Antiques are at least eight years old and are something that does not fit in the present. What gives an antique its value is not really how old it is, but how rare it is. If an item looks like a million years old but no one wants it then it is not an antique, it is just garbage. Antiques have value, they are sought after, and people want them. If something seems like junk then it probably is. You never know for sure, so make sure you check with a professional before buying an antique.

Most people buy antiques for personal enjoyment. If something seems interesting to you then it might be worth buying even if it is not valuable, but to be honest, if something is interesting enough, then it will be valuable. People buy antiques from garage and estate sales all the time because the think they are pretty, and they end up scoring thousands of dollars when they find out that they are very rare antiques.

Antiques usually used to be very fine pieces when they were brand new. A very reputable brand name piece of furniture from long ago has a good chance of being an antique. If it was cheap back then, it will be cheap now.

It takes hard work to learn about antiques. Books are a good place to start but they usually only list the most famous. An appraiser is a good person to go to if you are willing to spend money. I suggest taking a lot of time and using an search engine to help research your antique. If you know the name of the make or model, you might be able to find out some good information about it. If you can't find anything, then it is probably just junk.

Most old items are really not worth anything. Don't get your hopes too high when you find something that you like because if it is that easy to find it then it is probably not an antique. Remember, it is hard to tell if something is an antique unless you hire a professional. In the meantime, use ebay to help see what the prices are for an item to see if it is a good item.