My mother was always convince that 2 items would last a
lifetime Linen hand towels & chairs -

Her towels are lasting at least my lifetime but it seems
that they are not to be used.

The chairs might have lasted a lifetime if my brother & I
could have been trained not to tip them on the back legs.

Preservation is a crap shoot-
What lasts is often just a freak accident.
I've noticed in tool collecting that sometimes I'll find a
name brand plane in beautiful shape that is just a dog &
consequently must have spent 50 years gathering dust.