SANDAKAN CITY: The state museum has initiated a move to ensure that antiques such as ancient porcelain vases owned by ethnic communities in remote villages are not sold to dealers who profit by selling the item to collectors.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said he had directed museum officials to scour outlying villages to search for antiques and acquire them for display.
He said this would prevent the antiques from being purchased by dealers who usually pay between RM50 and RM100 for each item and sell them to collectors for thousands of ringgit.
“If these items land in the hands of collectors, the public especially the younger generation will not have the opportunity to view these artifacts that are part of their heritage,” Masidi said yesterday.
It was important for antiques in Sabah to be displayed as the items would serve to encourage the people to learn more about the state’s history, he said when launching the museum’s new logo here.