Chapter 57

【Repair Value: 106 points!】

【Han Dynasty damaged bronze mirror; can be repaired, requires deduction of 1 repair point!】

【Qin Dynasty damaged bronze spear; can be repaired, requires deduction of 1 repair point!】

【Qing Dynasty damaged Shun knife; can be repaired, requires deduction of 1 repair point!】

【Yuan Dynasty damaged gilded Buddha statue; can be repaired, requires deduction of 1 repair point!】

【Qing Dynasty gilded Buddha statue; cannot be repaired!】

As the information appeared in his mind, Su Xiaofan identified more and more items.

Most of them were modern crafts, but as time passed, a batch of genuine items also emerged.

They say that true experts are found among the people, and this is absolutely true.

The collectors from the public brought out items today that truly broadened Su Xiaofan's horizons.

The damaged bronze spear from the Qin Dynasty, although not very high in market value, is a rare treasure for collectors of bronze artifacts.

The Qing Dynasty Shun knife, with only a bit of rust on the handle, is in relatively good condition, and enthusiasts of ancient weapons would definitely want to add it to their collection.

Some of the bronze artifacts brought by a few people even met the standards of national first-class cultural relics.

Like the Qing Dynasty gilded Buddha statue, it is definitely from the Qing court's manufacturing department, and its condition is well-preserved.

Such items are mostly treasures in various museums, and it was unexpected to find them among the public.

The gilded Buddha statue from the Yuan Dynasty, although somewhat damaged, has even higher research value for Buddhist culture.

If these two gilded Buddha statues were to be auctioned, the starting bid would be over three million, and they might even sell for tens of millions.

Su Xiaofan's speed in identifying items was very fast, basically one item per minute.

When he encountered genuine items, Su Xiaofan would write down the name and era of the item, and if there were damages, he would also indicate them.

However, for modern crafts that were artificially aged, Su Xiaofan would return them with both hands, verbally informing the identification results without providing any written documentation.

Although many people were dissatisfied, with the video evidence, as long as they obtained an appraisal certificate from a recognized institution, Su Xiaofan would compensate them.

So these people had nothing to say.

Some turned and left the venue, some grumbled and vowed to go to professional institutions for appraisal.

Others waited on the scene, requesting that Jing Shizhen re-appraise their items after the initial selection was over.

After consulting with Jing Shizhen, about seven or eight people stayed, all of whom firmly believed their items were genuine.

These people did not affect Su Xiaofan's identification speed.

From 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM, in three hours,

Su Xiaofan actually identified over two hundred items on the spot, covering all the bronze and iron artifacts, so to speak.

Apart from Su Xiaofan, Jing Shizhen, who identified the most items, only managed to appraise about sixty artifacts, less than a third of Su Xiaofan's total.

"Uncle Jing, have a drink of tea..."

Su Xiaofan finished earlier than Jing Shizhen, and seeing that he was done, he quickly handed over a refilled cup.

The staff also brought hot towels, busily serving the experts who had been working hard all afternoon.

"You kid, were you really appraising properly just now?"

While Jing Shizhen was busy, he glanced over at Su Xiaofan and was quite shocked by his speed.

"Uncle Jing, when it comes to bronze artifacts, I have a natural feel for them."

At this moment, Su Xiaofan was not being modest at all; otherwise, he couldn't explain his appraisal speed.

"Uncle Jing, your disciple has a good talent, and he is particularly suited to bronze artifacts."

A nearby expert chimed in, saying, "To have such a feel, one must have handled a lot of bronze artifacts. Little Su has a great future ahead, with the potential to become a master!"

In the antiques industry, there is a saying: the more antiques you see and handle, the more you develop an intuition to judge their authenticity.

There was once a deceased calligraphy master who was of royal descent and had countless antiques at home.

Later, he studied under a famous teacher and learned the knowledge of antique appraisal, handling countless antiques in his lifetime.

When he appraised antiques for others, he basically relied on his intuition.

If the feel was right, it was genuine; otherwise, it was a fake. He never made a mistake in decades.

"Don't flatter him, we don't know if he made any mistakes yet."

Jing Shizhen pointed to the few people waiting, saying, "If he were a master, these people wouldn't doubt his appraisal results."

"Teacher Jing, we still hope you can take a look."

A middle-aged man holding a palm-sized bronze pot said, "I bought this item at an auction abroad, it can't be fake."

The bronze pot the middle-aged man held was not a teapot for drinking water. It had three legs and a lid, somewhat resembling a sacrificial tripod.

"How much did you pay for this pot?"

Jing Shizhen glanced at it and asked casually.

