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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
| Home & Garden readers might also want to read Keep it Green, a gardening column by Michael Womack. |
Saturday, August 4, 2001
When is an old piece considered an antique?
By Rosemary Sadez Friedmann
Scripps Howard News Service
Just when you think you know it all, someone always comes in and proves you wrong. Most interior designers, including me, thought there was one classic rule of thumb for antiques: If the piece was more than 100 years of age, it was considered an antique.
But that's not the truth. Or at least the latest experts tell now us that is not the truth. Supposedly, the 100-year-rule came about because there is a law stating that anything 100 years of age or older could be brought into the country duty-free.
All that considered, however, an antique's age does not always make it valuable. Sure, there is some value in the antiquity of it, but just how much value is still in question.
The condition of the piece is one major factor. What the pieces were made of - fine wood, real brass, silver, leather, leaded glass or beveled glass - are other factors.
Some pieces are dated and signed and those items are usually of greater value. But there are signed fakes out there, too, and it often takes an expert to decipher the real from the faux.
So when is an old piece considered antique? The cutoff date for an antique ceramic is 1790. The cutoff date for furniture is 1830. The cutoff date for Louis XV is 1774.
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