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10 Best Selling Antique and Vintage Items in 2025

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Are you a reseller looking to get on top of current trends for what’s selling in 2025? Here’s a list of 10 trending antique and vintage items for the new year to help get your inventory on track.

What Antique Items Are Selling in 2025?

In the antique retail world, some items are classic and will always be desired in the collecting and vintage decor scene.

But there are certain types of decor styles that surge in popularity.  As an antique dealer, it can be good for your business to capitalize on items that are quick-moving.

The more the vintage decor scene grows on social media, the more we will see shoppers looking for specific kinds of items that show up in their favorite influencers’ feeds.

With that said, trends can pass quickly, so it’s a good idea not to overstock your booth or online shop with any one particular item. Maybe try a few of these out and see how they do in your area and with your customer base, then look for more if they are quick sellers.

Primitive Kitchen Items

crock bowl with rolling pins

I’ve definitely seen an uptick in the sales of primitive kitchen decor.  Five years ago, items like this sat and were generally unwanted. But as the cottage core aesthetic has soared, so has the popularity to older kitchen items.

Think crock bowls, wooden rolling pins, and vintage utensils–especially any that may have some original paint on them.

The good news is that these items are still pretty easily found at estate sales and even sometimes at the local thrift store! 

Try tying together a set of old wooden spoons with a pretty ribbon, or stacking a set of crock bowls for a compelling display. 

Vintage Lithography Artwork and Paintings

old paintings in an antique booth

So far in 2025, vintage artwork has been my own personal top seller.  And the prices for these items have also increased significantly.

Vintage paint-by-numbers continue to sell well.  Also lithography prints from the 1930’s-50’s have been popular pieces in my local booth space.

old painting of a wolf

I used to find vintage art easily at the thrift store, but not much anymore.  It does seem to be more scarce, which is why I believe the prices are going up.

My best source for affordable vintage art currently is estate sales.

Vintage & Antique Quilts

stack of vintage quilts

Another byproduct of the cottage core movement is a renewed interest in vintage textiles, specifically quilts

I have bought and sold old quilts for years in my booth spaces, but recently they have become more sought after.  I am also able to ask higher prices for them than I have asked in the past, even for quilts that have some wear on them.

When shopping for quilts, look for ones that have evidence of hand-quilting (uneven stitching) and age older than the 1970’s (cotton fabric over polyester). These are the ones that fetch higher prices.

Vintage Religious Items

old picture of Jesus

There is an elegance to vintage religious items that can appeal to a broad audience.

A lot of different items fall into this category–old Bibles, hymnals, religious artwork, and even statuary.

 

Mix & Match Vintage Cups & Saucers

collection of vintage cups and saucers

Especially during the spring and summer months, older cup and saucer sets continue to be popular.

Shoppers are collecting mix-and-match sets for bridal and baby showers or wedding receptions. 

Thrift stores often have orphaned china pieces available, just be sure they are free from any major chips or cracks and are in unusable condition.

You could also consider purchasing a lot of older china pieces on Ebay or an online auction, then dividing up to sell individually.

Vintage Area Rugs

stacks of old rugs

If you can get your hands on a true antique hand-woven rug, then you have a great find! The worn and lived in look of vintage rugs continues to be popular in 2025.

Even rugs that are not true antiques but just a good, used vintage can sell well.

Check thrift stores and estate sales for these finds, and many of them you can clean yourself pretty easily

Old Coffee Tins

an old coffee tin

I love vintage advertising tins in my own home decor. But on the whole, they have been slow sellers for me lately.

However one subject matter seems to still be doing well, and that’s coffee tins.  Particularly the one pound size, as shown above.

The prices of these has also gone up significantly since I started reselling over 10 years ago.

My favorite place to find them? On garage shelving at estate sales, often holding nuts or bolts 🙂

Vintage Bread Boards

I consider these the “holy grail” of the antique hunt at the moment. I have yet to find one out in the wild, so my assumption is they are quite rare. 

The round bread boards, like the one shown above, are also sometimes referred to as treens, so be on the lookout for that term.

If you happen to find a matching serrated knife with wooden handle, you have hit the jackpot!

Cabbage Ware 

table with yellow plates

You may be most familiar with the green cabbage plates, but cabbage ware also comes in pink and yellow!

This vintage pattern started growing in popularity a few years back as the chinoiserie trend hit its stride.

Cabbage plates of all sizes as well as bowls continue to be popular this year and are a great bet for your booth space or resell business.

Vintage Jewelry

old bracelet in a dish

This is an area where I admit I am not an expert! But I have had success lately with vintage costume jewelry, all inexpensive pieces I’ve found  at estate sales.

Cuff bracelets and brooches have sold well for me, and I think the market for vintage jewelry will continue to do well this year. 

To avoid issues with certifying metal quality, look more for costume pieces over 14k gold or sterling items. 

More Honorable Mention Trending Items . . .

These items didn’t make the top 10 list, but they are still things I am seeing selling well right now.

  • vintage travel postcards, grouped by destination
  • mix and match vintage flatware
  • old cookbooks in usable condition
  • vintage restaurant-ware creamers
  • old paper and ephemera for scrapbooking and junk journaling
  • vintage game boards
  • English and French items (people love European!)
  • ceramic dog and bird figurines
  • old paint brushes and shoe brushes

How to Decide What Trends to Stock in My Antique Business

There is an ongoing discussion about whether it’s worth stocking trends or if you should just sell what you love?

I want to speak to both sides. I believe that if you are a creative person, you may see decorative value in a variety of things, and that can be a great asset to your business.

If you are able to show customers how to repurpose your unique find, they will often buy your vision. If you fill your booth or online shop with items you truly love, you will also have an easier time promoting them in your marketing.

wall decor in a kitchen

However, I believe it limits your business if you ignore trends or refuse to engage in them at all. 

Customers wants and desires change based on current styles and what they see around them. If you can match your offerings to what they are already looking for, naturally your sales will increase.

Of course it’s important to mention that not all trends may show up in your local area.  Some areas of the country are going to go gaga for cabbage ware (hello the South!) while the midwest may be slow to show interest. 

It’s important–especially if you are only reselling locally–to ultimately match your inventory to the trends in your specific area.  

So with that in mind, maybe try some of the ideas mentioned above and pay attention to how quickly they move. If a trend doesn’t fit with your local audience, it’s ok to give it a pass.

Interested in more articles for antique booth owners and resellers?

Practical Tips from Veteran Antique Booth Sellers

How to Pick the Right Price for Your Antique Booth Items

How to Tags Items in Your Antique Booth

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cindy Welch

Friday 24th of January 2025

How do you find pricing comps on quilts since they are all so unique?

Melanie Alexander

Monday 27th of January 2025

I focus on how old the quilt is, how complicated the pattern is, is it hand-quilted or machine-quilted, condition, and how overall desirable I think it is (popular colors vs less popular colors, etc). It can be hard to pin down an exact price, but if you consider all those things you can come up with a rough estimate. Then you need to consider your profit margin and also what price your customer base will pay. Hope that helps!