Antiques are the old collected item. You can say anything that’s old, as an antique. In truth antiques are products that are more than 100 years old or products that are rare enough to have some value whether the item is a piece of furniture. You can collect them to enhance the look of a room or to decorate a corner cupboard or some silverware you want to hand down to your grandchildren, the items must be rare enough to be considered antiques.
Most people become interested in antiques. They either have an interest in collecting a particular type of antique for their personal enjoyment where “pottery” is the most common, or an antique inherit from a family member. But everyone wants to be sure of one thing that what they buy or inherit will appreciate in value. That’s what antiques are all about, isn’t it? All those stories about people who buy some piece of junk at a garage sale that turns out to be a valuable antique worth thousands of dollars are really true, aren’t they? And if they can do it, why can’t you?
But before you get your hopes up, you need to know something about what you have. Two principles apply when collecting antiques: Know everything you can about the antiques that interest you and obtain them at the lowest possible price. By doing so you will not only get maximum enjoyment out of owning the antique, but you’ll also be sure that your investment appreciates in value.
Many people, however, inherit an item or a whole house full of antiques from a relative. Just as many of those who do never had an interest in antiques until their great aunt left them with a bundle of them? Some people could have bought furniture to decorate their homes a long time ago and that furniture, if it was of fine quality when new, would now be worth something.
But only a professional appraiser can tell you that. So before you ask someone how much an item is worth, be prepared to shell out a few bucks for the information. The reason appraisers charge so much is that they do most of their work for insurance companies and lawyers settling estates. Appraising isn’t an exact science, but it requires an appraiser to do lots of research and then prepare a detailed report that’s accepted in a court of law.
So, How do you come to know if an item is an antique? By learning as much as possible about the antiques you want to collect or have inherited. Libraries and bookstores aren’t much help. Row upon row of books cover every conceivable antique in the greatest detail. Books on pottery, glassware, antique dolls and even movie memorabilia fill shelves as far as the eye can see. Not to mention the price guides: There are enough of them to sink a ship. Just to get a simple overall understanding of antique collecting you’re going to have to spend a fortune at your favorite bookstore or spend every free evening browsing your favorite bookstore’s shelves.