Antique vs Vintage
Both, antique and vintage, refer to collectibles of yesteryear and thus people used confuse with the two terms, but there is some difference between antique and vintage, which will be discussed here in detail. Although not the same, in most cases, the terms antique and vintage implies the same thing: that it is old. Man has a penchant for the past. They love to collect reminders from the olden days, and it is natural to do so. The past has produced some of the greatest works of art, and it is an accepted fact that there is an aesthetic allure to old things that most cannot ignore. This might be the reason some people become antique collectors. Not only do these antiques give one small glimpse of the past, they also give a good reference to what the future should be. At times, however, there is a slight confusion on what we call as antique and what we call as vintage.
What is Antique?
Antique, in a broad sense, refers to anything old. However, this term is specifically used to describe objects that have special significance as a result of its age, rarity and beauty, among other notable qualities. They usually show a certain degree of craftsmanship or a certain attention to detail. Antiques are sometimes defined as at least 100 years old, although considerations are given to the kinds of objects they are. A car, for example, is sometimes considered an antique if it is more than 50 years old. Electronic gadgets are also considered antiques even if they are only two or three decades old. Any old collectible that have a specific aesthetic value or significance can be referred to as an antique.
What is Vintage?
Vintage, on the other hand, has its origins in wine-making. A vintage, in wine-making, is the year or place in which the wine was bottled and typically, some vintages are better than others. Importing this usage to other objects, we now have vintage cars, vintage clothes among many other things. So now, calling an object vintage would mean that it represents a certain era or year. Vintage, however, does not necessarily mean that it is an antique. For example, an old cellular phone from 2001 can be called vintage but it is not exactly an antique. When a particular vintage is often pointed out, it can only mean that a particular year had been good as often is the case of wines. As such, most notable vintages of a particular object, a car for example, would be a sought after collector’s item.
What is the difference between Antique and Vintage?
Antique and vintage are both terms that refer to an object that can give us a glimpse of what the world was at that time. As such, much value has been given to these items, particularly if they are unique and rare.
An antique item can be a vintage item, but it is not necessarily the other way around. While antique refers to the object itself, vintage is a reference to what time the object was made. It is believed that an antique item must be at least 100 years old. A vintage item can be of any time and era.
Summary:
Antique vs Vintage
• Antique and vintage are used to describe old things, mostly collectibles. Most antique and vintage objects are valuable because of their rarity or uniqueness or quality.
• Antique and vintage objects offer us a glimpse of our past and history. As such, they are not only for aesthetic purposes, but for historical as well.
• Antique is used to describe the object itself while vintage refers to the time when the object was made.
• While an antique object may be of a certain vintage, a vintage object may or may not be an antique.
• Antiques, as a rule of thumb is an object 75 years or older. Vintage items do not necessarily have to be that old.
Image Attribution:
1. Antiques Shop by Jonathan Choe (CC BY-ND 2.0)
2. Vintage Plane by Pier-Luc Bergeron (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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