AGE OR ERA: True vintage / antique items - crazy quilt faces are older than the stockings themselves - estimating 1800's on the quilted fronts and roughly guessing circa 1980's or 1990's on the stockings
MARKINGS: None that I could find
METAL / MATERIAL: Mixed fabric types including cotton, satin, silk, and a high end flocked velvet feeling (black and tan)
CLASP/CLOSURE: Top is open to insert items
MEASUREMENTS: Classic holiday stocking shape - measure aprox 10.5" long x 6.5 to 7" across at the foot (slight variances due to handmade nature). Top openings = 4"
WEIGHT: x
TESTING: x
U.S. RING SIZE: x
ANECDOTAL, METAPHYSICAL, HISTORY &/or LORE: Christmas stockings are a cherished world-wide tradition. They're hung on fireplace mantles, stair banisters or at the foot of the bed. Ideal for most anyone as they are able to accommodate a wide range of gifts to fit a variety of budgets - from the smallest trinkets to highly prized gold and gems.
Legend has it that a widowed 4th-century nobleman with three daughters could not afford their dowries. Learning of this dilemma, Saint Nicholas tossed three gold spheres down the man's chimney because the man well known for not accepting any charity. The father placed the gold spheres in their stockings, which were hanging above the fireplace drying.
With the valuable gold, the daughters were now able to marry. The father found out who had left the gold and, overjoyed, told everyone about Nicholas.
While this story is difficult to believe, the myth is widely accepted as the origin story for the humble Christmas stocking.
The "Knickerbocker History of New York" (c 1809 by Washington Irving) detailed the custom of hanging up stockings "In the chimney on St. Nicholas Eve," and mentioned them having been "miraculously filled" in the morning
Perhaps most famously - "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care" from Clement Clark Moore's 1823 poem, "The Night Before Christmas"
JUST FOR FUN - AI DESCRIPTION - (GENERATED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE): Add a touch of antique charm to your Christmas decor with this set of two handmade Victorian Crazy Quilt Christmas stockings. These traditional holiday stockings are made with mixed materials including cotton and feature beautiful quilting and a multicolor pattern. Perfect for any Christmas occasion, the stockings are medium-sized and come in a set of two. Celebrate the holiday season in style with these unique stockings that showcase the beauty of handmade craftsmanship. The set includes two Christmas stockings that are sure to add a touch of elegance to your holiday decor. Bring home this set of charming stockings and make your Christmas celebration one to remember!
CONDITION: Acceptable antique / vintage condition given the historical significance and collectibility. Material in average condition for the age - different fabrics have held up better than others and there is some random thread bare areas, fabric loss, stitch loss, wear, holes, etc as most all crazy quilts exhibit. I feel these weren't perfect even when they were created - and are more just meant to enjoy for what they are, as they are - flaws and all. It would sure be an opportunity to leave your own mark on these by patching or repairing with your own sentimental fabric scraps and/or trying your hand at fancy stitch work. Please study all photos to self-form an opinion of condition and gain additional item insight that only viewing photos can provide. A fantastic find in an excellent state of preservation.