Chapter 21: The Expert's First Move (2)

  As the country's largest antique trading market, hundreds of thousands or even millions of goods are sold every day. Among them, there may not be many genuine products, but it is not easy to pick out the treasures from among them, just like finding a needle in a haystack or picking gold from sand. Even if you have good luck, you also need to have keen eyesight, otherwise, even if several treasures are placed in front of you, you won't be able to recognize them.

  Compared to Gu Quanzhong, Bao Guoqiang and Fan Yongcheng, I'm like someone who's using a cheat code. But having a cheat code doesn't mean you're invincible, it just means your starting point is higher than others, and you still need to work hard to become stronger.

  Qu Wen knew this truth and didn't say a word. He quietly followed behind Gu Quan, watching how he would take out the treasure and appraise it.

  After walking for about half a day, Gu Quan stopped again and stood in front of a stall selling miscellaneous items.

  Miscellaneous goods refer to a wide variety of items, everything is available.

  Gu Zhennan picked up a copper mirror and asked the stall owner, "Boss, how much is this mirror?"

  As soon as the customer came to the stall, the owner immediately became enthusiastic, with a smile on his face: "This old uncle is really good at picking, this is a genuine and valuable sea beast grape mirror. Look at the carved sea beast patterns and flowers on top, strong and powerful, delicate and precise, vivid and lifelike. The mirror surface is smooth and reflective, after thousands of years it still clearly reflects people. Take another look at this packaging, warm and smooth to the touch, close to people's hearts, absolutely not a modern imitation of an antique. If you want it, I'll give you a lucky price of 600,000."

  Gu Zhong held the bronze mirror in his hand and weighed it: "This mirror is worth 600,000 yuan, a bit expensive."

  The stall owner was also calm, as it's common for both parties to haggle in antique dealings, but it depends on who has the upper hand.

  "Old uncle, you don't know this, do you? In the copper mirror market, Han and Tang dynasty mirrors are highly valued. Good quality Tang dynasty mirrors can be easily sold for 1-2 million Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong. This Sea Beast Grape Mirror of mine is worth six hundred thousand yuan, it's not expensive at all."

  According to the Cultural Relics Protection Ordinance, there are eight categories of cultural relics that cannot be privately bought and sold. To determine whether what you have in your hands is an antique or a national-level cultural relic, it depends on the material. If it is rare, aesthetically pleasing, reflects the style of the time, demonstrates high craftsmanship, and has significant historical significance, then it can be considered a cultural relic. If it is a cultural relic, to put it nicely, it can be exchanged domestically, but it cannot be sold to foreigners or smuggled out of the country.

  The stall owner said that if it were to be auctioned in Hong Kong, it could sell for 200,000. It's basically impossible. Even if you have the right connections, going through all the procedures would still cost a lot of money and effort.

  Gu Zhong didn't think much of what the stall owner said, and with a faint smile, he retorted: "Judging from the quality of this bronze mirror, if it were really a Tang Dynasty mirror, selling it for 60,000 wouldn't be expensive. If someone who likes it is willing to pay more, that's okay too... However..."

  "But what?"

  "But this is not a Tang mirror, but a Ming mirror, a Ming dynasty imitation of a Tang dynasty copper mirror."

  Seeing people buying and selling things and cheating each other, a circle of onlookers soon gathered around the stall.

  People who like collecting know that later imitations are not as good as the original, and the value of later imitations is often far different from those produced in the same period. If according to Gu Quan's words, this bronze mirror is not from the Tang Dynasty, but a Ming Dynasty imitation, then its market value would be questionable, let alone 60,000, even 6,000 would be a problem.

  The stall owner seemed very confident in his knowledge of antiques, looking down his nose: "Old uncle, you'd better take a closer look. This sea beast grape pattern is the most popular decoration on Tang Dynasty bronze mirrors. With its patina and natural rust color, it's absolutely a product of the Tang Dynasty. You say it's a Ming mirror? To be blunt, your eyesight isn't quite up to par."

  Among the onlookers, there were some antique enthusiasts who had a certain understanding of bronze mirrors. Upon hearing the vendor's words, they nodded in agreement one after another. The Sea Beast Grape Mirror can be said to be a representative work of Tang dynasty mirrors. Influenced by the legend of "Tianma" (Heavenly Horse) from the Han Dynasty, the sea beast on its back is horse-like yet not a horse, with an unusual shape that conveys a sense of divinity. In the Tang Dynasty, it was also known as the Heavenly Horse Grape Mirror.

  It seems that this old man's attainments in antiques are somewhat lacking, and he can't even tell a Hai Shou Pu Tao mirror.

