50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 454 50 Appraisal Fee
Fernando's meticulous care almost moved Sun Zhiwei.

If he hadn't subconsciously probed the drawer where Fernando had taken out the badge...

Because, through his spatial ability, he saw that there were several badges in that drawer, and the name on the back of each badge was his: James Robert, only the date below the name was different.

He's not getting emotional anymore. The X-ray vision cheat is a real piece of work; is there any sincerity left between people?

Oh well, it's good to play dumb sometimes.

Sun Zhiwei smiled at Fernando, sincerely thanked the president who recommended him, and solemnly promised to stand with him for the association's interests.

From this day forward, the two will travel to each other's destinations, each seeking what they need, and become allies.

Actually, this is quite good. Everyone is bound by interests, without any messy emotional factors. This is an alliance with very few variables.

From today onwards, Mr. James is also part of an organization.

Inside the office, the two raised a toast to celebrate Sun Zhiwei joining the association.

After returning from the association building, Sun Zhiwei's life didn't seem to change much. He still opened the antique shop for half a day every day and spent the rest of his time in bars.

His name has already spread throughout the industry and he has become famous for identifying evidence of the forgery of "The Virgin Mary, the Child and the Angels".

His name has been added to the list of renowned appraisers in the association's new introductory manual, and he has been dubbed "M Country's New Generation Genius Appraiser".

Just as he was getting used to his new role, a bounty order came knocking on his door.

The cause of the matter is quite simple. Just recently, the Getty Villa Museum in Los Angeles purchased an ancient Greek statue of the Getty Youth from art dealer Gianfranco Boche for $900 million.

However, the Getty Villa Museum is a newly built museum with little fame, and the exhibition of the statues did not generate any response from the industry.

They tried various methods to increase the statue's visibility and enhance the art museum's reputation.

Just recently, James Roberts, the "New Generation Genius Appraiser of the United States," has emerged.

In an attempt to capitalize on Sun Zhiwei's fame, the Paul Getty Museum approached him, asking him to authenticate the statue.

Sun Zhiwei expressed his understanding, saying that riding the wave of popularity is something countless people throughout history and around the world have done, and the price offered by the other party is not low.

The other party promised to pay Sun Zhiwei $50 as long as he went to their museum to authenticate the Getty Youth statue.

Moreover, this matter will be featured on the front page of Los Angeles' largest newspaper, which will also help solidify Sun Zhiwei's reputation.

In the words of President Fernando Harris, this is a win-win situation.

50 yuan is a lot of money. It's worth the trip, which will take a day or two. Sun Zhiwei didn't hesitate much and agreed.

Before he left, he made a special trip to see the president, Fernando, and asked him a question.

"President, what if I find out the item being appraised is fake?" People are paying to build their reputation; if this turns out to be a blunder, won't they be furious?

President Fernando is well-versed in the intricacies of the authentication industry, and it's not uncommon for him to have items authenticated only to find they are counterfeit.

Fernando was pleased to hear that Sun Zhiwei had come specifically to consult him, so he carefully analyzed the pros and cons for Sun Zhiwei. "James, when you encounter counterfeit goods, you have many ways to deal with them. Which one you use depends on your purpose and what kind of authenticator you want to become."

"If it is confirmed to be counterfeit, you can inform the other party privately and let them decide how to handle it. If they handle it poorly, it is not your responsibility, right?"

"Another way is to expose the counterfeit goods in front of the media. This will definitely give you a lot of exposure, both for you and the museum."

"Moreover, the advantage of doing this is that you can establish a persona of 'only telling the truth,' which will increase your exposure in the public eye."

"In this kind of exposure, you are positive, and the museum is negative. But that doesn't mean that negative influence is bad; being infamous is still being famous."

"The Getty Villa Museum is a small museum. It's rich now, but it doesn't have much fame."

"As long as there is exposure, whether it is positive or negative, it can enhance the museum's reputation."

"Buying a fake for 800 million is huge news. Newspaper sales will probably increase significantly, and more people will pay attention to the Getty Villa Museum."

"As long as they're not stupid, they might take this opportunity to promote it further, which could be even more effective than just saying the statue is real."

Well, the old fox is indeed an old fox. After analyzing the situation, he understands the intricacies of the matter perfectly, as clearly as if he could read the lines on the palm of his hand.

Having realized the situation, Sun Zhiwei set off for Los Angeles as agreed.

A day later, Sun Zhiwei arrived in Los Angeles and checked into a villa near Chinatown. This house was a temporary residence prepared for him by Cheng Damin, the president of Cathay Bank.

The Getty Villa Museum quickly located him at the address, and the two parties signed an agreement in the villa, agreeing to visit the Getty Villa Museum the following day.

A reporter from the Los Angeles Times will be present to cover the event.

The Getty House Museum is located in the Santa Monica Mountains, 30 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.

The villa was inspired by the papyrus villa in Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city from the first century AD, and it is a near-perfect replica of the original.

This is an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art and culture.

The villa's owner was J. Paul Getty, the oil tycoon who passed away a few years ago. He made his fortune in the oil industry and once held the title of the world's richest man.

To avoid being thoroughly investigated by the IRS after his death, the museum was entrusted to the Getty Foundation after J. Paul Getty's passing.

Foundations are charitable organizations, and the IRS doesn't collect a single penny in taxes from them.

No wonder President Fernando said they were rich; the Getty Foundation inherited almost all of J. Paul Getty's fortune.

Just to be on the safe side, on the night the agreement was signed, Sun Zhiwei secretly went to Santa Monica Hill and took the Getty Youth statue into his spatial storage for an appraisal in advance.

The appraisal results also lowered his expectations of Western antique dealers by tenfold; these people really don't hesitate to swindle money.

Nine million! That's only 80 years ago, the US dollar was very valuable.

(End of this chapter)