Antique vs Vintage vs Retro

CjH

CjH

Messages
804
Location
Bedford
So what's the Difference?

Some people often look for vintage or antique items. But what's the difference between them?

Well according to a well known search engine, many posts site that for an item to be Antique it must be at least 100 yrs old or older. Whereas, a vintage item is viewed somewhat differently, there are some that view vintage items after 20-25 years, others even to the point of 40 years.

And then there is the category of Retro. What makes somthing Retro? Well apparently Retro items may have no age whatsoever. A Retro item could be fresh off the injection mould line but be in the style of a bygone era.

So when it comes to Razors, soaps and blades I guess they fall into all these categories. I personally believe I have 2-3 Antique razors, a handful of Vintage Razors and stash of the Retro kind.

Me on the other hand.... I'm definitely Vintage....

Ever considered what category your collection falls into?
 
My definition:

Retro: can be older items but mostly newly made stuff that tries to stir up some nostalgia in the buyer. Think alarm clocks that look like the old wind-up type but run on batteries.

Vintage: old stuff but not too old. A leather jacket from the 70’s or so.

Antique: old stuff that is generally over 100 years old. A bronze Penny from the Victorian era or so.
 
J23 said:
My definition:

Retro: can be older items but mostly newly made stuff that tries to stir up some nostalgia in the buyer. Think alarm clocks that look like the old wind-up type but run on batteries.

Vintage: old stuff but not too old. A leather jacket from the 70’s or so.

Antique: old stuff that is generally over 100 years old. A bronze Penny from the Victorian era or so.
Click to expand...
I agree with your vintage and antique definitions, but I'm less kind with retro, which is mostly cheap fake crap.
 
Age ... and in part, compatibility with current life.

Antique - Gem lather catchers (circa 1880) that held the wedge-type blade, incompatible (directly) with anything you can buy today

Vintage - Gem Damaskeene (circa 1912) which is old but can be used with blades available today

Retro - Gem Contour (circa 1980) ... within living memory

... Model T Ford, Ford Anglia & Ford Sierra Cosworth.
 
pjgh said:
Almost interchageable with "repro"(duction).
Click to expand...
Like modern vinyl records where they simply copied a CD to vinyl. In the ‘old days’ the real mastertapes from the studio would have been used. I’m not at all into vinyl records but it is said that it makes a lot of difference with CD copies being regarded as ‘fake’.
 
As far as cars are concerned, vintage is pre 1931. That was set by the Vintage Sports Car Club way back when. It's down to hand built quality..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom