In the market, the number of tourists and pedestrians had diminished significantly. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that many had sought refuge under the shade of trees in the park, most of them enjoying their lunch purchased from snack stalls, relishing their meal in that tranquil setting.
Even the vendors at the small stalls appeared dispirited at this hour. With their stomachs filled, it was time to engage in more meaningful activities. Jian Muchen glanced ahead and estimated that he was about half a mile away from traversing the entire Hiest Street. He decided to take advantage of the sparse crowd and complete his stroll down this street.
If he couldn't find anything of interest after completing the walk, he would promptly retreat, avoiding wasting any more time here. The initial impression he had gained from the market segment was not favorable. The clientele seemed predominantly grassroots, too low-end for his taste, and the goods here were mostly secondhand items classified as antiques by Americans.
Lacking the Chinese antiquities he had envisioned, Jian Muchen was hesitant to linger here. Candice didn't object to his suggestion, mainly because they had just eaten too much and she felt a bit bloated. She also welcomed the idea of getting some exercise to aid digestion. Thus, the two of them became among the few pedestrians braving the scorching sun for a stroll.
As they walked, Jian Muchen, though he only cast a cursory glance at the wares, possessed keen insight and quickly discerned that many stalls held nothing of value to him. Consequently, they made swift progress.
As they approached the end of Hiest Street without finding anything of particular interest, Jian Muchen felt a slight sense of disappointment. Candice shared his sentiment. They had hoped this trip would be worthwhile, yet nothing had caught their eye.
Just as they were about to leave the end of the street, a stall selling silverware caught Jian Muchen's attention. The sunlight reflecting off the shiny silverware was particularly dazzling, but amidst that brilliance, Jian Muchen caught a glimpse of a fleeting greenish aura.
This eerie sight reminded him of the day he had seen the Yongzheng famille rose bowl at that man's house, except this time, the aura was greenish. Jian Muchen paused in his tracks and turned towards the stall.
Candice noticed that Jian Muchen seemed to have finally found something of interest, and her curiosity was piqued. She wanted to see what had captivated him.
The stall owner, an Indian with a thick accent, showcased mainly silverware, most of which bore a distinct Indian style. However, Jian Muchen was not interested in the spoons, knives, or coffee pots. What caught his attention was a set of silver coins placed in the lower left corner of the stall. The greenish aura emanated from this set of coins.
The Indian stall owner, while introducing his products, scrutinized Jian Muchen and the attractive girl beside him. Occasionally, when Candice wasn't looking, he gave Jian Muchen a thumbs-up, winking slyly, clearly indicating his approval of Jian Muchen's discerning eye.
However, the Indian stall owner's discernment was equally sharp. After showcasing his products for some time and noticing Jian Muchen's lack of interest, he immediately understood. He picked up the set of coins and handed it to Jian Muchen.
"Friend, take a closer look. These are Chinese silver coins with a history of one hundred years, famously known as 'Yuan Datou'!" As soon as the words "Yuan Datou" came out of the Indian stall owner's mouth with his thick accent, Jian Muchen couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and surprise.
He hadn't expected to see "Yuan Datou" in the United States, and from the hands of an Indian, no less! Jian Muchen, who had previously felt somewhat disappointed with Hiest Street, now didn't know how to describe his feelings.
Regardless of his feelings, this set of "Yuan Datou" was undoubtedly remarkable, with excellent preservation. Candice didn't understand or show much interest in the silver coins. Instead, she was drawn to the beautifully crafted silver plates and coffee pots. However, after a brief glance at the silver coins in Jian Muchen's hand, she shifted her attention to the other exquisite silverware on display.
Jian Muchen was content to be left alone. His grandfather had been a collector, so their home had been filled with such "Yuan Datou" coins when he was young, back when they were not worth much.
He remembered vividly how people would come looking to buy these coins from his grandfather in the early 1990s. At that time, many young people would take these coins to the gold and silver shops on the street to have them melted down and turned into rings, in pursuit of fashion.
The prices his grandfather paid for these coins, if he remembered correctly, ranged from ten to thirty yuan, depending on their condition. Well-preserved coins fetched twenty to thirty yuan, while those in poor condition were sold for as low as eight to ten yuan.
