In this series, WeWork’s director of digital community selects a WeWork member to get to know better, sharing her fun findings with the rest of the community.
Collecting antiques is already a fascinating hobby—but to find antiques both professionally and internationally? That’s even more interesting. When I found out about WeWork Weteringschans member Peter Dekker and his company Mandarin Mansion, which specializes in antique armaments from China and related cultures, I had to reach out. Below, we talk about the quest for the perfect find, misconceptions about the industry, martial arts, and more.
How did you get started collecting antiques?
It was a long time ago already. I used to be into martial arts, and my fascination with Asia brought me there for study. I was networking with local collectors in China, and when I held my first antique sword, I realized it was a lot heavier than the swords I was initially training with.
I was studying all these techniques, and thought I was good at them. But the sword was so heavy that none of the things I was studying would work well with that. So I started collecting old swords and old manuals on how they were used. And the styles I learned about were wildly different than the kung fu I studied. Later, I learned that the kung fu we study now was actually based in theatrical performances. Now that the history is a bit murky, most teachers sell themselves as teaching battlefield techniques, while they don’t train the essential requirements for sparring. Now there are some kung fu schools that go back to traditions, so more and more people are putting on armor and trying sparring, but when I started, it wasn’t really the case.
And since then, things kind of got out of hand in the first decade! My focus went more and more into the collecting, study, and appreciation of antique arms.
What was your most exciting find?
They keep on coming, actually! This month, I have a sword with a very rare forging method. It took a lot more time than usual to make it. It’s from the 18th century, the height of the Qing dynasty, and the price is going to be nearing the four digits in euros.
I’m still hoping for the moment in this. There are these stories from people in my direct surroundings about items bought for in the hundreds and sold in the hundreds of thousands. Of course such instances are very rare, but I’m secretly hoping for a moment like that! I have found some stuff that was pretty cheap for what it was, but it was maybe worth five times as much. But we’ve all heard the old war stories from veterans in our business, so all us youngsters hope to strike gold sooner or later. It takes a lot of study and networking. That’s what I like about it—it’s like digging for treasure.
What’s your favorite thing about your office?
Actually, everything I do—photography, restoration—I do at home, but here at WeWork, I am buying a life. So I go to the coffee machine, talk to other entrepreneurs, and I think, “If I would have done this at home, I would become a mad professor with no touch for reality anymore!” It’s just cool to be in this environment. That’s worth it all for me.
What’s something people might not know about antique collecting?
I think a lot. An important thing, a common misconception, is that it’s for old people, or far out of reach of most people. But I like to cater to a market of younger collectors who can buy something for 400 euros. And a lot of martial artists I meet, they don’t know how accessible it can be—for a few hundred Euros, they can own a piece of history.
Do you have any other hobbies?
In order to understand the weapons I sell, I practice the arts. So I have another website where I geek out about martial archery. I had a replica made of an old bow, and I am shooting it according to old pictures and manuals. The icing on the cake was that in 2008, I met an older lady. She was in her 90s, and she was the daughter of the Imperial Guard of the Last Emperor, and she was the last person trained in this style of archery. She won gold at the last tournament of its kind in 1953. I visited her at her home, and she could explain some little details about how to hold the bow, hand positions. Unfortunately, she passed away, but I have never stopped looking for old manuals, old photographs to learn from. And I teach it as well sometimes!
Photos: Peter Dekker