Anyone here love “antiques?” How about “Antiques Road Show?” Did you know it’s been around for 36 years, since 1977?

[This would be a good time to facilitate a short time of interaction with the congregation over their favorite “antiques,” their favorite shows dealing with “antiques,” what the difference is between “antiques” and “collectives,” etc.]

“Antiques” and “collectibles” have value because they have survived intact for a long period of time. With the exception of those few things that are made of gold or silver or precious gemstones, the value in most “old stuff” is mostly found in the simple fact that they are still around. Except for the ravages of the plagues like the Black Death pandemic, which killed between 75 million and 200 million people, the biggest and most frequent d…