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I’m mostly into old tools & assorted mechanical gadgetry type stuff. Many collectors will tell you “don’t clean things” you will ruin them. And there are those who sand blast or soak things in Evaporust, and yes that ruins them. The key to adding value via cleaning is to avoid leaving evidence of said cleaning. Leave it looking as though it has never needed cleaning, because it’s never been dirty. You may not make it look new but a lot of old things have a certain desirable patina look under the grime, trick is to remove the grime but leave the patina.
We have lots of antiques and generally they are all in service. If they need repair- we repair them. Farmall tractors, a hoosier type cabinet, old butchering equipment... I think the only antiques we don't use are some really valuable antiques handed down. North Star quilt from the Civil War, some fine jewelry, a collection of BSA and GSA sheath and pocket knives from the 30's and 40's...
Worshipping ephemera of past generations is the only logical way to study history. Stating otherwise displays a lack of understanding of the term. My dictionary is opposite of yours.
Things may not have been taken apart by the seller, that could have happened at any place down the line. "Vintage" and "antique" are just fancy names for "old". No harm if someone wants a look-see, sometimes people hide valuables in stuff, so you never know. Other times, they may have just been tinkering w/ it to try and fix it or something. Tampering implies something different, one doesn't tamper w/ what one owns.
Worshipping ephemera of past generations is the only logical way to study history. Stating otherwise displays a lack of understanding of the term. My dictionary is opposite of yours.
You had me laughing out loud with that statement.
You might invest in a new dictionary and a few good history books.
At our heyday, we had 4 antique stores, the last of which I just closed as a stereo/record store. The biggest change I noticed over the last decade was a customer preference from 'motif', to simply 'piece'.
My folks took early american to an art form in their brand new 'log home' and were 2 of the more aggressive dealers/bidders at the farm and amish auctions of the 80s and 90s. So when we got into it it was a natural extension and the proliferation of 'yuuuuuup!' shows didnt help the market. to get back the dollars needed to stay alive you HAD to work on stuff. and there is not enough room to post the guidelines and limits - its one of those you will know it when you see it.
For example, when I got into tube stuff I was restoring old tube radios - both am and armstrong FM and for a while, they sold to decorate a room. When the market dropped off for the wood case ones (not cathedrals or floor sets, but say GE, monkey ward wood cased home systems etc) the wife took a few guinea pigs and "shabby chic'd" them and it became hot again for a year, just about any price we wanted, and then dropped off again. Problem is, get em working and the sets just wont work with wifi and modern cell phones in the same building so THAT appeal left the floor.
BUT, the over-riding factor of the biz, was its collapse. As a funsie, I wrote auction software one night (yeah, literally while sitting at the tv) for an auction house in winchester VA. I eventually just listed it for 'sale' with a GPL for free via the 'Zip. My only remuneration was I wanted a general report of how classes of things fared and I was able to literally see via a graph, how the market collapsed. It had nothing to do with people leaving stuff virginal or restoring it, but rather interest went to zero quickly. glass, crockery and furniture might as well have been pushed off a cliff.
Furniture - which could take the most work - especially. So on 2018ish? when we sold ALL of our furniture in our 4 stores at once to a southern restorer, we took that as a sign to pack up everything else to 6 amish auctions and exit the biz. The mood has just swung in a different direction and if you talk to dealers today, the monthly checks are made up of scraps, during the holidays. As more and more of my generation or older drop off, with no youthful injecting, the whole concept of 'antiques' vanishes. In todays disposable goods world, it wont be replaced. And that 'At Home Goods' sells chinese repro by the boxcar, aint helping.
At our heyday, we had 4 antique stores, the last of which I just closed as a stereo/record store. The biggest change I noticed over the last decade was a customer preference from 'motif', to simply 'piece'.
My folks took early american to an art form in their brand new 'log home' and were 2 of the more aggressive dealers/bidders at the farm and amish auctions of the 80s and 90s. So when we got into it it was a natural extension and the proliferation of 'yuuuuuup!' shows didnt help the market. to get back the dollars needed to stay alive you HAD to work on stuff. and there is not enough room to post the guidelines and limits - its one of those you will know it when you see it.
For example, when I got into tube stuff I was restoring old tube radios - both am and armstrong FM and for a while, they sold to decorate a room. When the market dropped off for the wood case ones (not cathedrals or floor sets, but say GE, monkey ward wood cased home systems etc) the wife took a few guinea pigs and "shabby chic'd" them and it became hot again for a year, just about any price we wanted, and then dropped off again. Problem is, get em working and the sets just wont work with wifi and modern cell phones in the same building so THAT appeal left the floor.
