Buying a new house, we strive to quickly get rid of the old trash, make fashionable repairs, buy beautiful new furniture. But packing bags for throwing out unnecessary items to us, we run the risk of missing really rare things. No wonder they say that the new is the well-forgotten old. If you go first through antique shops, and then through trendy hypermarkets, you will see that this wooden chair is very similar to the one you saw in the salon, and the picture on the beautiful service is exactly the same as on an old dish. Here are just things in antique stores sold for fabulous money.
Rare things - what is it?
At the household level, people are accustomed to believing that everything older than 50 is already a rarity. Therefore, everything is considered to be a rare thing - dishes and furniture of the Soviet period, all kinds of figurines and pictures, icons (regardless of their artistic value), embroidered shirts, towels and much more. This is an erroneous opinion, since not all the old (and even the old) are rare things. Photos of truly valuable items can be found at collectors.
The very word "rarity" comes from the Latin raritatis - "rare". The dictionary gives two meanings of the word: direct (a valuable thing that you can rarely find) and figurative (curiosity, miracle). Indeed, rare things are rare and expensive items.
Rarity or antiques?
Another misconception is to consider that antique and rare things are one and the same. Antiquarian is an item that is at least 100 years old. This does not have to be a unique chair or vase, which could very well have mass production. But due to their old age, they turned into antiques. But the age of a rare thing can be less than 100 years, but due to the fact that, for example, a fifty-year-old figurine is made in a single copy, it costs much more than a plate made at the factory more than a century ago.
Both rarity and antiques have a rather high cost, which increases every year, so do not rush to part with them.
Hello from the USSR
Naturally, every person wants to think that among the heap of trash that he inherited, there are rare things. The USSR became the main supplier of sets, bedding, linen, souvenirs and other things. In the era of total deficit, everything was bought with a margin, for growth, because the Soviet people were not concerned about the question: “What to buy for?”, But the problem: “Where can I get it?” That is why almost every one of us has become the proud owner of crystal, wafer towels and polka dot tea sets.
The heirs do with these gifts in different ways: someone keeps it as a memory of relatives, someone sends everything to a landfill, someone tries to give it to the poor. But there are those who want to capitalize on this. True, you can only make a profit for something worthwhile.
Household values
Online auctions have separate sections “Rare things of the USSR”, photos of these same items and detailed descriptions allow you to really find something good. But most household goods, albeit quite old, have no value. You can’t even hope to bargain a decent amount for Soviet carpets, plywood furniture, appliances (the exception is KVN-49 TV), watches, clothes. But crystal, bronze and porcelain products, as well as mechanical toys made of metal, can significantly replenish the family budget. Crystal is not much appreciated. For example, for a salad bowl from this material, you can get no more than 400 rubles.
You are lucky if you inherited an ashtray made from a special alloy in the city of Kasli, Chelyabinsk Region, or a porcelain service with the brand “Dulevo”. A 1930s radio set made in the art deco style of wood is considered a real rarity. The price of such a curiosity is from 15,000 rubles.
Works of art
In this category, the easiest way to find rare things. The USSR cannot be called a smithy of art objects, but canvases by artists and sculptures made in the style of socialist realism are highly valued today, especially among foreigners. Of course, more significant cost of paintings or statues created by professional artists in a single copy (works by V. Kasiyan, A. Petritsky, K. Yuon, V. Baksheev, S. Gerasimov and others), but also all kinds of art objects made in factories have their price.
For example, not so long ago, a serial porcelain figurine “Mama”, designed by the artist N. Malysheva, was sold at an online auction for 630 thousand rubles. Porcelain and bronze sculptures, even not very rare, are estimated by collectors in the amount of 10 thousand rubles.
Do I need all this antiquity at home?
The interior is not just wallpapers, furniture, carpets, chandeliers. It is also a way of self-expression. The guest who first came to your home will carefully study the surroundings. He will either admire your exquisite taste, or will be horrified by the lack of it. Of course, the main thing is that the owner of the house feels comfortable, but often it is a heap of unnecessary things or too toxic design colors that can lead to irritability and poor health.
The situation in the house can say a lot about its owner. You have probably noticed that people who knock out "from rags to riches" love gilding in the interior and buy incredible quantities of tasteless paintings and figurines. But they are in a hurry to get rid of something old that they inherited from their grandmother. People who have already been born rich cherish family values, so rare things in their house can be found quite often.
Only you decide whether or not to leave furniture, utensils and other items created in the era of the USSR, but do not rush to throw them away immediately. They can still find worthy use.
What to do with the unnecessary?
If you clearly decided to get rid of all the excess in the house, then first sort. Divide all items that must be disposed of into three groups:
- That which nobody will need (broken toys, torn dresses, worn carpets, etc.).
- Household items that may come in handy to the poor. Advertise in the newspaper under the heading "Give a gift." If no one responds, then you can, with a clear conscience, take everything to a landfill.
- Rare things.
If you really found something valuable or think that the item is such, then you can try to make money on it: put the item on one of the Russian (“Bag”, “Hammer”, “Antiques”) or international (Ebay, Amazon, Aukro ) online auctions. Do not need money? Then give your valuable items to the local museum. Provincial cultural institutions are funded so that their staff will definitely be happy to accept a gift of rarity.
If one wants to sell, then the other - to buy
Indeed, not everyone wants to make high-tech-style repairs in the apartment and furnish everything with Ikea furniture. Many create coziness and a special mood in the house with the help of antique objects. Buying rare things is not at all a difficult task today. In each city there are enough antique shops, in large centers on weekends, a kind of "money changers" are held, where collectors flock.
If you are not too versed in historical eras and are not sure that you can distinguish the original from the fake, then it is better to seek the assistance of professionals. Help can be obtained in antique salons, in museums. You do not even have to bring a thing to another city. You can simply take some high-quality photographs to find out the origin of the item, its age, artistic value and approximate value. Naturally, such services are paid.
Refined and unique rare things - it is always fashionable. They can become a decoration of your home or bring good profits, so do not rush to throw them away.