Top: Recreation: Collecting: Antiques
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Although antiques are defined as products that are over 100 years old, a product does not have to reach this age to have a collectable value because of its age.
For an antique product to increase in value it should be rare, attractive, interesting, unique or of historical importance. Like any product, the value of an antique is decided by consumers and is influenced by social standards and consumer preferences.
However, only certain antique products have value because of their age. The aesthetic value of antiques is important. Artistic qualities and craftsmanship will influence the value of antiques, especially in the case of paintings, sculptures, furniture, canes, pottery, clocks, quilts, jewellery, tea sets, automobiles and dolls.
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Antiques are objects and articles that are from a previous era or are over 100 years old.
Because many people collect antiques, they can be worth quite a lot. Antiques are usually sold by auction and auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's sell many very expensive antiques.
Interest in antiques is so strong that there are many organizations, publications and television programs dedicated to the field.
Antiques have an historical value because they provide insights into the design styles and daily lives of previous eras in history. Many museum exhibitions include valuable and interesting antiques, which teach people about how others lived.
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Antique furniture is usually considered the most common type of antique.
All antique furniture originally had a practical purpose, but it is the aesthetic qualities of decoration and attention to detail that make antique furniture so popular. Such decoration came about to show the class of the individuals who owned or used the furniture.
The main English furniture styles are:
Medieval
Elizabethan
Carolean
Gerogian
Victorian
Modernist
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