Hi All
What is the definition of ‘Vintage’ when buying silver? Is there an ‘official’ time period?
Best Regards
John
No, there is no official definition. It is often used loosely (and incorrectly) to mean old, but not antique (which is normally 100 years for silver as you are probably aware). Strictly speaking the word “vintage” should always be used with a date; e.g. 1995 vintage, 1950s vintage, or even 2009 vintage are all perfectly acceptable in a grammatical sense.
Some definitions of vintage are a little less loose; for example a vintage car is commonly accepted to be before 1930, but not old enough to be a veteran, but this cannot be applied generally.
Vintage silver can therefore be any age the seller wants it to be - caveat emptor.