86_86182 Ask for favorites and recommendations!

*******************

The Newpiers have long since been driven out of these buildings in favor of a variety of branded stores, expensive perfumes, furniture stores, antique shops, galleries, thrift stores, new and used bookstores, restaurants and cafes opened by wealthy European immigrants.

The CityBarn antique store that Fang Bo introduced to Jin Muchen is located on the corner of 53rd Street, at the southern end of the SOHO district.

The shopkeeper Rick is an old man of the same age as Fang Bo, in his fifties, not tall, but very stout, his face is full of traces of time and frost, gray hair and beard, he looks like an artist's literary style.

The scale of his store is not very large, with only one floor and a business area of more than 150 square meters.

When Jin Muchen arrived, Rick was dealing with a young black man.

A young black man with a stone Buddha head in his hand was introducing Old Rick.

"This is what my dad brought back from Vietnam, when my dad was in Company B of the 101st Division, and when they were attacking Ho Chi Minh City, he found this thing in a temple and brought it back from Vietnam......"

This black young man introduced him very seriously, Jin Muchen did not interrupt him, but looked at the Buddha head in his hand from the side, to be honest, it was really interesting to be able to see such a stone carved Buddha head here.

However, after only two glances, Jin Muchen denied the black man's statement, because he stared intently at this Buddha head for a long time, and there was no jewel on this Buddha head.

According to his previous experience, this Buddha head must be fake, and this guy should obviously be making up a story.

Every antique has a story behind it, but some of the stories are real, some are fake, and most of the fake stories are accompanied by fake antiques.

However, Jin Muchen didn't debunk him, because he felt that an old player in the antique world like Rick would definitely be able to determine the authenticity of this thing.

However, when he looked at the old man with gray hair and beard opposite, he listened attentively at this time, and his eyes kept rolling on the Buddha's head.

After the black youth finished speaking, this Rick actually nodded.

"Well, young man, how much are you going to buy!"

When the black young man heard this, he immediately became very excited: "Sir, you are really a knowledgeable person, I have been to several antique shops before, but they all say that this is fake. But I don't believe it, my dad would never lie to me. ”

"Okay, young man, I know, you can tell me a price!"

Rick interrupted the young man, then said.

"Hmm...... Eight hundred...... No, five hundred dollars ......"

"Well, I'll give you three hundred dollars!"

Rick actually wants to buy a fake? The expression on Jin Muchen's face was a little surprised, considering that this guy was a friend of Uncle Fang, and he might not be very proficient in Asian antiques, so Jin Muchen wanted to remind him.

But as soon as the words came to his mouth, he saw the strange eyes swept over by Old Rick, and then Jin Muchen chose to shut his mouth.

"Deal!"

A bright smile bloomed on the face of the black youth, and the old Rick counted three bills from the drawer with a blank face and slapped them on the black man's hand, and the black young man walked out of the antique shop with a happy expression.

"Are you Lao Fang's nephew?"

"Yes, hello Mr. Rick, it's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Jin Muchen."

"Hello, Mu Chen, I'm also glad to meet you."

Rick reached out and shook Jin Muchen hard, this guy's palms were full of calluses, especially the place on the belly of the index finger and the tiger's mouth.

Jin Muchen's heart sank, this was a hand that often held a gun.

Rick didn't rush to talk to Jin Muchen, but looked at the stone carved Buddha head that was placed on the counter, reached out and touched the Buddha's head, and finally he placed the Buddha head in the window at the door.

Jin Muchen couldn't help but be stunned when he saw it, he knew the rules of these antique stores, generally things that are not very valuable will be placed outside to attract customers, and the really good things are all placed in the safe at the back.

It was clear that Rick knew it was a fake, but why did he sell it?

"This thing is in the duty-free shop near the airport in Thailand, which is ten dollars a piece."

Rick got up and didn't look at Jin Muchen and muttered, Jin Muchen couldn't help but ask.

"Then why do you buy it when you know it's fake?"

"Hey, boy, because I also served in the 101st Division back then, because I also went to Vietnam back then, and most importantly, because I was also a father."

As soon as Rick said this, Jin Muchen was relieved, it seemed that he couldn't bear to destroy the image of the black young man's father in his heart.

Perhaps the father of the young black man did not receive any booty in Vietnam, but before returning home, he bought such a Buddha head near an airport as a gift to his son, and it must have been accompanied by a beautiful story.

Thinking of this, Jin Muchen has already determined that this Rick is definitely a good person.

"Okay, boy, I heard from the old man, you received some things, but you can't get them yet, so you want me to help take a look?"

