Swanky Swigs Glassware
In 1968, my parents bought a bungalow at the Jersey Shore. They paid $19,000.
It was a great deal not just because of the low price but because the place came fully furnished.
There was a rattan sofa, two chairs and a coffee table. The kitchen came with pots, pans, dishes and glasses.
Almost six decades later, the glasses are still on the table.
The coffee table is still in the living room – having been painted and stripped multiple times. And the bed frame is still in the bedroom.
My parents embody a level of frugality you just don’t find often these days.
It comes along with Dad growing up in the Depression and my mom being part of the Silent Generation. They saved money and were prudent.
They have always sought to extend the use of things. If it hasn’t worn out there is no reason to replace it.
The fact they still have so many things from the original cottage is all the more remarkable considering the house has been renovated four times.
The first floor of the house also suffered devastating damage in Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
The origin of the glasses came to light at Thanksgiving dinner after my son asked about the glassware. “Where did these come from? How long have you had them?”
Mom said the glasses came with the house and were probably from the 1950s or possibly even the 1930s.
Everyone was shocked. “You mean these glasses are 70 years old?”
A Google search revealed some were designed during the Depression by the Hazel-Atlas Glass company. They halted manufacturing in 1959.
Dubbed Swanky Swigs by collectors, the glasses were filled with Kraft cheese products and designed to be repurposed for use afterwards.
The glasses were part of a marketing campaign aimed at appealing to consumers looking to waste not.
Mom has another set of glasses her mother gave her that were sold filled with “Big Top” peanut butter and designed to be reused as drinkware or dessert dishes.
The rise of plastics in the 1960s meant there were cheaper and more fashionable alternatives to reusable glasses, so Kraft stopped making the Swanky Swigs.
These days you can find the glassware on eBay, where they fetch as much as $20.
Or in my mom’s kitchen.
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BRIEF OBSERVATIONS
THE METAVERSE: Timely reminder from Benedict Evans that we can all be talking about something like the Metaverse and it can disappear just as quickly as it appeared.
STREETLIGHTS: Agree with this issue. It’s out of control!
PAINTINGS: Love this Nicole Kidman does Madame X. The painting is one of my favorites and I visit it often in the Met.
HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED: Wisdom from Bill Cunningham. “If you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do.”
SURVIVORSHIP BIAS: I think about this all the time. We look at winners and derive what it took to win and assume that that is what it takes. But those conclusions are likely skewed by survivorship bias.
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