#6: Souvenir Spoons
On a family vacation, the gift shop was full of them. A small metal spoon with the name of the city or an image of a local landmark was a classic souvenir. The hobby started in Europe but became a huge American trend in the late 1800s. The first one made in the U.S. marked George Washington’s presidency centennial in 1889. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago fueled the fire, with tons of commemorative spoons for sale. For many, they were the fanciest things on the knick-knack shelf.
