people are buying and selling yearbooks there also.

 

[timo2]

Maybe there's someone, somewhere looking for that particular yearbook.

Ourclassreunion.com, for example, sells only old yearbooks; and you can also sometimes find yearbooks on more general reseller websites such as abebooks.com, amazon.com and ebay.com.

All of my old yearbooks have now been digitized by the schools or a third party.

 

[pacergal]

ive got a lot to say on this subject, but can't yet. My dad died at the end of the super bowl last year, as the nurse was turning off his tv...one year tomorrow. my mom died Jan 2 of this year, and I still cry for her daily. reading all of these post is therapeutic for me. realizing others have lost parents helps...

Sorry for your loss. Grieving does get easier over time, my memories are now much less tearful, 10 years for one parent, 4 for the other. Take care.

 

[Midpack]

We learned to let go of "stuff" a few years ago. I've scanned in pictures we want to have, but I don't keep actual photo prints anymore. I tossed/deleted all my work stuff, though it took 7 years to let go. We tossed our HS and College yearbooks a few years ago, after realizing we never look at them.

Same with my parents stuff. My sister and I kept a few things, but we sold (I'm at $9000 in eBay sales far), donated or trashed everything else.

It helps that we're planning to relocate this year, so I ask myself 'do I want to pay to move this 750 miles?' The answer is NO more than half the time.

Good luck.

 

[CDRE]

We deferred to the family pack rat(s) that love to keep these type items and the balance donated to charities or tossed.

 

[Bestwifeever]

In the process of remodeling our home we have gone through almost everything (plus I hate “stuff”) with a nod to what DD would have to deal with when we’re gone (DS is not sentimental but it would be very very hard on DD). If we found something we thought the kids might want, we asked them and either gave it to them then or saved it for them. Otherwise, out. The old tax etc stuff is separated and clearly labeled so they can shred it without going through it.

Most of us have only five generations from grandparents through grandchildren, for those who have them, who might care about our things.

 

[JoeWras]

All of my old yearbooks have now been digitized by the schools or a third party.

Right. I'm having a hard time believing the Ebay prices of $70 for the same yearbook my Mom had.

Maybe the wonderful cover? Save the cover and frame it?

I'm probably going to shred it (recycle it). Sorry.

 

[Badger]

Sometimes public libraries keep collections of old high school yearbooks. That's where I donated my dad's 1940 hs yearbook.

Some schools would like the yearbooks for their library too. Also check Facebook for the school and post for anyone who may want the yearbook for that school.


Cheers!

 

[Ronstar]

Our county historical society also collects local yearbooks. I tried to give my parents old yearbooks to the society, but they already had the years that I have and didn’t want any more copies. So I still have them, waiting to figure out what to do with them.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Throw them away.

 

[Huston55]

We’re still in the middle of this process, 4 yrs into FIRE. What we’ve done thusfar is:

- Sort through all the pics & memorabilia from me, DW & our parents, etc.
- Sorted pics (including parents & some grandparents pics) for future scanning (Legacy Box or the like)
- Sorted/tossed memorabilia (took pics of some)
- Yearbooks: took pics of key pages, kept a couple of very cool covers, tossed remainder

Next steps are to scan pics as described above, sorted in an order that makes sense for future viewing, then decide what to do with memorabilia. It all fits in one small trunk so, the hard work of sorting what to keep is done.

 

[Sunset]

Scanning in the old photos is a good idea, you never know when they will be looked at.

I had a few old photos from ~1940, I scanned them in, and sent them to the requestor and they have been used in a lawsuit !!

I threw away my year books from HS. Now I regret doing that a little, as I didn't even take photos of some of the pages.

I like the idea of scanning in diploma's etc.. they are hard to keep in good condition, last summer I went though a few boxes of parents stuff that had been tucked away in an old attic. The squirrels had made nests in them, so throwing away things was easy and needed.