Buying vintage furniture is a great way to get unique pieces that are usually higher quality than new furniture. With the rise of online shopping, there are many places to find the perfect pieces for your home.
There are many benefits to buying vintage furniture. The prices are usually much lower than new furniture and you can find some really unique pieces that would be hard to find in a store. Vintage furniture also has a lot more character and makes your home feel more cozy and welcoming.
How do you find vintage furniture?
Contact a major auction house, such as Sotheby’s or Christie’s, for value lookups on extremely rare or valuable antique furniture. Check websites such as Antique Trader where information of events offering free antique appraisal information is posted.[1]
How old does furniture need to be to be considered vintage?
Most antique dealers consider an item to be vintage if it is at least 40 years old. So, in the context of this blog date, a vintage item would be made between 1918 and 1978. Even though many vintage items are nostalgic, they are sought after for many reasons besides their age.[2]
How can you tell if vintage furniture is real?
A few signs that furniture is newer include consistent color, lack of patina, machine-cut moldings/carvings, and modern screws or nails. Things like mortise-and-tenon joints, wood pegs, hand-cut dovetails, and rose head nails are typically found in antique furniture.[3]
How do you know if antique furniture is valuable?
A unique carving motif, less common glass color, or otherwise atypical design may increase the value of your furniture. Similarly, a piece of furniture carved by a well-known manufacturer who made very few pieces in that style may fetch a higher auction price.[4]
What do the numbers on the back of old furniture mean?
Serial numbers will often reveal the manufacturer, model number, or date that the furniture was made.[5]
What is a Knapp joint?
Knapp Joints: Also known as Pin & Cove, a Pin & Scallop or Half Moon, this is a visually unique style of antique joinery, its typically very strong and can be mass-produced in a factory using a special type of machinery.[6]
What is the difference between vintage and antique furniture?
In short, an antique is 100 yearsor older, while vintage is younger,though typically still prior to 1999. It’s a relatively simple distinction,but not necessarily as importantas you think it might be. The age of a piece doesn’tdirectly correlate to value.[7]
Is 20 years ago considered vintage?
Vintage simply means old. The meaning of the word “vintage” is simply “of age,” making it more difficult to set a specific age requirement. However, many say vintage items are at least 20 years old. So, generally speaking, something can be considered vintage if it is between 20 and 99 years old.[8]
What do you call a 50 year old furniture?
Vintage: Younger than antique furniture, vintage furniture is usually between 50 and 100 years old and is often purchased used.[9]
What are the most sought after antiques?
Novelty Barware. Source. Hunting Decoys. Depression Glass. Original Paintings. Postcards. Barber Chairs. Old Clocks. Cast Iron Doorstops.[10]
How do I know how much my furniture is worth?
Go on Craigslist and Ebay and check what other people are selling similar items for. Furniture Valuation Guides, found easily online, will give you ranges of prices for most furniture. Look for items as similar as possible to yours.[11]
Is there a free app to identify antiques?
Hallmarks – Identify Antique on the App Store.[12]