1. Vintage Jewellery
Stunning vintage jewellery will always be popular amongst collectors - but none more so than the engagement ring. As well as possessing an old-world charm and uniqueness that sets them apart from their modern contemporaries, antique engagement rings also possess a sense of history from the hands they once adorned.
Likewise necklaces, brooches, earrings and bracelets give you a link to the past that is proving increasingly popular. Cornwall is blessed with many jewellers who are experienced in working with vintage jewellery, like our friend Cindy Ashbridge in Lostwithiel, who can fashion granny's old wedding ring into something more modern.
2. Pop Culture Memorabilia
This one is right up Any Old Vintage’s Street! We already have some iconic photos and a range of vinyl LPs and cassettes in stock. Band merch, including tees and sweatshirts, has become particularly in demand. Though it's still only early days here, we’ve also got a lovely stash of early 2000AD comics to choose from.
We know our customers are big fans, too, and we are seeing a resurgence in the popularity of memorabilia related to the pop culture of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, with old movie and band posters being sought after and vinyl music becoming increasingly popular – after a marked downturn during the CD and MP3 era.
It’s all about nostalgia and our formative experiences. Who can quite believe that 2002 is officially a vintage year!
3. Victorian Kitsch
Victorian kitsch has soared in popularity recently. Unusual, one-of-a-kind pieces that are relatively inexpensive (yet nonetheless enchanting) have been incredibly popular at online auctions in general.
This could be anything from antique pictures, to teapots, to ornate shelving units. Many living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens across the UK now feature decorative collectables hailing from the Victorian era.
4. Vintage Fashion
Vintage fashion has exploded in recent years. Not only are you more likely to pick up a unique, one-off piece, but environmentally aware customers are increasingly looking towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
The age of vintage fashion has meant that clothing from the 80s, 90s and early 00s are in high demand, with people generally preferring to reuse and recycle older fashion items as opposed to buying new.
We have a handpicked selection to choose from - currently anything from cocktail dresses to kids' clothes. Once we're fully up and running we'll be posting an outfit of the week on Insta and Facebook, so you can see at a glance what’s new-in at Any Old Vintage.
5. Vintage Maritime & Industrial Lighting
At Any Old Vintage we're extremely well acquainted with vintage lighting, having run the award-winning Any Old Lights for nearly ten years.
Lighting used to be beautifully made, from serious metals, typically copper, brass and aluminium. Heavy castings, classic detailing. Mass-produced plastic twisted in the knife and the advent of cheap LED performed the coup de grace on that era.
If ship owners can install cheap plastic LED lighting aboard their vessels, then of course they will. These heavy metal nautical - and industrial, as the same applies in factories - lights will never be made again. Which leaves what remains of the old stock, and numbers are already dwindling.
Copper and brass vintage lights are already extremely hard to find. Aluminium is going the same way. Cargo ships only have a certain working life and once they're scrapped, they're gone. Because of this, the prices will always keep going up. Supply and demand.
If you want to buy vintage nautical or industrial lighting, the time is definitely NOW!
6. Electronics & Tech
Technology has rapidly advanced since the 1990s, with the vast majority of people owning a smartphone with access to the internet. But, alongside this rapid expansion of the tech world, there has been a nostalgic desire to collect some of the first electronic and techy gadgets that came into existence.
Games consoles from the 80s and 90s – the SEGA Megadrive, the Nintendo 64, and the original PlayStation, to name but a few – and older games are in high demand, alongside some of original, packaged Apple products, particularly if they’re still in mint condition.
And it's not only the tech itself that's collectible. I sold a bunch of old Game Boy games some years ago on eBay. I'd lost a couple of the games, so out of interest just auctioned the empty boxes. My Super Mario Land box fetched more then most of the boxed games!
What have you got lurking in your attic?
7. Children's Toys, Games & Books
We understand how tricky it can be trying to browse a vintage shop with a small one in tow. That’s why we have selection of retro & vintage toys. Who hasn’t got a favourite toy, viewed through the lens of rose-tinted glasses?
Nostalgia brought about by the items that we strongly associate with childhood, reminding us of simpler times. And you'd be amazed what some of those items are now worth. Pristine, boxed, mint condition is obviously key - and prices decrease as the wear and tear ups - but consider the Japanese Star Wars collector who sold his collection via Sotheby's in 2015...
His pristine boxed Luke Skywalker figure (one of only 20) went for circa £20,000!
We don't have one of those in Any Old Vintage sadly, but rest assured our stock of children's vintage and retro toys & games is significantly more affordable!
8. Chinese Antiques
Although this may seem unusual to many, auction houses have reported that Chinese antiques – including bronze figures and porcelain items – are growing in popularity. Such items often retail for incredibly high prices and are purchased by those with a fair amount of money to burn, meaning that more casual collectors are predominantly priced out of this sector.
However... in 2016 one eagle-eyed punter got lucky when a Chinese vase bought for £10 at car boot sale in Hertfordshire sold for £61,000 - after it turned out to be 220 year old relic from Qing dynasty.
Worth keeping your eyes peeled!
9. Mid-Century Modern
We love mid-century modern and decorative ornaments have been in high demand, with items sourced from the middle of the 20th century up to the 1980s being especially popular.
Though we're only just opening - so please bear with us while we reach peak stock! - we've already carefully selected a good range of M-CM at Any Old Vintage: from rugs, vases andteapots to laundry baskets - even some poison jars! As well as beautifully stylish vintage crockery and cutlery.
This trend for second-hand, vintage, and antique also aligns with our desire toward a more sustainable lifestyle – buying brand-new mass-produced products has never been less fashionable.
10. Coins
Money – including limited-edition coins, old currency, and now-obsolete foreign coins – has always proven valuable to collectors. Coin collecting has become a hobby that many are drawn to, with people spending hours scouring the internet and various auction sites to obtain rare currency to add to their collections.
And check under your floorboards! Whilst renovating their kitchen in 2019, a couple in North Yorkshire found a small earthenware cup, smaller than a soft drink can, with more than 260 gold coins dating from 1610 to 1727. The coins were valued at up to £265,000.
We don’t currently stock coins in Any Old Vintage, but we are pulling up the floorboards...
Photo by Katarzyna Kos on Unsplash.