Many of the estates that I am called upon to liquidate contain fine china, crystal stemware and sterling table service. Whether purchased during their lifetime or inherited from the previous generation, these cherished pieces have been used only for special occasions and when not in use have been stored for safekeeping. It was the intent of most of my clients to pass these treasures down to the next generation. Yet, they find when it is time to pass them on, their children have no interest.
Why is this the case? Millennials, those born from 1981-1996, seem to have little interest in setting a formal table or in investing the time involved in throwing large sit-down dinners. They lean toward buffet lines, casual seating and food served on paper plates. This informal approach to dining has even been noted by builders who, in almost half of their new home construction, do not include a dining room in the floor plan.
Millennials tend to be minimalists who do not appreciate the clutter caused by collecting, nor do they seem willing to take the time that their parents took in assembling a group of collectibles
Case in point: My 30 year old neighbor recently invited me in to see the bedroom she had just finished decorating. I admired the contents of a cabinet in the room and in doing so referred to her cobalt glass collection. She gave me that smile (that women her age sometimes give women my age), and said, “I don’t do collections. I used my day off Thursday to run the thrift stores and couple of decorator shops and I bought all the blue glass I found.” My generation would have taken years to acquire such a collection one bottle at a time. Apparently the Millennials can do it in an afternoon!
There are still a few categories of collecting where we seeing an interest from this age group. Sentimental purchases such as toys, comic books and sports cards that they recognize from their early teens are popular.. Vintage albums from the 1960s and ‘70s are also in growing demand. Of special interest are those with unusual cover graphics or the rare ones that still have their original poster inside. Vinyl is an excellent archival medium which makes records from this era, that have not been exposed to the elements, sound as good in 2019 as they did in 1969! As demand for vinyl grows we are also seeing an upward surge in the sale of vintage turntables. Note that while new turntables and speakers are readily available, you will find that a reconditioned table from the 1970s will not only cost less, it will also give you a sound that is just not replicated by the newer models.
Among young professions from this age group we are seeing a strong interest in contemporary art. From the mythical Internet-inspired work of Camille Henro to the colorful Pop-Art paintings of Laurel Gitlen, those with the dollars to spend are stepping into speculative buying with both online and gallery sales experiencing record sales in 2018. For those with smaller budgets, framed movie posters from the golden era of film through the mid-part of the 20th century are also in demand.
The phenomena of the Man Cave has sparked an interest in several areas of vintage collecting. Neon and porcelain signs are popular wall decor. For those who enjoy an occasional cocktail, MCM barware and bar accessories are seeing a steady increase in sales, as are the wooden bars with tufted leather fronts that were a common basement furnishing in the mid-70s.
It is the belief of some in the antique community that our children no longer have an interest in collecting. The way I see it, as with so many other things, they do it — they just don’t do it the way we did! Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com.