Antique

For the province in the Philippines, see Antique (province) and for the band, see Antique (duo).

An antique (Latin: antiquus; old) is a collectible item which is old (usually at least 100 years old) and is collected or desirable because of its age, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features. It is an object which has reached an age which makes it a witness of a previous era in human society.

Antiques are usually objects which show some degree of craftsmanship, or a certain attention to design such as a desk or the early automobile. In a consumer society, an antique is above all an object whose atypical construction and age give it a market value superior to similar objects of recent manufacture. Any historical museum makes a considerable use of antiques in order to illustrate historical events and give them a practical context.

Just about any object can become an antique if it survives long enough, but value of an antique in the market place is determined by its appeal and social acceptance.

The term "antique" is pejorative in some instances, usually to depreciate the usefulness of an object or a procedure.

Antiques are bought at antique shops, or passed down as an estate. Some valuable antiques can be bought from antique dealers and auction services or purchased online through websites and online auctions. Antique dealers are often members of national trade associations, many of which themselves belong to CINOA, a confederation of art and antique associations across 19 countries, representing five thousand dealers.

Definition of antique

The definition of antique varies from source to source, product to product and year to year. But, some time-tested definitions of antique deserve consideration:

• An item which is at least 100 years old and is collected or desirable due to rarity, condition, utility, or some other unique feature. Motor vehicles,tools and other items subject to vigorous use in contrast, may be considered antiques in the U.S. if older than 25 years, and some electronic gadgets of more recent vintage may be considered antiques
• antique (noun) - Any piece of furniture or decorative object or the like produced in a former period and valuable because of its beauty or rarity.

Using this definition allows distinctions between genuine antique pieces, vintage items and collectible objects.

The alternative term antiquities is commonly used to refer the remains of ancient art and everyday items from antiquity, which themselves are often archaeological artifacts.

An antique by definition is anything 100 years or older. People sometime mistake collectibles for antiques. A true collectible is anything that is 50-100 years old. Vintage items are also confused for antiques and collectibles. A true vintage item is anything that is from 1950's,60's and 70's and is "retro" to the time it was made.

Antiquing

"Antiquing" is the act of shopping, identifying, negotiating, or bargaining for antiques. Items can be bought for personal use, gifts, and in the case of brokers and dealers, profit. Antiquing is performed at garage sales, estate sales, resort towns, antiques districts, collectives, and international auction houses.

Antique Map

Note that the word "antiquing" may also refer to the art of making an object appear antique through distressing or applying an antique looking paint application.

Antique furniture

The collecting of antique furniture is a particularly popular area of antiques due to the practical characteristics of these antiques. Antique furniture includes dining tables, chairs, bureaus, chests etc. The most common woods are mahogany, oak, pine, walnut and rosewood. Each wood has its own distinctive grain and colour. Many modern pieces of furniture often use laminate or wood veneer to cheaply achieve the same effect. There are a number of different styles of antique furniture depending on when and where it was made. The most common include Arts & Crafts, Georgian, Regency and Victorian.maybe

See also

• Antique furniture
• Antique shop
• Antiques restoration
• Authenticity
• Estate sale
• Marketing
• Auctions
• Antique tools
• Collectables
• Vintage
• Original
• Collective
• Vetting
• The San Francisco Fall Antiques Show
• Jackson Square, San Francisco, California

External links

• The San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, benefiting Enterprise for High School Students, CA
• Winter Antiques Show, benefiting East Side House Settlement, NY
• The latest news about the antiques & collectibles market
• Conker Collectables - making antiques fun for children
• BBC Antiques section - the BBC website has an informative section on antiques.
• Online Dictionary of Marks for Antiques & Collectibles
• Antiques Topic
• Antiques TV Channel
• Sacramento Street Shopping District, San Francisco, CA

Credits

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