We love old stuff too. So much character! Most of the kitchen gadgets work much better than new modern counterparts. We have a toaster and a waffle iron that are from the 50’s or maybe 60’s that are great.
Our most recent purchase was a desk with tons of cubbyholes. I just cleaned the old locks on it. Most recent patent on them says June 16, 1885. The drawer bottoms say “September 1884”, but I think those were written in replacement wood. No matter. The locks are really cool and after some lubrication, work quite well. We are thinking it may have been a reception desk in a hotel or train station, in part because of the cubbyholes, and because both sides are decorative.
I have a few furniture items I’ve picked up from a couple of good nearby antique shops. You’re right. They have character and are built to last. My father had a Sears Coldspot chest freezer that ran continuously for 50 years without problems. I finally got him to unplug it when he really wasn’t using it anymore. When he passed and I had an auction, I was surprised to find that someone enthusiastically bought it.
With the way most things are made today, pretty to be used short-term and then thrown away, I wonder how many of our contemporary things will still be around years from now.