But I don’t have a clear idea of ​​how low the value is. I didn’t specialize in this in my previous life, so how could I know everything?

Zhang Daqian is still alive, and so are Li Keran and other famous painters who are familiar to him.

There wasn't much money in my hometown, and there hadn't even been reform and opening up, so there was no demand for collecting art. Since no one was willing to buy, the prices of other items, except for porcelain, would probably be very low.

This is what Han Chudong thought was a profitable opportunity.

Take the well-known animal heads from the Old Summer Palace for example. He remembered that they were traded at a price of more than one thousand US dollars each in the 1980s. In two or three decades, the price skyrocketed by 12,000 times, and later became more than 20,000 times.

I remember there was a piece of fine porcelain called "Yuan Ji Blue Glaze White Dragon Pattern Plum Vase", which was sold by a farmer for 18 yuan. According to the exchange rate, it is only a few US dollars. If it is put up for auction, its value will increase by a million times in the future.

There is no easier way to make money than this.

Of course.

Han Chudong does not intend to put all his money into this. There is no need for it for now, and he does not have the patience to wait until the future to get rich.

Now, making money is still the main focus. Sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. Only after having the start-up capital can we receive more high-quality items in the future.

I just happened to meet you today and I had a little more money in my pocket, so I came in to take a look.

The same thing.

It was impossible to tell whether they were real or fake; everything in the room before him, especially those on the shelves, looked like the real thing.

I looked at the bottles and jars one by one. There were price tags on the front, with labels such as Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The prices ranged from tens to thousands of US dollars. The most expensive one was a small Buddha statue with glaze on the outside. It looked like a Liao tri-color Buddha statue that I had seen in a museum. It was priced at US$3,200 and was locked in a glass cabinet.

These things were "expensive", and without finding an expert to help, Han Chudong did not plan to buy them. Instead, he looked at the pile of calligraphy and paintings.

The storage was quite rough, and the scrolls on top were already covered in dust. After asking the boss for permission, I opened them one by one and looked at them. The price was uniformly charged, twenty US dollars per scroll.

Whenever he saw a painting with many inscriptions and seals, or something that looked old, he would put it aside and prepare to buy it, thinking that they couldn't all be fakes, and if there was a real scroll, he would definitely make a good deal, and he would also buy any paintings he thought were good.

Eight volumes were selected from more than 40 volumes of calligraphy and painting. Among them, there was a piece of calligraphy covered with seals and many inscriptions, which looked like a good thing.

The price was reduced to $150. When Han Chudong paid, the boss pointed at the bottles and jars on the shelf and asked, "Don't you want these porcelains? If you like any, I'll give you a 10% discount. They're all authentic."

"Forget about that for now. Let my grandfather come and see it himself when the time comes. He knows more."

After paying in cash, Han Chudong found a plastic bag to wrap up the selected calligraphy and paintings. In fact, there was a large blue and white plate with the inscription "Made in the Xuande Period of the Ming Dynasty" on the bottom, which made him very excited. The price was only more than two hundred US dollars, but he felt it was not easy to take it back, and he did not have a good eye to distinguish the authenticity, so he had to give up for the time being.

I thought that when I have time, I will find some knowledgeable experts to help me take a look. At most, I will spend a little more money and feel better. Who wants to hide a house full of fake things?

————————

I went back to the hotel and went out again around seven in the evening. I found a bar and sat down to have a few drinks.

There was no romantic encounter, but the man with the watermelon head did have the idea, but his pick-up methods were a bit crude, and in the end he returned empty-handed.

This is how my first day in Chicago went.

The next day.

I got up very early and rushed to the venue with a suitcase. On the way, I bought two sandwiches and a carton of milk. When I arrived at the lakeside exhibition area, the security had not opened the door yet. I sat at the door and waited for a while. My colleagues came one after another, and then I was allowed to enter the venue to set up.

In fact, it is just putting a large box of things on the table, and hanging up the posters prepared in advance in front of the table.

Whether this trip is profitable or not, we’ll probably get some clues today.

Seeing more and more exhibitors gathering at the door, Han Chudong kept dozing off. Last night, the man and woman upstairs made a lot of noise until late at night, and they had no intention of lowering their voices, which disturbed his sleep.

This kind of thing happened on the plane and in the hotel, which made him a little angry.

Colleagues have finished their current tasks and are now just waiting for powerful wholesalers to enter the market.

Just like Han Chudong yesterday, they also walked around and wanted to understand the future development trends of toys.

At this moment, there was a white woman who looked to be in her early thirties, with a pearl necklace around her neck, reddish-brown hair, and wearing a white formal dress standing in front of the small booth.

His eyes swept across the table.

There weren't many things, but they were all relatively novel. He picked up a long transparent plastic bottle and asked, "What kind of toy is this? And these, which company are you from?"

“Mango Toys, a small company just starting out in Los Angeles.”

There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!

Han Chudong said with a smile.

He had seen this woman before, standing at the Fisher-Price Toy Company booth directing people to work, and thought she must be a member of management.

Fisher-Price Toy Company is quite strong, with a wide variety of toys. It is the kind of large company that he had wanted to join in the past.

But later I felt that I could do it well, and there was no need to cooperate with these peers and have part of the profits taken away from them. So at this time it was just a good-faith introduction, and I had no intention of attracting the other party.

First, he demonstrated the yo-yo, which was made of aluminum alloy. After playing with it for a few tricks, he took it back. Then he unscrewed the long plastic container, pulled out the lid and the bubble-making tool underneath, and waved it gently. A bubble as big as a head appeared, slowly fell to the ground and burst.

His actions attracted a lot of people's attention.

Not far away, the old man who had a bad attitude yesterday and came to the exhibition with a magnetic Rubik's Cube, saw that people from his side were also attracted over, and immediately frowned and complained in his heart.

The effect seems to be quite good, these are all gadgets that have been tested in the market.

At this moment, Han Chudong said, "I have applied for patents. For example, this hand-warming doll is very cold in winter. You can put your hands in the middle. It is cute and practical. It can also be used as a pillow or a cushion. This is the hand-pushed propeller I invented. There are also hand-rubbed and pulled types. The booth is a bit low. If you want to display it, it's best to go outside. It can fly about eight meters high."

While speaking, he picked up a simple bamboo dragonfly and rubbed it with his hands. It immediately started spinning and flew up. Many Americans had never seen this kind of toy before and their eyes were filled with amazement.

Zhou Nan, with a watermelon head, played with a yo-yo next to Han Chudong. He often took products out to promote them and had already memorized some simple moves.

More and more people gathered towards Han Chudong's booth, and someone at the door saw it.

A toy salesman from New York looked over here through the glass door, wondering if there were any interesting toys, and planned to go and take a look later.

Han Chudong noticed the commotion outside and whispered a few words into the watermelon-headed guy's ear. The guy immediately took the hand-pulled bamboo helicopter and the hand-push bamboo helicopter and walked out, with a toy filled with bubble water in his pocket.

It is better to open the business as early as possible. Since so many people are interested, there is no need to wait for the opening. Performing at the door can attract more attention.

Zhou Nan with a watermelon head was seen holding a bubble-making tool, dipping it in bubble water, and running freely and happily outside, with many big bubbles appearing behind him.

Many buyers immediately felt that this toy had a great market, especially when they saw the bamboo dragonfly, they felt that children would like these toys. They could not only sell them to young children, but also young people would like them more...