The problem with "antiques" is that people only want "old stuff" if it's new.

Great line. That's collectors, yeah.

Historians are interested in stuff that was actually used and in how it was used. The wear and tear tells a story, really. The nicks on my Grandmother's (the one my son got his middle name from) Seder Plate are the legacy of decades of family Passovers; the residue in the apothecary bottle came from the days when it was used in my Grandfather's (the one my son got his first name from. Also last.) drugstore.

That means a lot more to me than "flawless condition", etc.

I feel the same way. I like the evidence that people have used and loved an item.

But then, I'm not a collector.