Treasures In The Attics

Tucked away in a quiet street in the northern suburb of contemporary Singapore, an unusually large showcase displaying ancient Chinese gold and silver currencies sit conspicuously on the topmost floor of a newly constructed bungalow house.

The owner, a young father of three school-going kids has been slowly increasing his precious hobby collection of artifacts through acquisition forays at international auction houses. Among the rare pieces was a hand-printed imperial edict by Emperor Qianlong who ruled China from 1735 to 1796. This 17th century Qing dynasty scroll sits on a raised display plinth, highlighting the delicate gold printed embroidery and the official stamp of the emperor.

The nearly three meter long Ramses document showcase came in two parts; the 150 kilogram glass top vitrine and the accompanying folded steel clad pedestal base. Metal parts were powder-coated in a specific black gloss finish, with only the key display area wrapped in a 100% cotton beige fabric. Security laminated glass ensures that the showcase conforms to international museum insurance standard; a glass vault suited with high-security ABLOY locking system that is mated to an additional set of hidden latching steel dead-bolts as a further security feature.