  Without paying attention to the ridicule of others and the stall owner, he maintained his composure and said calmly: "Anyone who likes collecting bronze mirrors knows that the Han Dynasty was an important period in the development of Chinese bronze mirrors. Due to its widespread use, the forms of production and artistic expression techniques have made great progress. By the Tang Dynasty, bronze mirrors had entered a new historical period, increasing the proportion of tin in copper alloys, making the quality of bronze mirrors more silvery and clear. Even the patterns on the back of the bronze mirrors underwent significant changes and innovations, with novel shapes, beautiful decorations, fine craftsmanship, typical examples being the diamond-shaped border mirror and the sea beast grape mirror, which are products of the high artistic level of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, fully reflecting the people's life and pursuit of ideals at that time, as well as the cultural background characteristics of the Tang Dynasty."

  The development of Sui and Tang Dynasty bronze mirrors went through three stages. During the Sui Dynasty and early Tang Dynasty, the main theme decorations on bronze mirrors were auspicious animals, which was an important type in the development process of Sui and Tang Dynasties. It not only inherited the traditional Chinese bronze mirror but also had new innovations. The Sea Beast Grape Mirror is a striking type of Tang Dynasty mirror that opened the curtain for the theme decorations of Tang Dynasty mirrors. During the period from Emperor Gaozong of Tang to Emperor Dezong of Tang, new forms, themes and styles appeared again on the decoration of bronze mirrors, making them enter an era of luxury and splendor. By the late Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties period, bird mirrors, auspicious flower mirrors, and coiled dragon mirrors were mainly popular. One of the biggest characteristics of Tang Dynasty mirrors is the diversification of artistic styles or techniques, while the art of bronze mirrors also presents a strong "Prosperous Tang" atmosphere.

  However, in addition to the above styles, Tang mirrors have another major feature, which is that the knob on the back of the Tang mirror is round and bulging. But Ming merchants liked to imitate Tang mirrors, however, in order to differentiate and facilitate flat placement, the buttons on the back of Ming copper mirrors were all made into flat shapes. If you don't believe me, you can find some Ming mirrors for comparison, like this type of copper mirror is a characteristic of Song and Ming imitation of Tang.

  After listening to Gu Quan, the stall owner was first convinced by his knowledge and immediately found several bright mirrors for comparison. As expected, they were all the same as what Gu Quan said, with flat buttons on the back, like being pressed by a machine.

  Before the owner even spoke, Gu Quan said: "In addition to this, you can also judge from the texture and color. Han mirrors are generally silver-gray in color, while high-quality Tang mirrors have a silver-white color. Song mirrors, including Liao mirrors, have a yellowish-red color with a darker tone, while Ming mirrors have a yellowish-white color. Qing mirrors are mostly brass-colored. The reason for the different colors is that each dynasty had a different proportion of copper alloys. Moreover, Han mirrors became thicker during the Eastern Han period, and Tang mirrors were thick and heavy, giving off an air of luxury. After the Song Dynasty, due to the scarcity of large-grained copper, most copper mirrors were relatively thin and light in weight. You can weigh this one again to see if it's different from a genuine Tang mirror. However, since your Ming mirror was not cast using a mold, it doesn't have the usual roughness of Ming mirrors, and its fine workmanship makes it easy to mistake for a Tang mirror."

  The crowd listened in awe, including the stall owner who was suddenly enlightened. The look of disdain on their faces turned into admiration. Indeed, ginger is still spicy when it's old, and this antique business gets better with age. The decades of experience accumulated by others are not something that can be compared to one's own.

  Qu Wen stood by, and the shock in his heart didn't need to be said. His own small external hang-on and Gu Quan's true talent and learning were not even on the same level. In addition to feeling admiration, he also had a dream: when could he have half of Gu Quan's experience and knowledge?

  The stall owner hastily made a bow to the old man: "Sir, you are truly a god, a real master. Today, you have broadened my horizons. Just for your teachings, take this mirror at a suitable price, I won't regret it."

  After some thought, Gu Quanzhong said: "The craftsmanship of this mirror is still good, and I also like it very much. How about this? I want to buy a few more to decorate the hall." He then picked out three more mirrors from the Ming dynasty, including an inscribed copper mirror, a double fish mirror, and a grape double dragon mirror.

  "Four sides, how about 16,000?"

  In ancient bronze mirrors, the price of Tang is the highest, followed by Han, and the price of Song to Jin is slightly lower. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, it fell to the bottom. In addition to this, we also need to look at the size of the mirror. Generally, those within 5 cm or above 15 cm are more valuable. Then there's the craftsmanship and material, finely crafted bronze mirrors, and those made with high-quality materials will have a higher price. Finally, the pattern on the bronze mirror, rare patterns can greatly increase the value of the bronze mirror.

  The price of ordinary mirrors on the market is mostly between a few hundred to several thousand, and those with good quality can sell for tens of thousands. Gu's offer of 160,000 is neither high nor low, it's a very reasonable price.

  The stall owner was also a straightforward person. The four-sided mirror was 16,000 more than what he had paid for it initially, and he happily replied: "Alright, let's settle with the price you mentioned."

  It's not easy for newcomers. Sincerely hope that everyone will finish reading and collect it with a click, every collection is a great encouragement to the barbarian.