Are antiques becoming a thing of the past?

Question

Pun intended, but serious question.

There was a time when family valuables would go down through the generations and be worth good money after fifty/hundred years or so, but with technology advancing so fast and gadgets being replaced all too easily rather than being treasured and passed on, is the family heirloom a thing of the past?

Answer 1

There is a big difference in handing down a hand-crafted oak table or maple linen chest and getting Aunt Susan's fiber board and fake wood desk.

I am sure that some antiques will never go out of style. A mother handing down her wedding rings to a daughter for example.

But the problem with antique furniture is that we simply do not make this stuff like we used to. Everything comes in a box with some assembly required, or is made out of recycled cardboard and sawdust. It usually doesn't last a third of OUR lifetime, so why would we really think it is gonna last 3-4 generations?

I would say that some things have sentimental value. In my case, my father is into woodworking and has built several beautiful things in his life...a large pine bookcase with four shelves and matching doors on the bottom....A set of oak spoon racks...a cherry photo display unit...

These things I hope will be handed down from family member to family member. As for my Sears CD cabinet and Ikea stereo cabinet, that pressed wood piece of crap will likely be in the garbage a few days after my funeral.

Answer 2

I don't think the tradition of passing down antiques and heirlooms will ever die.
My family is from the old South and so passing down antiques is normal for us. I have items that have been in the family since the 1700's.
Over the years though the quality of items in the current market has drastically changed. Good quality items are still being produced but they are no longer the norm for the average working person to be able to afford. While that was always the way with the very expensive antiques when they were first produced the differance was that the quality of the items that the average person COULD afford was also very good compared to today's mass produced cheaply made...garbage. so rich or poor you were able to pass on very nice items.
For years people got away from looking for quality and focused soley on spending less per item so they could purchase more. Not thinking that you may have more now, but b/c the items were made cheaply they won't last long and will have to be replaced often. Our ancestors didn't want to replace things often. They wanted to make a one time investment in something that would last. That's how they were able to save as much as they did and not only pass on things but also pass down sizeable inheritances to their relatives.....they were wisely frugal.
However,as far as the antiques there seems to be an upswing I have noticed that people are getting tired of the mass produced poor quality stuff and are now seeking out the better made items that used to be the norm. So I don't think the tradition will die....I just think it's gone dormant for a while and will eventually experience a rebirth.

Answer 3

I loved this question - a star for your wit. Trinkets and pieces from by-gone days were of great personal value because of the lack of luxuries amongst the general masses - so they were treasured and handed down each generation. Today we have a minimalistic society which in general does not like clutter and is too busy to stop and wonder at such things (a reflection not a criticism), hence we appreciate the value (monetary) but not the worth (history) of antiques.

Answer 4

I believe antiquity is a word dating things at a hundred yrs. things younger than that on the collectible level are refereed to as collectible or classics. Heirlooms are things passed on from generation to generation.Technology is a process that brought about ways of mass productions,synthetics and,assembly lines.This caused products that were cherished as heirlooms to lose their values,because of the materials used in the fabrication of these products..No heirlooms are not a thing of the past.The quality of the product is what has affected the desire to collect or cherish things now days

Answer 5

Lol, brilliant pun, made me titter out loud. (TOL)

AAAaanyways, I think things that are passed down, are usually sentimental items, that pick up value along the way.

Not everything is just technology, things like t-shirts, even Levi jeans, pick up a lot of value if kept. Today's antiques, were probably kept, not knowing they would be valuable. Nowadays, people LOOK for items to keep, to be valuable, so I think in that sense, there will be MORE antiques in the future.

I think there will always be antiques, but obviously, they won't be the same kind of items we're used to seeing labelled as "antique". e.g Victorian chests etc, will be Commodore64's and Amstrads.

Just my two pennies,
Mark

Answer 6

Absolutely not.

Our parents and grandparents also purchased "technology" that was used until it was obsolete or worn out. How many candlestick telephones are really considered heirlooms. How about old fashioned egg beaters or other household appliances?

Most heirlooms are the durable items like well made furniture or art objects. People still purchase these sorts of things today and their children will ultimately inherit them at some point in the future.

Answer 7

To many families have good things these days so these items are less valuable to day. Also the wants of people change guns were once very valuable, but with the anti-gun movement the value is drooping. Plus there are so many good reproductions to day this also lower the want for the real thing and that lowers the value of the real item. Wanting some thing puts value on it the less people want it the lower the value will be. So if you see less want for any item the lower the end value will be.

Answer 8

Theoretically antiques can never become a thing of the past, just older. And now gadgets and technology that we have now surpassed is technically becoming a technique. Of course, most interest in antiques is lessening, yes. People want things that are up to date, and functional. Instead of old and virtually useless.

Answer 9

I doubt it, I'm sure people who can afford heirloom quality furniture or other valuables still pass these things down in the family...those who can't afford expensive items live with IKEA furniture and so forth. I would love to own something worth being passed down, or at least something that would survive as long.

Answer 10

As our society runs closer with machines, we are abandoning our materialistic tendencies, and opting for more functional necessities.

There are so many 'treasures' which my Grandparents intended to be strapped to my side until Kingdom come, however, I prefer to remember them by the life-lessons, which were also passed down to me, and have served me much more than a vinegar jug.

It might be sad, for some, that children are opting for a less-weighted existence, however we must remember now: "Change is Good".