‘Katara Antiques Exhibition’ auction displays 50 rare pieces

Doha, Qatar: The Katara Antiques Exhibition held its second open auction on Saturday, April 27, in the presence of a large audience of antique and ant...

Doha, Qatar: The Katara Antiques Exhibition held its second open auction on Saturday, April 27, in the presence of a large audience of antique and antique lovers.

Bidding was held for 50 pieces ranging from luxurious carpets, antique, Hijazi and Najran coffee pots, wooden boxes inlaid with silver and precious stones, and rare vases, copper figures, old watches and landline telephones, ivory and amber rosaries, old issued currencies of Qatar, Kuwait and Iran, perfume sprays, old mirrors, ebony sticks decorated with snake skin, samurai swords and bone daggers.

Among the old tools and machines, a wool weaving spindle machine, a wooden ghee container, and a milk churn were displayed in the auction, in addition to rare equipment such as a Sakhr computer from the first versions, a Walkman, an American instant camera from the 1980s, and gold sets from old heritage collections.

Amira Ahmed Al Muhannadi, Director of Katara Publishing House, said that the open auction for rare pieces has revitalised the sales of Katara Antiques Exhibition by attracting people with multiple hobbies, such as collectors of old coins, lovers of amber rosaries, old issues of books and magazines, and collectors of carpets and distinctive antique pieces.

Al Muhannadi noted that the exhibit showed that there is a group of members of Qatari society who have a passion for collecting old collectibles, whether from exhibitions or through their tourist trips in various parts of the world, and these people own miniature home museums containing rare pieces, “which calls us to think about organising special exhibitions for owners of home collectibles to display them.”