Chapter 214: Zhenguo Great General Seal_1

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Zhenguo Great General Seal_1

As Qin Haowen and Master Chou next to him were discussing how to deal with the finale auction item, an elderly man in a Zhongshan suit took to the stage in the middle of the banquet hall.

This man was none other than Wang Fangtong, whom Xu Fan had met at Zangyu Tower. As the most formidable figure in the collecting circles of both Yulou Ancient Town and Zhonghai City, Wang Fangtong was specially invited to host today’s auction. He usually didn’t serve as an auctioneer because his appearance fee was very high. If Wang Fangtong made an appearance, three percent of the total auction price would have to be paid to him as a commission.

The entire auction’s organizing institution was hustling about, providing both the venue and the staff, just to receive eight percent of the commission fee, yet Wang Fangtong, with just a word, would take three percentage points from that eight percent.

However, this three percent was very much worth the expense, because as long as Wang Fangtong was at the auction, the buyers below didn’t need to worry at all about buying fakes.

Wang Fangtong was not only a renowned jade store owner in Zhonghai City but also the most skilled treasure appraiser in Southern Yan Country.

As long as the items at the auction passed through Elder Wang’s hands with a touch, their authenticity was self-evident, negating the need for any complex authentication process. In the past, there had been several auctions where the sellers provided counterfeit items; Wang Fangtong would directly smash these fakes on the auction stage with the small gavel used for bidding.

Moreover, the items Wang Fangtong smashed wouldn’t receive a penny in compensation because any fake identified by Wang Fangtong’s discerning eye, no matter how many experts appraised it afterward, would ultimately be confirmed as a fake.

So Wang Fangtong’s eyes and words were as if they had been blessed. If he said an item could be bid on, it was absolutely genuine. If there was any issue with the item, Wang Fangtong would not hesitate to smash it with his hammer and then move on to the next one.

This directly resulted in a situation where no counterfeit items would appear at an auction conducted by Wang Fangtong, because fakes also had costs. With Elder Wang’s piercing gaze and ruthless hammer, after having smashed so many, no one dared to provoke such bad luck.

When Wang Fangtong appeared at the venue, the originally somewhat noisy hall instantly quieted down.

“With Elder Wang hosting today, it looks like tonight’s goods must be extraordinary!”

“Indeed, I came all the way here just for Elder Wang’s reputation!”

“Tonight’s stakes might be high, struggling to buy even one piece with our few-million-dollar fortune...”

A large seal shimmering with golden light appeared on the wooden tray; on top of the seal was a carving of a tiger, and the base of the seal, the size of four cigarette packs, looked exceedingly precious.

“Wow... Could it be a gold seal?”

“Such a big lump of gold, selling the gold alone would fetch millions, right?”

“Could it be an ancient emperor’s seal?”

Wang Fangtong, hearing the wild guesses of some pretenders below, cleared his throat and laughed, “Don’t be hasty, everyone. Let me introduce this treasure to you now.”

“This seal is the Zhenguo Great General Seal issued by the emperor of the Liang Dynasty 900 years ago, to the Zhenguo Great General of the Liang Dynasty. With this seal, one could command the dynasty’s million-strong army, which was quite formidable. The seal is cast from brass and its surface underwent a mature gold plating process. Despite hundreds of years, the gold foil remains undamaged, a testament to the exquisite craftsmanship of the time.”

“The carving on the top is a fierce tiger, symbolizing the general’s valiant and unmatched bravery, like the king of all beasts. Below, the six traditional Chinese characters for ‘Zhenguo Great General Seal’ are engraved. The Yan Country’s Capital Museum also has a similar seal, which was brought back by a returned overseas Chinese at an international auction, costing 500,000 dollars. This seal’s value is in no way inferior to that one!”

After speaking about the seal, Elder Wang then took a hammer in his hand and slowly addressed the crowd: “Now, we shall start the bidding for the Liang Dynasty gilded Zhenguo Great General brass seal, with a starting price of three million!”

No sooner had Elder Wang’s voice faded than someone in the hall began raising their bidding paddle, “I bid three million one hundred thousand!”

“Three million two hundred thousand!”

“Three million five hundred thousand!”

“Three million eight hundred thousand!”

...

In the hall, the bids rose one after another; no one had expected the first auction item to be so precious, so the bidding started with a high tide of offers.

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