5 Reasons Why People Buy Antiques

People interested in buying and collecting antiques have their own reasons for buying objects that are more than 100 years old. Some people may see buying things that are going to be displayed in a glass case as absurd, but collectors usually have a story or reason why they buy such objects.

How Old the Object is

The age of the antique is what makes it an antique. When people buy old things, they are drawn to the fact that the object is older than them. This gives them the chance of feeling connected to the past, especially when they are interested in a given time period. Let’s use an example of an early porcelain wine ewer. China was the only country exporting porcelain worldwide in the 15th century. If the ewer was made in the 1400S, then it is going to be sought after by many collectors because they want the chance of owning one of Europe’s earliest imported pieces of porcelain.

The craftsmanship of the object is also another reason why people buy something for its age. Most of the projects before the industrial revolution were made by hand, which gives a person more connection that antique. It is incredible to look at a thing that took someone hours to make without the use of a machine and the object still exists to date. The craftsmanship used for a given century is going to define the time period too. There were a lot of changes in the methods of creation. This is the main reason why a ewer made in the 15th century is more expensive compared to one from the 17th century. The process of making the ewer in the 15th century was more complex than two centuries later.

Making Money

Ruth Shearn and Bick Bears from Chesire are collectors and sellers of Art Deco antiques. They will sometimes spend a lot on certain items, but they don’t have to spend much for them to make a profit. A good example is a terracotta figurine they made a profit on. They bought it for $34 on eBay. The figurine itself was already valuable because it was Cortendorf terracotta, but the previous owner did not know that it was worth a lot. After restoring the figurine, it is now worth about $1,000. Ruth and Rick both say the money they make from selling antiques is meant being saved for their daughter so that she will be taken care of when they are no longer around.

Living through Memory

It does not matter what the item is or its worth, it is personal to you and it brings you treasured memories. Even though the antique spoons you got from your grandma are not going to be worth much, they were valuable to her and her memories. This can inspire someone who inherited them to add to the collection to pay homage to them.

Who Has Owned It?

We don’t want hair from dead people today, but some are willing to invest in antiques that belonged to a special person so that they can feel connected to them. David Rockefeller bought a White Centre painting by Mark Rothko for less than $10,000 in 1960. When the painting was put up for auction by Rockefeller in 2017, it was estimated that the painting could sell for at least 40 million dollars.

The Thrill of the Find

The main reason why many people choose to collect antiques is that it is fun. You never know what you are going to find every time you enter an antique store. There are many antique stores around the city, such as Serendipity in Fleet. You can find an antique you really like, and you don’t even have to spend much on it.