Antiques & Vintage Collectibles

Bill Gates paid $30 million for a Leonardo da Vinci manuscript that he considers priceless because the Italian genius inspires him. Watch Charlie Rose's profile of Gates on Sunday, May 12 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

When Steve Davenport bought his 2,500-square-foot loft, he was thrilled with the amount of open space he would have after renovations – then he moved in a 1,000-piece antique collection.

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux have reportedly been visiting antique emporiums around Los Angeles as they kit out their new mansion with furniture...

"One of the most expensive items was an 18th-century mahogany rocking chair, which cost in the region of $1 million," a source told UK magazine Grazia. "It was apparently used by Founding Father Benjamin Franklin."

The insider reports that Jennifer fell in love with a $300,000 Georgian bookcase. Her fiancé 41-year-old actor Justin is also said to have grown fond of antiques, with his buys reflecting a more personal meaning.

"Justin's favourite piece was a longcase Tompion English clock from the 1660s, which was said to have been used by British royalty. He recalled his grandfather having a similar one and wanted something like it," an insider explained. "They're both extremely happy with all they've purchased, but they haven't finished yet. The house is going to be crammed with history by the time they are done."

Tourists have collected travel kitsch since the Crusaders plundered their way through the Holy Land.  Postcards, pennants, shot glasses, spoons, as well as,  a plethora of other items have topped the list of must haves from exotic and pastoral locales. These items are readily available at estate sales as they lose their meaning once their purchaser has passed. I have a different take on souvenir purchases; I try to find an antique or vintage piece that I can use and enjoy in my home decor.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a Connecticut Antiques Trail, an effort to highlight the state's numerous antique shops.

If you love the thrill of a good flea market hunt, chances are you're also a fan of HGTV's Flea Market Flip (season two premieres tonight at 9pm/8c!).

Whether the collector in your life heads out into barns and outbuildings like Mike & Frank on American Pickers, or peruses flea markets and antique malls, these 10 items are “must haves.”

Faberge expert Geza Von Habsburg predicted that the Russian antique market had reached its summit in 2009. Yet in 2012, more record-breaking sales took place, and a $20.2 million turnover was made during the Russian Art Week in London that year.

These spring months promise to be another interesting season for the Russian antique market.

Are you properly defending your antique furniture against organic damage? Be it insects, pets or people, all require some safeguarding when it comes to furniture...

There are a lot of things in the world that are good for your older and antique furniture: controlled temperature and humidity, regular cleaning, careful use and loving attention. But there are also a lot of things out there that are bad for your furniture: flood water, excess light, inappropriate polishes and fire.

But there is yet another classification of harmful elements that you must be aware of: the organic kind. And other than you, there are no organic creatures that are beneficial to antique furniture and some are downright destructive.

In 1957, with $10,000 and a dream to get into the business, Earlean launched Bowen’s Antiques, initially as a home-based venture. Parlaying her love of Empire pieces, old Southern furniture, primitives, Americana, china, crystal and jewelry into a bulging inventory, Ms. Bowen had, by age 85, amassed an inventory worth about $1 million. And she was just hitting her stride.

“At an age when most people are well into retirement and taking life easy, Ms. Bowen was out there, charging around the country, buying new pieces and making new contacts,” Dwight Stevens said. “At age 90 she had a six-man crew and several trucks. She was just this unbelievable powerhouse of energy. People in many states knew her as ‘the Antiques Lady.’”

Worth is a worthless term. “I’m forever hearing this is worth such and such,” said Sullivan. “I wish I could strike the word ‘worth’ from our vocabulary.” The value the person states is always far greater than what the item would ever sell for. That’s especially true of collectables, he said. “In a collectors’ catalog, an item will be listed for one value, but if you want to sell it, you won’t get anywhere near that.”

I would like to think music that collecting music has found its final form. My Apple is loaded with CDs we have collected, downloaded and saved.

Whether you have a smartphone or a tablet, whether it’s an Apple or Android based, you can put it to work for you as a collector. Many of them are completely free; others just a few dollars.

With apps like these, you’ll feel like the Harrison’s on Pawn Stars because you’ll have your own experts to consult anytime you need them! Here are a few of my favorites.