167: Qianlong Tongbao mother coin

"How about this," Mr. Chen Xiangbei said, "I'll let you make a bit, 10 yuan each. I'll pick a few well-preserved ones to take, and you can keep the rest to fool people."

"Okay, you pick!" The Boss didn't mind that he wanted so few; after all, he had collected this pile of coins from the countryside for 50 yuan, and now selling them for 100 yuan was just breaking even!

Mr. Chen Xiangbei really picked a few that looked in good condition, and also included that slightly different Qianlong Tongbao coin, exactly ten coins in total.

He scanned 100 yuan to the Boss, then put the coins in his pocket, and then stored them in the System space.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Boss, he continued to browse and found that the genuine items in this shop were much more numerous than those in other antique shops.

Only after asking did he realize that the Boss himself was very fond of antiques, so he often went to the countryside to collect old goods, and the collected goods were displayed in the shop for sale at a higher price.

Generally, some of the antiques collected in the countryside would be genuine, possibly items used by ordinary ancient people that have been passed down.

However, these things are actually not very valuable; one can only say they are slightly better than imitations.

Mr. Chen Xiangbei was not interested in these items because their value was not high and they wouldn't fetch a good price. After browsing around, he left the shop.

Walking on Antique Street, Mr. Chen Xiangbei took out that special Qianlong Tongbao coin and examined it carefully in his hand.

He saw his expression slowly change from serious to happy, and then he carefully put it away.

He continued to wander leisurely on Antique Street, looking here and there, and occasionally seeing scenes of the Boss deceiving people.

An hour later, Mr. Chen Xiangbei arrived at the stall area on Antique Street, which was a place specifically allocated by the property management for individuals to set up stalls.

Many individuals chose to sell at stalls because they didn't have enough capital or a large quantity of antiques to open an antique shop.

To facilitate management, the property management specifically separated the two to avoid conflicts between individuals and shop owners that could cause negative effects.

Mr. Chen Xiangbei browsed back and forth at these stalls, finding that most were imitations, with very few genuine items. Occasionally encountering one or two genuine pieces, he was deterred by the stall owner's exorbitant asking price.

At noon, Mr. Chen Xiangbei casually ate lunch at a small restaurant nearby, and then went back to continue browsing.

It must be said that the population of Linhai City is simply too large, and the number of people engaged in the antique business is also quite high. If one were to carefully appreciate everything on this Antique Street, it might take a full day to finish browsing.

At 1 PM, Mr. Chen Xiangbei arrived in front of an antique shop called Ruyi Workshop. This antique shop was very different from other shops.

As soon as he walked into the antique shop, it was as if he had stepped into the past. The wooden floor creaked slightly, exuding a sense of age.

Inside the shop, there was a faint scent of wood and an old, musty smell. Some yellowed calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls, looking quite simple yet full of charm.

There were also many antiques, all with an ancient charm. Ceramic vases with smooth lines and warm colors, and bronze incense burners emitting wisps of fragrant smoke.

The lighting was soft, illuminating every corner brightly, allowing the details of the antiques to be clearly seen. The shelves displaying the antiques were of an old style, adding a sense of historical weight to the shop.

The staff inside were quite interesting: a white-haired Old Gentleman and a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen.

The Old Gentleman was flipping through a yellowed book, and the girl was sitting on a wooden carved chair playing with her phone. Neither of them noticed a customer walking in.

Mr. Chen Xiangbei didn't make a sound, quietly appreciating the antiques inside.

He came before a blue and white porcelain jar, observing it carefully, and found that it was actually a Ming blue and white wucai fish and algae patterned jar, and the key thing was that it was a genuine piece!

Looking at the blue and white 'yiba lianwen' plate placed next to it, although it was an imitation, it was a Yongzheng imitation of a Yongle piece, valued at over 100,000!

Mr. Chen Xiangbei knew that he had probably come to a genuine antique shop.

Sure enough, when he looked at other antiques, he found that half were genuine and half were fake. This ratio of genuine to fake is considered quite high in the antique circle.

This indicates that the owner of this shop is either an antique collector, or a shop owner who only deals in the genuine market, or at the very least an antique enthusiast who disdains doing fake business.

Mr. Chen Xiangbei came to the counter and said softly, "Old Gentleman, are you busy?"

The Old Gentleman looked up at the person who had come, and responded with a smile, "Young man, I'm sorry, I was too engrossed in reading and didn't notice you come in. Welcome to our small shop, do you need anything?"

"I'm here to sell some goods. I wonder if you, Old Gentleman, buy old items?" Mr. Chen Xiangbei asked.

"Yes, we do. What item is it? Would you be able to take it out and let me have a look?"

Mr. Chen Xiangbei reached into his trouser pocket, took out the 10 Qianlong Tongbao coins from his space, and spread them out on the counter for the Old Gentleman to see.

The Old Gentleman recognized these coins at a glance, but he was immediately attracted by that special Qianlong Tongbao coin.

He put on gloves, carefully picked up the special coin, and examined it closely with a magnifying glass.

His eyes revealed unconcealed excitement, and he murmured to himself, "Such a special coin, it's truly rare."

Mr. Chen Xiangbei quietly watched the Old Gentleman's focused expression and found that his points of observation for the coin were quite accurate, which showed that this was an elder with real expertise.

The Old Gentleman put down the magnifying glass, looked up, and gazing at Mr. Chen Xiangbei with piercing eyes, he slowly said.

"This Qianlong Tongbao coin should be a mother coin. Its patterns are clear, its quality is excellent, and what's rare is the historical value it contains."

"However, unfortunately, it is not perfectly preserved; there are traces of damage in some places, which greatly reduces its intrinsic value."

Hearing the Old Gentleman's explanation, Mr. Chen Xiangbei was even more certain of his expertise. This was similar to what he had thought when he first saw the coin.

He said to the Old Gentleman, "I wonder if you, Old Gentleman, would buy this coin?"

"Yes, we do. If this coin were in perfect condition, it would be worth about 300,000. As it is now, I can only offer 160,000. What do you think, young brother?"

Hearing the Old Gentleman's offer, Mr. Chen Xiangbei was also slightly surprised, because he had seen the value of this Qianlong Tongbao coin to be between 180,000 and 200,000.

The Old Gentleman offered 260,000 because he still needed some profit margin. After all, he was doing business, not charity, so Mr. Chen Xiangbei could understand.

So, he replied, "The price is very fair. If you like it, Old Gentleman, I'll sell it to you."

"Hahaha, then I thank you, young brother, for parting with it. Give me your account number, and I'll transfer the money to you now."

Mr. Chen Xiangbei gave him the account number. The Old Gentleman then said to the girl, "Good granddaughter, come quickly and help Grandpa transfer the money to this Brother."

"Okay, coming!"