The Micro Manager is of an age when women who traveled sent little gifts to their friends. A popular gift was a fancy handkerchief! Anybody remember these?
These handkerchiefs were of a fancy design and may have had decorative stitching in places. Many times they had the name of the place the person was visiting along with a picture in the cloth. The were sold singly or in packages of four or whatever. The handkerchiefs were folded so that the four fit in a package making four triangles. The package could also be fancy with lettering and photos or maybe a painting that had been reproduced.
Well, there happens to have been 50 -60 of these fancy handkerchiefs in my house. I had no idea these things existed let alone were in my house.
Now the Micro Manager and I have been attempting to downsize for ten or fifteen years so the handkerchiefs came on the block for disposal.
Surprise! Surprise! These things are worth some money if you haven't wiped your nose with them. Check out eBay. One business bought about ten of them and paid money for them. That left 40- 50 in the house. The micro Manger found out that certain groups would take the handkerchiefs and give you a charitable receipt. All you had to do was present a price that was being paid on eBay. Go to eBay and have a look and you will find many of these handkerchiefs offered for sale. They are worth more if in the original package. If the original package is in good condition...more money. If the package hasn't been opened ...more money. As it happened the local college took the handkerchiefs for their Drama and Fine Arts program.
Now I don't remember seeing these fancy handkerchiefs in the house. How the Micro Manager got these in the house , I'll never know.
As of today, all the fancy handkerchiefs are gone from this house.
Excellent idea to give to the drama program - they will appreciate them. Good for the MM for parting with them.
ReplyDeleteI was just a shade too young to be in the hanky-giving cohort, but I remember having a few of my own that I must have been given as a little girl. I also remember using one to remove fingernail polish - ruined!
We volunteered with the Arts program so had an idea of what they might like.
DeleteOddly when I was in Australia a couple of years ago I noticed such embroidered hankies for sale in tourist areas. They usually had birds or 'touuristy' embroidery.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd have to look very hard to find handkerchiefs for sale around here.
Deletewhen i was a little girl going to hospital to have my tonsils out, a lady at church gave me a pink hanky with a hand crocheted edge. It felt like an accessory for a princess. The thing about those fancy hankies was that they would often be loaned to someone and i loaned my glamorous pink one to another girl who never gave it back!
ReplyDeleteOn the upside I have a beautiful white one which I borrowed and the true owner says it's not hers
I don't think they were valued much at the time but now they have picked up some value.
DeleteI remember those very well. I think when I was a kid I gave them as presents to my family because they were so pretty. I haven't seen one of those boxes in ages. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think they didn't cost much so a little girl could afford them.
DeleteI bet there is a lot that goes on that you don't know about!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, of course. I'm not half as smart as I think I am. I got used to that with 37 years in the classroom.
DeleteI have a few but not 50. They don't wear out very fast. My mom had one in her purse that never seemed to leave, and was used to wipe our faces with a touch of saliva. YUCK MOM
ReplyDeleteHey , I forgot that men had fancy handkerchiefs. You're the first one to remind me.
DeleteI was thinking they might make a lovely baby quilt or a tablecloth.
ReplyDeleteWell, there's a good use for some cloth that's not being used.
DeleteI don't remember this fad for women. I'm curious now, so I'll have to go check them out on ebay. I do remember my dad's handkerchiefs. He used them his whole life.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that men had handkerchiefs in the breast pocket of their suit jacket!
DeleteFancy handkerchiefs are a thing?
ReplyDeleteWell, it's something that I seemed to have missed.
DeleteYes I still have some but not in packages. The ones I have are keepsakes from my grandmother and my husbands grandmother...but I will keep an eye open come spring just incase I see some at garage sales:)
ReplyDeleteHey, I gave you something else to collect!
DeleteI bet that The Micro Manager has lots of things hidden away in your house that you don't know about including a bazooka, a mountain goat and a couple of canoes. You never know when such things might come in handy.
ReplyDeleteWell, there may be things hidden and not so hidden because I'm not interested in a lot of trivia. As for the bazooka! She's only be dangerous to herself!
DeletePerhaps she's got a pair of bazookas!
DeleteI do remember when you could buy the boxes of four pretty little handkerchiefs, in the dime store. Seems like I bought mama a box one time many years ago.
ReplyDeleteI guess they went along with many different outfits!
DeleteOh, yes. I know those handkerchiefs. the funny thing is I don't know if anyone actually used them as hankies. I think they just got stuck away in drawers.
ReplyDeleteI have a bit of a hankie collection too. Most of them were my grandma's and some are souvenir hankies like yours. Some are "everyday" hankies, some with lace and embroidery are "Sunday" hankies, and some like the souvenir ones were never used at all. When I was little she would pull hankies from her sleeve if she had no pockets in what she was wearing to wipe little noses. It was like magic to me, touch your sweater sleeve and draw out a hankie!
ReplyDeleteI remember that my dad had a few, they were a gift from someone. I imagine that they are not around so much now except on ebay.
ReplyDeleteSeriously??? I used to have a bunch of these that were handed down to me from some place. I just donated them or something when we moved to Hawaii 10 years ago. Sigh.
ReplyDelete