Antiques
photo © Visit Finland / Aku Pöllänen
Finnish towns often provide antique collectors with unique opportunities to browse and buy, especially those who are looking for rare glassware. Other items that can be easily found are antique dolls, doll houses and the furniture for them, as well as wooden toys. For collectors of military medals, the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the medal of the War of Liberation, and memorial medals of the wars of 1939-1940 and 1941-1944 are all highly sought after.
In Helsinki, a visit to the Hietalahti Antique and Art Hall is a must for collectors of all sorts. The best shops to find antique Finnish glassware and products by Arabia and Iittala are Astialiisa, Lasikammari and Vanhaa ja kaunista. At Holmasto Numismatics you can find coins, medals, stamps and other collectibles, while bibliophiles won’t want to miss the famous C. Hagelstam‘s antiquarian book store, which also has numerous historic maps for sale.
Although antique stores crop up all across Helsinki, the best browsing can be done in Design District Helsinki, particularly on Annankatu, Iso-Roobertinkatu and Korkeavuorenkatu, in the Kruununhaka district on Mariankatu and the streets around it, and in the upmarket areas of Töölö, Ullanlinna and Punavuori.
