Has it always been like this for finding antiques?

I remember my grandmother (father's mother) both looking for antiques, and, my father telling me about how she once had her own store before I was born. He also told me that her parents once owned chairs that, at some point, were owned by Louis XV.

My mother's family didn't collect antiques that I know of, as they were just looking to survive.

That said, how long has "antiquing" been a true thing? I seriously doubt alot of people in the past had a boatload of extra cash to buy others' valuables back in the day!

 

There are Chinese manuscripts on antiquities dating back to the 11th century, so around 1000 years or more.

Yep, it was an upper class/royal pursuit until the 19th century when the nouveau riche took up the mantle as a way to fit in with 'old money'.

 

The rich always had cast offs and the poor always bought them if they could . Mom said in the 50s antiques were dirt cheap and "modern" stuff was unaffordable so young marrieds often had antiques cause they were cheaper . Not to mention people gave them stuff to furnish their 1st homes. I grew up seeing lots of depression glass,Fiesta ware etc that was just used stuff then. Mom had some she got from my great aunt,and we used them all the time.Same great aunt gave us a 1940s living room set in green mohair and us kids hated it cause it was itchy ! When my dad started making money,mom got rid of all the "old crap" with a quickness ! Then we had to look at orange floral 'colonial' crap for the next 40 years ! People always collected,but I dont think it was a thing really until the 70s . Tons of folks collect now .Or resale.

 

This is kind of how I grew up as well. I'm in my 50s and many of our home items were antiques, hand me downs, or both! Only the dining room furn was new.

 

Interesting question. All my grandparents were from the old country and tradesman or very small merchants and I think they were happy just to have enough. My parents grew up and had us kids during the aftermath of the depression and through WWII and also just got by. As we kids grew up we had some small amounts of expendable income at times and antiques were very reasonable and interesting and bought some here and there and collected. As I try to see what things my kids want me to hold on for them, its pretty limited, I guess they will find their own "antiques" - that their kids won't want .

 

I can still remember many items that my grandmother had that noone else in our family would ever have:

1. The bench seat from a horse and buggy
2. A sewing wheel like you see in Sleeping Beauty
3. Wingback chairs
4. Huge old organ

I'm sure I'll remember more

 

I grew up with lots of my dad's family's leftovers. When my parents married and moved to CT, my grandmother came along - lock stock and barrel. I still have the love seat and chairs she bought when she and my grandfather built their house. Tail end of the arts and crafts style, but solid oak and probably cheap. We took out the dusty nastiness in the springs but left those and the leather alone. Recovered in white fabric (why?! oh why WHITE?). Victorian furniture too of no great greatness, and worth zilch now.

Actually, come to it, anything grandma liked is pretty much guarenteed to be worth zero these days. I do still have her bakelite necklace, but anything else we inherited was ...nahhhh.(LOL) Even my late dad's toy trains turned out to be not so much; the bottom fell out right before he died and Mom sold them all.

 

Thank you all so much for sharing your histories! When my father's mother passed away, a greedy relative took it upon themselves to sell her finer things behind the backs of everyone else. Included was a wall portrait titled "Rehearsal". This happened around 1998. In 2023 I was walking through an antique store that was rumored to have bought my grandmother's items. There on the wall was the portrait! I bought it and my sister now has it. Pic taken when I spotted it:

 

My parents worked in shoe factories, but they always had a shed out back where they sold stuff and they did flea markets. In the 50s- 60s my Dad would get paid $10-$20 to clear out 'junk' for people - mostly when an old person died or went to a home - and much of it was antiques that the younger generation didn't want. We pretty much survived on it. People from the city would come out to the country looking for bargains.

 

When my parents married, you couldn’t buy new furniture. In any event, they both loved older things. My Pa used to lament how much got burned. So, their dining table, now mine, was bought at auction for ten quid and went home roped to the roof of his car. It was made in about 1780 and I absolutely treasure it.

 

We went to a "yard sale" on Sat where everything ended up being free. Many items still had pricetags on the back. 20 here, 10 there, it was insane.

 

My parents both were born in Philadelphia during the Depression, my mother's family especially didn't have much. Then later when they married along came 9 of us kids so they didn't have much spare income. They were the kind of people who felt "newer is better" so when they could afford anything it was never antique.

I don't know where my love for antiques came from

 

There has always been second hand stuff. Whether cast-downs for free or desirable antiques for money, there has been some kind of a market. The antiques market is very much fashion driven. Consequently, values have fluctuated with the fashions of the day. We are currently in a downturn market and it is a great time to buy if you want something for yourself.

My parents got rid of all their old things when my dad got a new job, moved across country, and they built a new house. This was 1957. My mom chose modern but nothing was high-end. She lived with much of that furniture the rest of her life. Her later interest in antiques came through inheritance from her parents.

My great grandfather was somewhat wealthy and built and furnished a very nice house in 1900. He died young and the family fortunes turned in the depression. The family business and farmland was all sold prior to my great grandmother's passing. My grandfather was not good with money and there was little left by the time my grandparents died in the 70s. What remained was this great un-touched home full of antiques. Unfortunately, the home was 400 miles away from where we lived.

We took what we could in a couple trips and the rest was sold at auction. Attending that auction is what got me interested in antiques. I was 14 at the time but managed to get a couple things for myself. By the time I was 18, I was hitting garage sales and attended my second auction. I was able to turn some antique etchings for a quick profit and I was hooked. This was just as the antiques market was beginning to boom here in the US and a great time to be involved in the business.

Despite college and a career, I dabbled in the antiques business on the side. By the time I was 40, I was in the business full-time. In the early days, business was easy. It seemed there were plenty of willing customers if you could buy and price right. You sometimes had to pay a lot for things in comparison to today but there was always the ability to find a buyer.

About 2008, the antiques market dropped off a cliff. The economy was bad and tastes were changing. Those interested in traditional antiques were aging and collections were being liquidated. Their children had little to no interest in antiques. This is what has brought us to where we are today. I think we are seeing a bit of an up-turn in interest but I do not expect a full re-bound in my lifetime. Even then, what is seen as desirable has changed. Only the very high end traditional antiques have retained good value.

Here is the family home as it appears today. Photos were taken from a realty site. At the time of my grandparent's death in the 70s, the house was in need of a complete renovation. It sat on the market for quite awhile and I believe it sold for about $8500.00. It was converted to a duplex after that but has since been taken back to a single family home.

 

Great pics and story!!

 

What a wonderful house!!!!!!!

 

My parents bought the little 2/1 block house next door to my childhood home for basically back taxes.Mom thinks around $3000. Many relatives stayed there until my parents moved to their last home and sold both houses. You wont find bargains like that ever again! I read decor mags and websites and young people do seem to be trending towards older stuff now.Of course MCM is their most favored,but you are seeing more and more homes being furnished with older pieces. But I dont know when it'll ever reach the glory days we all remember again.

 

There does seem to be a small rebound in brown wood and Victorian. Some kids are going for Maximalist decor instead of the sterlile grays and white with greenery. Some are also getting sick of furniture that falls apart after five years or when it gets wet. I don't see it ever going back to where it was. Not in the next decade anyway.

 

a lot of that furniture is just too large for modern accommodations..
smaller items can find a new home much easier..

 

That is the very sad truth. We had an armoire that had belonged to my grandfather that was really nicely built, but had to be sold or left behind because there was just no need for it anymore