MANILA, Philippines - Good news to all collectors who love old books, antiques and historic finds: a first edition of Dr. Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo is coming to auction for the first time in Philippine history this September!
The book is one of the items of Salcedo Auctions' The Well Appointed Life: An Auction Weekend, to be held at the Rockwell Tent in Makati City on September 19 and 20.
El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) is the sequel to Noli Me Tangere, both are considered as Rizal's literary masterpieces. It was first printed in 1891 by F. Meyer-Van Loo Press, a printing shop in Ghent, Belgium.
Rizal immediately sent two copies to Hongkong and gave the original manuscript and a printed copy with his autograph to Valentin Ventura who funded the printing after Rizal went out of budget.
First edition of Dr. Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo. PR Photo
Last year, a first edition of Rizal's Noli Me Tangere was sold to a local collector for P7,000,008 (P 6,000,000 plus buyer's premium and VAT), the highest price ever achieved both for a first edition 'Noli' and for any Philippine book.
Other items to be auctioned in Salcedo Auctions' The Well Appointed Life: An Auction Weekend include a diamond hourglass from De Beers, fine china from Hermes and Limoges, a first-edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, a 27-inch gilded Sevres vase from the iconic former royal porcelain manufacturer and a signed print from the Catalan Surrealist, Joan Miró.
First-edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. PR Photo
Also part of the sale is a special sub-category dedicated to Philippine Tribal & Ethnographic Art, including a fine early 20th century figurative house panel in wood with heavy encrusted patina and a decorative Ifugao warrior figure from the late 19th century representing artifacts that are of importance to the legacy of our heritage.
A decorative Ifugao warrior figure from the late 19th century. PR Photo