Quite Possibly My Favorite eBay Purchase Ever

Generally when I shop on eBay I start out looking for something very specific, then get sidetracked when sellers say "see the other items in my eBay store." This random clicking around often leads me to items I didn't know I wanted but must have.

Recently I came upon a great little eBay treasure in this purely serendipitous manner. I wanted it so much that I bid on it four days before the auction ended just so I wouldn't forget. It's a little gold oval ID bracelet with my name engraved in script.


And though I really dig things with my name on them, what's so awesome about this bracelet is the inscription on the back: "With Love Don / 2-14-45." How lovely--a 63-year-old Valentine's Day gift.


Judging from the many estate items offered by the seller, I have to conclude the both the recipient and the giver are not longer with us. The seller probably picked up the bracelet at an estate sale for next to nothing. I bought it for $13.50--and of course I would have gone higher. There was only one other bidder and I was sending you-don't-know-who-you're-up-against vibes their way.

I'm so enamored of this bracelet. I wonder at what point in their relationship Don gave this to my namesake. Was he courting her (that's what they did in the '40s, afterall)? Were they married? I like to think she loved and treasured the gift. This is an example of what's so wonderful about vintage. I love to imagine the stories behind the old items I acquire even if I'll never know for sure the life they lived.