Everything Old is New Again in.....Terms about Vintage

  If you are new to buying, selling or collecting vintage items you may notice that lots of different terms get thrown around when describing an object.  Below, I'd thought I would share some basic definitions of these terms.  If you missed my post about the definition of vintage you can check it out here- http://buffaloetsyteam.blogspot.com/2013/03/everything-old-is-new-again.html

Retro:  Styles or fashions of the past that are culturally outdated.  Revived styles of fashions.  

Antique: An old collectible item at least 100 years old.  It is desirable because of it's age, rarity, condition and/or beauty.  

Heirloom: An item passed down through successive generations of special value. 

Artifact:  An object made by humans from a particular period of historical or cultural interest. 

Collectible:  Objects that gain value because of associations.  Objects that are mass produced with no artistic merit or artistic/historic objects that are less than 100 years old. 

Memorabilia:  Items collected for their association with a particular field, interest or person. 

Pop Culture:  "Popular" or mainstream that define a society-language, fashion, music, literature, entertainment. 

New Old Stock:  Items from the past that have original tags and were never used. 

Hallmark:  An official mark or symbol stamped on items such as precious metals or pottery for authentication. 

Appraiser:  An expert who assesses the value, worth, quality and authenticity of items or assets.  


Any questions about vintage terms, post below.