Things are changing in the world of antiques and sales prices have changed over time significantly. According to The New York Times, prices are down 80% from where they were twenty years ago. Let that sink in. That’s a big shift. Since many readers are interested in antiques, I thought it would be worth discussing why things are down, and if things will change anytime soon. Here are my thoughts. Firstly, I’m not sure where they got that number. Some items are up while others are down. Some antiques are only slightly cheaper, while others are way down. Victorian antiques, oriental rugs, china cabinets, for example, are way down in price.
Why are antiques selling for less?
This is for several reasons. One reason is that many antiques are maghony, and maghony furniture fell out of favor several years ago when gray and white furniture came into vogue. Another reason antiques in general are not selling as well, is because baby-boomers are downsizing their homes, and flooding the market with antiques and other furniture. Add to that, the fact that many more people are buying open concept homes which don’t require as much furniture. Large antique cabinets, bookcases and china cabinets seem too large for today’s look, and often don’t work well with open-concept homes. One last reason is that millennials seem more drawn to new furniture that doesn’t require a hunt. Many prefer to simply go to Restoration Hardware, Target, or even Ikea for something less expensive made overseas.
Have all antiques lost their value?
The high end antiques and more unique pieces have held their value better than the pieces that are easy to find. As I mentioned before, the maghony furniture also is more affected by the downturn. Smaller antique pieces are more popular then oversized ones. And painted furniture seems to be more popular than the brown furniture. Designers are still using antiques in design, but typically they are not furnishing the entire room with antiques, as they might have in the past. It’s not as common to see a room completely made up of antiques.
Should you sell your antique furniture now?
Since the market is down, you won’t get top dollar for your pieces right now. So if you need to, then go ahead, but if you can wait, that might be best. Personally, I think there is a good chance prices will go up later.
Should you buy antiques now?
If you are interested in buying antiques, now is the time! It’s a fabulous time to buy. If you are in the market for antiques, go for it! If you are looking to buy for investment purposes, I am not sure I would do that. There’s no guarantee that your specific items will appreciate greatly. I do believe prices will adjust back up at some point, but I don’t know how long that will take, or how high prices will go. Some things will go up more than others. Antique oriental rugs are way down in value, so if you like those, it’s an especially great time to buy.
Are some antiques still popular right now?
Yes! Antique silver is still very popular right now. Tea sets and tea cups are very much in demand. Antique linens, enamelware, ironstone, first edition books, flags, perfume bottles, Christmas ornaments, and musical instruments are hot now. There are many antiques that are still very popular.
Will antiques become more popular again?
I think the answer here is yes! Trends swing one way and then another. It happens over and over again. I think antiques will become hot again before long. Many antiques (especially French antiques) are classics that will always be in style, even if they aren’t the latest thing. So don’t go ditching your antiques! Keep them and enjoy them. I also feel we have a responsibility to keep them for future generations. In the early years of the United States, people kept old things out of financial necessity (they couldn’t afford a lot of new things) but they didn’t exactly appreciate antiques. Then when the centennial came around in 1876, people became fascinated with things that were made around 1776. The same thing happened during the bicentennial in 1976, when colonial furniture and accessories once again became popular. Antiques seem to fall in and out of fashion over time.
I love antiques, but I also have another motive for buying antiques. I want to preserve as much as we can for the future, so I feel a responsibility to keep these things safe, and well maintained. I love history and I love old things. So if you are looking for antiques, go for it! It’s a great time to buy, and they will add so much personality to your home.
Totally agree with your assessment Anita. I have seen the change especially in furniture. My mother-in-law recently passed away and some of her furniture (which we and other family members) didn’t need or no place for it, had a hard time selling and practically gave away with no where to store it. I am holding on to my treasures and still enjoy looking to see what is out there.
We still enjoy our antique furniture. In many ways the quality is superior to new furniture. The thing
I have seen with new furniture is that the grain is painted on the wood. I bought a large table and found
that with time the finish wears off along with the grain! Some pieces convert to modern usage such
as a buffet can become the set up for ones TV/music player and the inside for the mechanisms to run it.
We bought the pieces we have and inherited and I do note the prices can fluctuate. I am not a fan of painted antique and try to buy a good piece to began with.
