Watching the constant stream of movers and occasional antique dealers issuing careful instructions to handle delicate items, Candice explained to Jin Muchen.
Upon hearing Candice's explanation, Jin Muchen couldn't help but become even more intrigued by this mansion. Arriving somewhat late, they weren't sure if there would be any treasures left inside for them.
"Are you here for the garage sale too?" When the two arrived at the entrance, a well-dressed middle-aged Caucasian appeared at the mansion's doorway, inquiring of them.
"Yes, we're friends of Harvey."
"Oh? Harvey. A friend of Rupert's? Welcome, I'm Joshua Bentley, Sydney Bentley's son. Delighted to make your acquaintance."
This middle-aged man happened to be the son of Harvey's former neighbor, also one of the organizers of the garage sale. With gold-rimmed glasses, he exuded an air of refinement and politeness.
"Hello, I'm Muchen, and this is my girlfriend, Candice. We heard from Harvey yesterday about the garage sale here, so we decided to come over today since we had the time."
Jin Muchen and the man shook hands, exchanging brief introductions.
"Very well, please come inside. Feel free to browse, and if you find anything suitable, feel free to make an offer."
Joshua warmly invited the two inside, exchanging a few pleasantries before leaving them to explore.
The mansion was bustling with antique dealers and local residents, everyone touring the premises, marking items they fancied, and privately estimating their worth to negotiate with the homeowners.
If multiple people coveted the same item, the homeowner would negotiate based on their offers, selecting the highest bid to finalize the deal, somewhat resembling a small-scale auction.
In the United States, when selling such mansions, there were generally two options: one was to conduct a garage sale like this, selling off all the items in the house except for a few unwanted ones, and then list the property with a real estate agent.
This method allowed homeowners to potentially earn higher profits but was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Sometimes, for large properties, several such garage sales were necessary, along with newspaper advertisements, making it quite troublesome.
The other option was to sell the entire property along with everything inside. Many savvy antique dealers would bid for such properties, with the highest bidder prevailing.
This method spared homeowners a lot of hassle but risked letting dealers snatch up valuable items. Sometimes, seemingly insignificant items in the house could be worth a lot, even more than the property itself.
True antique dealers often favored garage sales like these or house auctions.
During garage sales, everyone would browse together, sometimes even bidding competitively for certain items.
But when faced with auctions for entire houses filled with antiques and curiosities, they would often collaborate, agree on terms, and jointly participate in bidding, pooling funds to acquire the property.
Then, based on their contributions, they would divide the antiques in the house, decorate it, and sell it again.
"Regardless of the method, they won't lose money. During such auctions, these antique dealers are always present. If you become one of them in the future, be sure to keep an eye on the daily newspapers. Large-scale garage sales or auctions of celebrity estates are often advertised in the papers."
Candice explained to Jin Muchen the background of such garage sales in the United States and their intricacies. Jin Muchen gained a basic understanding of such garage sales and felt that they were akin to American-style treasure hunts.
While listening to Candice's explanation, his eyes were fixed on the antique dealers bustling around the house.
These individuals, well-dressed and sophisticated, were clearly proprietors or agents of Manhattan's high-end antique shops, highly knowledgeable about various antiques and curiosities.
At this moment, they were meticulously inspecting every room in the mansion. If a room was open for viewing, they would enter, fearing they might miss out on any potential finds due to a small oversight.
Jin Muchen and Candice followed a group of two antique dealers, embarking on a comprehensive tour of the mansion. It had to be said that Mr. Bentley had exquisite taste.
The mansion's decor exuded a typical Western American style, with mahogany floors, stairs, and even the lower half of the walls covered in mahogany panels, while the upper half displayed numerous oil paintings of uncertain origin and age.
The two antique dealers were particularly interested in these oil paintings. After a brief examination, they exchanged a few names unfamiliar to Jin Muchen, likely those of relatively famous artists.
After determining the authors of these paintings, they engaged in a second round of heated debate, eventually dividing the paintings among themselves, then summoning Joshua to negotiate and finalize the deal.
Subsequently, their hired movers arrived to carefully remove and pack the paintings, transporting them to the trucks outside.
The entire process was quite straightforward, and Jin Muchen gained a general understanding after a brief overview. However, after looking around, he didn't find anything particularly appealing. The so-called antiques here, if viewed by Chinese collectors, would be considered more like curiosities.
For example, the crystal balls placed on the study desk or the exquisitely crafted wooden models of carts, ships, and airplanes, while of excellent material and craftsmanship, lacked historical and cultural value.
Therefore, their prices ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars at most. Although these items were favored by the antique dealers, Jin Muchen refrained from purchasing. Firstly, because he wasn't familiar with these Western odds and ends, and secondly, because nothing caught his eye.
His eyes, capable of discerning value, scanned the "antiques" eagerly sought after by the dealers, but failed to detect any brilliance, indicating that while these items may have some value, they were not particularly valuable. Unless they met a buyer who truly appreciated them, they would unlikely fetch high prices, lacking the recognized price levels of common stocks. Consequently, Jin Muchen wasn't very interested in these items.
After observing for a while and learning more, Jin Muchen felt a hint of disappointment. Having circled through most of the mansion, he hadn't found anything to his liking.
Fortunately, the hosts had arranged well, ordering takeaway and drinks for everyone around noon, allowing them to rest in the ground floor hall.
Lunch was quickly finished, and after a brief rest, Joshua Bentley appeared in the ground floor living room.
"Alright, gentlemen, in the morning, everyone has more or less selected what they want. As time is tight, we will hold an important auction in the afternoon. Please follow me."
The antique dealers present suddenly became excited, with some acquaintances whispering to each other.
At this moment, Candice whispered to Jin Muchen, "Look, the climax is coming. This auction is the highlight of the garage sale. Judging by their excitement, there must be plenty of good items in store."
Jin Muchen realized. No wonder they say Americans are astute, with mature commercial tactics. The way they conduct these garage sales is clearly a small-scale second-hand goods auction, yet the entire process and details are meticulously planned. And to cap it off, there's even a mini-auction at the end.
Such steps and procedures are almost on par with those of large auction houses.
Starting with allowing everyone to freely browse, then selling off less valuable items, and finally unveiling the truly desirable items everyone covets.
This Bentley fellow is quite shrewd. This ensures
the maximization of their interests.
Since they were here, Jin Muchen certainly didn't want to leave empty-handed. With Candice by his side, he joined the crowd heading upstairs. One side of the second floor faced south and featured a large study of about a hundred square meters, which had been locked throughout the morning.
But when everyone arrived at the door of this room, it was already open, and Joshua Bentley, who was hosting the auction, stood inside.
"Very well, you have thirty minutes to browse, but be careful, handle items with care. If anything is damaged, you will be held responsible. Thirty minutes from now, I will begin the auction here. Now, please proceed!"
With that, Joshua Bentley stepped down from the small stage, allowing everyone to move freely.
Jin Muchen certainly couldn't miss this opportunity. With Candice by his side, he began exploring the large study.
As soon as he stepped into this study, Jin Muchen had already made a judgment in his heart about the deceased Mr. Bentley. He must have been a collector, even a connoisseur, because this study was filled with treasures as far as the eye could see.
When he first entered, he was even momentarily dazzled by these treasures, his heart pounding incessantly.