Dust off your photo albums. Clamber into the attic. Brave the back of the cupboard.

It's March 2 and it's time to bring out those items you still hold dear to cherish and celebrate them for National Old Stuff Day.

%image(14465829, type="article-full", alt="Two children sit proudly on their Sunbeam tricycle and push bike. Can you remember tearing up and down your local streets in the 1960s? Dated: April 3, 1963")

%image(14465831, type="article-full", alt="Do you still listen to vinyl records like these about to be played at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital radio? Date: December 23, 1975.")

No, seriously.

According to the National Day Calendar website, National Old Stuff Day is a time to recognise the history in our lives and the objects that capture it - but also an opportunity to abandon old routines and try something new.

%image(14465832, type="article-full", alt="Susan Ellwood, retail manager of Thorpe Road AA Shop, tries the Cellsafe cellular phone. Date: 1992")

%image(14465833, type="article-full", alt="The "My Lover" Computer Friend showed that toys are not simply made for kids, the kids at heart can also have fun with them. Dated: 1998.")

Suggestions for how to celebrate National Old Stuff Day include:

  • find a new use for an old item
  • upcycle a cherished object from years ago to breathe new life into it
  • take a moment to reflect on the 'same old, same old' mentality and contemplate how established habits or viewpoints could do with a refresh

%image(14465834, type="article-full", alt="Do you still have any of your cuddly toys from childhood like this monkey at a toy shop in Stalham? Dated: December 4, 1975.")

While it may not warrant closing the banks or taking a day off work, there is something comforting about revisiting the memories that manifest in our old belongings.

Enjoy these photos of vintage objects from our archive and have a happy National Old Stuff Day.

%image(14465835, type="article-full", alt="An old fashioned washing machine in use. Dated: 1920s.")

%image(14465837, type="article-full", alt="Jade, Amy and Zhang take their teddy bears to the picnic at Bowthorpe Pavillion. Dated: July 16, 1992.")

%image(14465839, type="article-full", alt="Edward Murray-Harvey and his 71 year old typewriter. Dated: November 16, 1963.")

%image(14465840, type="article-full", alt="The Nintendo Super Game Boy allowed people to play their favourite Gameboy games like Donkey Kong on the television screen through a Super NES system. Dated: 1994.")

%image(14465841, type="article-full", alt="Remember when phones had dials and not screens? Dated: 1963")

%image(14465842, type="article-full", alt="An IBM personal computer in a Norwich office. Dated: January 13, 1989.")

%image(14465843, type="article-full", alt="Remember when you had to get up from your chair to adjust the volume or change the channel? Dated: February 1963.")

%image(14465844, type="article-full", alt="Early pedal cars for auction at the Norfolk Showground. Dated: 1992.")