America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 69 Business of Connections

Before the two could finish processing the information, Wall immediately picked up the ceramic horse again.

After examining it for a moment, he said earnestly, "This one is different! This is a typical Shang and Zhou dynasty ceramic horse, dating back more than three thousand years. This ceramic horse also has extraordinary significance, symbolizing the galloping of ten thousand horses and instant success!"

"Judging from the image and style of this ceramic horse, it's unlikely to be an official kiln piece. It's probably a folk kiln imitation that circulated from the palace, a piece of black ceramic. Pottery culture can be traced back to the Neolithic period. In ancient times, pottery was primarily made from black clay and clay, mainly used for cups, bowls, and musical instruments. The beautiful colors and unique cultural significance of this ceramic horse make it extremely valuable for collection! This ceramic horse definitely came from an antique shop in Chinatown and has been buried in the ground for a long time!"

"If it were an intact ceramic horse, I could offer $50 at auction."

"what?"

All three of them were a little confused.

Zhang Ailun was also shocked. Dude, you really dare to brag!

You probably know better than I what kind of stuff is in the antique shops in Chinatown.

"Unfortunately, one of its hooves is damaged, making it a defective product, imperfect, and not very valuable anymore. I suggest $500 for its collection," Wall said regretfully.

"..."

Old George was a little confused.

No, are the prices of ceramics in China fluctuating so drastically?

Just because you ruined a hoof, your salary went from 500,000 to 500? Don't scare me.

Old George was starting to doubt the true skill level of this porcelain connoisseur.

"And what about this ink paper? How much is it worth?" Old George immediately asked the other party to begin appraising the Ming Dynasty banknotes.

"This is incredible! It's a silver note issued during the Ming Dynasty. Historically, the use of paper money (Jiaozi) existed as early as the Song Dynasty. A man named Cai Lun improved paper by using tree bark, hemp fibers, old hemp cloth, and fishing nets. However, due to inflation, the Ming Dynasty paper money caused considerable harm to ordinary people at the time. It was almost like toilet paper back then. The imperial court was willing to do anything to make money, and quite a few of them have survived to this day."

This time, Wall didn't continue boasting. Instead, he picked it up realistically and began to examine its handwriting and structure.

"This is a 1-guan coin banknote, 34 cm long and 22 cm wide. In addition to the dragon pattern and floral border, the banknote also has the six characters 'Da Ming Tongxing Baochao' (Great Ming Circulating Banknote). This banknote has been in circulation for over 600 years, and in terms of its preservation, it is 100% authentic! Because ordinary banknotes that have survived to this day would certainly not be so intact, and would all have some traces of corrosion. This banknote, however, corresponds to the authentic banknotes, showing signs of weathering and decay, and many characters are no longer legible."

Wall stated his desired price: "I think a price of at least $4000-$6000 would be appropriate for this 'One Treasure Note' given its rarity and market value!"

Zhang Ailun's eyes lit up when he heard the price, and he was immediately satisfied.

The ink paper bought for $5 instantly increased in value to several thousand dollars, resulting in a profit that was more than a thousand times greater.

Thanks, Brother Heizi.

"Okay, Wall, thanks for the suggestion. I'll transfer the money to your company's account."

Old George shook hands and personally saw Wall off as he completed his mission.

Before leaving, Wall gave Zhang Ailun a wink.

Zhang Ailun smiled slightly at him and said, "It has to be you."

When old George returned, he continued haggling. He rubbed his hands together and first asked the lady for her opinion, "How about $700 for this bronze oil lamp?"

"Didn't the experts recommend that the bronze artifact be priced at $1500?" The pawnbroker was somewhat stunned.

"That was just a suggestion, and I didn't take it. Besides, I need to break even on this shop. If this item really is worth $1500, and I actually buy it for $1500, wouldn't I end up not making a single penny? I wouldn't even be able to pay the rent and utilities."

Old George immediately started playing the victim.

The two then started practicing Tai Chi.

"1200 US dollars."

$750.

"$1150?"

"$850. That's the highest price I can offer. If you don't agree, then I'm sorry, this deal has to be called off." Old George issued his ultimatum.

After hesitating for a moment, the woman readily agreed, "Okay, $850!"

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Old George went back inside, wrote a receipt by hand, counted out $850, handed it to her, and saw her off.

Only Zhang Ailun remained in the store, smiling at him.

Old George said helplessly, "How about $3500 for all three items?"

"What exactly do you mean?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"Platinum pocket watch $800, ceramic horse $200, Ming Dynasty banknotes $2500."

"Do you think this price is reasonable?" Zhang Ailun immediately retorted. "This standard banknote can sell for $6000 on the market!"

You slashed a major artery with a knife, are you even human?

I really want to beat you to death.

"Yes, you're right, it could even fetch a higher price, but I need time to process it, and its origin is unknown. You don't have any authoritative certificates unless you can produce expert authentication proof! I can certainly pay you $6000 or even more!"

Old George frankly admitted, "Apart from me, I can only offer $2500; other places will only try to lower the price further!"

"Ming Dynasty banknotes, $5000! The three items total $6000. Please round it up for me."

Zhang Ailun didn't expect the ceramic horse to be worth much money; he figured he'd make a profit no matter what.

Whether ceramic horses are fake or not, they are all made from clay from Earth. How can there be fakes?

However, if it were in China, it would most likely be something fired in some unknown folk kiln, or a burial object unearthed from the grave of an ordinary landlord. Even if it were official kiln porcelain, it would only cost tens of thousands of RMB if it wasn't used by royalty or nobility; the price wasn't that outrageous. Folk kiln porcelain would be even cheaper.

"Ming Dynasty paper money worth $2800?"

$4500.

"$2950, and I can add another $50 to the ceramic horse, making it $4000 in total. That's the most I can offer," said old George.

「4200美元，全部加起来5200美元！那陶瓷马的50美元你不用给我加！250不吉利，就要200美元就行！」

The two began to pull and haggle over the price.

One person genuinely wants it, while the other doesn't want to get hurt.

In the end, old George was exasperated. "Fine. I need to consult with the experts again! To confirm if it really is worth $6000."

Zhang Ailun told him to go ahead and seek opinions.

Six hundred years is a long time; even a piece of toilet paper would be worth a lot of money!

A few minutes later, old George returned and said crisply, "Three items, totaling $5000!"

"Why are you so quick to agree?" Zhang Ailun asked suspiciously, strongly suspecting there was something fishy going on.

But old George refused to reveal the details, and after considering it, Zhang Ailun agreed.

Old George wrote a receipt by hand, solemnly counted out $5000 in cash, and even gave him a wallet to hold the money.

With the matter concluded and no room for regret confirmed, old George finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He said with a beaming smile, "A private savings bank in Montana is auctioning off antique banknotes and receipts from various countries, offering at least $8000 to $35000. All you need is to find an appraisal agency to issue a certificate for a few hundred dollars, and you won't have to worry about finding a market for your precious banknote."

"..."

Zhang Ailun was speechless. "You bastard, when it comes to being ruthless, I can't beat you."

However, even if he were allowed to sell them, he wouldn't have the channels; pawnshops are all about connections.

(End of this chapter)