Friday, April 22, 2011

Commemorate This

Sometimes you have your own ideas, sometimes you steal them from other people and call it inspiration. My inspiration today comes from this post on Regretsy, in which the author reveals that she is the proud owner of a teacup commemorating the divorce of Charles and Diana, an item so wonderfully awful that I am left cursing the cruel fate that has kept me from ever possessing such a thing. But it also got me thinking: What other misguided commemorations have been painted on cheap porcelain and offered for sale to the general public? So I decided to go to Ebay and find out.


First up, we have a little military history:

Operation Desert Storm Commemorative Mug

Sure, there are plenty of military collectibles out there, but how many of them offer you the chance to drink your coffee with a map detailing the locations where bombs were dropped. Not many. (Also available in a beer stein.)


Then, a historic cultural event:

Walgreens 5000th Store Commemorative Mug

Comes with a free biography of the seller's entire family!


Naturally, the British royalty appear on what might be considered more than their fair share of goods:

Prince Andrew Coming of Age Commemorative Cup

I celebrate the birthdays of all total strangers by buying china with their faces on them, don't you?


But American politicians make their appearances as well:

Ross Perot Commemorative Knife

They didn't sell very well, but they did manage to drive the first model of George Bush knife out of the market.


And finally, for the true collector:

Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church Commemorative Plate

Indeed, who could ever forget the events of Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church, of 1024 West Sixth Street, Williston North Dakota? Truly, a treasure for any collection of pictures of modest public buildings.

2 comments:

mywhimsey said...

I was just thinking, I wonder what Daisy has been up to lately... and now I know. I just really love this post.
There is a bar in the East Village called the Queen Vic that would give it's eye teeth for that Prince Andrew Teacup. They would put it on the mantelpiece of the fireplace, in which a rotating light bulb mimics a fire.

Daisy Bateman said...

I'm not sure if ebay is set up to take bids of eyeteeth, but if they can come up with $65 it's theirs. (The sale pages are linked to in the titles below the pictures, something that I now realize is totally not obvious. It looked better when I was writing it.)