in2ebook Chapter 229: Deal Sold!
Chapter 229: Deal Sold!
"Hello, boss! I've heard of Baibaozhai for a long time!"
"When I saw him today, he certainly lived up to his reputation."
"We're just here to try our luck, boss. Do you have any good stuff? Let us take a look!"
Upon hearing Mr. Li's Hong Kong and Taiwan accent, the boss's eyes darted around, realizing that a major client had arrived.
"You two clients are from the port area, right?"
"Please come in, gentlemen. I will bring you the Yuan blue and white porcelain that I have treasured for many years."
The shop owner extended a warm invitation, and Mr. Li and his assistant, Liang, went into the inner room together.
Mr. Li and his assistant Liang sat and waited for a while, and then the shop owner brought over a finely packaged wooden box, handling it with great care.
As the owner slowly opened the box, it was filled with various softening agents to prevent the precious items inside from being bumped or damaged.
Just like an antique porcelain vase worth hundreds of millions, even a scratch would result in a significant loss.
Even a single scar could result in a loss of hundreds of millions.
Mr. Li and his assistant came over with great interest after seeing this.
The shop owner carefully took a Yuan blue-and-white porcelain bottle out of the ink box and gently placed it on the table.
"Hey, you two bosses from the port city, take a look! This is my most treasured collection!"
"This blue and white porcelain piece is the work of the legendary blue and white porcelain craftsman, Zhang Ziliang!"
Mr. Li and his assistant exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of shock.
Oh my goodness.
Zhang Ziliang!
This Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain craftsman possessed exceptional skills.
His porcelain-making techniques are simply ingenious and exquisite.
Whether it was glazing or shaping, it was ahead of its time.
The blue-and-white square vase they produced is still on display in the National Museum of China.
All the blue and white porcelain pieces identified as being made by him are of museum quality, worth at least 50 million.
If it's a high-quality collectible, even if it sells for 100 million, it will be priceless and unavailable!
The shop owner patted his chest and laughed heartily, saying:
"This is the piece of my collection that I'm most proud of in my life!"
"I've long heard that many big shots in your Hong Kong district love collecting Master Zhang's rare antiques."
"Why don't you take a look and see if it catches your eye?"
The shop owner chuckled and said in a proud tone.
Mr. Li and his assistant Liang then began to admire the Yuan dynasty celadon vase.
The two exchanged a glance and then began a meticulous appraisal process.
First, they focused on the overall shape and proportions of the porcelain vase.
Yuan blue and white porcelain is known for its unique shape, with smooth and rhythmic lines!
Mr. Li slowly took out a folding magnifying glass from his pocket.
Assistant Liang then turned on his professional flashlight that he carried with him!
After a while, Mr. Li said softly, "The proportions of this bottle look very harmonious. It's very similar to the rare Zhang Dajiang bottle I saw in the exhibition hall before."
After speaking, he continued to observe intently.
After all, this alone is not enough to determine whether the bottle is real or fake.
Genuine Zhang Ziliang Yuan blue and white porcelain has a warm and jade-like texture, with a faint milky white glaze showing through the blue patterns.
Using the soft, non-glaring light of their flashlights, the two began to carefully examine the glaze on the surface of the porcelain.
Assistant Liang pointed to a relatively open area on the porcelain vase and whispered, "The color transition here is natural, without the overly bright or dull feeling of modern imitations."
"I think we should take a closer look at the details of the pattern."
Mr. Li stroked his chin while carefully observing with a magnifying glass!
“The painting style on Zhang Shenjiang’s blue and white porcelain is unique, with vivid and powerful lines. In particular, traditional patterns such as dragons and phoenixes have distinct characteristics of the times.”
“Look here, the marks left between the brushstrokes also match his style.”
After confirming the exterior features, the next and more crucial part is the bottom markings and tire condition.
With the help of a magnifying glass, they discovered that the four-character inscription "Made in the Zhizheng Year" was clearly visible on the bottom of the porcelain vase, which is a common type of inscription in the late Yuan Dynasty.
This was also the period when Zhang Ziliang produced the most products.
This makes it seem reasonable that there are more genuine artifacts scattered around the world.
"The font is neat and shows a proper degree of wear, unlike something that was recently forged," Assistant Liang analyzed, then tapped the bottle with his fingertip.
If you gently tap its side and it produces a clear, pleasant sound, it means that the porcelain is dense and free of cracks!
Conversely, there may be internal damage.
After several rounds of light tapping, the porcelain bottle emitted a uniform and resonant sound.
This further increases the likelihood that it is genuine.
After completing a series of professional assessments, Mr. Li and his assistant Liang exchanged a smile, seemingly already having a good idea of what was going on!
"Shop owner, how much is this bottle?"
Assistant Liang slowly stood up and said with a smile.
He stared directly at the boss, waiting for a response.
If the price offered is fair enough, I'll buy the bottle directly.
However, the other party probably won't overcharge.
Judging from the way he and Old Li distinguished between real and fake, they seemed like experts.
If the price is too high, even if they really like the bottle, they won't buy it.
The shop owner pondered for a moment, then said with a smile:
"Guest, to be honest, this treasure is one I bought at an auction, and I guarantee it's genuine."
"Whether this treasure is real or not, you two probably already know!"
"I won't exaggerate the price."
"I bought it for 7800 million at the auction."
"With warehousing, transportation, strict storage, and anti-theft costs included, it's not unreasonable for me to charge an extra 1000 million, is it?"
"The final price is set at 8800 million, which I think is very reasonable. What do you two think?"
The shop owner spread his hands and said with a smile.
Clearly, this was the price he quoted sincerely, without exaggeration, but he did not accept bargaining.
Mr. Li remained silent for a moment, then said nothing.
Assistant Liang was also waiting for Mr. Li's response.
After a moment, Mr. Li frowned and asked.
"Shop owner, since this was obtained through an auction, could you please provide the relevant receipts?"
As a businessman, one naturally pays the most attention to these details.
Assistant Liang, who was standing next to him, also got up and took out his phone to check the news from three years ago.
The shop owner was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said:
"Receipts? Of course I have them, please wait a moment!"
At this point, he turned and went upstairs again.
They came back very quickly.
The shop owner, holding a stack of receipts in his hand, explained with a smile:
"The guest is indeed meticulous, but my collection was indeed acquired through legitimate auction channels."
"Here, this is a receipt from three years ago. You can take a look."
After saying that, he put all the relevant receipts and newspapers on the table.
Mr. Li picked up the receipts and compared them with the news articles.
The date is absolutely certain, and there's an official seal on it; everything is genuine.