Gettysburg early Souvenir Vase, as on cover of book

A while back I was able to acquire a lifetime collection of early Gettysburg souvenirs. I myself have always had a fondness for these pieces and have allocated a good portion of my book “Battle of Gettysburg – The Relics, Artifacts & Souvenirs” to their history (see pictures).

The vase is royal blue with gold trim and measures 4 ½” x 3 ¼” x 3 ½” and the front has the Pennsylvania Monument at Gettysburg. It was made in Germany and is stamped on the bottom.

During the 1880s and even more so during the 1890s, happy and prosperous Victorians, and Civil War veterans, took to the road, usually by train, to visit Civil War sites. As great collectors, they sought out mementos of their travels. One of the most popular of these were porcelain and glass souvenirs – toothpick holders, tumblers, goblets, creamers, vases, pitchers, etc., inscribed with the name of the destination, and perhaps the date.

Now, many are over 100 years old and have become very collectible in their own right. This example is one of the rarer ones and is in very nice condition with no chipping. On the cover of my book “Battle of Gettysburg – The Relics, Artifacts & Souvenirs”, I show one from my collection on the front cover (see pictures).