The customary definition of antique requires that an item should be at least 100 years old and in original condition.Items that are old, but not quite that old, are called vintage.

How old does furniture have to be to be considered antique?

<div role="note" dir="ltr">For other uses, see <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique_(disambiguation)" title="Antique (disambiguation)" dir="ltr">Antique (disambiguation)</a>.</div><td>Learn more</td><div dir="ltr">This article needs additional citations for <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability" dir="ltr">verification</a>. (September 2007)</div>A true antique (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language" title="Latin language" dir="ltr">Latin</a>: antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that is old.<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique#cite_note-1" dir="ltr">[1]</a> An antique is usually an item that is collected or desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features. It is an object that represents a previous era or time period in human history. Vintage and collectible are used to describe items that are old, but do not meet the 100-year criterion.<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique#cite_note-2" dir="ltr">[2]</a><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/06_Restoration_of_gilded_mirror_in_Muzeum_Gornoslaskie%2C_Bytom%2C_Poland_-_furniture_restorer_working.jpg/280px-06_Restoration_of_gilded_mirror_in_Muzeum_Gornoslaskie%2C_Bytom%2C_Poland_-_furniture_restorer_working.jpg" width="280" height="210"><div class="caption">Restoring the frame of antique mirror</div><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Kepler-world.jpg/280px-Kepler-world.jpg" width="280" height="163"><div class="caption">An antique map</div>Antiques are usually objects that show some degree of craftsmanship, collectability, or a certain attention to design, such as a desk or an early automobile. They are bought at <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiques_shop" title="Antiques shop" dir="ltr">antiques shops</a>, estate sales, auction houses, online auctions, and other venues, or <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_(law)" title="Estate (law)" dir="ltr">estate</a> inherited. Antiques dealers often belong to national <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_associations" title="Trade associations" dir="ltr">trade associations</a>, many of which belong to <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CINOA" title="CINOA" dir="ltr">CINOA</a>, a confederation of art and antique associations across 21 countries that represents 5,000 dealers.
<h2>Contents</h2><h2>Definition</h2><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/US_mail_letterbox.jpg/200px-US_mail_letterbox.jpg" width="200" height="214"><div class="caption">An antique U.S. mailbox</div>The common definition of antique is a collectible object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has an enhanced value because of its considerable age, but it varies depending on the item, its source, the year of its creation etc. The customary definition of antique requires that an item should be at least 100 years old and in original condition[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" dir="ltr">citation needed</a>]. (Motor vehicles are an exception to this rule, with some definitions requiring an automobile to be as little as 25 years old to qualify as an antique.<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique#cite_note-AACA_About-3" dir="ltr">[3]</a>)
In the United States, the 1930 <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act" title="Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act" dir="ltr">Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act</a> defined antiques as, "...works of art (except rugs and carpets made after the year 1700), collections in illustration of the progress of the arts, works in <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze" title="Bronze" dir="ltr">bronze</a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble" title="Marble" dir="ltr">marble</a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_cotta" title="Terra cotta" dir="ltr">terra cotta</a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parian_marble" title="Parian marble" dir="ltr">parian</a>, pottery, or <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcelain" title="Porcelain" dir="ltr">porcelain</a>, artistic antiquities and objects of ornamental character or educational value which shall have been produced prior to the year 1830."[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" dir="ltr">citation needed</a>] 1830 was the approximate beginning of <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_production" title="Mass production" dir="ltr">mass production</a> in the United States. These definitions were intended to allow people of that time to distinguish between genuine antique pieces, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vintage_(design)" title="Vintage (design)" dir="ltr">vintage</a> items, and collectible objects.
The alternative term, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiquities" title="Antiquities" dir="ltr">antiquities</a>, commonly refers to the remains of ancient art and everyday items from <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history" title="Ancient history" dir="ltr">antiquity</a>, which themselves are often archaeological <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artifact_(archaeology)" title="Artifact (archaeology)" dir="ltr">artifacts</a>. An <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiquarian" title="Antiquarian" dir="ltr">antiquarian</a> is a person who collects and studies antiquities or things of the past.