I’ve never cared much for antique furniture, nor the dark finishes, but I’m especially drawn to smaller meaningful, painted or lighter colored pieces, such as dining/parlor chairs and small tables. My favorite antiques are dishware serving pieces and random antique kitchen utensils. We were a very poor family with nothing of value that survived the generations to be passed down, but I do have a couple of items that I’ve purchased that I enjoy immensely, and happily mix in with my contemporary/traditional decor. It’s all about what you love …..
I agree with you. I love antiques for their beauty, their connection to the past and it is a way to protect our environment by recycling. I have antiques in my house and 2 antique shops. It is not for financial gain, as you say many antiques have gone down in price but one meets very interesting people while buying and selling antiques.
I only have a few antique pieces but I love what I have. What drives me crazy is people taking beautiful wooden pieces and painting them. I understand the trend for lighter colors and I love the look but why not buy something from Ikea and paint it if you must. I also understand taking a piece that needs repairs and giving it a new life.
That will give the new generation of furniture restorers a job to take off the paint.
I am archiving this post so I can show it to my hubby the next time I buy a fabulous antique!
Have a great week Anita!
my family has been involved with antiques since the early 1970’s so I grew up learning all about these things. I love them and will inherit my mom’s inventory from her antiques business which my father (95), brother and I still work at..we do waaaaay fewer shows than in my parents’ and antques’ heyday, but we are still active.. I think they bring such a great essence to decorating, a warmth, and, YES, you don’t need to be slavish to the styles–mix it up BUT include something really antique!
I am fully taking advantage of the low cost of antiques. I just bought a beautiful French antique cabinet in great condition with ormolu and Marquetry inlays and a lovely marble top for a fraction of what I would have spent 10 years ago. French vintage style is so versatile and allows you to mix modern with the vintage and looks great.
I will always love antiques no matter what the trend. We have many family pieces and they mix so well with the white couches and other painted antique pieces I have acquired over the years. Even the large and dark pieces look good if used correctly. We are downsizing and I have figured a way to still use most of the pieces in one way or another. The only pieces I will regret selling is my large dining room set that has a table, 8 chairs , a china cabinet, a sideboard and a server. The piece I will miss the most is the cabinet because for some reason, silver does not tarnish in it. I have never been able to find out why, but the wood has some kind of sweet smell when you open it. My husband’s grandmother had it in an antebellum house which had a very large dining room. Most new furniture is made so poorly and will not stand the test of time. Antiques will come back.
I think it’s a great time to buy. When we got married, Danish Modern suites and Mediterranean suites were in style. Thank God we couldn’t afford those. We had hand me downs which were antique. And we bought more, gradually. I love them, and agree that they are much higher quality than the mass produced schlock. I think those who are turning up their noses at antiques, preferring a faux farmhouse look, will live to regret it!
I totally agree! The faux farmhouse look is just as bad as the faux French Country which is actually just American Flea Market leaning Romantic with a few vintage French or other European vintage items. Real European and American made antiques will pass the test of time. The mass produced furniture from the popular stores that’s being made and sold today, including antique style reproductions, are of very low quality materials and craftsmanship.
As a “Baby Boomer” myself, I have seen so many trends come and go. I bought a solid mahogany buffett and dining table at an estate sale in 1985 and gave the table away last year. I have wanted to move the buffett out but cannot get anything for it. So sad because it is from the 50’s and so well made. I thought about painting it but couldn’t bring myself to do that either so the elephant in the dining room stays for now. I hope one day that someone will get it that appreciates the value of an antique piece and will enjoy it. They just don’t make furniture like they did long ago. I enjoyed the article, thanks for sharing your knowledge of antiques.
Anita, I agree with your thoughts here. Antiques, like most things, circle back around. I do believe that the millennials are more mobile and don’t want to be tied down with a lot of things, especially furniture. I’m at the age that most think I should be downsizing, but in reality, I still find a lot of pleasure living with the things we have acquired through the 44 years of our marriage. Why would I want to part with those things? Age doesn’t stop me from adding things I love either. Antique shopping is filled with the joy of the hunt! Thanks for this interesting and informative post.
