What do you consider an antique?

Answer 1

The dictionary definitions are purposely vague. A definition on Google notes an antique is "a collectible object, such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has a high value because of its considerable age."Â (https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Define+antique) As all dictionary definitions do, no time period is specified. Yet, most people seeking a definition want a specific time period attached to it.

The definition of an antique is subjective. It depends on a person's age, historical perspective, what they are willing to believe from so-called "experts"Â in the field, and the country in which the person lives. Americans define antique differently than their English cousins and European counterpart.

The American Purists define an antique as any object made before 1830. 1830 marks the beginning of the American industrial revolution. The Purists see no value in anything machine made. They prefer handcrafted items, forgetting the fact that event the best craftsman had bad days.

The American Traditionalists prefer the 100 year old definition. The U.S. Customs Service created this rule with its ruling that no duty need be paid on objects imported into the United States if they were over 100 years old. The primary value of this definition is that it floats. Applying the 100 rule, an antique is any object made before the advent of World War I.

Beginning in the 1980s, many individuals challenged the Traditionalist definition of antique. At first, arguments were made that an antique was any object made before 1945, the end of World War II. This definition is really accepted by most twenty-first century collectors and dealers.

As time passed, the 1945 date separating antiques from collectibles is questionable, especially when viewed through the eyes and minds of those under the age of 40. There is a growing consensus that an antiques is anything made before 1963. This suggests a minimum time passage of 50 years before an object becomes antique.

Many specialist collector groups have their own definitions. The Antique Automobile Club of America defines an antique car as any car over 25 years old. My former 1984 Chrysler New Yorker would qualify.

In 2013, Harry L. Rinker, a leading antiques and collectibles writer, wrote a "Rinker on Collectibles"Â column #1400 entitled "An Antique is Anything Made before 1980."Â Many in the antiques and collectibles trade cried heresy. Rinker rests content with the smile on his face.