Chapter 231 Go overseas to make some money!
Hearing Zhang Shiqi's question, Li Changhe also began to think.

He was thinking about what to do with these antiques.

To be honest, investing in antiques is not a hobby, but more of a consideration of future appreciation.

After all, antiques from the 1980s that cost a few hundred dollars may appreciate in value to millions in the future, making it one of the most valuable investments.

But as Zhang Shiqi said, if you hold a large number of them, you have to consider the issues of care and maintenance, including storage.

“Antiques in prosperous times, gold in troubled times!”

"You are obviously not interested in antiques. You collect so many antiques because you think the world will be peaceful and prosperous, so antiques will appreciate in value, right?"

At this time, Zhang Shiqi said to Li Changhe with a smile.

Li Changhe nodded: "Yes, I just think that as the country develops steadily in the future, these things will appreciate significantly."

Zhang Shiqi nodded, then smiled and said, "That's it. Then, I don't actually recommend you to hold a large amount!"

“Some things should be sold!”

"You need to know about antiques, where the core of their appreciation lies, and where the merchants who need them are."

After hearing Zhang Shiqi's words, Li Changhe sat down and said with a smile: "Please tell me about it!"

"From ancient times to the present, antiques have never been something that ordinary people can afford."

"Those who like him must be people with experience and status, and these people often represent another characteristic, that is, nobility!"

"So, from ancient times to the present, to put it bluntly, antiques are something that is circulated in a niche circle."

"Of course, in a broad sense, it has historical significance, but there is a difference between antiques that are truly valuable for historical research and the antiques that are handed down in our hands."

"The real value of antiques lies in bribes!"

"The bribes given by the lower class to the upper class give it a high value."

"Just like in ancient times, merchants gave bribes to officials. How vulgar it was to give gold and silver, because officials were all scholars and regarded gold and silver as dirt."

"But if you really send him a load of manure, then see if he will accept it?"

"So gradually, the art of collecting became popular. It has cultural heritage, is scarce, and also appeals to the interests of scholars and officials."

"Gradually, the antique business became popular."

“Why are there antiques in prosperous times and gold in troubled times?”

"Because only scholars can hold power in prosperous times, while those in power in troubled times are warriors. Warriors only care about military spending and gold and silver. When scholars hold power, the value of antiques can be reflected."

"So in essence, antiques are used as bribes."

"The value of this thing is not quantified. If you say it's worth 100,000, then it's worth 100,000. If you say it's worth 1 million, then it's worth 1 million. It all depends on how you price it."

Zhang Shiqi said with a smile.

"The second thing is, this thing must be circulated!"

"Antiques are valuable only if someone takes them over. If they are just kept as treasures, they have no value!"

"For example, if you collect a batch of Qi Baishi's paintings, maybe 300 to 500 of them, and then take out a fine piece, go to a pawn shop, negotiate with them, and then pawn it for a high price."

"Oh, yes, it seems to be called an auction house now, right?"

"Yes, auctions are what the West is doing now!"

Li Changhe said with a smile.

Zhang Shiqi nodded and said, "Then we can go to the auction. For example, I will sell it and you can bid for it!"

"A painting by Qi Baishi can be sold for one hundred thousand or one million. It's an astonishing price!"

"Then will the prices of other Qi Baishi paintings also rise accordingly?"

"If you sell your paintings at this time, they will be circulated inside and outside, and you will make money, and the price of antiques will also increase!"

"Auctions are nothing more than you bidding and I collecting the money. Apart from paying the auction house a handling fee, we make no loss at all."

"This is another value of antiques, hype and increase their value, and then make money."

"So you see in the antique circle, every now and then there will be a hot one or that one, but in essence the methods are the same, it's nothing more than some merchants first drive up the price of an item, and then sell off the stockpiled goods."

"Those who take over are either those who have a need for elegant bribes and give them to those who need them, or those who are fooled into taking over and are left with a lot of money."

"This kind of people used to be called local rich people and old-fashioned people. From now on, it's hard for us to say anything!"

"But the business of antiques is essentially like this. Even for those who collect antiques, they will not keep too many in their hands except for a few rare treasures."

“So you have to circulate what you have in your hands!”

"If you want it to appreciate in value, you have to take the initiative to appreciate it."

"Otherwise, you just want to passively wait for the prosperous times, wait for others to heat up the antique market, and then you can make a move, right?"

"But you have to remember, if you have something and others don't, why would others raise its value?"

"The world is bustling with people because of profit. The world is bustling with people because of profit. Only when there is profit to be made, it has value. Do you understand?"

“So antiques must be allowed to flow out.”

"For example, if I have ten Xuande stoves, I will sell five of them and increase their value."

