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Antiques

Take a look at the hobby of antiquing, or collecting antiques, which involves the search for and acquisition of old objects. Legally, an “antique” is an item that is 100 years or older, although informally most people consider items from their grandparents’ generation to be antiques. There are others who feel that antiques must be handmade and predate the Industrial Revolution.

Antiques differ from antiquities, which are items from ancient cultures; antiques also differ from collectibles, which are items that are mass-produced, are less than 100 years old, and were relatively inexpensive when first sold.

Antique hunting is a favorite pastime of many people, from amateur antique collectors to connoisseurs, who frequent auctions, flea markets, yard sales, antique malls and shops, estate sales, and galleries. Some of the broad categories of popular items for antiquing include fine art and folk art, porcelain, pottery, furniture, glassware, silverware, jewelry, toys, clocks, instruments, paintings, metalwork, rugs, quilts, samplers, militaria, books, magazines, and comics. This hobby appeals to people who enjoy collecting and to those who like to acquire items for reasons of nostalgia or interest in history.

Antiquing has become much easier for amateur and professional collectors with the advent of the internet, which allows antiquarians to locate items all over the world for their collections. Auction websites such as eBay have allowed antique dealers to reach more collectors than ever before, while customers have access to more information about pricing and the appraisal value of items. The popularity of the PBS series Antiques Roadshow also increased the visibility of antiquing.

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Antique Publications: Gale eBooks

Gale offers a variety of antique publications with eBooks covering a wide range of topics, including treasures, collectibles, and more. Users can add Gale eBooks to a customized collection and cross-search to pinpoint the article most relevant to the topic. Workflow tools help users easily share, save, and download content.

  • Antiques Investigator, 1st Edition

    Antiques Investigator, 1st Edition

    DK Publishing | 2009 | ISBN-13: 9780756659547

    This title is Judith Miller’s supersleuth guide to spotting, buying, and collecting antiques, now in eBook (PDF) format. If you’re looking to discover a valuable treasure or nab a boot sale bargain, then antiques and collectibles expert Judith Miller shows you how to solve any collecting case. Find out how to tell a genuine antique piece from a fake. Spot signs that indicate an object has been restored. Discover makers and styles to look out for and whether an object should be kept or not. Includes expert advice on makers; questions to ask; and tips for identifying the best examples in furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, dolls, teddy bears, textiles, and more. With hundreds of photographs that reveal every detail of each piece, you’ll soon know exactly what to look for.

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  • DK Eyewitness Books: Treasure, 1st Edition

    DK Eyewitness Books: Treasure, 1st Edition

    DK Publishing | 2010 | ISBN-13: 9780756663322

    From how these treasures were created, lost, and uncovered by explorers and scientists, Eyewitness Treasure takes a look at the wide variety of precious objects that have been the seeds of greed, conquest, crime, and adventure over the history of humankind.

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