<h3>China</h3>Traditionally, Chinese antiques are marked by a red <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_(East_Asia)" title="Seal (East Asia)" dir="ltr">seal</a>, known as a 'chop', placed there by an owner.[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" dir="ltr">citation needed</a>] Experts can identify previous owners of an antique by reading the chops. The pre-revolution Chinese government[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify" dir="ltr">clarification needed</a>] tried to assist collectors of Chinese antiques by requiring their Department of Antiquities to provide a governmental chop on the bottom of a Chinese antique. This chop is visible as a piece of red <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealing_wax" title="Sealing wax" dir="ltr">sealing wax</a> that bears the government chop to verify the date of the antique. The <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China" title="Government of the People's Republic of China" dir="ltr">government of the People's Republic of China</a> has its own definitions of what it considers antique.[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify" dir="ltr">clarification needed</a>] As of the <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution" title="Cultural Revolution" dir="ltr">Cultural Revolution</a> and China's opening trade to other countries, the government has tried to protect the definition of a Chinese antique.[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify" dir="ltr">clarification needed</a>]<h2>Antiquing</h2><div role="note" dir="ltr">"Antiquing" redirects here. For the decorative arts technique, see <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distressing" title="Distressing" dir="ltr">Distressing</a>.</div><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Paris_-_Vintage_travel_gear_seller_at_the_marche_Dauphine_-_5212.jpg/280px-Paris_-_Vintage_travel_gear_seller_at_the_marche_Dauphine_-_5212.jpg" width="280" height="187"><div class="caption" dir="ltr">A vintage travel gear seller at Marché Dauphine, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Ouen,_Seine-Saint-Denis" title="Saint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis" dir="ltr">Saint-Ouen</a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris" title="Paris" dir="ltr">Paris</a></div>Antiquing is the act of shopping, identifying, negotiating, or bargaining for antiques. People buy items for personal use, gifts, or profit. Sources for antiquing include <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_sale" title="Garage sale" dir="ltr">garage sales</a> and yard sales, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_sale" title="Estate sale" dir="ltr">estate sales</a>, resort towns, antique districts, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective" title="Collective" dir="ltr">collectives</a>, and international auction houses.
Note that antiquing also means the craft of making an object appear antique through <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distressing#Antiquing" title="Distressing" dir="ltr">distressing</a> or using the antique-looking paint applications. Often, individuals get confused between these handmade distressed vintage or modern items and true antiques. Would-be antique collectors who are unaware of the differences may find themselves paying a high amount of money for something that would have little value if re-sold.
Antique furniture is a popular area of antiques because furniture has obvious practical uses as well as collector value. Many collectors use antique furniture pieces in their homes, and care for them with the hope that the value of these items will remain same or appreciate. This is in contrast to buying new furniture, which typically depreciates from the moment of purchase.
Antique furniture includes dining tables, chairs, bureaus, chests etc. The most common woods are <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahogany" title="Mahogany" dir="ltr">mahogany</a>, oak, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine" title="Pine" dir="ltr">pine</a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut" title="Walnut" dir="ltr">walnut</a>, and <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood" title="Rosewood" dir="ltr">rosewood</a>. Chinese antique furniture is often made with elm, a wood common to many regions in Asia. Each wood has a distinctive grain and color. Many modern pieces of furniture use <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminate" title="Laminate" dir="ltr">laminate</a> or <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_veneer" title="Wood veneer" dir="ltr">wood veneer</a> to achieve the same effect. There are a number of different styles of antique furniture depending on when and where it was made. Some examples of stylistic periods are: <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_and_Crafts_Movement" title="Arts and Crafts Movement" dir="ltr">Arts &amp; Crafts</a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_architecture" title="Georgian architecture" dir="ltr">Georgian</a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_architecture" title="Regency architecture" dir="ltr">Regency</a>, and <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era" title="Victorian era" dir="ltr">Victorian</a>.

