What's going on with kids today? No one wants my antiques!

Hummel - School Boys

Hummel – School Boys

Ok, the day has come. You finally get to retire and settle down in Florida!!! You are down sizing from a 4 bedroom house in Long Island, New York into a 2 bedroom condo overlooking the pool in Boca. Now all you have to do is give the beautiful items in your home to all the children and grandchildren. The only thing you have to worry about is who gets what because you don’t want them to fight. However, to your dismay, they don’t want any of it. How could this be? These things have been in the family for years!!!!

The sad truth is that we are in a new generation where these wonderful antique items are no longer appreciated. The china that is close to 100 years old takes up too much space, after all how often do we serve 12 people for dinner? Paper plates will be just fine. Sterling flatware, who wants to shine silver all the time? How about the Waterford glasses we got as our wedding presents? Are you kidding, costs close to $100 a glass in the store and you can’t even put them in the dishwasher! It will be easier to let them stay in the cabinet. They can definitely use the inlaid mahogany furniture. It cost a fortune even back then!!!! This is true, but it also costs a pretty penny to move it. Ikea makes furniture that can fit it my trunk, and for the price, it’s ok that it needs to be put together. Last, but not least, the Hummels. They were brought back by grandpa 50 years ago, all the way from Germany!!!! Sorry to say, the kids will be selling them on ebay for peanuts. Many collectibles are just too old fashioned.

Of course, this is a generalization. You might be one of the lucky ones who have family members that still enjoy these things. People who know that back in the day things were made to last. Those that still believe entertaining family and friends should be done often and not just on high holidays once or twice a year. Not likely, the market is flooded with these antiques and it has been this way for the past few years. Not to worry, many old items are still very salable. Please see next post for that information.