Collecting Filipino Antiques

SOUVENIRS FROM TRAVELS. Stories of olden times are fascinating, but nothing can be more evocative than seeing, touching, and appreciating objects illustrated in books and stories told to us by our grandparents. Thus, antiques and vintage objects make excellent conversation pieces in contemporary homes.

In our case as regular travelers, they make us remember our experiences that allow us to share with friends who come over to our home information about Filipino traditions, culture, and history.

EYE FOR ANTIQUES. When traveling, we occasionally meet people who restore, sell, and collect antiques. It is from people who truly connect with these objects that we learn the history of certain pieces (age or era it belonged) as well how to distinguish what are good buys and what are badly restored or well-made fakes.

But I think we will need more hanging out time with them to acquire their knowledge, skills, and expertise in selecting, whether antiques or those pieces that are not as old to be classified to be antiques but are still good to have for their quality, history and beauty.

WHAT IS AN ANTIQUE. Experts describe an antique as an object that has passed through a period of being a segunda mano, has outlived its owner, went through the test of time, and must be at least a hundred years old.

Age, rarity, quality, and provenance are some of the criteria for a piece to command the highest sale value.

ANTIQUE SORTIES. In our recent visit to an antique shop, we witnessed how a well-known antique collector haggled for a century-old 10-foot aparador (rare for its size). The aparador, as it was pointed out to us by the dealer is in excellent condition. No parts of the original red narra wood has been replaced or repaired. It came to the antique shop straight from an old house of a prominent collector in Tondo, Manila. Off course, the price of this piece has reached unbelievable heights.

FOR INVESTMENT OR FOR NOSTALGIA. Re-sale value is one reason why there some people collect antiques. We’ve learned that recently, some certain pieces of Filipino antiques had made it through the million-peso mark in local auctions.  But for those who have no liking for antiques, it is difficult to explain why big time collectors spend so much for antiques just for the reason of having them stocked in their already over-crowded homes.

EPILOGUE. Although we crave for owning the best pieces available, but we have no budget to compete with what the big time collectors can afford so we buy and take home something we really like to have and most importantly, what we can afford.