A beloved toy
This is a toy my mom got for winning a school competition when she was 15. It is my oldest toy, I can hardly hold it now because it’s so very old, but I spent my childhood with him, and I love him very much. He is 37 years old and remains unnamed.
Biayna—Yerevan, Armenia
“Imagine that your home is on fire. The people you love are safe, as are your pets. You can rescue just one item from the blaze. What do you save?”
Credit comparison company TotallyMoney posed the above question to 50 photographers from more than 20 countries around the world.
The individuals were required to capture a shot of their most valued item and provide a background snippet of why the object is so treasured.
Things photographed in the collection—titled ‘What We Really Value’—include childhood toys or gifts from loved ones, with nary “a smartphone or gadget in sight”.
Web psychologist Nathalie Nahai said, “What’s fascinating about the things people have photographed are the emotional narratives they carry.
“Whether a beloved childhood toy, a treasured polaroid or a well-worn pair of hand-knitted mittens, each item tells a story of love, of loss, or of nostalgia. […]
“The things we value most represent our passions and desires, what’s meaningful to us, and the moments we are unwilling to forget. They weave a rich tapestry of our lives and reveal hidden worlds of relationships and love.”
Check out some of these items below and more over here.
My Zippo
This 1941 Zippo was a gift from my girlfriend on my 25th birthday. I’m not a smoker but I like the sound (that click) a Zippo makes when opened, I like the smell of the gas and the flame it produces. It’s a symbol that sums up the person I love the most and our relationship.
Cristian— Bucharest, Romania
An old photograph of my mother
If I were to lose everything else I possess, I would want to keep the visual memory of my mother. Everything else could eventually be replaced, but I don’t want to forget the face of the one who raised me to be who I am today.
Lauren—Bucharest, Romania
My father’s gloves
My father’s working gloves always reminds me of how good and responsible my father is. It reminds me that I in everything I do, I should think of how will I pay back all my father’s sacrifices to us.
Mark—Iligan, Philippines
My late ‘90s TLR camera
This was the first camera I ever got. I was very little at the time, and it remains very special to me today—it’s my favorite thing.
Nizamuddin—Dhaka, Bangladesh
A papier-mâché giraffe from my nephew
When I was recovering from major surgery, my 5-year-old nephew made this for me. It reminds me that there are people and things to live for.
German— Reus, Spain
There’s a place where everything’s ok
This is a cross carved from single mineral stone. I got it from a monastery named Трескавец in central Macedonia near Prilep. It’s a magical place, so peaceful and beautiful, when you are there all of your everyday troubles disappear. So whenever I’m in trouble, or facing rough times, this cross helps me remember that there is a place where everything is ok.
Zoran—Skopje, Macedonia
A hand-me-down mitt
I grew up playing softball with this glove, which was given to me by my father. Today, my own son uses it.
Dyana—Wisconsin, US
[via PetaPixel, images via What We Really Value]