Thanks, Honey, I Always Wanted Something Aluminum: The Antique Lover’s Guide to Anniversary Gifts

Anniversary card. All photos taken at Atomic Antiques.

History of Wedding Anniversary Celebrations

Wedding anniversaries have been celebrated around the world for generations. Some sources point to celebrations as early as Roman times, but most say that our modern traditions originated in Medieval Germany and were added to and elaborated on as the years went by.

First Anniversary Gifts

The first anniversaries that were deemed worth celebrating were 25 and 50 years of marriage: Silver and Gold anniversaries, respectively. It is interesting to note that at first gifts were presented only to a wife, usually by her friends, apparently for surviving the marriage for so many years.  The traditional gift was a wreath—made of silver for the 25th anniversary and of gold for the 50th. Eventually, husbands started getting gifts too, usually a belt buckle made of the corresponding metal.

We have to remember that up until the 19th century most marriages were pre-arranged by parents or guardians with little consideration for feelings. But the Victorian Era brought with it the idea of a “love match”—a marriage based on mutual affection as opposed to opportunity for financial gain or for improvement in social status. A couple whose marriage was a love match WANTED to celebrate their union! And since gift-giving has accompanied all kinds of celebrations since at least Roman times, it naturally became part of the new wedding anniversary tradition.

History of Traditional Anniversary Gifts

Gradually, other anniversaries became associated with a particular gift—wood for 5 years, tin for 10 years, china for 20 years, diamonds for 60 or 75 years, depending on who you ask. Eventually, and in large part thanks to Hallmark and the American National Retail Jewelers Association (now Jewelers of America), every anniversary became important and worth a gift. Today these lists (yes, there are more than one) have been updated to be more suitable for modern living. Many often give a traditional version and a modern one.

A Gift Idea for Every Anniversary

Coming up with an interesting gift for every year must’ve been a daunting task, since several lists suggest some very prosaic gifts. For example, the official Hallmark list has desk decor as the perfect gift for the 41st year of marriage. And a list compiled by the librarians of the Chicago Public Library recommends optical goods like telescopes or microscopes for 48th anniversary. Modern-day Jewelers of America took an easy way out and suggested (what else?!?) jewelry for the first 25 anniversaries and for every 5th one after that! Somehow, diamonds made their ways into a modern list offered by a wedding-planning site The Knot 3 times - for the 10th, the 30th and the 60th anniversaries.  And at some point in the last 100 years, aluminum joined tin on the list of traditional gifts for the 10th anniversary.

Ihagee Auto-Ultrix Camera. All photos are taken at Atomic Antiques.

The Antique Lover's Guide to Anniversary Gifts

Ironically, the commercialization of the wedding anniversary celebration eventually led to the decline of the tradition. Nowadays, most people don’t follow these lists and some have never heard of them. But if you enjoy antiquing and vintage shopping, why not embrace the tradition? Scouring your local antique store for just the right thing for your significant other could be a great pastime for you and an eventual pleasant surprise for your significant other - after all, who doesn’t appreciate a thoughtful gift? So we've put together an antique lover's guide to anniversary gifts!

Here are our suggestions to celebrate important relationship milestones:

1st, or Paper, Anniversary

Ephemera (according to Webster dictionary, ephemera is “paper items [such as posters, broadsides, and tickets] that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles”) or books published the same year the wedding took place.

All photos are taken at Atomic Antiques.

5th, or Wooden, Anniversary

Items made of wood, like antique boxes to store anything from jewelry to tools, hand-carved figurines (elephants are a popular choice since many cultures believe they bring good luck,) or picture frames.

Carved wooden elephant. All photos are taken at Atomic Antiques.

10th, or Tin/Aluminum, Anniversary

Tin signs, toys and boxes, hand-painted or lithographed, or aluminum bowls, kitchen utensils and serveware. When shopping for tin items, take extra care since the market is flooded with reproductions.

Tin plate bug toy. All photos are taken at Atomic Antiques.

15th, or Crystal, Anniversary

Anything made of crystal - stemware, serveware, figurines or jewelry. Waterford glasses, Lalique and Baccarat figurines, and Swarovski jewelry are popular choices, but there are many other manufacturers with rich history of production.)

Lalique perfume bottle. All photos are taken at Atomic Antiques.

20th, or China, Anniversary

Though porcelain and china differ in the way they were manufactured, the terms, especially nowadays, are frequently used interchangeably. Thus anything made of fine bone china, bone china or porcelain would make a great gift. Tea sets, dishes, jars, dolls and figurines, trinket boxes—your local antique store is guaranteed to have a good selection of these.

Porcelain ginger jar. All photos are taken at Atomic Antiques.

25th, or Sterling Silver, Anniversary

While a traditional gift of sterling silver wreath may be hard to find today, antique stores offer plenty of sterling silver pieces, from jewelry and belt buckles to serving ware and figurines.

Sterling money clip. All photos are taken at Atomic Antiques.

30th, 40th, 50th and 60th, or Pearl, Ruby, Gold and Diamond Anniversaries, respectively

It seems that the longer the marriage lasts, the narrower are the gift choices offered by the prescribed lists. And while some people may like precious gems and metals, they may not be for everyone. It can be great fun to comb an antique store for something that conveys the tradition yet is not necessarily made of those materials. Gorgeous rhinestone brooches, ruby red barware, goldtone metal jewelry, faux gems, diamond cut glassware, or an argyle-patterned sweater might do the trick!

Victorian gold-filled locket. All photos are taken at Atomic Antiques.

Happy Hunting and Happy Anniversary!