A Newbie's Guide To Collecting Vintage & Antiques

Maybe it’s the hint at prestige that chipping paint seems to signify, the (outdated?) given that anything old—money or a half-moon table—is somehow better than the same thing, new. Or maybe it’s mystery, of past houses and lives gone by, or that patinas can be so rich they’re just as much watercolors as rot and rust.

But don’t lose sleep over the reason: Antiques have always be in, vintage is very in, and even if the term changes we can count on the fact that old stuff will always have value. Shopping for it, on the other hand, can be weirdly uninviting: What business do I have being in this store, and what exactly should I be buying?

I spoke with Andrea Stanford, a past vintage editor at One Kings Lane and now the brand director for Everything But The House (a very cool company that brings estate sales to your computer screen), about this intimidating aspect of antique shopping. She rattled off a dozen reasons, hardly stopping to breathe, that anyone should feel confident vintage shopping—and here are my favorite ten of them.

Words by Amanda Sims at Food52

[Photo via @ebth]