Just The Way It Is: 

"They don't make antiques anymore." I've heard that for just about all my life.  That is absolutely not true. They make antiques everyday. I don't mean fakes, forgeries and fantasies either, but real antiques. Remember an antique is just a thing with a date stuck on it.  Lets explore what the word ANTIQUE means. There are two schools of thought on this.  I'm putting this into layman's terms for clarity.

ANTIQUE:

1.  An object that is at least one hundred years old.

2. An object that was manufactured before the industrial revolution.  (scholars really hang on this one)

The first term is the most commonly found and used term. The time period of the second term is thought to be as early as 1760 to just prior to the end of 1840.  Its just when more and more machines and faster manufacturing techniques were pushing hand work out of the picture. This term really decreases the field to items that are about 174 years old.

Lets throw in a few other terms too.

Collectible:
An item that was manufactured fifty years ago or less.

Vintage:
An item that was manufactured more than fifty but less than one hundred years ago.

Retro:

 An item in the style of an earlier period by be an original or a reproduction. Most commonly, this term is implied to things that are from the 1940's - the 1980's.  In my book, these are just "collectible" items.  The dates for this term will change as items become older and are moved into other categories.  One day things from 2000 will be deemed "retro."

A view of the St. James Art Fair

So, you see a tea pot made in 1900 is 114 years old. A punch bowl made in 1910 is 104 years old and a chest of drawers made in 1920 is 94 years old, almost an antique. Does that put things into perspective?Antique is just an age NOT a sign of quality.  Junk made one hundred or two hundred years ago is still, what?  Junk.  Antique or age is NOT a sign of quality.

Now, we've got terms out of the way.

I think that people should say, Antiques of the future more often. I witnessed this first hand last Sunday.  I and a few friends went to the St. James Art Fair, in Louisville, Kentucky.  For those not familiar with it, St. James is one of  the most prestigious outdoor art fairs in the country. It celebrated its 57th anniversary this year and the crowds are massive. Vendors from all over the country, vie for a coveted booth. Stalls in the heart of the fair are something that many artists wait for many, many years for.  Even if awarded a space,still they may be eliminated, when their items undergo a strict jury process.  Yes, its that tough.

I stood there in the center of St. James, a magnificent Victorian neighborhood, the largest in the USA, I might add.  I looked around at the vendors selling everything from fine arts, hooked rugs, pottery, jewelry, furniture, glassware and on an on.  I though, "Here are the future antiques." These are the things that MIGHT in one hundred or one hundred and fifty years be sold at Sotheby's or Christies, or the equal for that time. Does that mean that everything sold at St. James will be worth a lot of money in the future?  No, of course not.  But it does stand to reason that with good quality, good materials and well known artisans, that it stands a better shot of being worth more in the future, than a piece sold at Wal-mart today.  Remember, we've also got to add in the factors of economy, supply & demand, taste & trends and just the general march of time. Buy what you love, buy something, when you can, direct from the master who made it. It will enrich your life.  Hey, look at this way, your grandmother thought that her milk glass collection would send her grand kids to college.  Look what happened with that. On the flip side, Van Gogh traded paintings to pay bar tabs and to buy paint.  Just as speculation, I'd opt to purchase good quality antiques or good quality artistic wares and hope for the best.  If it comes to pass that it is worth more than what I paid for it, Hooray!  If not then I still had something in my life I liked and enjoyed. Likely I won't be here to see either outcome.