"I bought it in London for 60,000 pounds!" the middle-aged man said.

"Was it from one of the big auction houses?"

"No, it was a private collection of an English earl."

The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "His ancestor once came to our country and took away many things. I bought this to bring the national treasure back home."

"Your intention is good, but your method is wrong."

Jing Shizhen waved his hand and looked at Su Xiaofan, saying, "You tell them."

"Everyone is tired, I'll say a few words, let's try to go home early."

Su Xiaofan nodded and pointed to six people, saying, "The items you have are all from the Bronze Village.

However, someone has erased the marks from our village, but the origin is definitely correct.

Your bronze pot was made no more than twenty years ago. If you don't believe me, you can do a carbon-14 test. If I'm wrong, I'll pay you 600,000 pounds for your 60,000 pounds!"

Su Xiaofan paused and pointed to the remaining two people, saying, "The items you two brought, one is genuine, but it is too damaged to have market value.

The other is artificially aged. If you don't believe me, you can also do a test. If I'm wrong, I'll compensate you!"

The two people brought ancient coins.

One of them had a famous coin, extremely rare, the Xiantong Xuanyuan, one of the fifty most precious coins.

The Xiantong Xuanyuan is a Tang Dynasty coin, cast by Wang Tong, the money supervisor of Guiyang, in the eleventh year of Xiantong. It was soon discontinued and almost never circulated, making it extremely rare.

However, Su Xiaofan identified this ancient coin using the repair system.

The coin itself had been worn down to the point where no traces of the Xiantong Xuanyuan could be seen. If there were any hints, Su Xiaofan would have listed it as a rare item.

Of course, if this coin were to fall into Su Xiaofan's hands, he could repair it, and it would only require one repair point.

This completely damaged ancient coin gave Su Xiaofan an idea.

He could buy some ancient coins that are worn down and indistinguishable, repair them, and then resell them.

Ancient coins are abundant in the antique market, and many are severely worn. Su Xiaofan believed that with a bit of patience and a few more visits to antique markets, he could find good items.

"Teacher Jing, we still hope you can take a look."

Spending so much money on items only to be told they are fake, especially by a young person, the few people simply did not believe it.

"Alright, I'll take a look."

Jing Shizhen picked up the bronze pot and observed it for about seven or eight minutes before putting it down.

Jing Shizhen did not comment and then examined the other bronze artifacts one by one.

"In fact, I also have intuition, but I still need to observe them carefully."

Jing Shizhen took off his gloves and said, "These items are all fakes. If you don't believe me, you can do a test. If I'm wrong, I'll take the blame!"

"This... This can't be possible, I bought it abroad."

The owner of the bronze pot looked incredulous.

"Ah, this is what's called 'export and re-import.'"

Jing Shizhen sighed and said, "In recent years, many domestic collectors have gone abroad to collect antiques, which has led some unscrupulous merchants to have ulterior motives.

They send fake antiques made in China to foreign countries, then fabricate stories or hold small auctions targeting domestic collectors. This is actually a kind of scam."

Jing Shizhen paused and looked at the man, asking, "When you went abroad to buy antiques, did a friend introduce you? And did they provide a one-stop service, even helping you transfer the money...?"

"This, damn it, that guy actually tricked me!"

Clearly, Jing Shizhen had hit the nail on the head. The man's face turned red, and he raised his hand to throw the bronze pot to the ground.

"Don't throw it. In the world of antiques, making mistakes is common. Keep it as a lesson."

Jing Shizhen stopped the man, "This bronze pot is well-made and is a fine piece among modern crafts. Keep it."

"Thank you, thank you, Teacher Jing for your guidance."

The man was convinced and no longer looked at the bronze pot with the same affection.

"Don't thank me, it was Little Su who identified it. If you want to thank someone, thank him."

Jing Shizhen couldn't help but laugh.

"Uncle Jing, I can only tell if something is genuine or not, I can't explain the principles like you."

Su Xiaofan humbly said a few words. Today, he had already shown his abilities and could now take a step back.

"Alright, do any of you have any objections?"

A nearby staff member said, "The teachers have worked hard all afternoon. If there are no objections, let them rest first."

The few people could doubt Su Xiaofan, but they all knew Jing Shizhen's reputation. His conclusion was the final word, and no one dared to argue further.

After the collectors left, Jing Shizhen and the others got into the program's car.

It was already dinner time, so they naturally had dinner before being sent back.

"Teacher Su, you finished three days' work in one day."

At the dinner table, the two experts were extremely impressed with Su Xiaofan. His skills today had truly awed them.