What is an Antique?

[dheitman62]

Hello, All…

I have a question that has been nagging at me:

What is an antique?

I have heard that an outboard motor is considered an antique if it is 50 years old. Just curious what the consensus is here:

How old does a motor have to be before it is considered an antique? And, what is the difference between an Antique Outboard and a "Vintage" one.

I have two motors that I think qualify as Antiques:

1965 Johnson MQ-11c (52 years old)

1947 Johnson TD-20. (70 years old)

Would you consider both of them to be "Antiques"?

[fisherman6]

Currently in the AOMCI, an "antique" is pre-1950. 1950 and later is "classic." Your TD-20 is an "antique." There has been some discussion about this possiblyrics shifting at some point, but as of now, that is still the distinction.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[joecb]

I little correction… AOMCI recognizes motors 1950 and older as "Antique". 1951 and newer as "Classics" . There has in the past been much discussion as to the need for a cut off date on the "Classic" category. No resolution on that subject at this point.

Joe B

[Mumbles]

The clubs policy is any motor built in 1950 or earlier can be referred to as being antique. Your ’47 TD falls into this category. Motors 30 years or older as of today’s date can be called classics, such as your ’65 9.5 horse Johnson. This also means that low hour ’86 Johnson kicker sitting in the basement is a ‘classic’.

Myself, I tend to think of classics as motors from the 50’s when the manufacturers started the horsepower wars and painted their motors every color under the sun and loaded them up with chrome bling. Vintage motors to me are postwar ones from the forties and fifties and I always think of prewar motors as being antiques.

From the club’s motor registration form….

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PeteMiller

[nali]

Same thing for me.
Many people call "antique" every crap from 1980 they have to sell 😉

[chris-p]

I agree with Mumbles, while it is not the "correct" club policy, it makes the most sense to me.

[johnny-infl]

– to stir the pot –

I personally prefer the word "vintage".
it does not nail down the age or years, but the time period of quality. (like Mumbles said).

"VINTAGE" Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
vintage adjective (HIGH QUALITY) ​› of high quality and lasting value,
or showing the best and most typical characteristics of a particular type of thing,
especially from the past: a vintage plane, a vintage wine, a vintage car, a vintage outboard.
The main page slogan says: Dedicated to the Preservation and Restoration of Antique Outboards
What if it were to say: Dedicated to the Preservation and Restoration of Vintage, Classic and Antique Outboards
and just leave it at that – let the owner make his/her own decision of what their motor is.

if the term "antique" were applied to us humans per age group,
I (and a few others) would be considered "antiques" or "dinasaurs" LOL

.

[2fast4me]

if the term "antique" were applied to us humans per age group,
I (and a few others) would be considered "antiques" or "dinasaurs" LOL

Well, I guess I recently traversed from "Classic" to "Antique".
I don’t mind too much (yet)- some of my old outboards run and look better than me.
Jim

2Fast4Me

[20mercman]

Honestly, I think it is time for the national club to revisit the terms on how we classify the motors. The fact that 1950 and older are considered "Antique" has been the policy of the club as long as I have been a member, and probably for some extended period of time before that. (Perhaps from the inception of the club?) In any event, it is hard to not all a 1953 Corsair anything but an antique. As much as we may want it to at times, time does not stop, and the objects of our interest are getting older every day. I would offer that the club adopt some different parameters for motor classification. These are just examples, but would welcome feedback.

1) Rowboat motors 1920 and earlier.
2) Pre-war antique 1921-1941 (Most motors built during WWII would fit into this category also)
3) Post-war antique 1945-1959 (These are all 58-72 years old!)
4) Vintage Classic 1960-1975 (These are 45-57 years old)
5) Collectable 1976-1987 (30-41 years old)

These parameters should be revisited from time to time. Some of our members would scoff at calling a 1975 Mercury 200 a "Vintage Classic", but I remember my dad getting one 42 years ago when I was a kid and I have a lot of memories of the time we spent with that motor. I still have it, and it turns heads at the boat ramps.

Steve

[49hiawatha]

Many states for registering purposes use car club designations agreed to and offered to their state legislatures and approved. They range from Horseless Carriage, to Classic (only certain years/brand) to Vintage( separate years), Collector (post 1950-) , to Street Rod, to Custom . Ask an old style Antique collector (non-car) it has to be 100 years from vintage. Vintage old but not 100 years old, Buyer whatever they fancy. Age of buyer
interests determines "how old is relative to their age." Just discovered my family stamp collection from 1892 is only worth 10% of the Scott Price Guide. Why nobody has that passion any more.

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