National Tide 1980.

Chapter 120 The Big Stage

If we say that in the early 80s, my country's antique market is like a seedling awakened by a spring rain of reform.

It must dormant its fragile root system in the soil, and it can only grow gradually by absorbing nutrients a little bit.

On the contrary, the stamp market in this period is like the magic beans planted by Jack.

It is full of vigor and vitality, develops unscrupulously, and grows rapidly.

In fact, anyone who has done a little research on collections knows that it is the earliest collection that became popular across the country.

Neither antiques or paintings, nor ancient books or emeralds, but stamps.

Why is there such a result?Of course there is a reason for that.

To sum up, it is nothing more than the small amount of capital required for stamp collection, many ways to obtain it, and low entry barriers.

Moreover, this kind of valuable ticket is not only easy to carry, but also conducive to transactions.

From the public's point of view, it is a period when our country has a single culture and an underdeveloped economy.

Stamps are almost the cheapest and most convenient kind of collecting hobby among all investment categories.

Because it costs at least a few yuan to buy a piece of porcelain, and more than ten yuan to buy a painting and calligraphy.

Seal stones, jade wares, bronze wares, ancient books, mahogany furniture, and the four treasures of the study, any plaything a collector needs is expensive.

There are only stamps, which can be purchased for pennies.

Even asking acquaintances for canceled tickets sent in envelopes can be fun.

Then this hobby naturally has the attribute of being close to the people.

Moreover, before the reform, my country's bank interest rates have always been very low, but buying stamps can also obtain excess returns.

Such as the famous "Mountains and Rivers of the Motherland Are Red", "Mei Lanfang Miniature Sheet", and well-known excellent ticket types such as "Huangshan", "Butterfly", "Goldfish", "Chrysanthemum" and "Peony", all of which are available at full prices. It is perennially rising.

With sustained, stable, and astonishing rates of return, people have formed a kind of thinking that "buying stamps can make a fortune".

Therefore, collecting stamps could easily become an investment behavior that attracted people at that time.

However, this kind of investment is also due to the small size of stamps and the small amount of funds carried, which is not enough to arouse the vigilance of relevant departments.

Besides, stamps are not as related to the national economy and the people's livelihood as grain and oil tickets and industrial tickets.

Even as far as the current national conditions are concerned, the increase in the value of stamps is not only harmless, but also beneficial to the issuance of stamps.

So this kind of speculation is almost never subject to official intervention.

If the government wants to take care of it, that is to take care of the public order, and take care of the incidents of cheating, kidnapping, and fighting caused by it.

It's even possible to disclose a little bit here.

Even during the "movement", many commemorative stamps and special stamps issued in the past were considered "sealed, funded, and repaired goods" and stopped selling.

Stamp collecting was criticized as an activity of "bourgeois taste".

The private exchange and purchase of a considerable number of stamp collectors in the capital has never been interrupted.

It's just that the people don't raise officials and don't investigate, and the superiors turn a blind eye.

Therefore, since stamps have all kinds of favorable comprehensive factors.

As soon as the "movement" ended, the private stamp trading in the capital seemed to be revived, and it was the first to recover, which was a natural thing.

And when it comes to this, we have to mention a "sacred place" in the minds of stamp collectors in the capital.

This is the National Philatelic Corporation established by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in January 1955 at No. 1, Donghuamen, in the east wing of the Forbidden City.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has been the most frequent place for private transactions by private collectors.

The "Movement" was closed for a while, and reopened in July 1978.

And when this place reopened, the enthusiasm of philatelists exploded like a blowout.

On the day when new stamps are released, the business counters of philatelic companies are crowded with people, which will trigger a rush to buy new stamps.

In addition to some newly issued stamps, there are also some stamps issued before and during the "movement" on the counter.

These stamps will also arouse the desire of stamp collectors to buy.

Perhaps it is the reason why the enthusiasm for philately has been suppressed for too long. Even if people walk out of the gate of the philatelic company, they are reluctant to leave for a long time.They would gather at the gate of the philatelic company, in twos and threes, whispering in secret, exchanging all information about stamps with each other.

Among these people are intellectuals, workers, cadres and students, and some social idlers.

They come from different jobs and come from all over the capital.

But here they all have a common identity, that is stamp collectors.

As for these people gathering at the gate of the stamp company, they had two purposes.

One is to exchange information and increase stamp knowledge.

The second is to exchange stamps to enrich your collection.

Some of them are philatelists who have known each other for a long time, and some are new friends.

But everyone's philately level is definitely different, and everyone's income level is even more varied.

Some people are eager to buy some stamps to enrich their collections.

Others, by chance, will have some surplus stamps on hand.

But in the initial period of reform and opening up, people were ashamed to talk about money, but regarded stamp collecting as a purely cultural activity.

It makes sense to exchange stamps for stamps.

But if you hand over the money and the goods, you will be labeled "mercenary" and "vulgar philistine" on your forehead.

In fact, after Ning Weimin didn't have to worry about making a living last year.

In order to buy monkey tickets, he took a long walk to the National Philatelic Corporation many times.