needs additional citations for <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification </a>

A true antique (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language">Latin </a>: antiquus ; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that is old.<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique#cite_note-1">[1] </a> An antique is usually an item that is collected or desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features. It is an object that represents a previous era or time period in human history. Vintage and collectible are used to describe items that are old, but do not meet the 100-year criterion.<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique#cite_note-2">[2] </a>

Antiques are usually objects that show some degree of craftsmanship, collectability, or a certain attention to design, such as a desk or an early automobile. They are bought at <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiques_shop">antiques shops </a>, estate sales, auction houses, online auctions, and other venues, or <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_(law)">estate </a>inherited. Antiques dealers often belong to national <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_associations">trade associations </a>, many of which belong to <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CINOA">CINOA </a>, a confederation of art and antique associations across 21 countries that represents 5,000 dealers.

The common definition of antique is a collectible object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has an enhanced value because of its considerable age, but it varies depending on the item, its source, the year of its creation etc. The customary definition of antique requires that an item should be at least 100 years old and in original condition[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed </a> ] . (Motor vehicles are an exception to this rule, with some definitions requiring an automobile to be as little as 25 years old to qualify as an antique.<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique#cite_note-AACA_About-3">[3] </a> )

In the United States, the 1930 <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act">Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act </a>defined antiques as, "...works of art (except rugs and carpets made after the year 1700), collections in illustration of the progress of the arts, works in <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze">bronze </a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble">marble </a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_cotta">terra cotta </a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parian_marble">parian </a>, pottery, or <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcelain">porcelain </a>, artistic antiquities and objects of ornamental character or educational value which shall have been produced prior to the year 1830."[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed </a> ] 1830 was the approximate beginning of <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_production">mass production </a>in the United States. These definitions were intended to allow people of that time to distinguish between genuine antique pieces, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vintage_(design)">vintage </a>items, and collectible objects.

The alternative term, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiquities">antiquities </a> , commonly refers to the remains of ancient art and everyday items from <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history">antiquity </a>, which themselves are often archaeological <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artifact_(archaeology)">artifacts </a>. An <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiquarian">antiquarian </a> is a person who collects and studies antiquities or things of the past.

Traditionally, Chinese antiques are marked by a red <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_(East_Asia)">seal </a>, known as a 'chop', placed there by an owner.[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed </a> ] Experts can identify previous owners of an antique by reading the chops. The pre-revolution Chinese government[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify">clarification needed </a> ] tried to assist collectors of Chinese antiques by requiring their Department of Antiquities to provide a governmental chop on the bottom of a Chinese antique. This chop is visible as a piece of red <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealing_wax">sealing wax </a>that bears the government chop to verify the date of the antique. The <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China">government of the People's Republic of China </a>has its own definitions of what it considers antique .[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify">clarification needed </a> ] As of the <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution">Cultural Revolution </a>and China's opening trade to other countries, the government has tried to protect the definition of a Chinese antique.[<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify">clarification needed </a> ]

Antiquing is the act of shopping, identifying, negotiating, or bargaining for antiques. People buy items for personal use, gifts, or profit. Sources for antiquing include <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_sale">garage sales </a>and yard sales, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_sale">estate sales </a>, resort towns, antique districts, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective">collectives </a>, and international auction houses.

Note that antiquing also means the craft of making an object appear antique through <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distressing#Antiquing">distressing </a>or using the antique-looking paint applications. Often, individuals get confused between these handmade distressed vintage or modern items and true antiques. Would-be antique collectors who are unaware of the differences may find themselves paying a high amount of money for something that would have little value if re-sold.

Antique furniture is a popular area of antiques because furniture has obvious practical uses as well as collector value. Many collectors use antique furniture pieces in their homes, and care for them with the hope that the value of these items will remain same or appreciate. This is in contrast to buying new furniture, which typically depreciates from the moment of purchase.

Antique furniture includes dining tables, chairs, bureaus, chests etc. The most common woods are <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahogany">mahogany </a>, oak, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine">pine </a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut">walnut </a>, and <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood">rosewood </a>. Chinese antique furniture is often made with elm, a wood common to many regions in Asia. Each wood has a distinctive grain and color. Many modern pieces of furniture use <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminate">laminate </a>or <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_veneer">wood veneer </a>to achieve the same effect. There are a number of different styles of antique furniture depending on when and where it was made. Some examples of stylistic periods are: <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_and_Crafts_Movement">Arts & Crafts </a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_architecture">Georgian </a>, <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_architecture">Regency </a>, and <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era">Victorian </a>.

Antique - Wikipedia

How old does furniture have to be to be considered antique?

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