how old is vintage?

[vintageruch5tami]

I think I know the answer to this but I want to make sure. How old does something generally have to be, to be considered vintage?

[redneckcarter]

webster's defines it as simply an "earlier time" but suggests no date or specific time. something about the item should probably denote that it is from a particular time but saying it's 5 years, 10 years, or 20 is just making something up. people who buy vintage know exactly what they are looking for and rarely care exactly when something was made. it needs to look the part. collectors who buy simply to collect need something to define a piece so they can brag about it's value...

[mispaty]

I personally use vintage for items 25yo or older.

Of course wines are a different story....

[scottyz2cents]

I've worked in the Antique business for a long time and before Martha Stewart... before eBay (yes, even before eBay) the word Vintage was always used with a date. As mentioned above, it's meaningless without a date attached to it, and *usually* denotes something that will typify an era...

Example: A Lava Lamp is Vintage 60's
That Corvair is Vintage 60's
Disco music is Vintage 80's, etc.

However EBAY has redefined (through usage, which is what our language does).... the word Vintage to more or less mean something 'kinda' old. There is no set definition of the age applied to the word Vintage as it's being used today, and therefore the confusion.

But those that have stated on here about Vintage being used with a date is absolutely correct. Without a date it's meaning is vague and useless.... but that's been working for eBay, lol~!

I expect to see the definition change officially in the near future to clarify meaning.

And yes, an Antique is 100 years old or older. :-)

~This is NOT an authentication. This is an opinion only, and can be subject to error. This poster is not paid or compensated in any way for opinions stated~ ~~~Proud Member of the Anti-NEW-Coach Coalition~~~

[nostalgicthreads]

25 years

[ace-2-u]

Any good dictionary will provide multiple definitions for "vintage." I gather from reading the definitions in my dictionary that to use the word "vintage" alone is not wrong. Because of that, I can't quite agree with those who wrote that a date must be used with the word "vintage"; however, I certainly agree that to do so is much more illuminating, and it would be my personal preference.

Regarding the use of dates, I would like to point out that there is no need for an apostrophe before the "s" - for example, 1970s is correct, while 1970's is not. The decade is neither possessive nor is it a contraction. If a writer wishes to shorten the decade to the '70s, then an apostrophe is used before the number to indicate the omission of the figures "1" and "9" - but note there is still no apostrophe before the "s."

Post Script: I just did a spell-check for this message and it told me to use the apostrophe before the "s" in both cases, but I know this to be wrong. So, perhaps the fact that so many people are using the dates in the incorrect manner has to do with a faulty spell-checker! If any readers would like to read the rules, they can do so in "The Gregg Reference Manual."

[mesvs]

i suppose something old and rare..wich is not available now makes a thing vintage...

[lhans]

Excluding alcoholic beverages, vintage is generally a accepted term for items over 20 years old. As an example, in order to get a vintage license plate for your car, it must be 20 years old or more. When listing on EBAY, I would not be concerned about date if you don't know it. The collectors know what they are looking for. If you know the year then add it. It always helps in the sale. I would rather see the word vintage than the misuse of the word scarce or rare. Ebay has shown us that many items we thought were scarce or rare prior to the internet are actually quite common. To be classified as antique, a item must be 100 years old or more. If you ship internationally and designate as antique, your item must be 100 years old. Generally, antiques have lower import duties. The funny thing is if you go into most antique malls or stores, the majority of items are vintage and not antique. It seems antique dealers use the term antique pretty loosely themselves. When I take a day to go antiquing and take a drive, I expect to be able to browse thru antiques. More often than not I end up looking at vintage items from the 40's,50's, 60's and sometimes even the 70's. Most antique store should call them selves vintage stores or vintage malls and then designate space inside for true antiques.

[myshabbichic]

Just to stir the pot.

According to Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary, all of the above answers are correct depending on whether you are using the word vintage as a noun or an adjective.

The first 3 definitions for vintage as a noun all have to do with wine BUT number 4 states - 4. A year or time of origin, i.e. a uniform of 1914 vintage.

When it is used as an adjective, there are 3 definitions:
1. Of or relating to a vintage.
2. Characterized by excellence and lasting popularity.
3. Representative of the best, i.e. stories that were vintage Saroyan.

IMHO the date or era should be included with the word vintage when used in a title. But, there are always exceptions. For example, some things are recognized as vintage because the manufacturer or craftsman has been out of busines for 30 years or more and the item in question may have been made at anytime over a 20 year or more period - i.e. Vintage Glasbake Milk Glass Exxon Advertising Mug. The exact decade or year the mug was made could range from the 50s to the 70s but it is vintage as Glasbake shut down in the late 70s early 80s.

I'm sure there are other exceptions. Bottom line is what is going to help the buyer find your item. They may not know exactly what they are looking for but they have a general idea. A lady is shopping for a scarf, she wants a vintage one with a mod abstract look - a title with 1960s Vintage Scarf Modern Design Vivid Colors is probably going to get her attention quicker than a title without the date.

[franniebob]

The word "vintage" is definitely overused and abused on eBay. I've e-mailed several sellers and asked them how old their item is. Almost all of them have no idea; so, I don't bid.

[843firstof3sisters]

I want to thank all of you for your wisdom,and information. I am new here and trying to learn as much as I can.

[ms.limited]

Here we go again.

[raswan876]

I think an old thing to be vintage has to be from another period like 30-40-50 year old, here are some old things that can be vintage.

[cad777864]

Lets clear this up.

According to Websters dictionary vintage means a item from that era.

Photos here are being sold as vintage, well if the person or pose was from the 1930s, then the photo should be from the 1930s.  You cannot list a Mae west photo that was taken in 1933 and it be a reprint from 1990 and call it vintage because it is not from that era.  All this makes this photo is a reprint. 

So, any reproduction of any nature even if it was done 10 years after is NOT vintage, any reprints/reproductions need to be stopped from  being called vintage. 

[onagonag]

vintage has to be used with other words like 1950's vintage or 1930's vintage it does not describe a time unless you use a year

[pi845]

This question will never be satisfactorily answered, or at least there are a lot of eBayers who will disregard any definitions, Websters or not.  Etsy, another giant online marketplace for craftspeople and sellers of vintage and antique wares, prohibits listing anything as vintage unless it is at least 20 years old.  That prohibition is widely abused as dollar store items can be found on Etsy, just as they are on eBay, billed as vintage and for the unsophisticated buyers of the world, once again, they are being taken.  Policing can only go so far.  For honest sellers who want to provide their buyers with their best information I consider my items worthy of the "vintage" designation if they are 20 years old or older and bear some sort of collectible quality.  I use the word "vintage" as the first word in my title and use the decade somewhere else in my title (usually at the end).  I do admit to stretching the "antique" title a bit, but not by much.  I am considering certain things, especially from the 1920s-1930s antiques and I don't think too many people would consider that fraudulent.