An antique is an item from a past time, usually of some rarity. Most of us like to think of an antique as being at least 100 years old, though this is "not set in stone", an 80 year old item would be accepted as an antique. Antiques have been collected for hundreds of years with the same vigour as today.
True fact.... in 100 years from now people will be looking at items from our time as antiques, researching for information on who made it, where it came from and getting the same excitement as we do now. The quality items being made today are few and far between compared with the craftsmanship of the pre 20th century, a lot more time was put into an item to make it right. We believe that anything of quality that is made today will command very high prices in the future.
Vintage refers to an item of at least 25 -30 years of age and it is referred to as a vintage item until it has reached the status of an antique.
For a breakdown of the period dates please click here.
To find out more about each period click the images below...
Items are often restored before re-placing them on the market. It is always worth researching sources before buying or selling your antiques.
The main reasons why items are under-valued are often because they are "out of fashion", made by minor makers or damaged in some way. The difference between items made by a "top" maker and a lesser known one can be extreme, although the actual articles could be very similar.
