Met with Thin Blue Smoke at lunch today, and one of the topics was whether "vintage" was an accurate term to use when describing an old kettle, and what would qualify a kettle as "vintage" - age-wise. Not sure "antique" would apply any time soon. The customary definition of antique requires that an item be at least 100 years old and in original, unaltered condition, so we'll have to wait 39 years before anything Weber meets that standard. Cars have a whole separate standard, and I think they get a break as "antique" in only 50 years.
So when do you think we should refer to a kettle as a "vintage" kettle? MTH? MBH and older? Wood handles and older? Pre date-coded kettles? Is there a snowball's chance that we can actually reserve the term for some agreed-to standard? Do we need a convention, or should we just let it slide? Might come in handy when we set up a gallery of kettles in broad categories.
IMHO, I like the idea of vintage kettles as pre date-code. That brings us back to kettles no later than 1978. 35 years. Not as vintage as yours truly, but pretty damn vintage!
Your ideas welcome!