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Do you prefer one over the other? I'm asking because I found this on Craigslist - an antique federal period card table (or so says the seller and I have doubts) in serious need of TLC. Several weeks ago when I posted the vintage table I found at the Flea, others chimed in on how hard it was to find the antique version. The CL table is listed at $450.00 - more than double what I paid for my 40's/50's era table (I do not know the value of the antique - that is only what is posted in the ad)

So I'm just curious (nosy?) - if you are searching for a piece either decorative or functional (hopefully both ) and you are not a collector of that particular item do you choose the antique or the vintage piece?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: junk collector,

That's an easy one...vintage! Antiques have to be qualified, verified, certified, you name it! But vintage is just plain old. Maybe 50 years old, maybe 10 years old, whatever...and you don't feel bad about painting it.

Whichever is cheapest...

I hate to be negative but I doubt that is a REAL federal table -- it's REAL Federal STYLE, however, probably the same era as your table actually! And it looks like it's had a rougher life than yours!

I've always called anything "old" antique although if you go by the rule of 100 years, many of our pieces don't qualify.

I buy what I like but prefer something old to something new and I suppose that our 20's things are coming close to becoming "antique" rather than "vintage"!

Martha

I agree with Linderhof

I prefer antique, no question about it.

Vintage can be fun though, and much less expensive, and less serious. Vintage is a great place for experimentation, and getting to know what you like in terms of styles.

quote:

Originally posted by Linderhof:
I hate to be negative but I doubt that is a REAL federal table -- it's REAL Federal STYLE, however, probably the same era as your table actually! And it looks like it's had a rougher life than yours!

You're not being negative at all! It doesn't look right for 1820 (as the seller claims) and I too doubt that it is the real deal (and sooooo not in good condition). And I checked CL this am (such a bad habit of mine) and the seller has cut the price, though still too high.

Any of my true antiques have been passed to me by family, so I've not ventured into the world of collecting/buying - yet But I have developed a passion for vintage - easier to find and less expensive. Tomorrow's antiques today, I guess!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: junk collector,

When we first got married we were very poor and our furniture choices were:

new -- mediterranean style furniture with plastic fronts and pressboard covered with veneer sides and tops which was affordable for us.

new -- real wood furniture which we couldn't afford.

used -- (what is now called vintage) which was even cheaper than the new mediterranean.

We chose the latter. And even though we've upgraded over the years, we would never even think of going into a real furniture store to buy furniture (except mattresses!).

And by buying "used", when we upgraded we got at least what we paid for our pieces or sometimes more -- try that with new furniture!

Martha

I prefer Antiques. I like Vintage pieces that I can play with and paint and change up, but I would not do that with genuine antiques.

Everything else being equal, I would definitely prefer to buy an authentic antique anything.

The latest piece we bought was a small table. Not all antiques of course are fine furniture, the designation really refers to the age of the item. We have a pine chest that is certainly antique but not grand. We have an Empire sofa that is good looking but uncomfortable.

We have my grandmother's maple desk that is utilitarian but not antique although vintage.

We should all remember though that everything. . . given proper care . . . will become antique so think twice about what you do to that "vintage" piece!

I am taking a course called "Saving stuff" what it really means is "Preserving stuff" in other words how to give objects the proper care. See the items on this table? They all should have a barrier of some kind between them and the wood of the table. The table should not be waxed (nothing else, no sprays, no oils etc.) more than once or twice a year.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: lady of shallot,

This looks like the Duncan Phyfe stuff from the 40's. It is a nice shape though. When redoing the tops of these tables you usually find it is veneered and hard to get looking flawless again.
These types of furniture were sold at Sears and furniture stores. The pedestal becomes loose if moved around too much. We picked up our dining room table once to move it and both pedestals fell off! DH fixed them to be more permanent.

These look wonderful painted a bold color too to modernize. Just google DF tables painted to see.

Yours has a pretty pedestal detail.
Here is a picture of my DF pedestal, this table was made by Drexel.

Wow Mary Ruth - that is a beauty!

quote:

Originally posted by Graciepj:
Whichever is cheapest...

