Chinese Antiques are desirable and valuable
How Much Are Your Chinese Antiques Worth in San Diego?
In November 2023, one of the stars of the British “Antiques Road Trip” reality television series visited a home in southwest England to evaluate items from the estate of a Gloucestershire family. Charles Hanson was pleased to see that the collection of items had been neatly arranged in a garage, thus making his job easier; however, he did not find any antiques worth purchasing or placing in consignment for a future auction. Just as he was preparing to drive off, Hanson was asked by the owner to look at one more object.
The item in question had not been placed along with the others in the garage; it was a carved and painted cup inherited from the owner’s grandfather, and it sat on a table as a centerpiece ornament for years. While still sitting in his car, Hanson held the cup and looked closely at what he eventually determined was a rare and valuable antique from the Qing Dynasty.
What the owner of the object believed was an artisan cup made of painted porcelain was in reality a libation vessel carved out of rhinoceros horn. The provenance of the libation cup, which dates to the Kangxi Period in the late 17th century, indicates that it belonged to a wealthy clan or a Chinese medicine practitioner. These objects were highly prized, expensive, and exclusive at the time because rhino horn was believed to have medicinal and aphrodisiac purposes.
The libation cup was consigned and scheduled to be auctioned off for more than $6,000. This is an example of Chinese antiques with historical importance, and its value illustrates the high demand for such objects among antique buyers these days.
Current Market Conditions for Chinese Antiques in San Diego
In recent decades, a significant boom in demand for Chinese antiques developed across the global auction market, particularly in China itself. Under the current market conditions, there is a good chance that the aforementioned cup from the Qing Dynasty could return to China after being purchased by wealthy collectors.
A wealthier new middle class in China is driving demand for antiques, a market with a finite supply. Collectors have also been expanding their interests to Asian antiques in general; for example, Japanese antiques made of porcelain, jade, and bronze are also in demand. This is not a market that is sensitive to saturation because antiques hold significant cultural value, thus fostering continued interest. There’s also an undercurrent of building larger collections that trace the heritage of Asian culture through history; China has emerged as an economic giant in the region, and the country has been expanding in terms of museums and art galleries where antiques can be displayed.
Types of Asian Antiques Sought By Collectors
Antique buyers who focus on Chinese artifacts include collectors, investors, curators, and speculators. As previously mentioned, antiques from China are enjoying greater interest, but Japanese antiques in San Diego are also experiencing higher demand. Both countries compete for cultural tourism; they are expanding their respective archaeological records with comprehensive artifact collections, and this has increased the value of many objects.
In the auction markets, Chinese ceramic and porcelain works such as Ming Dynasty vases, Qing Dynasty porcelain bowls, and Han Dynasty figures are highly sought-after. The same can be said about antique lacquered cabinets made in Asia, often to display other antiques, particularly if they were made with exotic species such as Molave hardwood from the Philippines.
Some regional markets are more active in terms of auctions; for example, art buyers, collectors, and curators know that Southern California is a good spot in this regard. Asian immigrants have settled in SoCal over many decades, and many families keep heirlooms and other antiques in the family across generations. When you look at the provenance of many Asian antiques in San Diego, it is easier to understand what makes this market so enticing to collectors. It is not unusual to find auctions where bidders fawn over the “Great Wave Off Kanagawa” on a Japanese woodblock print from the mid-1850s that a woman who lived in the Gaslamp Quarter received as a romantic gift in her younger years.
Some collectors scan auctions for antique jade carvings from China, especially if they depict mythological creatures such as the venerable dragon. Needless to say, antique pieces with intricate designs are also popular items, but some of them are valuable beyond their historical background. At the 2023 Asia Week auction events in New York City, more than $30 million worth of winning bids were recorded, and the most impressive item was a Korean moon jar crafted during the Joseon Dynasty, which was among the collection of antiques that inspired the work of acclaimed South Korean abstract painter Whanki Kim in the 1960s. The winning bid for that moon jar was $3.5 million, thus setting an Asia Week auction record.
Finding the Right Antique Buyer for Chinese Artifacts
If you have Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or other Asian antiques, getting the most for them is a matter of finding the right buyer. We are talking about dealers, curators, collectors, and deep-pocketed individuals or associations that seek to repatriate objects on behalf of museums and cultural organizations. These are the kind of buyers who bid with purpose and stay on top of the auction beat; they know that San Diego is home to a large Asian community, and they are on the email lists of reputable estate sales managers.
Instead of trying your luck on Etsy or eBay, your best bet for Chinese antiques is to have them appraised by San Diego Liquidation and Estate Services. We specialize in antiques from the Far East, so we can accurately assess the value of your items. We can be the right antique buyer in case you prefer to sell on the spot, or you can have items consigned by us at auction, thus showcasing them to a larger base of potential bidders. Please contact us today for a free consultation.
