Vintage vs Retro: What's the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Vintage vs Retro: What's the Difference? ›

Vintage in its simplest meaning is “of age,” but usually a vintage item is over 20 years old, but less than 99 years old. Retro means a newly made item that mimics a design of an earlier era.

Basically, vintage denotes something that is authentic from an era at least twenty years ago, while retro is new items that have been made to imitate items of the past.

While there's no official expert consensus for an item to be considered vintage, many agree an item should be between twenty to ninety-nine years old. An item regarded as retro is made recently but designed or in the style of items from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and very early 2000s.

It is an object that represents a previous era or time period in human society. An item should be at least 100 years old to be defined as an antique. Generally speaking if the item is no older than an antique but not less than 20 years, it falls under the term vintage.

Most antique dealers consider an item to be vintage if it is at least 40 years old. So, in the context of this blog date, a vintage item would be made between 1918 and 1978. Even though many vintage items are nostalgic, they are sought after for many reasons besides their age.

What is the difference between vintage and antique? The majority of experts have agreed that items over 50 years old but less than 100 years old can be called vintage or collectable, but not antique.

What Is Vintage? Vintage items are much younger than antiques. These pieces are typically defined as being at least 20 years old but less than 100 years old. The term "true vintage" is a sub-category for items that are at least 50 years old.

The general consensus is that anything made more than 20 years ago can be called vintage - as I'm writing this article in 2020, anything made before the year 2000 is vintage. Some purists might say only pre-1980s can be considered vintage though, but they're a minority.

We have listed all three and their generally agreed-upon ages below: A vintage car is one that was manufactured between 1919 and 1930. An antique car is any car manufactured in 1975 or earlier (older than 45 years old). The classic car is a vehicle manufactured in the 1990s or earlier (at least 20 years old).

If the item is no older than an antique but not less than 20 years, it falls under the term vintage. Therefore the answer is quite simple — a vintage item should be at least 20 years old, which means that today items from 2001 are considered vintage.

What time period is retro? ›

Typically, Koch says retro typically means made in the last 20 years — and affordability is the point.

In the past, the consensus was that an item called vintage would be more than 50 years old but less than 100 (think 1920s – 1970s).

“By definition, an antique is an item that is 100 years old or older,” says Brandon. This doesn't matter whether it's a book, a vase, some glassware, or even a piece of furniture—the rule of thumb remains the same.

Retro design derives from trends and art forms of the past, including graphic design, music, and fashion. More specifically, it usually refers to design styles of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Retro design may be an updated version of an old design style or only inspired by its features.

The 80s, 90s, and early 2000s are now the retro decades. For millennials, this constitutes anything from their childhood and early teen years.

age. Within the industry, items that are at least 100 years old are defined as antiques, whilst the requisite guidance on vintage items is a bit more loosely established as items at least 30 – 40 years old, but less than 100 years old.

Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 years ago.