This young man is indeed the grandson of an old friend, showing remarkable talent in this aspect. Although his recent find may seem largely attributed to luck, isn't luck also a form of innate gift?
Mr. Fang usually spends most of his time sitting in his own shop. With a shop as large as his, he doesn't need to go to the streets often to procure goods. Naturally, there will be people who need to sell their belongings and bring them to him.
Therefore, Jin Muchen's experience of finding this treasure piqued Mr. Fang's interest. Jin Muchen recounted his experience of acquiring this bowl to Mr. Fang, who couldn't help but slap his thigh.
"Young man, do you know what a treasure you've stumbled upon? Such a fine item, and yet you acquired it for a mere thirty-five dollars. Do you realize how fortunate you are?"
At this moment, Jin Muchen felt a surge of joy. Mr. Fang's affirmation essentially validated his speculation: that his eyes could indeed discern treasures, distinguishing between ordinary objects and antiques.
With this ability, doesn't it mean he possesses a golden eye? In the future, as long as he casually finds a few more treasures, would he still need to work as a laborer or deliver takeout?
"Mr. Fang, please stop teasing me. Quickly tell me, what exactly is this treasure?"
Seeing Jin Muchen's anxious expression, Mr. Fang felt a small sense of satisfaction. Indeed, this young man had luck on his side, but when it came to antique collection and appraisal, he was still inexperienced.
"Look at the decorative patterns on this bowl. The five-clawed dragon design, coupled with this yellow ground famille rose, and the quality of the material is impeccable. It can be concluded that this is a bowl from the Yongzheng period with a yellow ground famille rose five-clawed dragon design! The inscription on the bottom of the bowl is 'Made during the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty,' so there's no doubt about it."
Mr. Fang decisively determined the origin of this bowl. With his experience, he would never make a mistake.
Jin Muchen scratched his head. "Mr. Fang, this bowl is clearly a product of the Yongzheng Imperial Kiln. Why does it have the inscription 'Made during the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty' on the bottom?"
"Well! That's because the famille rose of the Chenghua reign is famous, so these are imitation products made by the Imperial Kiln during the Chenghua reign. Hence, the inscription."
So, it's a product of the Imperial Kiln! But this item has quite a prestigious background, especially with its five-clawed dragon design. Such a style is not something an ordinary person can use. According to Mr. Fang, only someone of noble status can use such a style.
Upon hearing that this bowl was exclusively used by the emperor, Jin Muchen couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Wouldn't this bowl then be valuable?
Originally worried about when he could save enough for living expenses and tuition fees, if this antique were valuable, it would solve his biggest problem.
Thinking about this, how could Jin Muchen not be delighted?
"So, Mr. Fang, how much is this thing worth?"
Mr. Fang turned to look at Jin Muchen, then turned back to touch the bowl.
"If this bowl were in the hands of those foreigners in the United States, especially those who are ignorant, it would be a waste. It would be no different from junk. But if it were in the hands of knowledgeable people, it would be valuable. This bowl, with its authentic inscription, is a rare find. Moreover, it was used by the royal family. So despite being a practical item rather than a decorative one, its price is still not low."
Mr. Fang caressed the famille rose open-mouthed bowl in his hand and continued.
"The production craftsmanship of Yongzheng's famille rose porcelain is sophisticated, characterized by elegance and beauty, highly admired by many. It has always been sought after in the auction market, so there's a great potential for appreciation. Additionally, in recent years, the antique market in China has grown rapidly, especially for porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties, causing prices to rise continuously. So, the price of this item is not likely to be low. Despite the chip on the rim and some repairs, and although it's a single piece, it's still a royal treasure. Therefore, I estimate that the starting price would be at least ten thousand US dollars. The specific selling price would depend on how much the seller values it."
"So much?"
Jin Muchen was a bit wide-eyed upon hearing this. He didn't expect that such a small bowl could fetch ten thousand US dollars. Considering that he had worked hard for a month at the distribution center and only saved up three thousand dollars, plus another thousand from delivering takeout, these were all hard-earned money. Selling this bowl would be more profitable than his labor.
"Is that all?"
Mr. Fang gave Jin Muchen a look of surprise.
"Yongzheng's famille rose porcelain mainly consists of delicate and elegant small items such as plates, bowls, cups, boxes, and pen holders. Your bowl is only a practical item. If it were a decorative piece, the price would at least double. Moreover, the size of this bowl is quite small. If you were to exchange it for a famille rose celestial globe vase or a large plate with a diameter of over 50 centimeters, the price would definitely skyrocket. Two years ago, there was an auction in China featuring a Yongzheng-period famille rose celestial globe vase. Do you know how much it sold for?"
