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An antique (Latin: antiquus; old) is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features. It is an object that represents 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. They 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 5000 dealers.
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.
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.
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.
The above text is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article entitled "Antique".
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