A decade later, with the rise of antique collecting in China, the prices of these "Yuan Datou" coins soared in the antique market. Well-preserved coins could fetch seven to eight hundred yuan, and at their peak, even over a thousand yuan.
However, in recent years, it seemed that the prices of "Yuan Datou" coins had decreased significantly, perhaps due to fluctuations in the silver market.
This set of "Yuan Datou" coins appeared to be in excellent condition, and most importantly, it was a complete set of "Yuan Datou" coins from the third year of the Republic of China.
At the top were two "Yuan Datou" one-yuan coins placed front and back, followed by two middle-yuan coins, then two two-jiao coins, one-jiao coins, and finally, five-fen coins.
This complete set of "Yuan Datou" coins broadened Jian Muchen's horizons because he had only seen one-yuan coins before, and this was his first time seeing middle-yuan coins, two-jiao coins, one-jiao coins, and five-fen coins.
Looking at the year inscribed on this set of coins, he was surprised to see "the third year of the Republic of China." When he saw this year, Jian Muchen couldn't help but be reminded of what his grandfather had told him about "Yuan Datou" coins.
When his grandfather bought these coins, Jian Muchen was still young and often played with them as if they were real coins. Many of the "Yuan Datou" coins his grandfather collected were of excellent quality, with a high silver content.
When brought close to the mouth and blown on, they would emit a clear and pleasant buzzing sound, so he often played with his grandfather's silver coins.
At that time, his grandfather had specifically used those "Yuan Datou" coins to teach him what they were, their significance, and how to distinguish them.
Jian Muchen remembered clearly that his grandfather had mentioned that among "Yuan Datou" coins, there would surely be a fine specimen that collectors would eagerly pursue in the future, and that specimen happened to be a signed version of the "Yuan Datou" coin from the third year of the Republic of China.
In April 1912, Yuan Shikai became the provisional president
of the Republic of China. To enhance his prestige, he specially invited Italian coin designer Giuseppe Castiglione to design a brand new silver coin.
This later became the famous "Yuan Datou." In the third year of the Republic of China, production began at the Tianjin Mint, and before mass production, the Italian designer carved his initials, "L.G.," on the right side of the "Yuan Datou" coin's image.
Such "Yuan Datou" coins were extremely rare among those circulating in the market. To this day, the price of a common "Yuan Datou" coin, once a currency, now an antique, had skyrocketed to seven to eight hundred yuan, while a well-preserved one could fetch three to five thousand yuan.
The price of a signed version of the "Yuan Datou" coin with the initials "L.G." had been hyped to over thirty thousand yuan per coin.
Of course, Jian Muchen was unaware of the current market value of this signed version of the "Yuan Datou" coin, but he knew one thing: he had come across a fine specimen of the "Yuan Datou" coins his grandfather had mentioned.
Furthermore, it was a complete set, and all of the "Yuan Datou" coins were signed versions.
At this point, Jian Muchen understood why he had seen the greenish aura emanating from a distance when he approached this treasure. That Indian stall owner, seeing Jian Muchen carefully examining the set of coins, knew that this young man was likely to become the buyer, as only genuine buyers would inspect the goods so carefully.
The vendor had been at his stall all morning, yet he had not made a sale. Now he urgently needed this deal to open his stall. Therefore, he artfully recounted the origin of these silver coins to Jian Muchen.
"These Chinese silver coins were left behind by my grandfather. At that time, he was a police officer in the Shanghai concession. These coins have been in my family for decades. Since you seem interested in them, I can agree to sell them to you..."
It was another tale of a treasured family heirloom, an Indian version this time. Such stories played out almost daily in China's antique market, and Jian Muchen hadn't expected to encounter the same in the United States.
While such stories often lacked credibility, the specifics of how this set of signed "Yuan Datou" coins came to be were not important. What mattered was that this set of coins was genuine.
Jian Muchen examined the coins repeatedly until he was certain that this set of "Yuan Datou" coins was indeed from the third year of the Republic of China. Finally, he looked up and asked the stall owner about the price.