My great aunt Jane was not only a collector of antiques but also a student of this field. Jane and her husband lived in a huge apartment on Oak Street a half block east of Michigan Avenue. Jane had inherited a great deal of money from her father, so she could easily afford this costly field.
I once asked Jane how old an item must be before it is considered an antique, and she said it takes about 100 years to become an antique, but some dealers accept as antiques items only 50 years old.
She also told me that age is not the only important factor in determining whether a piece is an antique. For example, I learned that an item may be valuable because it is a fine example of a craftsman’s skill, because it is rare, or because it serves as a reminder of a vanished civilization.
Jane sought many types of antiques. She collected old coins, rare books, and old engravings. She also owned household articles such as furniture, glassware, china, and textiles. Some of her collection were part of a family heritage and passed on from generation to generation. She passed on items to my grandmother such as a glass salt shaker, a Chippendale chair, an oak chest and a carved American cupboard. This last item she gave to her cousin along with a pewter tea set.
Jane took me to antique shops whenever I visited her home three or four times a year on weekends. I wasn’t overly interested in antiques, but after a few visits, I learned a great deal. For instance, I learned that American antiques include almost everything used by Americans of an earlier age — like kerosene lamps, guns, and glass.
I was surprised to learn, too, that not all American antiques were made in the United States. Jane told me that friends of hers who were collectors bought Chinese porcelains, Persian rugs, and Russian urns.
She was especially interested in articles from our colonial period because some of them were prized for their beauty and others were sought because they represented colonial customs and our past history.
I realized that antique collecting is a fascinating hobby as well as a field for scholarly research and business enterprise. Antiques provide a direct link to the past, and for collectors an exciting way to learn about old manners and customs.
Jane called herself an “antiquerie” because she was a student of colonial antiques, specializing in glassware and furniture. She divided the colonial collections into periods in order to make it easier for her to classify and identify individual exhibits. She also belonged to special societies in several countries to help coordinate her efforts and resources,
In the late 1950s, Jane and her husband moved to Cape Cod and took most of her antiques with her. I never collected antiques, but I understand why people become collectors establishing an important legacy for their families.
But I sure would have liked to own Jane’s two silver platters made by Paul Revere.