H.E. 4-306 Antiques & Collectibles By Linda Reece, Extension Home Furnishings Specialist

Antiques can be an enjoyable and profitableinvestment if they are selected or purchased carefully. Defining an antique is sometimes a little confusing, however. A 1930 law probably led to the popular belief that an antique must be 100 years old. An antique, as defined by the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930, is a work of art; collections in illustration of the progress of the arts; works in bronze, marble, terra-cotta, pottery or glazed and unglazed porce-lain; artistic antiquities; and objects of ornamental character or educational value which were pro-duced before 1830. This act only applied to imports for customs purposes. After 1870, the United States required that the country of origin be stamped on certain ceramics, china and porcelain