Virtual treasure hunting: León Gallery to open online auction

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 18) — Filipino collectors seeking to own rare pieces of culture and heritage, such as the decades-old Philippine gold coins, can bid for them in the León Exchange 30th Online Auction.

What can the public expect? The popular León Gallery welcomed 2024 with its online auction featuring two known women collectors: artist and anthropologist Lorna Revilla Montilla, and lifestyle and culture writer Tere Orendain.

The management of León Gallery said Montilla was friends with "living legends" of Philippine art, Benedicto Cabrera, Manuel Baldemor, and Ramon Orlina, allowing her to build a wide selection of art pieces.

"Montilla converted her home garage into an art gallery (aptly named "Lorna's Garage") that showcased and sold the works of these artists, along with pieces from the Filipino masters of yore. Some of their works formed part of Montilla's collection and are now offered in León Gallery's opening salvo for 2024, immortalizing her benevolence and genuine bond with these celebrated artists,” it said.

Orendain's collection, meanwhile, would boast about the works of prominent painters and sculptors, including those of Ramon Orlina, Manuel Baldemor, Norma Belleza, and Norberto Carating.

León Gallery will also present a legendary collection of erudite Don Benito J. Legarda, Jr., as well as hard-to-find photographs and prints of Old Manila in both peacetime and wartime.

The following Philippine gold coins dating from the Spanish colonial period will also be highlighted: an 1862 4-Peso Philippine gold coin, a 1788 ½ Escudo Spanish gold coin, and a pair of 1-Peso Isabel Gold Jetons dating from 1861 and 1864.

The online auction will be conducted this weekend, Jan. 20 to 21.