I totally agree with the comment about not having to down size. Why must we feel we have to downsize? My husband and I are healthy and happy and we love to add antiques to our decorating. They are well made and you don’t see yourself coming and going. Our home is unique. We are currently in the process of selling our home and we are not downsizing! We love our space and our antiques and after many years of working hard we do not want to downsize. We want to enjoy what we have worked so hard to accomplish. One more thought- we have 9 grandchildren and as they grow we find we need more space not less. Lol
I just returned from a trip in Ireland and was really hoping to get some great pieces for my collection. We could not find one spot in the four cities we visited. In one city we were told that antiques no longer pay the rent,so they do not sell them any longer. He said 10 years ago it was great but now no one wants them. I was very sorry about it cause one of the things I wanted to do was go antiquing. I know my kids do not want my items either. Everyone has their own taste. Thanks.
My mom told me if I could help her find some antiques that she would like to use to decorate her house. As far as I know, there are still some antique shops available but I will have to research. I found interesting when you said that the high-end antiques and more unique pieces have held their value better than the pieces that are easy to find.
If you are still looking for High end Victorian Antiques I have a beautiful collection that I am looking to sell. Best place to see them is on Zillow where my home is listed 116 West Lawrence St. New Iberia La 70563. Many of these pieces came from MS RAU on Royal St New Orleans La
It’s cool that antiques made of mahogany are selling for less since baby-boomers are downsizing their home. My friend actually needs to buy a new couch, so these tips could really help her. Thanks for discussing antiques and why they’re selling for a cheaper price than normal.
Thanks for the assurance that trends come and go so antiques will always have a time in the spotlight one way or another. I’m thinking about selling some of my antique furniture because I’m planning to scale down on my lifestyle, especially the size of the home where I will live in the future. The instant cash that I will be getting from the antiques will hopefully significantly affect my funds for buying a smaller house.
I am one of those people who love dark mahogony furniture. I have been very lucky to inherit quite a bit from my great aunts. Instead of referring to it as Victorian, I found a style name in an Ethan Allen catolog, British Colonial. Imagine the British homes in Jamacia, or the Bahamas. When I brought my newly adopted 16 year old daughter on a visit to the Bahamas, we were visiting the home of an old friend. She gasped at his furnishings and commented that she now understood mine. He was stunned, and asked, doesn’t everyone in America have furniture like this? She shook her head and said Noooo. After a week on the island with it’s pink buildings and flamingoes, she understood more about me than ever.
Thank you for a very informative lesson on antiques. I am 80 years old and I have mahogany bedroom and living room furniture which I love. My antique furniture came from my Grandmother and a few pieces from my Mother. My Mother preferred a more modern style, so when I married she gave me her old things and she got some new. We were both happy. Unfortunately, our two sons will probably give everything to Goodwill.
What good comments these all are! The article is spot on.
My adult 30 ish children are getting fed up with replacing IKEA furniture that falls apart. Thank goodness! But they still only like the lighter woods and not heavy furniture. All of this affects the market.
They want very few of my things. No dishes. That group seems to be very isolated. A actual dinner for friends, where one sits down , is not even a thought. Now after covid, they may be more insular.
So we can hope we can keep some of he better pieces in circulation, as a culture to dismiss the past is not healthy. I also think it’s the affluence. As someone said, they got old furniture because it was all they could afford! It’s been a good run!
I agree with you, we must preserve our history. If we don’t , the next generation will turn around and wonder where ” they came from”. I am particularly concerned about hand crafted objects and furniture.
It’s great that you talked about how antiques give style to our home. Recently, my wife and I decided it was time to change our home’s look. We’re re-decorating it, and we’d love to add some antique pieces, so we’ll be sure to look into it. Thanks for the tips on antique pieces and how to keep them in a good state.
I have some antiques available for sale, any interested buyer should DM me though my email jabirsuleman81@gmail.com
My husband and I sold antiques for ten years up until Covid hit. I think high quality English, French, and American antiques and their faithfully executed reproductions will always be valued, even though their price, level of popularity, and how they are used in a room setting will swing back and forth over the decades. I sometimes think that the thousands of pieces of so-called “colonial” furniture made during the 20th century (centennial and bi-centennial fever driven!) have given the thought of “antiques” a bad aura. If a shopper sees eleven dining chairs with poorly proportioned frames and bulky legs, , it is understandable if he fails to grasp the beauty in the well designed and crafted twelfth chair that he might FINALLY come upon! Just like books, clothing, wines, architecture, and so many other outlets of creative expression, exposure to the best teaches and trains the eye how to recognize quality, and therefore reject examples that are less so. Beautiful things will always have an audience, be it large or small. ❤️