"Yes, these are the three tea sets I received, but I'm not sure about the specific origin of these tea sets, so I want you to help take a look."

Jin Muchen didn't have any ink, so he took out the three tea sets directly from the backpack behind him and put them in front of Rick.

One or two of the three tea sets, Rick's eyes lit up immediately, and he took out a pair of eye belts from under the counter, and then took out a magnifying glass and a tape measure.

He first took the three pots in his hand and put them on the mat, then opened the spout of the pot and looked inside carefully for a long time, and finally reached out and began to knock on the pot, and then listened to the echo of the body of the pot.

The voice was crisp and distant, and then Rick nodded.

"Well, it's 950 silver, and the purity is good. Now we need to give him a medical check-up. ”

As he spoke, he dragged an electronic scale from the side, and put the three tea sets on it and weighed them one by one.

"789 grams for the teapot, 885 grams for the coffee pot, 561 grams for the sugar pot, for a total weight of 2235 grams. The weight is also good, the materials are very real, and now they will be measured. ”

After Rick finished speaking, he picked up the tape measure again and began to make precise measurements of each of the three tea sets.

"The teapot is 210 mm high, the pot flows to the handle 240 mm, the body diameter is 160 mm, the coffee pot is 280 mm high, the pot flows to the handle 235 mm, the body diameter is 140 mm, the sugar pot is 160 mm high, the ear spacing is 190 mm, and the body diameter is 140 mm. Uniquely shaped, square-handled teapot. The decoration is exquisite, the workmanship is exquisite, the materials are thick, and the quality is intact! Gilt inside the sugar jar. Good stuff, good stuff! ”

The old man muttered while doing a physical examination of the teapots and sugar pots.

Jin Muchen next to him listened to it, and at the same time, he was happy in his heart, it seems that he definitely didn't run away this time.

"Well, the rest are here to see the silver stamp, mark."

As he spoke, the old man turned the pots over, and then began to look around, and the lid of the pot was carefully examined, and the bottom of the pot was revealed, and then he used a magnifying glass to carefully identify the French signature on the bottom of the pot.

In the end, with a solemn face, he put down these pots, turned his head and said to Jin Muchen.

"Young man, these things of yours are really good, I heard that the old man said that you collected them from 39th Street?"

"That's right, it was yesterday, I just thought these pots were beautiful, so I took them. But I don't know exactly what these pots are, so I'm here to ask you today. ”

Jin Muchen's humble attitude made Rick very useful, after all, there are not many low-key or even a little simple young people like Jin Muchen these years, especially at this age, he has such an eyesight, and he also likes to specialize in antiques.

"Haha, well, boy, I have to say that your luck is really good, this should be a set of fine French 950 sterling silver tea set from 1882, and the author is also a very famous French silversmith, fleuret, fran?ois, you look at the bottom of the pot and his signature. Fleuret, Fran?ois was one of the most famous French silversmiths of that era, he mainly served the royal family in Paris, as well as the aristocracy, and there are many heirlooms that are still in the Palace of Fontainebleau. Your set, it should be the work he created for a nobleman back then, unfortunately it was not signed with the name of that nobleman, otherwise you can know the inheritance of this set of tea sets, then it will be more valuable. ”

Rick's words made Jin Muchen's heart bloom, he didn't care what fleuret, fran?ois, anyway, as long as the tea set in front of him was more valuable, the better.

"But although I don't know the inheritance, but it doesn't matter, after all, this set of tea sets, can be regarded as the pinnacle of fleuret, fran?ois, there are five most important processes for making zuò silverware, hammering, engraving, ticking, filigree, burning blue, your set of tea sets, in addition to filigree, it can be said that the four major processes are readily available, many processes, so that this set of tea sets out a very rich sense of light and shadow, this is the charm of this set of tea sets."

Rick was still talking to Jin Muchen about the origin and value of this tea set, but Jin Muchen finally couldn't hold back and fell into the cliché.

"Mr. Narik, how much do you think this tea set should be worth?"

"Hmmm......"

Old Rick touched the white beard on his chin and did not rush to answer, and after a long while, he spoke.

"But after all, this is not Victorian-style silverware, Mu Chen, you know that the mainstream choice of silverware collection is still British style, especially the Victorian era, so although your set of silverware is very exquisite, the price is convenient compared to the British tea set of that era, it is still much worse, if I collect it, I can give you 30,000 dollars!"

I went, and when I collected it, it only cost 1,000 and a half, and now I can sell it for 30,000 as soon as I change hands, which is a 20-fold profit!.