The traditional definition has been: antiques 100 years or over; vintage, under 100 to 50 years; and collectibles everything else. With changing interests this has become somewhat blurry. I'm sure my granddaughter would consider her new American Doll a collectible. Some take into account an item's value, but to a collector sometimes the least expensive item can be the most valuable in terms of sentiment.
This antique, brass candlestick is an fine example, probably made in the 1850's. It has a, "push up", mechanism in the center which allows the candle to be used to the very end. This was important because the housewife probably made her own candles. It has a soft patina. Should you polish it? That's up to the collector. With any antique, it's wise to be careful when cleaning or refinishing. Originally brass was buffed to a high gloss and if you go to the Winterthur Museum, in Delaware, you will see all their brass displayed that way. My grandfather was English and had a brass collection. He would polish it, and everyone's shoes, every Sunday morning, before he went and did the brass at his church. As a child, I loved to help him, and that is probably why I love to polish my silver and brass today.
Most people would consider this knitting and crochet book, published in 1950, Baby Gems by Nell Armstrong a collectible. Nell, the author of many popular knitting books had a store in Lowell, MA for many years. She was a neighbor of ours, and I was able to ask her about her business. She told me that she started to stay up all night working on her designs. She then had people in one of the shelter programs, in Lowell, test her patterns. The president of Woolworths asked her to design and sell her book in his stores, where many of you probably remember finding them.
