THE MUCH ADO ABOUT ANTIQUES.

The word "Antique" is taken from the French, and it denotes "ancient", "old", and from the Latin "Antiquus", denoting "former", "earlier", "ancient", "old", and from the word "Ante", denoting "before".
Antique is not a style, rather it is an umbrella term for all interior decorating styles and items older than 100 years, no matter what they are made of.

Antiques, as is generally said, "whispers stories of the past".
They allow the user or observer to reconnect with history and the people and lifestyles that went before us.
They are a living record of past generations.

Antiques are valued for so many reasons, mostly because they were made before the era of mass production, and the use of machines in manufacturing.
They are valued because they are mostly handmade and exhibit very high quality of skilled craftsmanship and workmanship.
They are valued because they were made in the era when there were no pretenders to craftsmanship and no wannabe craftsmen.
They are valued because they were made in the era when craftsmen were highly respected and plied their trade with honesty and integrity.
Antiques are valued because for an item to have endured for so long,  a hundred years or more, and remain in good condition, it must have been very well made, with the evidence of the workmanship in the way it was made.

Other things that can add value to an antique are, if the item was signed by the maker, if the item was previously owned by someone very famous, if the item was manufactured in very limited quantity, or if the design is rare.

All said and done, THEY DON'T MAKE ITEMS LIKE THEY USED TO ANYMORE.

The item in the photo, though not an antique going by the 100 years definition, is valuable all the same.
It is a rare hand painted wooden box.
It is multi purpose in that it can serve as a trinket box, a tea caddy or a decorative piece on the shelf or display cabinet.

Cheers,

Donald Onye Obimba.

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