While diligently studying the knowledge of antique appraisal, Jin Muchen also endeavors in another matter: familiarizing himself with the antique market of New York as soon as possible.
In New York, apart from the high-end antique shops in Manhattan, there are also many small markets related to antiques. These small markets are similar to the antique distribution centers like Beijing's Panjiayuan, with not only some fixed shops along the street but also many vendors setting up stalls over the weekends. Although not as large in scale as Panjiayuan, they exude a distinct American style.
These antique small markets are almost all located in the Manhattan area.
New Yorkers have given these small markets a very interesting name: the "Hell's Kitchen Weekend Market."
This market, which always leaves antique enthusiasts wanting more, actually has three main points: one is the 39th Street outdoor market, famous for antique furniture, decorations, and clothing.
The second is the 25th Street Antique Garage, famous for antique jewelry and small items.
And the third is the West 25th Street Market, known for its good quality and affordable prices.
Each of these three markets has its own characteristics, distinctly different from one another, and they are the favorite places for collectors from New York and surrounding areas to visit on weekends.
Jin Muchen is no exception. Since knowing about these markets, he has become a frequent visitor. However, there is one thing he can't quite understand, even after racking his brains: what exactly is the relationship between Hell's Kitchen and antiques?
But it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand. Americans are just like that—capricious. If they like to call it that way, he doesn't need to know why. As long as he enjoys strolling around, it's fine.
During this period, Jin Muchen mainly frequented the antique market on 39th Street, which is the largest among the three Hell's Kitchen markets. It has a wide range of items, and many vendors come to set up their stalls every weekend.
This market is located at the intersection of Ninth Street and 39th Street, with a large outdoor market. Along with the entire 39th Street and a portion extending outwards, there are hundreds of antique shops and stalls, large and small.
The market opens every weekend, selling old items sourced from across the United States and Europe. Occasionally, some Chinese-style exquisite items also appear.
Jin Muchen has almost wandered around every weekend during this period, visiting almost all the small and large antique shops here, even not letting go of those roadside stalls.
However, he hasn't found anything to his liking. After all, most of the antiques here are from Europe, and many of them he doesn't quite understand. He has been madly studying European antique knowledge recently, but this part he can only rely on himself, as Fangbo is not very familiar with this aspect.
So, for him, visiting these antique shops and stalls is not only about learning antique knowledge but also a kind of training. Whether he can find a treasure is just a byproduct. After all, such lucky finds are not something that happens every day.
But so far, it seems his previous good luck has run out. After several weeks of continuous browsing, he hasn't had any decent harvests.
The vendors here and the owners of those antique shops are as shrewd as those in Panjiayuan. Although they have put good items on the shelves, the prices are definitely not low.
There's simply no chance of finding a bargain.
Although he hasn't found anything good, the coffee at HK Coffee on 39th Street corner is quite good, which was an unexpected discovery.
The full name of HK Coffee is also Hell's Kitchen, the same as the name of a reality TV show on an American network. Jin Muchen doesn't know if the name of this coffee shop is related to the name of this antique market.
But the smoked salmon Benedict and the mimosa, a cocktail made with orange juice and champagne, are quite tasty. Jin Muchen would always have them before strolling around here every weekend.
This weekend, Jin Muchen is no exception. After getting up early and greeting Fangbo, he heads straight to 39th Street in Manhattan.
During this time, Candice seems to be busy preparing for a few exams, so the two of them haven't had much time to meet. This actually gives Jin Muchen more time to spend on studying and researching antique appraisal.
This time, Jin Muchen still chooses to take the subway to 39th Street. After all, finding a parking space in Manhattan is extremely difficult, and even if you can find one, the parking fees here are enough to make him wince.
Arriving at the entrance of 39th Street, the place is already bustling with people. Although it's only ten o'clock and the market has just started, collectors from all over New York have already arrived.
The streets on both sides are crowded with small vendors from all over, each stall is not very large, but the scale is similar to the small antique stalls on Hester Street that he has visited before.
However, these stalls mainly sell antique furniture, and some sell various vintage clothing.
