Older items hold stories from the past
Antiques tell stories of the past and travel over time to gain collectors attention. The idea of collecting antiques was not born yesterday, although it may have gained in popularity over the last few decades. In fact, it has been going on for a very long time. Why do collectors swarm antique shops, estate sales and flea markets hoping to find a piece of the past? The answer is simple. Older items hold stories from our past and collectors want those stories to live on.
Collecting antiques is a global trend and this hobby extends all language barriers. Reaching far out to international markets like London, Paris, and America, yards sales, estate sales, and antique shops in all lands offer a vast array of antique treasures that tell a story if you take the time to listen long enough. Shows like Antiques Roadshow, which has been running on British television since 1979 and in the United States since 1997, demonstrates a growing trend in all things antique, vintage and collectible. Shows like Pawn Stars and American Pickers have helped bring antiquing up to the forefront as well.
The antique industry is growing as well as changing. Women use to be the main type of collector but nowadays it’s an assortment of men and women and a younger generation of teenagers are even joining the craze. Why all the hoopla over antiquing? As we progress in this world with technology and gadgets to make our lives easier, making us a bit lazier, with all this change is pulling us further and further away from our past and our history. Our ancestors created a life for us free to do what we choose and we have forgotten that.
It’s quite simple these days to demolish a historical home and put up a shopping mall. We discard the old home and its contents and that is essentially destroying a little piece of history with it. Collectors ask questions like, who lived in that house? What kind of items did they own? What kind of life did they live? Why are these important questions to ask? Why not? Why not ask about what once was? In order to know where we are going in this world, it is important to know where we came from and antiques are a definitive representation of this fact.
Antique stores, estate sales, and even yard sales hold some treasures of our past and for those who are nostalgic about our history, are doing their part to keep that history known. It takes a special person to collect antiques and thankfully the community of such people is growing larger each year.
Whether an antique is preserved in a household as a family heirloom, in a museum on display or in the hands of a passionate collector, these items travel through time without a time machine. They tell stories of survival and life. If you are the proud owner of your own collection of antiques, nothing else compares.
