The antiques world has been plagued for decades with the commonly held view that young people dont care about antiques. The corollary being that this is why the market (Read, prices) has not expanded in years. This is a narrative that is widely held outside the antiques trade as well. Far too often I have heard from people at parties and events that antiques collecting is deader than a doornail and mommas silver will just need to go to the smelter. This past weekend, I was part of a panel brought together by the Fine Objects Society, which is a new and very exciting collectors group. The panel was co-sponsored by and held at the Philadelphia Antiques Show, which remains one of the premier events to see great stuff (to use the trade phrase). Being in my late 50s, I was among the oldest of those participating in the forum. And more to the point, having walked the show for two hours, I was one of the minority of attendees age-wise. Younger collectors were in abundance everywhere. What dazzled me in the panel is that so many had both the scholarly chops and buyers eye that are the building blocks for great collections. Perhaps their liquidity to buy was more financially tempered (and frankly right now we are all cognizant of our buying), but the reality was that they were there and passionate about collecting. Longtime readers know that I espouse the idea that collecting is a result of nature more than nurture, the passion coming from something baked into our DNA. Assuming that to be true, one has to believe that the new collectors I saw in Philadelphia are simply the latest, but not the last, generation of collectors to walk upon the auction/gallery stage. It was equally fascinating that each of the panelists was asked to bring items that demonstrated how their professional work was reflected/revealed by antique objects. Three of the four of us brought silver. Once again, if you believe what you read, the popular magazines and the AI generated stories abound about how silver is the antique that if inherited should be sold right away! Well, tell that to the collectors at this event, who all had passionate stories about silver and how it inspired their collecting and professional careers. Silver remains a wonderful thing to collect, not only because of its beauty, but as each of us discussed, there are so many wonderful stories to tell about the owners, makers and provenance of the items. I really encourage the antiques trade to disavow the stereotype that Millennials and Gen Z hate antiques. There are young collectors who do understand and appreciate stuff. Their priorities are different, as are their budgets. They pick up the trade papers and attend shows and sales. Most that I have talked to are willing to spend, albeit more surgically. Many do embrace 18th and 19th century arts and are not as infatuated with mid-century modern as the pundits would suggest. Finally, they are bringing their own scholarship to the table in understanding items and how to collect them. Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.