I agree with Graciepj, whatever is cheapest, because i'm going to paint that rustic right out of it.

junk collector,
Thanks! I sold that set for more than I paid for it, I do miss the detail, but not its delicate-ness! lol

quote:

Originally posted by Linderhof:
I suppose that our 20's things are coming close to becoming "antique" rather than "vintage"!

I have a Gibbard sideboard I bought several years ago that will become an antique soon as it was made in the early 1920's. It's value will not change for me when it becomes an antique. Whether vintage or antique doesn't matter to me as long as I like the style and it's either in good condition or so bad that it needs paint to rescue it. I also prefer that the price be low enough that I can believe I got a good deal altho I have overpaid for things I like.

I don't like veneered pieces unless they are in pristine condition and neither do I like the small scale of some antique and vintage dining room chairs. Still have regrets for selling my large and heavy antique dining chairs and am looking for similar ones.

LOS -- Interesting about wood -- I do use those little felt pads on whatever "knick knacks" I set on my tables.

In England, they dusted the furniture with chamois -- I bought one and it does work really well -- I don't use Pledge type stuff on my furniture but I do use a natural beeswax product sometimes -- but definitely more than once a year!

Martha

quote:

but definitely more than once a year!

According to our instructor and also the text book (SMithsonian curator wrote it) more than twice a year is too much. Also get this. . . you should remove all jewelry and wear just a t-shirt and sweat pants when dusting!

No sprays on glass either! Spray the rag and then apply to glass.

BTW I am a walking compendium on what not to do!

I was watching a show on HGTV the other day and it was 2 brothers redoing a home for the owner and they painted a dining room table yellow. I have always been against painting antiques or vintage furniture but that looked so lovely I have to now rethink that prejudice.

LOS -- I'll try that for I'm a sprayer on glass and then wiping -- in fact I may go down now and try it on my coffee table which is a daily wipe (there are always DH rings on it!)

Where would the Pledge people be if we didn't spray their things on a daily or weekly basis? Out of business?

Oh, and also, in England at one of the houses, they were dusting with a horsehair brush!

Martha

quote:

Originally posted by Graciepj:
Whichever is cheapest...

That's about it for me too.

I can appreciate antiques but it doesn't matter to me if it is authentic or reproduction. I like to change things up too often.

quote:

Oh, and also, in England at one of the houses, they were dusting with a horsehair brush!

Yes, we saw films of that kind of thing in this class. Someone brushing silver (hollow ware) with what looked like a 1/4 " brush and then cleaning with denatured alcohol with a q tip.

BTW what I meant about being a walking compendium on what not to do is that I do everything wrong! I boil silver, I use Murphy's oil soap and other cleaners. The only thing I do right is to not clean anything too often which believe it or not is the best way to take care of things!

LOS -- I cleaned today the mirrors/coffee table/front door glass spraying first on rag and then wiping -- rather than spraying on the glass and wiping off!

I have never been pleased with glass cleaners -- and have tried many different brands -- now I think it wasn't the cleaners but the method!

I am amazed at how much better my glass/coffee table/mirrors look using the squirt on rag method versus the spraying on the glass/mirror itself method!

And you use far less product that way! Thanks for the tip -- but I am still wondering about denatured alcohol on silver?

Martha

Good tip on spraying the cloth, Lady of Shallot. I'll remember that. I've converted to using microfiber cloths for dusting. I guess microfiber might be the modern equivalent of chamois?

Depending on the age of course. I love very fine veneered furniture. The beautiful Cuban mahogany used on American Classical furniture from 1820 to around 1840-50, as well as the exotic woods used during the 1930's and 40's.The Moderne furniture might be considered "vintage" because it is not 100 years old, but value and price wise it is in the calibre of antiques.

BTW, the Federal style card table in the pic from Craigslist is probably from the 50's and definitely not worth $450.

Like Charles, I am crazy about Moderne furniture. In general, I prefer pieces from the 20th c., through the 60s.

The oldest pieces we have is a 1930 era Art Deco Bedroom set from my FIL and a 1958 Century dresser. Neither can be classified as true antiques so I guess my answer would be vintage.