Vintage clothing, literally translated from Chinese as second-hand clothing, but this is only the literal meaning. In the antique circle in China, there is no such concept at all.
But in the antique circle in the United States, this concept is very popular. However, these second-hand clothes must be boutique items with historical value, historical positioning, and especially those that can represent a certain period, certain specific elements.
To put it in a somewhat trendy way, it embodies a mature, timeless classic charm.
And in plain terms, it means that these clothes could be worn in the past, present, and future. They are not designed purely to cater to the current season's fashion.
Like the slim pants Audrey Hepburn wore in the 1950s, the women's shirts with botanical prints designed by Emilio Pucci in the 1960s, and the Chanel suit skirts that persisted throughout that era, they are all the most standard vintage clothing.
Moreover, such boutique items must also be well-preserved and in good condition.
So, such markets are very popular among women. Every weekend, what Jin Muchen sees the most on this street are those gorgeously dressed ladies.
And these ladies, some are models of big companies, some are even some minor celebrities, and even some American celebrities. Anyway, they are quite different from the women he saw on Hester Street before, obviously of higher quality.
This also adds some beautiful scenery to this antique street. Even if he doesn't get anything he likes after a day of strolling, being able to see these eye-catching beauties is enough to make the trip worthwhile.
Jin Muchen wanders aimlessly on this street with a cup of coffee in hand. To be honest, those antique furniture looks very nice. As soon as he touches them, he can tell that they are made of very good materials and exquisitely carved, all good stuff from the past.
But the prices are not cheap. However, these things are not what he wants. As for those vintage clothes, although they are all second-hand, because some of the clothes are either inlaid with gold or silver, or even more exaggeratedly, set with diamonds, each piece is quite expensive.
Some don't have such special decorations, but because they were worn by some celebrities
in the past, the asking price is even higher than those inlaid with gold and silver.
So, even if Jin Muchen has the intention, he is powerless to purchase them.
Is he going to wander around in vain today? Seeing that it's already afternoon, and there are still a few hours before the market closes, Jin Muchen feels a bit unwilling.
Just as he sighed, he suddenly saw a figure that seemed very familiar to him. Upon closer inspection, Jin Muchen couldn't help but smile.
Yes, the guy in front who's manning the stall is the same person he met before, the one who helped him strike gold for the first time—a black man who exchanged a meal for his Yongzheng famille rose bowl.
Life is full of unexpected encounters. Before, Jin Muchen was wondering whether to visit his place again to see if there were any water kettles for dogs or bath basins. Unexpectedly, this guy appeared here.
And now, this guy's identity is a stall owner, and his booth mainly deals with buying silverware.
Jin Muchen walked over with a smile and started to examine the items on this stall. Unlike other stalls that buy silverware, there aren't many silverware items here. Mainly some tableware like coffee pots, and the rest are all kinds of miscellaneous items, such as some old trees and a few maple wood carvings, etc. There aren't many items, but it's evident that each one is a boutique.
"Hey! Buddy, see anything you like? Feel free to pick." The black stall owner came over enthusiastically and greeted him. However, he didn't recognize the guy in front of him, who was the person who delivered takeout to him more than a month ago.
Originally, Jin Muchen just came over to take a casual glance, but at the moment when his eyes swept over, a surprise unexpectedly appeared before him once again.
With a flash of silver light, Jin Muchen can be sure that he didn't see it wrong. On the left side of the stall in front, there was a set of silver tea set emitting a glimmer of silver light. It's a classical European tea set consisting of a silver coffee pot, a teapot, and a sugar pot.
"Boss, bring that tea set over here for me to take a look." The old black man eagerly handed the tea set to Jin Muchen. As soon as he took it, Jin Muchen felt that the tea set was very heavy, indicating that it was made of solid material.
After carefully examining it, the silver light on the three silver pots became even brighter. Based on his experience, it's obvious that this is an antique tea set, but he's not very clear about its specific origin. After all, during this period, although he has been madly reviewing antique knowledge, most of it is about Chinese antiques. Although he also has some understanding of Western antiques, it's just scratching the surface.
"Hey buddy, you've got a good eye. This is a set of silverware with obvious Rococo style. It's an antique from the 18th century, from England..."