BUT, the over-riding factor of the biz, was its collapse. As a funsie, I wrote auction software one night (yeah, literally while sitting at the tv) for an auction house in winchester VA. I eventually just listed it for 'sale' with a GPL for free via the 'Zip. My only remuneration was I wanted a general report of how classes of things fared and I was able to literally see via a graph, how the market collapsed. It had nothing to do with people leaving stuff virginal or restoring it, but rather interest went to zero quickly. glass, crockery and furniture might as well have been pushed off a cliff.
Furniture - which could take the most work - especially. So on 2018ish? when we sold ALL of our furniture in our 4 stores at once to a southern restorer, we took that as a sign to pack up everything else to 6 amish auctions and exit the biz. The mood has just swung in a different direction and if you talk to dealers today, the monthly checks are made up of scraps, during the holidays. As more and more of my generation or older drop off, with no youthful injecting, the whole concept of 'antiques' vanishes. In todays disposable goods world, it wont be replaced. And that 'At Home Goods' sells chinese repro by the boxcar, aint helping.
I has a sense of the sudden drop in interest, but have yet to fully understand why. I can sense a few factors:
Destruction of "local" markets. A friend in Florida used to say he could make another fortune by bringing a truck to Arkansas, North Alabama, TN, and filling it with antiques, and then driving to south Florida to sell it. When the understanding of the internet fully hit, a lot of hot "local" markets dropped.
Cad-cam and the ease of reproduction. Those who just wanted the "look" could get it cheap, those who were selling real had the rug pulled out from under them.
Political and religious climate shifts. Those go beyond the bounds of what can be discussed here.
New "toys." Back in 2018 I was walking in an open air mall and was simply stunned at the percentage of people who were staring at phone screens for extended periods.
Space limitations. For various reasons, a lot of younger people are having to live in tiny spaces. A tiny house won't hold the family heirloom baby grand. A small apartment HAS to be efficient.
Repair and maintenance. That can take tools and a skill set, along with time. Repair shops have been closing up for years.
Too bad my kids show little interest in their great grandparents’ antique furniture dating from 1906.
It looks good in our dining room and bedroom.
Those pieces look lovely.
I like the plates/platters too
When I first got my own place -an apartment- all my stuff was cheap and modern.
When I bought my house 7 years ago I slowly got rid of the newer stuff.
I wouldn't call them antique because I don't know how old they are, but I like the older pieces because they are made better and they offer a more unique look than the massed produced newer stuff.
I moved from a one bedroom apartment to a 4 bedroom house so I had the room to gather pieces.
I never went out looking for furniture. I just got whatever spoke to me when I came across it.
And so much of my oldest pieces were free. My neighbor let me have his 1920s buffet for free.
I use it in the kitchen as extra counter and storage space.
Most of my pots and pans are copper or cast iron hand me downs.
I have changed the bed in my room 3 times. Each time I say how much I love the current bed, but still change it in a heartbeat if I found one I liked better.
I don't see having older stuff as hoarding if you use and admire them.
I like eating off of pretty plates. To me it tastes better.
I keep dry goods in pretty glassware in the cupboards instead of the packaging it comes in.
Unless the food needs to be kept airtight, the food in the fridge goes in glass containers too.
I love sterling silver cutlery. Contrary to popular belief, if you use them frequently there's no need for polishing.
There's just something about the weight and design of good utensils that make me enjoy meals more
Nice things can be cheaper than cheaply made things. If I'm going to live in my house for hopefully 40 plus years, I want things that will last those 30 years. It's sad how kids would throw away grandpa's hardwood furniture to replace it with pressed board.
And if your pieces are well made there is no need to tamper with them. A lot of the DIY shows make my nerves bad. Especially Flea market flip.
Another fad that made me cringe about 15 years ago was the spray painting of glassware to look like milk glass. The concept was so weird to me because milk glass was already so dang cheap, why would you spray paint a much more expensive piece to make it look like something you could buy for $2?
That is a copper lined humidor that my wife’s grandfather kept his pipe tobacco in back in the day.
Unlike some of his dining room pieces, it has never been refinished.
It sat next to his chair, with the side racks filled with his latest books & newspapers.
Currently it is stuffed full of obsolete computer wires. Lol
Otherwise, my wife uses it as a stand for potted plants.
Her grandfather passed away in 1961. Luckily her mom kept the little piece….out of nostalgic memories.
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