b"By Jim and Bobbi Jeen Olson,WesternTradingPost.com I 1500 and went up have this really old, antique, collectiblethrough the 1800s. __________ andSome items (such as I want to know howfurniture) are still much it is worth, shecalled antiques said. Oh yeah, howeven though they old? was the reply.may be from the Its at least from thehistoric period. 1970s, she beamedBut artifacts, for proudly. example, from the 1800s, are often Folks bring itemsreferred to as being to antiques anda historic period collectibles dealers allartifact. However, the time and describeonce we reached them as antiquethe end of the old vintageSecond Industrial historic and so on.Revolution (or about But just what do theseWWI), we entered terms really mean?into an era whereby And how do youthings are just determine which ageantique, vintage, or category appropriatelycontemporary. describes an item? Before the historic First, lets start withperiod, we had the recent items. Newprehistoric era. contemporary and modern are terms most of us understand. But forPrehistoric refers to a time before recorded (verifiable or written) facts are argument's sake, lets put a date on them: they were made in the last 0 to 25available in general. On the North American continent, this is pretty much years. As we get to the later part of that date range, items are often just usedduring the 1400s or before. In Europe and other places, it is much earlier or out of date, but in the interest of making a sale, the word vintage soundsas their recorded history goes back further. But an artifact from this period better to many sellers. Vintage is often used on 20 to 25-year-old items,would generally be referred to as a prehistoric artifact.especially if the item is somehow nostalgic or desirable. However, the general rule is most items under 25 years old should not be considered all that old inOne thing to be aware of is the word style used after any of the periods the collectibles world. mentioned above. Many new items are made with an artificially aged look and sold as retro-style vintage style with an antiqued finish etc. Be The term vintage is also very ambiguous because the definition literallycareful, these terms should not be confused with the age of an item. They means, of age. However, a generally accepted time (if you ask mostsimply refer to a newer item made in the style of that period (sometimes knowledgeable collectors and dealers) for an item to start being calledalso known as retro).vintage, is no less than 25 years old (some say as much as 40). There is a bit of a gray area between 25 to 40 years. This is because some items areAnother word which is good to know the definition of is artifact. Folks considered vintage at around 25 years while otherscloser to 40. It has tooften associate the word with age (as in a prehistoric artifact), but the actual do with what kind of an item is being referred to. For example, in the rapidlymeaning is an object (often a tool or an ornament) made by a human being changing world of electronics, a computer from 25 years ago is outdated and(typically an item of archaeological, historical or cultural interest). So considered vintage. Sometimes it also just depends on the person using theartifacts could be antiques, or from the historic or prehistoric period, but the term, so it is good to know if they consider vintage as 25 years or more? Asword by itself does not refer to a specific age.mentioned, vintage is a little subjective as to when it starts.Similarly used is the word relic. Although originally meant to refer more Antique is a term thrown around (and often miss-used) but it is easy toto religious items, its modern usage is: An object surviving from the past, define. By definition, this refers to an item that is at least 100 years old. Soespecially one with historical or sentimental interest. Again, the word should your (fill in the blank) made in the 1950s is not yet officially an antique. Itnot be used to refer to a certain period or age, as a relic could be an antique, should properly be referred to as vintage. An exception to the rule of anor from the historic or prehistoric periods. antique being an item that has reached 100 years of age is antique firearms. As per the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) statute, anBelow is a generally accepted timeline by antiques and antique firearm was made in 1898 or before. But most other objects reachcollectibles dealers/collectors in North America of thethe destination at 100 years of age. various terms and an appropriate age range:Going even further back, we have items from the historic period. ThereModern or Contemporary: 25 years or newer.can be varied definitions of a historic period, depending on what you areVintage: At least 25 (some say as much as 40) and up to 99 years old.talking about. But with regards to collectibles, it refers to a period in the pastAntique: 100 years plus.that has been documented with written or other tangible information that canHistoric Period: 1500s through 1800s.be verified. In the United States, we generally agree this period started aboutPrehistoric Period: 1400s or before. ArizonaRealCountry.com November 2021 23"