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A Bay Area thrifter stumbled on what they thought was just a charming piece of vintage home décor until they flipped it over and found a handwritten note dating back nearly a century. In a post shared to Reddit’s popular r/ThriftStoreHauls community, user u/Upstairs_One_3724 shared a photo of the find with the caption: “A 12-year-old made this? Found this today at Bay Area antique faire. Loved the look and then more than loved that it was made by a boy in 1935!” A 12-year-old made this? byu/Upstairs_One_3724 inThriftStoreHauls The discovery came with a touching detail: a faded inscription on the back that reads, “W.H. Gomer age 12 1935.” In 1935, a 12-year-old’s school day looked dramatically different from that of today’s middle-schoolers. Manual training and home economics were standard parts of the curriculum in many American schools, where boys often learned woodworking, metalwork or basic mechanics, alongside arithmetic and penmanship. These practical skills were seen as essential preparation for adult life during the Great Depression when self-reliance and craftsmanship were highly valued. At the time of writing, the post has received over 4,300 upvotes and 156 comments, where other users admired the mystery object. “I love the wood and the color. Silly Question: Is it a napkin holder? A vinyl record holder? My curiosity is getting the best of me,” one user wrote. Another shared a wooden box made by their father when he was 12 in 1950. “He had a woodworking class in school,” they wrote. “He’s 87 and still does woodworking. Even has a little internet business that does pretty well. People learned a lot more practical things in school then. Your piece is amazing!” “That is awesome you should totally drop your grandpa’s stores info in a link somewhere here in the comments,” a user replied. The piece also sparked debate in the comments, with many commenting on their experiences at school during the 80s and 90s. “In the 80s I was one of the only girls in technology class which was really just a wood shop class,” one user wrote. “We got to build all sorts of things. I designed and built a fully functional lamp, they even taught us how to wire it.” Stock image: Vintage clothing and accessories are displayed on racks and shelves in thrift shop interior. When asked what it might be, Upstairs_One_3724 replied: “A magazine holder, I think.” Another user posted with a different theory: “Maybe a placemat holder. I’d put vinyl records in it myself.” “I think he would be very pleased to know someone loved it enough to buy it 90 years later,” a third user commented.
