Vintage vs. Antique
Does it even matter?
Image courtesy of the Boston Public Library
Vintage. Antique. Retro. Old.
Sometimes people ask me the difference between vintage and antique. Given my occupation, I should be able to give a solid answer, but the difference between the two is a bit ambiguous, particularly for someone who adores anything sanctioned by Merriam-Webster.
Alas MW - the juggernaut of words - fails to provide the clarity I seek. Here are the definitions, according to merriam-webster.com:
ANTIQUE: existing since or belonging to earlier times
VINTAGE (once you get past everything related to wine): of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality
Super fancy people - like antique dealers - consider anything older than 100 years antique. It doesn’t matter what it is. A 110 year-old nail is just as antique-y as a 110 year-old photograph. (Although the nail is probably more likely to give you tetanus if handled improperly.)
Vintage items are younger (again, according to fancy people). Basically, anything produced before 2002 but after 1922 is vintage. Like me. 😊
The value of something is not strictly based on how old it is. Age matters, but so do condition and availability. And even MORE important is how much someone is willing to pay for it!
If you found a pristine first edition copy of Sinclair Lewis’s novel Babbitt (Harcourt, Brace, & Co., New York, 1922), it would be worth around $100.00. That’s really not that much; there are plenty of them floating around. If your Babbitt were dinged up a bit, or didn’t have the dust jacket, or had a dinged up dust jacket, or something else bookishly horrible, it would be worth even less.
Should you be interested in reading this satire on American life, you can buy a copy of Babbitt on AMAZON for $4.99.
On to retro and old.
The definition of RETRO is a bit clearer than those of antique and vintage; it refers specifically to the style and fashions of the past. Like this glorious pink tile.
Image from unsplash.com
Or absolutely everything worn in this photo from the 1970s:
Image from unsplash.com
Now for my pithy conclusion:
It’s all just old and interesting
(Like me!)
Jeu de Mots
According to wordhippo.com (my favorite site for synonyms), jeu de mots means “play on words,” which sounded more appropriate than Victorian pun which is all this really is.
MERRIAM-WEBSTER - however - helped me figure out how to pronounce it. Since I’m notoriously inept with French.
Vintage Pattern
Because there’s nothing more magical about the Victorian era than pillows with excessive ruffles and lace accented with oddly placed skinny ribbon and flowers.
I also feel like this collection isn’t complete without a toilet paper cozy.
Palette
If only that were MY collection of old thread!
Mix-Tape Must-Have
This song is its own mood.
AND it samples The Smiths’ How Soon is Now.
Genius.
