How old is Vintage?

[eyebull]

...or antique for that matter?

Just received now the oldest gun in my collection from a member here; at approximately 100 yrs old it can comfortably claim to be both Vintage and Antique. But where do you think the cutoff point is?
The BSA 240 hasn't been sold for 20 years - does this count as vintage?
The HW45 (like myself) is pushing 40, so is this a vintage gun even though it's still in production?

Wheres the line for you?

[Mach 1.5]

Antiques are items which must be at least 100 years old. That means, as of the date of posting, an antique item was made on or before Jan of 1922. Mach 1.5

[Bullnose]

It’s old, tatty and not very accurate when you are shooting it, it’s vintage when you want to sell it.

[Nikkormat]

Pre-WW1 - veteran
Inter-war - vintage
Post-war to about 1990 - classic

I'd describe the BSA 240 Magnum as "modern collectible".

Matt

[edbear2]

Antiques are items which must be at least 100 years old. That means, as of the date of posting, an antique item was made on or before Jan of 1922. Mach 1.5

You have obviously never been to any "antiques" centres around here .....Chinese replica motoring signs etc. everywhere!

Vintage is generally 25 years or so in the modern way of describing stuff, some say 40, it's all hazy with loads of argument and I would venture totally a pointless disussion, you could call say a 1948 Airsporter "classic" or "vintage" depending on the buyer, most 18-30 year olds would consider it Vintage, heck they would consider anything 20 years old Vintage

From some random Antique dealer website about old stuff;

" Antiques are 100 years or older. Vintage, on the other hand, doesn’t have to be terribly old to be considered “vintage”.. early 2000’s could be vintage. However, would anyone want to buy something as vintage that new? That I couldn’t tell you. The majority of truly vintage items are 80’s and earlier. Some things from the 90’s are starting to get labeled vintage."

ATB, ED

[eyebull]

Pre-WW1 - veteran
Inter-war - vintage
Post-war to about 1990 - classic

I'd describe the BSA 240 Magnum as "modern collectible".

Matt

Ah but this doesn't really take into account the passage of time does it?
Surely at some point the 240 will cease to be modern, pass through vintage and eventually into antique?

[eyebull]

Vintage is generally 25 years or so in the modern way of describing stuff, some say 40, it's all hazy with loads of argument and I would venture totally a pointless disussion, you could call say a 1948 Airsporter "classic" or "vintage" depending on the buyer, most 18-30 year olds would consider it Vintage, heck they would consider anything 20 years old Vintage

Do you think in some quarters there might be some reluctance to class something as 'vintage' that some remember from adulthood?
It might be a tacit admission of holding 'vintage' status oneself

[Jerry Cornelius]

Antiques are items which must be at least 100 years old. That means, as of the date of posting, an antique item was made on or before Jan of 1922. Mach 1.5

Not directly relevant to the question but there are the The Antique Firearms Regulations 2021, which say antique is anything before 1/9/39. The VCR takes the same date. If only for consistency I’d suggest that’s as good a definition of antique as any, for airguns anyway

[Nikkormat]

Ah but this doesn't really take into account the passage of time does it?
Surely at some point the 240 will cease to be modern, pass through vintage and eventually into antique?

But almost nothing made since the mid-1990s is in the least bit worthwhile, so it will always be "modern junk"

Yes, you are right. Needs some thought (especially as I've just bought a new HW35E, and am really quite impressed with it).

[eyebull]

But almost nothing made since the mid-1990s is in the least bit worthwhile, so it will always be "modern junk"

In all honesty it's hard to refute this, certainly as far as pistols go.

[Garvin]

But almost nothing made since the mid-1990s is in the least bit worthwhile, so it will always be "modern junk"

There is some truth in this (jokey) statement, spring airgun-wise.

The FWB 65 pistols and 300S rifles were made until the early 1990s and after this period quality definitely started to drop off as more and more cheapies began to occupy the airgun market (obviously good quality guns costing hundreds of pounds don't fit in this category).

[eyebull]

There is some truth in this (jokey) statement, spring airgun-wise.

The FWB 65 pistols and 300S rifles were made until the early 1990s and after this period quality definitely started to drop off as more and more cheapies began to occupy the airgun market (obviously good quality guns costing hundreds of pounds don't fit in this category).

Would this coincide with the rise of SMK and their - until recently pretty solid - hold on the low end of the market?

[evert]

But almost nothing made since the mid-1990s is in the least bit worthwhile, so it will always be "modern junk"

Yes, you are right. Needs some thought (especially as I've just bought a new HW35E, and am really quite impressed with it).

I'll stick my head out an claim that Birmingham made Webley springers are not modern junk ;-)

[Geezer]

I’ve always worked on the basis that antique is pre-1900, vintage is pre-WW2, classic is post-war with a cut-off date that is either about 1990, or moves forward as each year passes, and has a get-out clause for no-longer-made things that are good that that I like (e.g. Webley springers, Theobens, and some Dianas).

[Garvin]

Would this coincide with the rise of SMK and their - until recently pretty solid - hold on the low end of the market?

Probably! I remember a gunshop owner telling me a few years ago that he sold hardly any quality airguns and that almost all of his sales were of Chinese imports...