Seeing that Jin Muchen was now genuinely interested in antique collection, Mr. Fang couldn't help but fan the flames.
"How much?"
Jin Muchen knew that the antique collection market in China had been booming in recent years, but he hadn't paid much attention to it before. He was not very clear about it since he usually only heard rumors. Now that Mr. Fang was speaking so professionally, he wasn't quite sure.
"It sold for over eleven million at the time!"
"Wow, that's a lot!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Muchen wished he could immediately rush back to that pawnshop and rummage through it again, to see if that guy had any other items like dog-washing basins or large water jugs for dogs.
"You got lucky this time. The person who gave you this bowl probably didn't know its value, or else you wouldn't have stumbled upon this opportunity. If you're willing, you can consider walking down this path. Why not learn from Mr. Fang? It would also be a way to carry on your grandfather's academic legacy."
Mr. Fang continued to persuade Jin Muchen, hoping he would learn the art of antique identification from him.
This time, Jin Muchen didn't immediately reject Mr. Fang's proposal as he had done before. Instead, he nodded and said, "Mr. Fang, give me some time to think it over."
"Well, take your time. No rush."
Mr. Fang was pleased to see that Jin Muchen didn't reject his proposal outright like before.
"Oh, by the way, do you want to sell this bowl?"
"Of course, I need money right now."
"Alright, come with me to the shop later. We'll have some customers coming in soon."
Mr. Fang smiled and said to Jin Muchen, who looked curious. Why would selling antiques require an appointment?
Mr. Fang explained with a smile, "In recent years, there are more wealthy people in China, and more people are traveling abroad. Among these people, many are knowledgeable collectors. China had more than a hundred years of humiliation in the past, and during that time, countless treasures ended up overseas, particularly in the United States. Now, domestic collectors have become more sophisticated. The prices of domestic antiques have been inflated too high, so some knowledgeable people prefer to come to the United States to collect antiques. Even if they can't find them, they like to entrust antique dealers like me to help them explore and regularly come to me to procure goods. Today, this afternoon, a group of domestic customers will be coming, so we can sell your bowl to them."
After Mr. Fang's explanation, Jin Muchen understood. He didn't refuse and went with Mr. Fang back to his shop.
Mr. Fang's antique shop was located in the middle of Union Street, in a good location. The storefront on the first floor was about a hundred square meters, mostly used for displaying items. Outside, most of the items displayed were high imitation porcelain imported from China, along with some worthless junk.
The real treasures, some of which were not too valuable, were displayed in glass cabinets at the back of the store. This part was separated from the front and was made of bulletproof glass. Usually, Mr. Fang worked behind this bulletproof partition.
The security situation in the United States was not very good. Many people had guns, and this was the Queen's area. Although the security situation was better than in other areas, such as Flushing, it was still necessary to be cautious.
Jin Muchen followed Mr. Fang back to his shop and helped clean up a bit. Then, he sat with Mr. Fang at the back, drinking tea and chatting. After about an hour, the doorbell rang. When he looked out from the back, Jin Muchen saw that there were several middle-aged people with yellow skin in the shop, speaking fluent Mandarin and evaluating this small shop.
Mr. Fang smiled and went out to greet them, exchanging greetings with them. It was clear that he was very familiar with the leader among them.
The leader was a middle-aged man in his fifties, of average build and well-preserved. Behind him were three others, two of whom were middle-aged men in their forties, slightly overweight. From their attitude and demeanor, they seemed to be emerging wealthy people in China, who were now dabbling in collecting, and they looked like they were new to this circle.
However, Jin Muchen could see that the real core among them should be the one in the middle of their group. He was around thirty years old, tall and thin, with a somewhat pale complexion, indicating that he was accustomed to a pampered lifestyle. He naturally exuded an indescribable aura of authority.
The other big bosses surrounded him, speaking carefully. They seemed to have a sense of being the center of attention.
"Come, let me introduce you, Mr. Wang Xue Ming, Mr. Wang, to you. He's a good friend of mine from China. Mr. Wang is a key leader in a large company in China, and he also enjoys collecting. I heard that you have many good things here, so he came all the way with me to take a look. Mr. Wang, this is the Mr. Fang I mentioned to you earlier..."