The late early modern period witnessed critical consumer transitions across Europe. Yet, while the explosion of the material world and the transition from an ‘old luxury’ material culture to a ‘new luxury’ model is well documented, our understanding of the underlying value systems of consumer goods is still under-developed. Building on a database of eighteenth-century advertisements for household auctions in the London-based Daily Advertiser, this article maps the value systems that characterized elite secondary markets in London. We find the language of consumption growing in complexity and sophistication as the eighteenth century progressed, but historiographically, key concepts such as fashion and modernity played minor and sometimes unexpected roles. While silverware is traditionally perceived as a store of wealth and marker of status, and hence a textbook ‘old luxury’, in the auction advertisements it is often praised for its design value. Chinaware, often attributed a central role in forging an affordable yet fashion-sensitive ‘new luxury model’, is paradoxically valued for its age and patina. In fact, the boundaries between ‘new’ and ‘old’ luxuries were never clear-cut. The intrinsic value of material culture continued to matter, and the language of consumption continued to reproduce social inequalities, much as it did in previous centuries.

中文翻译：

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礼貌社会的美学：十八世纪伦敦的语言和二手商品营销

近代早期晚期见证了整个欧洲消费者的关键转变。然而，尽管物质世界的爆炸以及从“旧奢侈品”物质文化向“新奢侈品”模式的转变已有充分记录，但我们对消费品的潜在价值体系的理解仍然不充分。本文以伦敦《每日广告商》的 18 世纪家庭拍卖广告数据库为基础，描绘了伦敦精英二级市场的价值体系。我们发现，随着十八世纪的发展，消费语言变得越来越复杂和精致，但从历史角度来看，时尚和现代性等关键概念发挥了次要的、有时是意想不到的作用。虽然银器传统上被视为财富的储存和地位的象征，因此是教科书上的“古老奢侈品”，但在拍卖广告中，它经常因其设计价值而受到称赞。瓷器通常被认为在打造价格实惠但时尚敏感的“新奢华模式”方面发挥着核心作用，但其价值却因其年代和铜绿而受到矛盾的重视。事实上，“新”奢侈品和“旧”奢侈品之间的界限从来都没有明确的界限。物质文化的内在价值仍然很重要，消费语言继续再现社会不平等，就像前几个世纪一样。