America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 68 Porcelain Expert

"But I don't think it's worth much money, so I'll keep it at home as a souvenir."

Unexpectedly, the lady then threw a boomerang, causing old George to strain his back.

"Let me at least estimate the price," old George said reluctantly, looking at the photos being put away. He sighed, knowing he had alerted the enemy.

However, he has already made a lot of money today.

It would be impolite to make any more money.

"Do you have any other items you want to sell, ma'am?" old George asked.

The woman immediately took out another box, from which she took out an antique-looking bronze artifact and said seriously, "This is a bronze swan oil pot that I bought from an antique dealer in Chinatown a few years ago. It is said to be an item from the Shang and Zhou dynasties! I want you to estimate the price, and if it is reasonable, I will sell it to you."

"..." Zhang Ailun glanced at the small bronze oil bottle, about the size of a palm, that she had taken out.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

Did you buy it from an antique shop in Chinatown?

Is it from the Shang or Zhou dynasties?

That's fine.

Old George was also a bit unsure. He put on white gloves, held the object in his hands, and looked at it from left to right, up to down, clearly because it had touched on a blind spot in his knowledge.

He said very seriously, "I need to have a professional examine it. Please wait a moment."

"OK".

Old George immediately started dialing numbers to call people.

"I've already notified the porcelain expert in Chinatown, and they should be here in about 10 minutes," Old George explained.

He then looked at Zhang Ailun with a very amiable smile, "Guest, what would you like to do?"

Zhang Ailun immediately took out the ceramic horse with its front hooves damaged, the Ming Dynasty banknote riddled with holes from insects and rats, and a platinum pocket watch.

Old George was completely dumbfounded.

Oh no, I've touched on another area where I lack knowledge. Does this mean I'll have to book another appointment with a specialist?

Fortunately, that porcelain expert is also proficient in other antique research, so there should be no need to notify anyone else.

After all, the other party doesn't charge cheaply; it costs hundreds of dollars per session.

Old George decisively picked up the pocket watch and examined it. This was the only one he recognized, and it was the right match for his profession.

He immediately said, "William Airy & Co. was the predecessor of Waltham Watches. This platinum pocket watch was probably made between 1860 and 1880, more likely during the Civil War. However, it has no inscriptions or engravings and doesn't have any special historical significance. Fortunately, it's in good condition and relatively well-preserved; it can still tell time normally even now. I really like it! How much are you asking for?"

"$150000!"

Without hesitation, Zhang Ailun immediately quoted a price. Regardless of whether the price was right or wrong, it had to be outrageous! It had to make the other party's scalp tingle! It had to give them a major headache!

He's gotten smarter and he's basically figured out how the other party tries to negotiate a lower price.

As expected, old George immediately felt a chill run down his spine, was a bit stunned, and almost wet his pants.

How much? 15? US dollars?

Not Zimbabwean currency?

Are you sure you didn't add two extra zeros?

You really dare to say that!!

Old George instantly put on a mask of pain and scratched his head.

He explained, "Although this pocket watch is platinum, it doesn't have much collectible value. It wasn't worn or collected by a celebrity, nor is it signed by a celebrity. There's no relevant historical record. A watch like this would only fetch $600 at an online auction."

"How about $6000? This is a very historic antique! After all, it's from the Civil War era, and I bought it from an antique dealer for $2000!" Zhang Ailun began enthusiastically promoting it, rattling off his sales pitch without hesitation.

But his skills were still too shallow; he was just learning on the spot. Old George had spent half his life on the battlefield and wielded the Dragon Slayer Sword with unparalleled skill. He didn't even blink, so how could he fall for his trick?

How could I possibly stumble so easily in front of him?

He immediately gave a price: "$800. Take it or leave it."

Zhang Ailun looked at him speechlessly. You dared to offer $800, and you're still saying the auction price is $600?

By simply flipping the stock between the two hands, you must have made a profit of almost 1%!

However, I also made a little money myself.

It's not a lot; if I do the math, it's only about 54 times the profit!

After all, he bought it for $15. No wonder people say he's poor; Brother Hei is a truly honest businessman!

Zhang Ailun sighed, "Fine, I'll take the loss. I want cash. Hurry up and have someone come and check how much my ceramic horse and Ming Dynasty banknotes are worth."

"Don't worry, the experts will be here soon," old George replied slowly and deliberately.

He took out a white towel and began to wipe his platinum pocket watch. It was already his, and the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

Not long after, about five or six minutes later, the porcelain expert who had been registered arrived.

"Hey! George, I wonder who wants to sell bronzes. You know, I'm an expert in this area." The newcomer was an older white man with deep-set eyes and a high nose. He started making a lot of noise as soon as he pushed the door open.

Zhang Ailun recognized the voice and turned around to find that it was the overseas student from the flea market.

The old white man also saw Zhang Ailun and was completely stunned.

Oh no, what a coincidence!

This is terrible!

"This is Wall, a porcelain expert from the Netherlands who currently lives in Chinatown. He is very knowledgeable about Chinese history and culture and often deals in bronzes," Old George enthusiastically introduced the two.

The woman shook hands with him. "Hello, Mr. Wall."

Wall gave an awkward smile. "Hello, ma'am."

Zhang Ailun's gaze towards him also turned strange. He extended his hand and said, half-jokingly, "Netherlands? If you hadn't told me, I would have thought you were from Henan."

"Where is that?" Old George asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing special. It's just a place with a history of several thousand years, but it's not very famous internationally. Most people only know about Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen."

Wall gave Zhang Ailun a look, signaling him not to trip him up.

Zhang Ailun had no such intention; he simply gestured towards his ceramic horse.

Wall suddenly realized and quietly gave a thumbs up.

Alright, even if it's fake, I'll make it sound real for you! I'll blow it as hard as I can!

Choose one from Tang, Yu, Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties.

Anyway, this thing is worthless now that it's crippled.

Walter immediately began to examine the swan-shaped bronze oil jug that the lady was selling.

After examining it for a moment, he said, "Unfortunately, there's bad news. This isn't a bronze artifact from the Shang or Zhou dynasties, because bronze artifacts from those periods didn't have this swan-shaped oil pot design. And if it were from the Shang or Zhou period, it wouldn't be made so small. The good news is, it's a genuine bronze artifact, at least two thousand years old!"

"This is a typical bronze oil lamp from ancient Rome. In Greek mythology, the swan is one of the incarnations of Zeus, and the face molds on both sides are also in the shape of Cupid, the god of love, symbolizing a happy marriage. It is also something that newlyweds would use for bedside lighting. Many people collect it on the market today."

This person is actually quite capable; he's not just a simple fraudster.

Zhang Ailun looked at Wall with surprise.

"So how much is it actually worth?" Both the pawnbroker and old George were curious.

"Many people would like to collect this bronze artifact, and it's worth around $1000 to $1500," Wall gave a reasonable price.

(End of this chapter)