When he first came to "pilgrimage" in June, the spontaneous market in front of the philatelic head office was almost like this.

At the time, most stamp collectors traded fairly purely.

The unspoken rule of communication is to bring two "mobile" stamp albums with you when you come to the philatelic company.

One is inserted with stamps showing the level of appreciation, and the other is inserted with stamps that can be exchanged or transferred with others.

Really only exchange tickets, not sell tickets.

He just curiously asked about the prices of several kinds of tickets, but he was treated coldly everywhere, and no one was willing to pay any attention to him.

But precisely because exchanging stamps for stamps is very limited.

It is becoming more and more difficult to satisfy the desire of philatelists eager to improve the level of philately.

In particular, it cannot satisfy the desire of some richer people to own rare stamps.

So later on, some people began to dissociate from these philatelists.

They specialize in hoarding some of the stamps that collectors especially need, and they are also good at pondering the psychology of stamp collectors.

Do some small businesses that sell at low prices and go at high prices to earn the difference.

Of course, such a person's reputation in the stamp market will be ruined, and he will be called a "stamp dealer" directly.

Real philatelists are the most resistant to such opportunistic activities. They will be considered to be exploiting, getting something for nothing, and at the same time tarnishing the spirit of philately.

But nothing has a single attribute, and stamp collectors sometimes cannot do without these "stamp dealers".

Because "stamp dealers" can indeed make the flow of stamps more efficient, and it can also make it easier for stamp collectors to communicate with each other.

This fully shows that these "stamp dealers" are actually the backbone that can really expand the market.

So when Ning Weimin wrapped up all the monkey tickets of the Philatelic Headquarters, he left here for only two months.

When he came back after the new year, he found that the place had completely changed.

The number of people at the entrance of the head office increased several times, and the informal small market was extremely prosperous.

Especially on Sundays, there are almost crowds of people, shoulder to shoulder, like a farmers market.

There are many "stamp dealers" who are no longer satisfied with walking through the sea of ​​people with a stamp album, looking for trading opportunities, as they did in the past.

Some people simply spread newspapers, set up a street stall, and became farmers who waited for rabbits.

As soon as those stamp albums are opened, colorful stamps will come into view, and stamp collectors can't help but pay for them immediately without drooling.

In the face of such a situation, others may be indifferent and only pay attention to the transaction content inside.

But it was different for Ning Weimin.

To put it bluntly, Kang Shuode was absolutely as excited as when he saw the ghost market again.

Not for anything else, just because his old job in his previous life was to eat stamps and be a postman.

He still remembered the winter in his previous life, when the wind was howling and the dust was flying.

In the Madian Stamp Trading Market, only the stall owners are suffering.

At that time, he made a living by selling tapes in the mail market, and he decided that this place was his life's bitter journey.

He still remembers the spring in his previous life, when the spring was full of beauty, and the birds were singing and the flowers were fragrant.

At that time, the stamp market in Madian was like an erupting volcano.

There are countless big and small bags, countless people, and countless stacks of banknotes.

He has already started to work as a scalper and learned to solicit customers from others. He believes that stamps are a turning point in his life.

He still remembers that in the autumn of that year, the price of coins soared across the board.

The high-end luxury cars parked at the entrance of the market can't be seen at a glance, just like an international auto show.

Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi are lined up, and Cheetah, Bentley, Ferrari, and Maserati are also available.

During that time, a large amount of hot money poured in like chickens without their heads, and the Madian postal market was like a huge non-stop cash machine.

Because I can see the deposits in my bank card rising almost crazily every day.

Having made a huge profit of 120 million, he decided that stamps are the brilliance of his life.

That's it, eat vermicelli in clear soup when you have no money, and eat abalone and lobster when you are rich.

He's really a lucky guy.

In the stock market, it took only five years to clear the fog of life and find my own career direction.

He went from a peddler selling adhesive tape, a road guerrilla, and a stamp dealer all the way to become a dealer with his own industry.

It was the stamps and the stamp market that made him truly reborn, escaped from poverty, and became a small boss with a small fortune.

So he loves the stamp industry. It is an emotion from the heart, which is caused by the natural DNA in his bones.

No one misses such a chaotic and noisy environment more than him, and no one is more at ease.

No one knows better than him that no matter how big a postman is, he grew up from such a small fish and shrimp "stamp dealer".

No one knows better than him that our republic will grow into the world's largest stamp collection and distribution center in the future.

Whether it is the number of philatelists or the number of people who have devoted themselves to the stamp industry.

Whether it is the scale of stamp business premises or the scale of stamp trading, it ranks first in the world and stands out from the crowd.

And he will not only witness the evolution of this whole process, but also become an important participant in this market, even a leader!

So don't look at the beginning of 1981, it has made great achievements in antique calligraphy and painting.

But in comparison, what makes Ning Weimin even more happy is that the small market at the gate of the stamp company has already taken shape, and is about to become a truly free stamp market.

This is the big stage where he can give full play to his abilities.

It was his first step to start writing the legend of his life.

(End of this chapter)