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Know Everything About Antiques?
There was a
time when saucers without handles, Betty lamps, and cow shaped
pitchers with black and white spots on it were fashionable to use at
home. The next time guests come over to your place, try serving them
tea in a saucer without handles. They would definitely raise brows,
appalled at where to hold the saucer from. However, they now hold
value as antiques. If such a cow shaped pitcher, with black and white
spots on it is visible in a showcase, then it serves as an object of
decoration, and symbolizes the olden times.
Is it the age
of the object which defines its antiqueness? Yes, and No. Most
certainly, if an object is more than 50 to 60 years old, and is in
good condition, it is labeled as antique. An official definition of
an antique is stated in the Tariff Act of 1930. According to
Paragraph 1811 of that Act, antiques are works of art except rugs and
carpets made after the year 1700, collections in illustration of the
progress of the arts, works in
bronze, marble, terra cotta, parian, pottery
or porcelain, artistic
antiquities and objects of ornamental character or educational value
which shall have been produced prior to the year 1830.
Every day, one
comes across many things which are old. Some belong to grandparents,
others you see in shops. And most of the times, people take old items
to be as junk, and fail to recognize them as antiques. For instance,
how many young women identify a sewing bird correctly when they see
one, and how to make use of it? They are liable to be perplexed even
when a miniature velvet pincushion is attached. The sewing bird,
generally of metal, is a decorative clamp to be fixed firmly to a
table. It grips the material in its beak to smooth the progress of
hemming, and was an excellent aid when all sewing was done at abode.
Once the
antique has been identified as truly antique, then its worth has to
be calculated. The age, quality, present condition, value, uniqueness
are all factors which have a direct impact on the worth of the item
in discussion. Many times, the item can be repaired if it is in a
condition which needs improvement, other times it can be restored.
Both these processes require craftspeople with excellent skills, so
that they modify the item without making it lose its worth.
Is there any
relation between an antique and a collectible? Antiques
are rated by their worth as per the definition above while
collectibles may be any item which may or may not have any worth, no
matter how old it is, but add to the collection of the collector. So
next time you think you have an antique, evaluate its worth. If there
is any, then its an antique. Otherwise, it would be better to sell it
at the best price to any collector, who would value it as a part of
his collection, but not as an antique. |