Antiques, in the struggling market, make sense?

In the current Maine Antique Digest, an article by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond takes an honest view of commodifying antiques.

The antiques marketplace seems to be struggling for an identity, and we have to be really careful that in that search we don't give away the heart of who we are. Antiques are beautiful, special, unique, but they're also not always practical, not always good investments, and not always the easiest option. That Chippendale chest is nice, but in many ways, it's a lot easier to go to Target.

If we regard antiques as "rent to own", as suggested by the author, the capability of retain the values makes antiques good choice of life enrichment, but that capability is far from value appreciation. True, works by some artists or some period decorative objects have gone record high, but there are others that have seen a sharp deline of demand.

There are still dealers, the number of whom still proves antiques dealing can be money-making, if not in the short run. But as individual, I think the two tenets mentioned in the article should be combined into one: Buy the best which you love and you can afford.