Antiques
Take a look at the hobby of antiquing, or collecting antiques, which involves the search for and acquisition of old objects. Legally, an “antique” is an item that is 100 years or older, although informally most people consider items from their grandparents’ generation to be antiques. There are others who feel that antiques must be handmade and predate the Industrial Revolution.
Antiques differ from antiquities, which are items from ancient cultures; antiques also differ from collectibles, which are items that are mass-produced, are less than 100 years old, and were relatively inexpensive when first sold.
Antique hunting is a favorite pastime of many people, from amateur antique collectors to connoisseurs, who frequent auctions, flea markets, yard sales, antique malls and shops, estate sales, and galleries. Some of the broad categories of popular items for antiquing include fine art and folk art, porcelain, pottery, furniture, glassware, silverware, jewelry, toys, clocks, instruments, paintings, metalwork, rugs, quilts, samplers, militaria, books, magazines, and comics. This hobby appeals to people who enjoy collecting and to those who like to acquire items for reasons of nostalgia or interest in history.
Antiquing has become much easier for amateur and professional collectors with the advent of the internet, which allows antiquarians to locate items all over the world for their collections. Auction websites such as eBay have allowed antique dealers to reach more collectors than ever before, while customers have access to more information about pricing and the appraisal value of items. The popularity of the PBS series Antiques Roadshow also increased the visibility of antiquing.