What Is The Definition Of Antique?

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The definition of an antique varies from source to source, product to product and year to year. But, some time-test definitions of antique deserve consideration:

An item that is at least 75 years old and is collected or desirable due to rarity, condition, utility, or some other unique feature. Motor vehicles, in contract, are considered antiques in the United States if older than 25 years, and some electronic gadgets of more recent vintage may be considered antiques.

Any piece of furniture or decorative object or the like produced in a former period and valuable because of its beauty or rarity.

Using this definition allows distinctions between genuine antique pieces, vintage items and collectible objects.

The term is sometimes conventionally restricted to the remains of ancient art, such as sculptures, gems, medals, and seals. In a most limited sense it applies only to Greek and Roman art, and includes neither the artistic remains of other ancient nations nor any product of classical art of a later date than the fall of the western empire.



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