Such a valuable treasure appeared in this antique shop. I thought the jades were already shocking enough, but I didn't expect that there was a rare treasure in the lower layer of the wooden box, a Qing Dynasty treasure comparable to the Nine Dragons Sword and the Baihong Dao.
Li Mo did not leave, but walked to the counter with great interest, keeping his eyes on the jade items placed in the wooden box. He didn't say anything, he just acted in a way that others could see his intentions.
The clerk exchanged a few words with him and then made a phone call. Soon an old man in his sixties came out from behind with tools. He took out white gloves and a magnifying glass from the tool box. Then he professionally took out a piece of jade from the wooden box and observed it carefully with a magnifying glass.
It took a minute or two to read one piece of jade, and then continued to look at the second piece of jade. It took about twenty minutes before I muttered a lot of words.
Steven seamlessly translated from the side.
"The old man said that these jades are indeed from China, but he can't determine what age they are, so if you want to set a price, you may need to consult an auction company. But if you want professionals from large auction institutions to identify the age and market value, The appraisal fee is not low.”
But judging from the condition of these two people, I'm afraid they won't be able to afford the appraisal fee at all.
Sure enough, their expressions became ugly, and the man anxiously communicated with the clerk.
"I want them to set a price, and if it's suitable, I'll make the move. The antique shop offered $100,000, but the couple thought it was too low, and wanted $150,000."
The cheapest piece of these jades is worth more than 200,000 U.S. dollars, and the most expensive one is almost 5 million U.S. dollars. The price is negotiable.
Li Mo saw that there was no progress in their bargaining, and then said to Steven: "Ask this couple, if I offer $130,000, are they willing to sell it to me?"
Steven nodded and asked quickly.
As expected, the couple turned to look at Li Mo, with a look of surprise on their faces. Even the clerk looked surprised, but she didn't stop her. After all, in the antique industry, whoever bids the highest gets it.
"Mr. Qin, he said that they require a minimum of 150,000 yuan. If you agree, the business is closed."
Li Mo did not agree immediately, but shook his head and raised a finger, meaning that he could add up to ten thousand more dollars.
The couple looked at each other, discussed it for a while and then nodded in agreement. The transaction was surprisingly smooth, which made Li Mo sigh with emotion. Ignorance is really terrible. If these jade articles were sold in the Chinese market, they would not be available without tens of millions.
Steven and Gu Lishi were able to handle the payment. Of course, the business was completed in the antique store. At the suggestion of the two, Li Mo also paid the 15% service fee of the antique store separately. This is where we go through a contract process.
About half an hour later, Li Mo and a group of people walked out of the antique store.
"Take the few antiques you found and return them to the car first. Remember, leave the two of you in the car to keep an eye on them. Especially this wooden box. Don't let any accidents happen."
"Mr. Qin, are the dozen or so pieces of jade in this wooden box actually very expensive?"
"It's okay. In the domestic auction market, a cheap piece of jade is worth more than one million yuan, and an expensive piece of jade is worth almost more than 30 million yuan. There are two other pieces from the Neolithic Age, and their value cannot be measured in terms of money. .”
Li Mo said in a very calm tone, and the group of people who followed him were shocked. According to him, the total value of these jade articles must be more than 40 million, but after calculation, he only spent a total of 800,000 or 900,000.
The money was made so fast that the price difference was 40 million when it changed hands. That couple was simply stupid.
"I know what you are thinking. There is nothing you can do about it. This is the result of cultural differences. It's like one day you have an oil painting in your hands. If you don't understand it, you may be able to sell it for a few hundred or thousands, but in reality It may be worth hundreds of millions. The history of the United States is only two to three hundred years. If you ask them to appraise an ancient artifact that is hundreds or even thousands of years old, it would be strange for them to understand."
After such an explanation, a few people suddenly realized.
