Antique furniture is a world all on its own. It deals with trinkets and pieces from bygone eras and attracts a niche market who see their value as an interesting detail in their lives or want to preserve relics of an ancient world.

Those who are not privy to these features may see antiques as irrelevant and unnecessary. But are these modern sensibilities applicable to furniture from a lost age? Let’s examine five false myths people believe about antique furniture:

1. Their Quality Has Gone Down

It is a hasty generalisation that all old items are no longer sturdy or of poor quality. Some old things may wear out, but that depends on the era they were made in.

Today’s furniture like desks, cabinets, and coffee tables are made from press-board, veneer, wood chips, or other affordable materials to make them accessible to the regular bloke and sheila. However, inexpensive materials also mean the structural integrity of these items are much weaker and could break easily.

Compare this to the same furniture made in the 1950s and 1960s. Instead of cheap materials, real wood was used to craft them. Though heavier and bulkier, they are much sturdier and long-lasting compared to their modern counterparts.

2. They’re Another Person’s Trash

Old does not always equate to useless. Moving away from the world of antique furniture and into cars, look at vintage automobiles restored by their owners or car enthusiasts! The chassis may be old, and the body may need a new coat of paint, but they can still work like new with the proper treatment.

It takes a remarkable eye to detect an oldie but goodie in an antique pile to make it look and run like brand new! As cliché as it sounds, sometimes a person’s trash is someone else’s treasure!

3. They’re Low-Value, Second-Hand Items

Antique items are misunderstood to be of poor value because they’re second-hand. The latter is true, while the former is false. Vintage pieces are usually second-hand as they come from a previous owner. However, it is erroneous to say vintage second-hand pieces offer low value.

As debunked in the second myth, a fully-restored antique automobile like a Gran Torino can fetch as high as $28,000, nearly four times its original price! Furniture pieces like an authentic Herman Miller chair could sell for less than $50 in a yard sale but are worth upwards of $300 when restored!

Always remember: buying vintage means purchasing something long-lasting, rare, and valuable.

4. Vintage Isn’t Popular Anymore

Antique pieces are products of their time. Their design philosophy was based on the zeitgeist of their era. It’s why early 20th-century sports coupes and luxury vehicles featured a contrast of soft curves and sharp angles, while antique furniture had a fluid symmetry and asymmetry about them.

If that’s true, then artists such as Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak should be penalised for bringing back the 70s Motown feel with their latest collaboration called Silk Sonic. Or car enthusiasts would be focused on buying shiny, modern cars instead of refurbishing older automobiles.

5. They Look Like Junk

Similar to the second myth, antique items sometimes have a patina (a thin layer formed on bronze, copper, or brass) that adds to their aged look. And while it does look like junk, serious antique collectors look for this feature as it tells them how old the piece is and how sturdy it is over the past decades or centuries. A good layer of patina increases the value of any vintage item.

Myths Busted

Antique furniture and other items aren’t old, useless junk. They are valuable old-world pieces that bring class and distinction to whoever owns them. Remind yourselves of these five myths the next time someone contradicts the truth about vintage pieces.

If you think you’ve got your hands on some unique antiques, give Cavalier Antiques and Restorations a call! We’re antique dealers in Adelaide who sell and restore a wide range of vintage items such as furniture from 1700 to 1920!