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Rinker on Collectibles: Interpreting Antiques and Collectibles Speak

There is no “Antiques and Collectibles 101” textbook. Unfortunately, the trade is filled with dozens of words that (1) have no meaning or (2) are open to interpretation, the definition varying from person to person.
There is no “Antiques and Collectibles 101” textbook. Unfortunately, the trade is filled with dozens of words that (1) have no meaning or (2) are open to interpretation, the definition varying from person to person.

A WorthPoint subscriber wrote: “As I troll through various articles, newsletters from auction houses, and other sources, I keep seeing contemporary thrown around in reference to architecture, art, ceramics, music and more. Exactly how does one define contemporary as it applies to antiques and collectibles? What is new contemporary? As a Millennial, I would like to know when an object ceases being contemporary and becomes an antique. Does any of this make sense?”

These are common questions raised by antiques and collectibles neophytes.

There is no standardized antiques and collectibles dictionary. The trade is filled with dozens of words that (1) have no meaning or (2) are open to interpretation, the definition varying from person to person. There is no “Antiques and Collectibles 101” textbook. Learning takes place by seat-of-the-pants educational methodology. Reference material can provide contradictory information. Self-appointed experts—at least that is what they call themselves—pontificate without clearly indicating their utterances are nothing more than their interpretation.

A list of meaningless words that appear regularly in trade literature included terms such as genuine, old, original and real. These terms are subjective. When asked to explain old as it relates to antiques and collectibles, my common response is: “When I was in my 20s, 40-year old women were old. When I was in my early 60s, 40-year old women were just right.” Old is relative.

Design style terms are often used to describe periods—Federal, Victorian and Modernism. When individuals in the trade use these terms, they exhibit their ignorance. Four different design styles occurred concurrently during the Federal Era: Classical (often incorrectly labeled Duncan Phyfe); Hepplewhite; Sheraton; and Country Sheraton. Over a dozen new design styles originated during the period when Victoria was Queen of England (1837-1901). Modernism has more than half a dozen major subcategories. Art Deco and the Jazz Age are synonymous; but, Art Deco was a transition design style that lead to Modernism.

When design style and decade are not helpful defining terms, sellers turn to other vague terms that SOUND GGGGREAT! (with apologies to Tony the Tiger). “Vintage” and “retro” are two examples. These are meaningless terms. There is no agreement on how to define them. Many definitions have been offered. None suffices. The terms persist, but their usage is declining. “Folk Art” is another examples. The art community finally admits it is indefinable.

Dictionaries provide little help in defining the word contemporary as it relates to antiques and collectibles. Dictionary.com provides these definitions for contemporary as an adjective: “1. existing, occurring, or living at the same time; 2. belonging to the same time; of about the same age or date; 3. of the present item; modern” and as a noun: “4. a person belonging to the same time or period with another or others; 5. person of the same age as another.”

The antiques and collectibles trade is filled with terminology that lacks a precise meaning. When encountering these terms, whether in the field or in trade literature, one’s mind should immediately think: “in relationship to what?”
The antiques and collectibles trade is filled with terminology that lacks a precise meaning. When encountering these terms, whether in the field or in trade literature, one’s mind should immediately think: “in relationship to what?”

Dictionaries are supposed to be precise. In this instance, the dictionary definitions for contemporary are filled with vague terms—age, time and present. Age, time and present in terms of what?

Dictionary definitions of modern are equally problematical. Dictionary.com offers these definitions of the adjective contemporary: “1. of or relating to present and recent time; not ancient or remote: 2. characteristic of present and recent time; contemporary [I love it when one vague term defines another vague term…]; 3. of or relating to the historical period following the Middle Ages;….” and the noun: “7. a person of modern times; 8. a person whose views and tastes are modern.”

Contemporary and modern are a relative terms similar to old. What is contemporary or modern to a 20-year old is vastly different from what is contemporary or modern to a 70-year old. Cotemporary as a meaningful term ends when a person dies or becomes an “old fuddy-duddy.” There is no fixed age for the latter, and deniability is rampant.

I am suspicious of any term that calls for a fixed date and one cannot be assigned. When does contemporary or modern transition to another term? The answer differs depending on what one is talking about. Is Rap music contemporary while Hip-Hop and Grunge are not?

In an ideal world, each time a style or period changes, the old style or period would go away. In reality, once something is introduced, it often survives and revives thanks to imitation. One can buy contemporary/modern Chippendale-design style furniture in a wide range of sale venues from furniture stores to online.

The solution is for individuals in the antiques and collectibles trade to see past buzzwords such as contemporary, modern, vintage and retro and concentrate on fact-focused, detailed descriptions of objects. There are adequate terms to describe recently made objects without resorting to modern or contemporary.

I divide the objects that comprise the antiques and collectibles trade into three basic groups: (1) desirables; (2) collectibles; and (3) antiques. Desirables are recently manufactured articles that have a speculative secondary market. They are subject to Rinker’s 30-year Rule: “For the first 30-years of anything’s life all its value is speculative.” Recent collecting trends suggest the number of years should be revised to 15 or 20.

A collectible is any object made between 1980 and 2000. These objects have an established and trackable secondary market. An antique is anything made before 1980. The latter definition is much debated. Members of the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers resist the 1980 date. Millennials and the Entitled generations have no problem with it. If you are younger than 35, anything made before 1980 is from a remote era that has minimal interest.

In summary, the antiques and collectibles trade is filled with terminology that lacks a precise meaning. When encountering these terms, whether in the field or in trade literature, one’s mind should immediately think: “in relationship to what?”


Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out Harry’s Web site.

You can listen and participate in Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show “Whatcha Got?” on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. It streams live on the Genesis Communications Network.

“Sell, Keep Or Toss? How To Downsize A Home, Settle An Estate, And Appraise Personal Property” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web site.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected queries will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Pond Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512. You can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

Copyright © Rinker Enterprises, Inc. 2016

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