Antiques represent the glorious past and evolution of human society and culture. An Antique can also represent an amalgam of different cultures and it makes the item more priceless. Antiques are usually items, which have a certain level of craftsmanship, or attention to design, such as an office desk, a chair, a cast iron lamppost, a painting, a sketch or drawing, or even an automobile. Antiques can be bought at antique shops, and some items like Antique Furniture are also passed down in the family as part of an estate or as an heirloom. Many valuable antiques can also be bought from antique dealers or auction services or can be purchased online through websites and online auctions.

Many antique dealers have their area of specializations and deal in only certain items, such as paintings or Art Deco items, while others will deal in all types of antiques. Auction houses too may specialize in certain antique items, items that have higher value, or items from a particular era, country, or style, such as Antique Furniture from the Victorian era or paintings and statues by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Websites and online auctions may deal in all types of antiques from 50 to 5000 years old. Although purists do not consider items less than 100 years old as antiques, such as Art Deco items from the 1920s to 1950s, passionate collectors still consider them as antiques, and treasure and cherish them as mementos of a bygone era.

Art Deco was a very popular design movement, which started in 1925 and lasted till 1939. It was an international movement and affected many art forms including the architecture of the time, interior design styles, industrial designs, fashion styles, paintings, film and graphic arts. The movement was an amalgam of different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Constructivism, Neoclassical, Modernism, Cubism, Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, and Futurism. The Art Deco movement's popularity was at its peak in Europe during the 1920s and it continued in the United States through the 1930s. Art Deco was purely decorative, and this style was considered elegant, modern, and functional. Although the movement fizzled out by the 1940s, the items created during that time are cherished and considered as collectibles. In a few decades more, these Art Deco items will be considered as antiques from a bygone era and century and will be valuable and priceless.

Collecting antiques is a passion and many passionate antique collectors have their favorites. Some antique lovers may collect antique candle stands, while others are more interested in Antique Furniture. While some may collect Antique Furniture from China and Asia, others are more interested in antiques from the Victorian and Elizabethan eras, and yet others are interested only in antique jewellery or books. Many collectors are also interested in items from more modern times and consider these items as antiques or vintages and priceless collectibles to be cherished and passed on to their children. Some people buy antiques as an investment and resell the items for monitory gain a few years later. The true collector is only interested in collecting an antique for its uniqueness and not for its monitory value. Whatever the reason for buying antiques, it is always an Object of desire and everyone wishes to own an antique - at least one.