Have you ever wondered why people spend huge sums of money for antiques when a new counterpart could be a fraction of the price? in today’s article, I talk about what I feel the appeal of antiques is, why do people buy antiques? why do antiques demand so much money? I gave a presentation recently and wanted to save this section of the speech as it meant something to me.
Why don’t people just go to the shop and buy a brand-new item for a fraction of the cost?
Antiques are at best second-hand or even passed down through generations, bearing marks and wear of their age rather than being new and shiny.
Antiques can be expensive up to ten or more times the cost of a brand new counterpart from a supermarket. so why do we buy them rather than the cheaper new option?
I have a theory about this and it has lots of different threads all adding up to form my conclusion. I am going to start out with my most important thread of thought which is.
What Makes Antiques Special?
Let’s all picture a few different scenarios together.
Antiques have souls! what I mean by this isn’t that they are haunted, much like us we are the sum of our life, and experiences and objects are no different, what I mean by this is they have the power to evoke memories and emotions.
Maybe it could be you as a child visiting your parents or grandparent’s home.
Or maybe sitting on your dad’s knee on a rocking chair.
Or maybe its a beautiful crystal vase your mum used to keep some flowers in but you were never allowed to touch.
If that memory is forgotten by the passage of time, but all of a sudden all the emotions and all memories come flooding back, the love, and the joy that was once felt can be felt again, jolted into life by a mere glance of that object that you associate with your youth or loved one, how much value would you put on that item? It would far exceed anything you could buy from a shop.
maybe it’s not a memory but you love a particular style and period in history such as the arts and crafts movement where things are beautifully handmade and rustic. Or the Art Deco period where items have bold shapes and sharp lines or any of the periods through history that are time-locked and not available in today’s markets.
Or maybe you love owning things with real history, I have owned a dumbwaiter that belonged to the Crawshay family who brought the iron industry to Wales and built Cyfarthfa Castle in the 1820s in Merthyr Tydfil. I have also owned a sterling silver ladle from a prisoner of war camp that was stolen by the German army during World War Two. And even miners’ lamps that were designed and created to save lives. So maybe it’s the historical importance you desire.
Maybe you want to be remembered, maybe you want your heroic deeds to be remembered so it could be a medal, where you proudly served your country
It could be a family heirloom that you really feel you want to pass on,
or a little bit of jewelry that reminds you of a loved one who is waiting to be reunited with you one day.
Or a book that was read to you as a child.
As you can see from the vast array of items here the item can literally be anything as long as it has meaning to you.
Maybe you have a different reason than I have mentioned as to why you would choose to buy a unique and irreplaceable antique over a new product from a supermarket. However, Have you ever held an object in your hands and felt the weight of its history, its stories, and the countless lives it has touched before reaching you? This is its soul.
My conclusion is this.
If an item can hold emotional or historical importance or offer uniqueness or investment opportunity or finally offer a level of quality or style that is not matched by today’s mass-produced products, then it will always be sought after and desirable.
I bet you that almost every single person here today has something in their home that has been described already, something they have a real connection to,
Have a little think just for a moment,
what is that item,
and what does it mean to you,
what memories come flooding back as you think of it?
Knowing how important this object is to you, how do you make sure that when it’s your time to pass on these gems they go where you want them to?
I would say if you are lucky enough to have a chosen recipient what I would suggest you do is this, I would sit them down and tell them the story that gives this object its soul and meaning to you. Tell them every single little detail, make sure to leave nothing out, because Once they understand the story and connection you share with an object it will suddenly become a prize possession and a future connection to you rather than just a part of a yard sale when we have moved on.
