COLLECTION #264: Souvenirs of Salt Lake City/ Temple Square

Hey! I'm back! I haven't posted a collection on my blog for over 18 months, and a lot has happened in that time. We moved from California to New Jersey in September of 2012, and either sold, or put into storage, my precious collections.

But out here in our small apartment in New Jersey, I have managed to keep a collection or two, and this is a favorite that never ended up on my blog. So I'll share it with you now.

I collect Salt Lake City/ Temple Square related souvenirs. Love them! Love the awesome images of the Salt Lake City Mormon Temple (I'm a Mormon myself),
the spires and shape are just so iconic. I have postcards from the late 1800s and early 1900s, plates from the early 20th century, and even an awesome leather photo album from around that same time.  I've never lived in Salt Lake City, but it's kind of a center point for our family. We have relatives living there and nearby, and our family settled in Utah in the mid-1800s as Mormon pioneers. So, it's very symbolic of family for me. I hope you enjoy my treasures!

Three souvenir plates, the large one in the back and the pink one are Staffordshire.

Love that bronze Temple.

Souvenir booklets

Souvenir postcards and folders. The card on the bottom right is from the late 1800s. The temple took 40 years to build- it was begun in 1853, and dedicated in 1893.

I love the souvenir book of Salt Lake- there's no publication date, but from the looks of the ads, photos and text, it appears to be from around 1910.

These are missionaries' 'calling cards'. Up until about the 1980s, missionaries gave out these small cards with a photo of their favorite temple, as calling cards. The one on the bottom is my Aunt Elinor, who served a mission to New England in 1940-42.

Gotta love the copper ash tray, with the temple prominently displayed on the upper right. 

COLLECTION #77: Vintage Souvenir Plates

Ah, another category I'm not sure exactly what to call.... these are those lovely souvenir plates from various states, points of interest, etc. Actually I have several more, but they must be packed away somewhere. (sigh) So, I'll have to go with what I have!  All of my plates are old except for one. The white and blue Nauvoo plate on the left side is a reproduction. The original is from the mid-1800s, and if I had the real thing, I could retire!  I love my Utah plate... it is actually quite old, I think it's from the 30s. It was made in England by Staffordshire. The other 3- Mohawk Trail, Texas and Oregon, are probably from the 40s or 50s. I haven't exactly made the effort to study these plates and their history! They are from Vernon Kilns, who manufactured many of these souvenir plates. If I find out any additional information, I'll be sure to update this post! So, I hope you enjoy looking at my fun plates!