Saturday, October 13, 2012

My Grandmother's Goblets


Last week I mentioned the goblets I was using as part of my fall decorations and decided that they would be perfect to show this week. They are among my very favorite, and very special, possessions.



As with most heirlooms, these goblets have a story. They belonged to my grandmother, my mother's mother. Her name was Lonnie and she died when my mother was fifteen, which means that my grandmother died around 1926.


I have no idea how old she is in this picture but it is one of those that were tinted to have color in the photo. My mother had the original copied and gave one to each of her brothers and sisters. 

She's lovely, but why couldn't they smile back then?!!

My mother came from a family of six -- four girls and two boys. (And then added two more half-brothers and two step-brothers when my grandfather remarried!) All ten of those children were considered family for all of their lives, no matter that they might not all be related by blood.

Apparently, my grandmother's things were scattered and the goblets were not thought of for a very long time.  Well, my mother went on a quest to find them (I can vaguely remember her doing so) and eventually tracked them all down. She wanted each of the girls to have two goblets each.



Mama's two goblets resided in her china cabinet until she gave one each to my brother and me. After my mother's death, my brother gave me his goblet. So now I have two, and they are very special indeed. 




I have done some investigating -- I figured that they were Carnival Glass but didn't know anything about the pattern. I have learned that the pattern is called Colonial and the color is Marigold. They were made by the Imperial Glass Company in the early 1920s and apparently were only produced in the Marigold color. They have a distinctive octagon shape on the base.

I cannot tell you how precious they are to me, or how thrilled I was when my brother gave me his. I guess he thought that since he never had children of his own, I could give my children one each and keep them in the family. 


♥♥♥  Linking my goblets over at Claudia's for A Favorite Thing Saturday

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14 comments:

  1. Sarah, I love hearing stories about favorite things. This is a wonderful story and makes your goblets all the more precious.

    Thanks so much for joining in this week!

    xo
    Claudia

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  2. How special! So nice that you researched the pattern too. Do you have this info written down and tucked inside one of the goblets? I do that to all my "treasures". Some day my daughter will either be very grateful or decide I was nuts!

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  3. What a special thing to have.....what a nice thing for your Mom to do.
    Balisha

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  4. so special! actually brought tears to my eyes!

    In response to Diane's comment above, I have thought (but haven't yet done it) to photograph treasures of this sort and make a booklet with accompanying information.

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  5. Oh and PS--our mothers are from the same era. Mine was born in 1916, one of 5 children. Her father died when she was 12 and her mother never remarried.

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  6. These are lovely and such a treasure. The story is a wonderful one and I can see how special these are to you,
    hugs, Linda

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  7. Your beautiful goblets caught my eye. I love vintage glassware. The golden color will definitely add a special touch to your fall decor. Visiting from A Favorite Thing Saturday and am your newest follower!

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  8. the goblets are stunning. Your grandmother was a beautiful woman ..I love that picture!

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  9. What a special keepsake! And how great to have the set :)

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  10. What a wonderful story! I love family treasures with a history!

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  11. Your brother is so generous! This is indeed truly a treasure to hand down to your children. So beautiful!

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  12. Beautiful goblets and story! What a treasure to keep for the next generation!

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  14. I'm a new reader and I think I'm going to like it here! Love vintage and family stories!

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