Anniversary Gifts by Year
The traditional and modern wedding anniversary gift for every year on the list, from paper on the 1st to diamond and gold on the 75th. Find a year, then see its date and a countdown with the Anniversary Calculator.
Traditional and modern anniversary gifts list
| Anniversary | Traditional gift | Modern gift |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper | Clocks |
| 2nd | Cotton | China |
| 3rd | Leather | Crystal and glass |
| 4th | Fruit and flowers | Appliances |
| 5th | Wood | Silverware |
| 6th | Iron | Wood objects |
| 7th | Wool and copper | Desk sets |
| 8th | Bronze | Linens and lace |
| 9th | Pottery | Leather goods |
| 10th | Tin and aluminum | Diamond |
| 11th | Steel | Fashion jewelry |
| 12th | Silk | Pearls and colored gems |
| 13th | Lace | Textiles and furs |
| 14th | Ivory | Gold jewelry |
| 15th | Crystal | Watches |
| 20th | China | Platinum |
| 25th | Silver | Sterling silver |
| 30th | Pearl | Diamond |
| 35th | Coral | Jade |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| 50th | Gold | Gold |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond |
| 75th | Diamond and gold |
Traditional: the US list most sources give (the Chicago Public Library's list has linen or silk for the 4th). Modern: the list compiled by the Chicago Public Library's librarians, which has no modern gift for the 75th.
Gemstone, flower and gift ideas for each year
Anniversary gift lists from 1888, 1899 and 1922
Three American etiquette books printed their own anniversary lists: Thomas E. Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1888 edition), Maud C. Cooke's Twentieth Century Culture and Deportment (1899) and Emily Post's Etiquette (1922).
| Anniversary | Hill's Manual, 1888 edition | Cooke, 1899 | Post, 1922 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Cotton | Paper | Paper |
| 2nd | Paper | Cotton | Not listed |
| 3rd | Leather | Leather | Not listed |
| 5th | Wooden | Wooden | Wood |
| 7th | Woolen | Woolen | Not listed |
| 10th | Tin | Tin | Tin |
| 12th | Silk and fine linen | Silk and linen | Not listed |
| 15th | Crystal | Crystal | Crystal |
| 20th | China | China (sometimes floral) | China |
| 25th | Silver | Silver | Silver |
| 30th | Pearls | Pearl | Not listed |
| 35th | Not listed | Coral | Not listed |
| 40th | Rubies | Ruby | Not listed |
| 45th | Not listed | Bronze | Not listed |
| 50th | Golden | Golden | Gold |
| 65th | Not listed | Crown-diamond | Not listed |
| 75th | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond |
Cooke added that "only a few of these are habitually observed" and named them. "Paper, wooden, tin, crystal, silver and golden are the favorite ones, the others being so rare as to hardly merit being included in the list."
The traditional US list in the first table starts with everyday materials, like paper, cotton and wood, and moves to precious ones as the years add up, like silver, ruby and gold.
How to use the list
Find the year you are celebrating in the first table. The traditional material can be the gift itself or a theme: a framed letter for the paper anniversary, or something made of wood for the 5th.
The Anniversary Calculator shows how long you have been together, the date of your next anniversary, how many days are left and the gift for that year. To keep every birthday in the family in one place, use the Birthday Calendar, and for a birthday on the way, Days Until My Birthday counts down to it.
Lists in other countries are different. In the UK, for example, some early years have other gifts, so this page follows the US list.
Anniversary Gifts by Year questions
What are the traditional anniversary gifts by year?
The traditional US list starts with paper for the 1st anniversary, cotton for the 2nd and leather for the 3rd, and has a gift for every year up to the 15th. After that it names every fifth year to the 60th, then the 75th. The 20th is china, the 25th silver, the 50th gold, the 60th diamond and the 75th diamond and gold. No traditional list runs from 1 to 100: the 75th is the last year with a set gift.
What is the 10th anniversary gift?
Tin and aluminum, on the traditional US list. The modern gift is diamond.
What is the 25th anniversary gift?
Silver, which is why the 25th is known as the silver anniversary.
What is the 50th anniversary gift?
Gold: the 50th is the golden anniversary.
Is there a gift for every year?
The traditional US list has a gift for each year from the 1st to the 15th, then for the 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th, 50th, 55th, 60th and 75th. Years in between have no traditional gift on this list.
What are the modern anniversary gifts?
Librarians at the Chicago Public Library compiled the modern list. It starts with clocks for the 1st and china for the 2nd. It gives diamond for the 10th, platinum for the 20th and sterling silver for the 25th. From the 40th on, it matches the traditional list.
What is the 4th anniversary gift?
Fruit and flowers on the traditional list, as most US lists give it; the Chicago Public Library's list gives linen, or silk. The modern gift is appliances.
Published October 9, 2026. Last updated November 1, 2026.