You see these words used all over eBay, but do you know if you are looking at something that is an antique, or if it is vintage?

When you sell an item, you need to know this so you do not mis-represent an item. When you are the buyer, you want to make sure you are getting the item described.

An antique is commonly known as to be over 100 years old, although many believe an antique is a piece from another era in time. BUT, how authentic the piece is can raise or lower the value considerably. Let’s say you have a clock dated 1858, but the owner before you removed the inside workings, and replaced them with brand new shiny ones because the clock wasn’t running. The clock as a whole may not be considered an antique at this point because the whole or most of it’s parts are no longer original.

When it comes to a vintage piece, many follow the rule of thumb that something over 50 years old is considered vintage. It also relates to specific time periods- vintage 50’s, vintage 60’s. Most items found in the attic would fall under the vintage category rather than the antique.

Remember also that these terms change with certain items- cars, wine, etc..

It is very easy to do some simple research via the Internet to get an idea of the age of your item. Many popular marks can be found on the web, and as the marks change, it defines the year they were made.

A side note… Try to remember one thing as you buy and sell your vintage and antique items- cherish what you hold in your hands. I personally find myself in awe when I am holding something in my hands from the year 1840. You are fortunate enough to be holding history in your hands. Sometimes we buy and sell our wares so quickly, we forget that we are handling threads of others lives from the past. A book that a child may have read by candlelight as her only form of entertainment from a prior century, is now being shuffled around like the common cold. You are touching something that another life, from another time also touched- take a moment to feel the connection, and appreciate the possibilities or dreams that item might have meant to another so long ago.