An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features. It is an object that represents a previous era or time period in human society. It is common practice to define "antique", as applying to objects at least 100 years old. Collectables are, generally speaking, the possible antiques of the future and generally less than 100 years old.
Antiques are usually objects which show some degree of craftsmanship, or a certain attention to design such as a desk or an early automobile.
The definition of antique varies from source to source, product to product, and year to year. However, some time-tested definitions of antique deserve consideration, such as the following:
"An item which is at least 100 years old and is collected or desirable due to rarity, condition, utility, or some other unique feature. Motor vehicles, power tools and other items subject to vigorous use in contrast
"Any piece of furniture or decorative object or the like produced in a former period and valuable because of its beauty or rarity. In the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act defined an antique as "works of art (except rugs and carpets made after the year 1700), collections in illustration of the progress of the arts, works in bronze, marble, Terra Cotta, Parian, pottery or porcelain, artistic antiquities and objects of ornamental character or educational value which shall have been produced prior to the year
These definitions allow people to make a distinction between genuine antique pieces, vintage items, and collectible objects.The alternative term antiquities commonly refers to the remains of ancient art and everyday items from antiquity, which themselves are often archaeological artifacts.