Chapter 7: A gold coin designed by Picasso?
Old Henry walked out from the counter and pointed to the coffee table next to him. "There aren't many customers today. Please sit down and have a cup of coffee."
"How can I feel embarrassed?" Although Xiao Peng said this, his body was honest and he sat down directly.
Old Henry brought out a coffee pot, poured a cup of coffee for Xiao Peng, handed it to Xiao Peng, and sat down across from him. "As I said earlier, during the Middle Ages, European currencies were very chaotic, with varying quality. However, this wasn't the case with currencies in Asia and North Africa. Those Arab countries placed great importance on credibility, and their currencies were guaranteed to be of the highest quality! Their gold coins were the only currency recognized by all nations. Back then, when King Louis IX of France attacked Egypt during the Seventh Crusade, he suffered a crushing defeat in Alexandria and was captured. To redeem him and other captured soldiers, France paid a total of 800,000 gold coins, using these coins instead of French gold coins."
After hearing this, Xiao Peng suddenly realized that many of the ancient coins on the counter looked rusty, but his gold coin could still maintain its golden glow after being at the bottom of the sea for so many years. This was because of the difference in quality!
"And these gold coins from Arab countries, whether they came from North Africa or West Asia, were all uniformly called 'Byzant' by the Europeans at that time." Old Henry gave the answer.
"Then why do you call it 'slave currency'?" Xiao Peng asked another question.
Old Henry said, "In Egyptian history, there was a Mamluk dynasty that ruled Egypt for over three hundred years. 'Mamluk' means 'slave', as they were originally slave mercenaries serving the Egyptian rulers. Later, these serfs rose up and became the masters of Egypt. The gold coins they issued were called 'slave coins.' The Shejela-Dur I just mentioned was the first and only queen of the Arab world. Her reign was brief, so the gold coins she left behind are few and far between, and naturally, their value is high."
Xiao Peng asked the last question that troubled him: "How can you be sure that this is a gold coin from the Shejelai-Doul period? I don't see any words on it."
Old Henry laughed and said, "Isn't this her portrait printed on it?"
Xiao Peng was stunned after hearing this: "Is this her profile picture? Are you kidding me! Isn't this an old man with a white beard?"
Old Henry took out Xiao Peng's phone and opened the photo of the gold coin and said, "That's not a beard, it's her braid. Look, that's the line running down from above her ear!"
Xiao Peng looked at the photo for a long time before muttering, "Was Picasso the one who designed this gold coin? Who the hell can tell it's a woman?"
Old Henry laughed and said, "Your friend is a good one. He has a very nice gold coin."
Xiao Peng hurriedly asked the question he was most curious about: "How much is this gold coin worth?"
"Well, that depends on the quality," said Old Henry. "The market price ranges from 50,000 to 120,000 euros."
"Is the gap so big?"
Xiao Peng's eyes lit up! This is going to be a success!
Even if it sold for 50,000 euros, that would still be more than he made in a year! Furthermore, the coin was in excellent condition, and it looked like it could fetch a high price.
Xiao Peng wanted to suppress his inner joy, but he really couldn't! How could he not show his joy when he was so young?
Old Henry smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to Xiao Peng and said, "Take out that gold coin and let me see it!"
"Ah?" Xiao Peng was stunned.
Old Henry said, "I've lived long enough to still have some basic discernment."
Xiao Peng smiled awkwardly and said, "Mr. Henry, well, the gold coins are indeed with me, but I didn't bring them with me!"
Old Henry looked Xiao Peng up and down, and finally smiled slightly: "I'm not surprised if you don't believe me. How about this, you wait here for a moment."
Xiao Peng watched Old Henry return to the counter. He then took out a pen and wrote down a website address on a card and handed it to Xiao Peng. "This is the European Collectors Forum. It's the official website of the European Collectors Association. It has collectors from all over the world. No matter what your collecting hobbies are, you can find like-minded people there. You can also ask others to help you authenticate this gold coin."
Xiao Peng took the note but was a little dazed: "Mr. Henry, why are you helping me?"
Old Henry laughed. "There are collectors and archaeologists from all over the world here, but in Marseille, there are only a few people who can pay a high price for ancient coins. In the end, you still have to negotiate the price with me, right?"
Xiao Peng was speechless. What Old Henry said made sense.
He was silent for a moment and then said, "Mr. Henry, I shouldn't distrust you, but you have to understand a man who is afraid of poverty. I will investigate further and then contact you. Is that okay with you?"
"Of course." Old Henry smiled and said, "That's my business card with my phone number on it. Just call me when you need anything!"
After thanking him again, Xiao Peng said goodbye to Old Henry, got on his bike and sped away.
He was not afraid that old Henry would take advantage of his wealth and do something bad to him, but he was anxious to go to the Internet cafe.
Marseille is such a large city, but it only has two internet cafes. Here, almost every household has a monthly internet subscription, and mobile phone plans include home internet access, so locals rarely need to go to internet cafes, which are small and expensive. Xiao Peng, who used to spend all day playing games in internet cafes in China, has given up online gaming here. It's not that he doesn't like it, but it's simply too expensive.
Actually, you can access the website with your phone, but Xiao Peng's phone is old, and logging in to the website is extremely slow. As for buying a new phone here? That would be a contribution to the thieves!
Although the Internet cafe is expensive, now is not the time for him to feel sorry for the money. He quickly went to the Internet cafe, logged into the website forum given to him by Old Henry, and uploaded the photos in his mobile phone to seek help.
Unexpectedly, this website has so many active users. It seems that there are really many people who like collecting all over the world. Several knowledgeable people helped him very enthusiastically. The origin of the gold coin was just as old Henry said, it was a gold coin from the Mamluk dynasty. A netizen named "Block Puppet" posted all the relevant information about the gold coin.
These collectors love to share knowledge and show off their collections, but a problem also arises: as for the value of this gold coin, some say it is worth at most 20,000 euros, while others say it is at least 200,000, and they are arguing fiercely!
After arguing for a long time, no one came to Xiao Peng to make an offer, which made Xiao Peng very depressed.
It turns out that there are more keyboard warriors among foreigners on the Internet!
Should I really go find Old Henry? Xiao Peng was still struggling when his cell phone rang.
"Strange number? Who is this?"
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