"Others saw that there was a way to buy this thing, so they all bought from each other, and each offered a higher price than the other."

"During this period, you can sell your things. Even if you sell four, you can only leave one!"

"In short, the bigger the antique market is, the more valuable your stuff will be!"

"If no one recognizes this thing, then even if you hold the imperial seal, no one will accept it except the country!" Zhang Shiqi said to Li Changhe with a chuckle.

Li Changhe nodded thoughtfully: "So you mean, this thing is for sale now?"

“You don’t have to sell it now, because you can’t get a good price now. Just like the heyday you expect, it hasn’t come yet.”

"But you must consider the matter of selling in advance. Buying and selling are always inseparable."

"And you have to take selling seriously, because there are some rules to it."

"You can't just sell antiques whenever you want, because they are scarce and few people know about them."

"People know less and are more cautious when buying and selling. At this time, the importance of trading platforms is highlighted."

"For example, if you want to buy Qi Baishi, why do you go to Rongbaozhai?"

"To put it bluntly, if you think Rongbaozhai is authentic, but someone comes to you and asks you to sell you a painting by Su Dongpo for 100,000 or 80,000 yuan, would you buy it?"

Then, Zhang Shiqi paused and continued to say to Li Changhe: "Besides that, if someone suddenly gave you 10,000 paintings by Qi Baishi and said they would sell them to you, would you dare to buy them?"

"This... is actually happening now."

"As far as I know, some government departments may sell a large number of modern and contemporary paintings for foreign exchange."

Li Changhe said with a smile at this time.

"That's the national reputation guarantee, what about private individuals?"

Zhang Shiqi then asked Li Changhe back.

"In the industry, people prefer to buy from experienced buyers rather than raw buyers because it is difficult to tell whether something from a novice is genuine or fake."

"Especially those who own a large number of antiques are either well-known people with fame, or they are large-scale counterfeiters who are trying to make money."

"So now you have to think ahead about what to do, you have to make a name for yourself!"

"Let people in the industry know that you are a collector and antique dealer, so that they will feel comfortable buying from you in the future!"

"Otherwise, even if the antique market picks up, if you want to sell in large quantities, no one will take over."

"This thing is destined to be released one by one. It's impossible for someone to eat a lot of it in one go."

"I have never seen many people like you who collect antiques in large quantities and don't plan to sell them, except for those prodigal sons."

Li Changhe nodded thoughtfully: "I understand. What you mean is that I have to make a name for myself in the antique circle, so that people will believe that I have good things and that what I sell is authentic and can be sold at a good price, right!"

"A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. This is the principle of antique trading. Of course, there are more than one channel."

"If you don't want to be famous, I can introduce you to Rong Bao Zhai's receiving channels."

"You can supply Rongbaozhai regularly, but supplying them means that the store has the final say. The buyers have the final say, and your sales channels are locked out by them."

"In this case, the price will definitely not be able to sell it at the market price."

"In fact, I can even open my own auction house and sell it myself!"

Li Changhe said thoughtfully at this time.

"Open your own auction house?"

"Can you do this in your country?"

Zhang Shiqi asked with some surprise.

"It is not allowed in China at present, but it is allowed in foreign countries, such as Hong Kong Island."

"There are many wealthy Chinese in Southeast Asia. I think, as you said, some simple antiques can be auctioned to them."

"Besides, as far as I know, there are many of our treasures circulating overseas."

"After a century of weakness, I don't know how many good things have flowed out."

"Those old guys who knew what was going on are probably dead now, and there aren't many of the remaining descendants of the foreigners who know what's going on."

Li Changhe said with a smile at this time.

"Why, you still want to get those antiques from overseas?"

Zhang Shiqi looked at Li Changhe's excitement and felt that this kid seemed to have some evil ideas again.

"Lao Zhang, what do you think? How about I help you expand your business overseas? Let's start an art company together!"

"You want me to be your appraiser?"

Zhang Shiqi glanced at him and said with a sneer.

"How can you call yourself an appraiser? Let's go out and take a tour overseas to collect some good things. Those with research value will be handed over to the country, and those without will be sold for profit."

"What a wonderful thing!"

Li Changhe said with a smile.

Let’s not talk about other things, like the twelve animal heads of the Old Summer Palace, you may not necessarily say that they are really valuable. They are mostly symbolic in nature.

In another decade or so, the country will have to spend a lot of money to film it back, but now, Li Changhe feels that he has other ways to get it back.

"Look at you kid, it seems like you have some tricks up your sleeve, tell me about it first!"

Zhang Shiqi asked him curiously at this time.

Li Changhe began to tell Zhang Shiqi about it.

(End of this chapter)