Sidebar | Expert Opinions

Here are some tips that will help you figure out if your great-grandmother’s tea set, your uncle’s maps—or any ageing item hiding in an attic or basement—still holds value.

The best and simplest way is to have your item appraised by experts. One of the Philippines’ auction houses, Casa de Memoria, for instance, has a research specialist who will meticulously do research on an object, and assess its provenance and value.

“We can have it appraised to what the current market value of the piece of that age is—how much it would cost today, what the collectability is, and see how much a collector would want of it,” said Camille Lhuillier, one of the founders of Casa de Memoria who also serves as the house’s marketing manager.

The factors to consider when determining the value of an item is its age, its time period, the artist (if there is one), what the piece represents, and its current condition. Casa de Memoria specializes in antiques and heirloom pieces. For consignments for fine art pieces like paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures, and fashion items like watches and jewelry, meanwhile, you can go to other auction house in the country like Finale Auctions, Leon Gallery, and Salcedo Auctions.

Finale Auctions’ owner Evita Sarena affirmed that the best way to know the value of an item is for “collectors or their heirs to go to experts of those things to have their pieces assessed and appraised.” Once an item is proven of value, you can have your heirloom ring or painting consigned at auction houses. – NPDG