My Derby Glass Project

Right around Kentucky Derby time this year, I took stock of one of my secret collections that I've been working on for as long as I can remember. It probably doesn't make much sense outside of the greater Louisville and Kentucky area, but if this is what will get me on an episode of Hoarders, at least it's better than a house of dead cats.

Since as long as I can remember, one of the guaranteed Christmas gifts I can count on receiving from my mother is the coming year's Kentucky Derby glass. These glasses may not appear much to the casual eye, but for those who care deeply about the greatest two minutes in sports, this is a central part of the event. While the proletariat get their mint juleps served in plastic Derby cups at the Downs, the bourgeois folks who spend top dollar for their tickets get them served in glasses.

The glasses each year feature a list of every Derby winner since the beginning of time. I'm sure at some point the glasses are going to have to become bigger in order to fit it all on there, but at least for now there is plenty of room to handle more names for a while.

Several years ago my mom didn't just give me the coming year's glass, but also gave me all of the glasses in her collection. So now I have a couple big plastic tubs carefully arranged with all my glasses inside. One day, when I'm rich and famous and grown up and I'm a doctor or an astronaut, I'll get a display case and show them all off, but I'm not ready yet (and I have nowhere in my house to hold it). I'm not quit prepared because now that I've taken stock of my collection, there are some gaps that need to be filled. I have a list now on my phone that I consult when at random antique stores or if I'm feeling bored and decide to shop online for some glasses at collector sites. I'm always trying to fill in the holes that way I have at least one copy (but preferably two copies) of each year. Most of the holes I have in the mid-80s and then a lot before 1974, so if you ever stumble upon some in a weird location, be sure to let me know. I'm always interested in gaining a new member of the collection and making it more complete.