Li Mo smiled and said: "Steven, Gu Lishi, I am very satisfied with your performance so far. At the end of today, I can pay each of you 50,000 U.S. dollars. In the future, it will be based on the status of the antiques found." It depends, as long as you do well, you will be paid a conservative $10,000 a day."
When Steven and Gulish heard the reward, their eyes lit up, their faces showed surprise, and their expressions became more respectful. This reward is not ordinary high, it is much higher than their efforts in any month.
Li Mo was in a very beautiful mood because he had found a valuable national treasure. Li Mo would not delve into where those jade articles and the sword came from. After all, they might all be left over from history. This also shows from the side that there are indeed many Chinese antiques hidden among the American people. Even art traders like Steven will come out to try their luck whenever they have time.
Two security guards returned the antiques to the car, and the others continued to follow Li Mo into an antique shop next door. This store is smaller in area, but the items sold in it are very popular. In addition to various exquisite porcelains, there are also many sculptures, oil paintings, sketches, etc.
There were more customers in this store, and even when Li Mo and the others walked in, there were not enough people on hand to receive them. That's fine, you can take a look at it casually first.
The porcelain on the Bogu shelf was Li Mo's favorite. He had long been mentally prepared that these porcelain might have been imported from somewhere in China. I got closer and took a look at a Jihong plum vase. Whether it is the glaze, glaze color, or shape and workmanship, it is very exquisite.
Um?
The more Li Mo looked at it, the more he felt that the Ji Hongmei vase was not fake. He couldn't help turning his head to look at Steven and said, "Call a clerk over. I want to take a look at this porcelain."
Steven quickly ran over and called a young black girl who happened to be free. Wearing professional attire, she walked up to Li Mo, saluted and said, "Welcome."
"can speak Chinese?"
The little black girl gestured with her fingers, showing her big white teeth and said, "I only know a little bit."
"Mr. Qin, there are more Chinese tourists coming here every year, so both the boss and the employees doing business here can speak a little bit of simple Chinese." Steven explained at the side.
Li Mo pointed to the red plum vase on the Bogu shelf and said, "Can I take it down and take a look?"
The little black girl smiled and put the plum bottle on the counter, indicating that he could look at it.
Li Mo picked up the Ji Hongmei vase and looked at it carefully, then turned it over and looked at the circle foot and the inscription, which were made in Daoguang year of the Qing Dynasty in regular script. It was indeed genuine porcelain. He put it back on the counter calmly and asked, "How much does porcelain like this cost?"
"Eight thousand dollars."
Li Mo's brows moved slightly. Did he hear it correctly? This authentic porcelain from the official kiln during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty only sold for 8,000 US dollars.
He smiled, and then scanned the ancient shelf again, "Show me that little jar, that plate, that gourd bottle."
The little black girl's service attitude was quite good, and she didn't feel too annoyed. She brought the three pieces of porcelain designated by Li Mo to the counter one by one.
The small jar is not large, only eight or nine centimeters tall, and fits nicely in the palm of your hand. Although it is small in size, the craftsmanship on the surface is not simple. It is a blue enamel painting with a gold landscape painting. There is a seal script mark on the bottom that is made in the Qianlong year of the Qing Dynasty. It should be placed by Emperor Qianlong in his study or bedroom for viewing. of.
The plate is a grey-green glazed six-cup sunflower mouth plate with gold and iron wire on the surface. There is no mark on it, but there is no doubt that it is a fine product fired by Ge kiln, one of the five famous kilns in the Song Dynasty. As Li Mo watched, the heart in his chest was beating violently.
Most of the porcelain in his museum is from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with relatively few from the Yuan and Song dynasties, so it is even more satisfying to encounter a fine piece of Songge kiln here than to miss a hundred Ming and Qing porcelains, mainly because they are too rare.
The last gourd vase is a relatively common pastel flower and bird gourd vase, a genuine official kiln porcelain made in the Jiaqing year of the Qing Dynasty.
