I recently took a trip to our local Antiques Mall to go antique shopping. I had never been before and I was interested in seeing what kinds of antiques were available in our neck of the woods. Imagine my surprise when I saw items that I had received for wedding presents.
I always thought that something had to be 100 years old to be considered an antique. The items I see when I watch The Antiques Roadshow, especially the British version, sometimes date back to the first Queen Elizabeth.
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Antique Shopping
I can understand seeing things I remember my parents or grandparents owning, but not things I’ve purchased brand new myself for goodness sakes!
I even still own some of the items I got back in the day and they are made a lot better than any replacement I could buy now. My 35-year-old stand mixer (avocado green, no less) still works great. It sounds like I’m at a monster truck rally, but I warn my husband when I’m about to use it and he just turns up the volume on the football game he’s watching until I’m done.
I know retro is in style – I see shag carpets are back for example – but they are usually made from modern materials and/or have an updated look. So, my question is: Why would anyone actually want to purchase these old items voluntarily? And for the prices they are asking?
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I think back to my brown and orange plaid living room furniture (pretty hideous in retrospect), my Harvest Gold appliances and the multi-colour kitchen flooring that I can’t even begin to describe (it was no-wax though).
I feel like I should put on a housedress, wrap myself in a nice warm shawl, sit in my rocking chair and watch the world go by. I’ll complain about today’s young’uns and tell everyone I see about the “good old days.” (Oh, wait, I do that now already!)
I think I’ll go through all my closets and cupboards and see what I can find. Maybe I’ll put them on eBay and make a mint. Or, maybe I’ll leave these “valuable antiques” to my kids in my will. I can just see the amazed and excited looks on their faces. 🙂
