How old does an "item", such as a chair, picture, jewelry, lamps, have to be before it is called an Antique?

Question

I currently have household furniture & Table Lamps that are from the late 1960s' to the early 1970s' and would like to know if they are called "Antique, or Retro". What would they be listed as if I was to advertise them in a classified ad.

Answer 1

Antique means 100+ years old. Vintage or retro means 25 years old or older. Don't believe people who tell you that antiques are any younger than 100 years. Go to www.m-w.com, the dictionary--specifically here: http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/antique--for a definition of the word "antique," which specifically mentions 100 years.

Answer 2

Actually, it is not the number of years that qualifies an item to be called an antique or retro.It is the non-usage due to better and significantly different substitutes.The years is just a consequence.For example,guns that used to shoot arrows are almost antiques because today we have more efficient guns that shoot bullets.You can also note how some currency coins,when replaced, become antiques in less than 10 years just because they can no longer be used to trade.
if the furniture and table lamp is no longer being used by people - a majority-and probably cannot be found in a shop and is replaced in the market by a newer,higher quality and more effective or efficient substitute, then it qualifies to be an antique or retro.
I hope I have been of help.

Answer 3

One guideline states true antiques must be at least 100 years old. This comes from a 1930 U.S. tariff act that defined antiques as works of art and ornamental objects produced before 1830. Why that particular year? That was when machine production became common. Objects made before 1830 were handcrafted.

Today, some mass-produced items are valued as antiques. An object's material and design can mean as much as the manufacturing method or date. While purists consider anything less than a century old to be merely a collectible, some collectibles are just as valuable as antiques. For example, many original Tiffany lamps, while not technically antiques, are still very valuable. And items like movie and sports memorabilia are valuable because of their associations and rarity, rather than their age.

Answer 4

There is an understood line between antiques and collectibles in the United States as well. An item is tagged as an antique by most reliable commercial antique dealers if it is more than 100 years old, even though the universal common understanding is 75 years, and anything less than 100 years is called a collectible.

Answer 5

I thought it was 100 years for an item like furniture. I watch Antiques Roadshow and most of the items are about that old or older. If I am correct though, an item doesn't have to be that old to be worth something. Rarity, current popular style and history all play a part in establishing the value of an item. I would consult a local antique dealer to get a correct classification and a price.

Answer 6

Antiques (Latin antiquus, old) are objects which have reached an age which makes them 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 snob appeal or social acceptance only can ensure that it is actually worth something in the market place.

The term "antique" is used as an insult in some instances, usually to depreciate the usefulness of an object or a procedure. Those who reject the trappings of a consumer society reject the markets which inflate the monetary value of antique objects, regardless of their usefulness or aesthetic qualities

Answer 7

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 50 to 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. This definition allow people to make a distinction between genuine antique pieces, vintage items or 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.

Answer 8

I don't think anything from the 60's or 70's would be classified as antique,probably retro. I would check with a antique dealer though, there are people out there who collect items from all time periods.

Answer 9

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 75 years old and is collected or desirable due to rarity, condition, utility, or some other unique feature. Motor vehicles, in contrast, are 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 definitionallows distinctions between genuine antique pieces, vintage items and collectible objects.

The term is sometimes conventionally restricted to the remains of ancient art, such as sculptures, gems, medals, seals, &c. In a most limited sense it applies only to Greek and Roman art, and includes neither the artistic remains of other ancient nations nor any product of classical art of a later date than the fall of the western empire.

Answer 10

normally, an item is called an antique piece if it is more than 50 years and traditionally specially designed item. antique is something which will attract one and all. old designed lamps, old jewelleries, furnitures definitely will be used in big bungalows as they have ample space for that. i think your lamps of the late 1960s can become an antique beauty. try to advertise.

Answer 11

For household goods, it must be 100 years old or listed in The Book of Antiques.