Antiques Collecting
Textiles are fragile and need special care. Dust, light, insects and moisture can damage them. Antique textiles in good condition are rare and often sell for high prices.
Furniture revivals have taken place since at least the 19th century and probably earlier. New technology made earlier ornate styles easier and less expensive to make — and, therefore, more accessible to the average buyer.
Collectors and makers alike know that there are many ways to decorate silver. It can have an engraved design or monogram. It can be pierced or reticulated with lace-like cutouts.
The Bonhams Skinner auction where this chair sold listed it as a Harvard University Windsor chair, bringing together two icons of colonial America.
To a pottery collector, a mocha mug isn’t meant for a coffee drink. Mocha is a type of decorated earthenware pottery made in England and sold in America in the early 1800s.
Despite the technological and manufacturing advancements of the 19th century, many artists of the time looked to the past for inspiration.
Bicycle Playing Cards may be the most recognizable brand by the United States Playing Card Co. The brand has been around since 1885.
Think of an iconic modern chair and there’s a good chance it was manufactured by Knoll. The company is known for making furniture by notable designers.
Brass inlaid inkstands were not a rarity in Victorian times. This one recently sold for $188 at New Orleans Auction Galleries.
Silhouettes and profile images date to ancient times. Usually limited to the head and shoulders, the shape is a filled solid color attached to a high-contrast background. Featureless, but easily recognizable, they offer fast identification.
Robots may sound like cutting-edge technology or science-fiction dreams of the future, but automated mechanical creatures have captured people’s imaginations for centuries. Animals and music were always popular themes.
Famous names add to the value of an antique, even if we know more about the maker’s work than about the maker.
Popular fiction inspires fashions in real life. The period shows and royal romances on television today have renewed interest in antiques among their fans.
The legal definition of an antique is that it is at least 100 years old. This means the art deco era is officially reaching antique status.
Some collectibles aren’t what they seem at first glance. This green enameled piece that sold for $252 at Morphy Auctions looks like a covered jar.