# A question of when it becomes an antique



## chisler (Feb 26, 2008)

Being new to this, when does a bottle become an antique? Are there different levels of antiquity according to their age?


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## OsiaBoyce (Feb 26, 2008)

About two months ago, or now. Wait, can't things be turning into an antiques before our very eyes.Though mostly the second  it hits eBay. According to my learned son "Any bottle that's not plastic."


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## JGUIS (Feb 26, 2008)

Isn't it 20-49 years old=vintage, 50+=antique[]


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## chisler (Feb 27, 2008)

How times have changed.... Our kids and E-bay are a good judge of what has gone by the wayside.  Like the rotary phone that most kids wouldn't know how to use.  I guess I'm officially an antique as of last June.  I'll have to start looking around my grandfather's old bar for some antiques.  If I'd only known, I would have put some of those old expensive collector whiskey bottles away after the contents were consummed [8|].


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## capsoda (Feb 27, 2008)

It really depends on what kind of item you are talking about. When a car is 20 years old the state considers it antique but some sanctioned bodies say to be antique it had to be made prior to 1949. Know furniture is another matter. Furniture is antique when it is 100 years or older. Anything else is vintage. I think it would be safe to say that any bottle made before 1930 is antique. Some think it has to be embossed to be antique but that doesn't work because prior to 1800 there wasn't many embossed bottles.

 As far as me, it all dependes on your age. My six year old grandson thinks that I am ancient but my kids consider me just to be OLDER amd their grand parents to be elderly. Now myself, being 53, I concider myself to be middle aged mostly because most of the time you can tell that mentally I quit aging at about 18.[sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif]

 At least my wife says I act like a teenager.[sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif]

 This is a pretty good thread.


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## cc6pack (Feb 27, 2008)

Jim

 Antique is defined by U.S. Customs as being at least 100 years old.  You are not taxed on antiques. 

 Cap on autos each state sets what an antique auto is. Ga. it's 25 years.

 Vintage only should be used when talking about wine.  It's used on ebay and other places about the same as "rare". Any time I see either of those words I run like hell.


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## tigue710 (Feb 27, 2008)

yup, Ive seen enough "vintage" hair brushes and "rare" atwoods bitters to make me sick...  That word vintage puts a bad taste in mouth...


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## GuntherHess (Feb 27, 2008)

Vintage is typically misused. It describes no particular date, rather it describes the most desirable period for an item to be made in. For example wines made in a certain year or a Ford car made a certain year. I dont think this translates well for bottles in general. The best example for bottles might be "vintage cokes" being the early highly collectable coke bottles. But even there I think its too vague a term to be useful to collectors.     

 I would agree with the general idea of antiques being items  >100 years old. Although its much less strictly followed in the USA than in places like Europe.


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## aridice53 (Feb 27, 2008)

I know what you mean tigue!
 I was pondering this very same thing last night.
 I finally signed up on ebay yesterday to sell a couple of things and started trying to think of  good descriptions.

 How 'bout...Rare vintage 80s electric guitar????  LOL
 Course, I'm older enough now that most of my things ARE vintage!!

 Char


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## aridice53 (Feb 27, 2008)

Hi Jim,
 Just checked out your website!!!  Cool!!!!
 (You need to put a "dot com" on the address in your profile)
 So, your co. took over Cleavenger Bros stuff?? That's good to know.

 Char


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## chisler (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks to everyone for the replys to a question that I'm sure is asked quite often. Sounds like it started a lot of people pondering what is considered antique.  It very was helpful and nice to know that in the future I'll have a reliable source to go too when it comes to my many questions.


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