Why are antiques worth so much? Can't someone just make a new piece?

Question

Why are antiques worth so much? Can't someone just make a new piece?

Answer 1

Antiques are generally worth more because of the age and the condition they are in.  Yes, new pieces can be made to replicate the original, but often times it is the artist that collectors are hunting for more so than the old table or chair.  Replicas are made and sold for significantly less money, however they are worth next to nothing then.  Just think of famous paintings... there is the famous Mona Lisa worth tons of money... all of the reprints?  Worth nothing more than the paper and ink they took to make them.  The more original and one of a kind an item is, the more it is worth.  Therefor, an artist that does something by hand, is very unlikely to be able to exactly duplicate the piece.  Even if every measure, cut or stroke is the exact same as the previous, it is almost unlikely the artist will have duplicates of wood, paint mixtures etc.  Each individual difference adds character to an already one of a kind item increasing it's value and making it in high demand.

Answer 2

Yea, they can, but that would mean that it wasn't the chair that Robert E. Lee sat on to sign the papers that ended the Civil War.  People buy antiques because they like history, and owning a piece of history means something to them.  We now live in a historic town, and I get the antiques thing.  They look great in old houses, and it's fun to have a story to tell.  I know a guy who bought a steamer trunk that someone used as their suitcase when they came over from "the old country".  He researched the name inside the trunk, and found out about the person.  It was a fun hobby for him.    

Answer 3

Go to a dictionary, look up the word ANTIQUE