Live Appreciation, Congratulations to Brother

Chapter 335 Crazy Auction ()

Two days after the treasure appraisal audition ended.

The final chapter of "Tianjin-Hai Connection—Private Collection Appraisal and Collection Activities", the auction, officially begins.

According to Ding Qiang's previous statement, his company had little connection with Jinmen, so the auction was held relatively conservatively.

It is completely incomparable to the overwhelming and exaggerated publicity that happened in Shenghai.

This time I just posted some articles on public accounts in a small circle of collectors.

The rest of the promotion basically depends on Zhang Yang’s online channels.

The only thing that can be compared is the size of the venue.

The place we rented this time was quite large.

Zhang Yang led Shen Shuyu and his family to the VIP room on the second floor. When he looked at the main stadium outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he thought he had arrived at the home stadium of some CBA team.

It's even more grand than the auction venue at Christie's in Hong Kong.

In order to allow on-site buyers to see the auction items clearly, there are display screens everywhere in the venue.

There is also a large monitor in each VIP room to display the treasures on the stage in real time.

Use it with a tablet to ensure you can see clearly.

Zhang Yang had reasonable doubts that the budget for the event was spent on these equipment.

"This has almost caught up with the auction held by Guardian in Yanjing last year." Shen Shuyu's grandfather, Master Ma, sat on the sofa and sighed, "Xiao Zhang, your master Wang Guosheng always brags in front of me, saying how good you are. Capable, I thought, you are so young, how powerful can you be, no matter how powerful you are?"

"I never expected that the auction you founded would reach this level."

"Teacher, you have given me the award. This is all because of the face given by our partners." Zhang Yang replied modestly.

The man who was flipping through the auction manual was Shen Shuyu's only uncle. He nodded and agreed, "Your auction is really great. There are more than 400 auction items."

"This is the one with the most items in our recent auctions. The main reason is that private collectors here in Tianjin are too enthusiastic. Some would rather pay more handling fees to participate in this auction."

"That only shows that your event is well organized." Master Ma said cheerfully.

Shen Shuyu was sitting next to her grandfather. After hearing this, she quietly gave Zhang Yang a thumbs up.

It means praising him for being awesome.

It can be seen that this career show has been quite successful.

Zhang Yang took the opportunity to introduce to everyone the main aspects of today's auction.

The first day is "Bamboo, Wooden Teeth and Metal Utensils"; the second day is "Fine Ceramics"; the third day is "Calligraphy, Painting and Contemporary Art".

Before coming, Zhang Yang had already communicated with Shen Shuyu. Ms. Shen said that her family mainly came to see Zhang Yang, and it would be enough to participate in the auction for one day or even one morning at most.

In addition, Miss Shen’s grandfather, Master Ma, used to have the habit of collecting various statues, so he finally decided to come on the first day of the auction.

At a quarter past nine, buyers in the main venue on the first floor began to enter.

This was nothing to see.

Until someone suddenly shouted, "Isn't that Ma Weidu?", the atmosphere suddenly changed.

"I'll go, it's really Teacher Ma!"

"It's been a long time since I saw Teacher Ma attend an auction."

"Look for anyone taking pictures nearby. Is the TV station broadcasting it live?"

"Let's go and get an autograph..."

The bustling sounds downstairs made Shen Shuyu look downstairs curiously.

Seeing nothing, she could only turn around and ask Zhang Yang:

"Have you even invited Ma Wei?"

"I haven't heard of it." Zhang Yang shook his head.

He thought to himself, if the horse racing director is really coming, why should he arrange a VIP room?

Unless Ding Qiang and the others are stupid, they will arrange them in the hall.

By the way, what should I do during the live broadcast later?

Wouldn't it be bad if the picture was captured by others?

Zhang Yang felt troubled just thinking about it.

He always felt that it was not necessarily a good thing for these celebrities to come to the auction.

Before in Yangcheng and Shenghai, Ding Qiang had suggested to him whether he should find some second-tier stars or veteran actors to stand on the stage.

Said that this can quickly build the popularity of the auction.

He refused them all.

The reason is not to make the auction too cheap.

The treasures auctioned on the stage are worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. How much traffic can a star whose appearance fee is worth a piece of Qianlong blue and white porcelain come over?

The Weibo posts sent to female fans can be trending, but they are of no use to the auction turnover.

Of course, it is okay to invite young female celebrities. There are still wealthy people who participate in auctions who like this style.

However, Zhang Yang was afraid of being hit hard, so he thought about it and let it go.

He really didn't expect that the first "star" to come to his auction would be Ma Weidu.

And it seemed that he was not invited, but came on his own initiative.

While Zhang Yang was deeply surprised, he was also secretly relieved.

Look, as long as the event is organized, even the famous horse curator in the national collecting circle will come to my auction to buy things.

As for the reason why Ma Weidu came, Zhang Yang could probably guess it.

It should be that some of the wooden furniture auctioned on the first day caught his eye and could even be included in his museum, so the other party got the news and rushed over temporarily.

Zhang Yang quietly communicated with Ding Qiang and asked him to contact the horse curator after the auction.

Maybe there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future!

……

At ten o'clock sharp, the morning session of the auction officially started.

The first collection is a Qinan carved Guanyin statue from the mid-Qing Dynasty carefully selected by Zhang Yang.

Qinan is the best among agarwood and the emperor among spices. The price of one gram is now close to 10,000 yuan.

The Qinan statue on the stage is 40 centimeters high and weighs 3940g.

It is simply a giant in the Qinan world.

The starting price is set at 4000 million!

This is even a simple multiplication of grammage times weight, with no regard for engraving or age.

It is equivalent to selling jade pendants at the price of the original stone.

So the final transaction price will definitely not be lower than this.

Zhang Yang hopes to use this collection to enliven the atmosphere of on-site bidding.

In practice, the effect is pretty good.

As soon as the price came out, Shen Shuyu's uncle was shocked. He stood up and looked closely at the items displayed on the screen, wondering where they were so expensive.

Master Ma also asked Zhang Yang: "Where did you find such a large piece of Qinan?"

"The collector brought it back from South Vietnam." Zhang Yang explained.

"I heard that it seems to be a mountainous area. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the royal family's tributes were purchased from them."

The collector who appraised it at the time said that this Qinan Guanyin statue was originally carved as a tribute to Emperor Qianlong. Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly passed away, and the Guanyin statue stayed in the local area and was enshrined.

If we only look at the date, this statement is somewhat reasonable, because the time of imaging was indeed in the last years of Qianlong.

But looking at her face, Guanyin looks like a Southeast Asian, which makes it difficult for people to believe that she is a tribute treasure.

Most likely, the locals didn't understand how precious this thing was, so they thought it was ordinary agarwood and carved a Guanyin statue. Later they found out it was Qinan and wanted to raise the price, so they made up this story.

This is normal. When Zhang Yang was collecting treasures in the village, he had seen all the royal barrels that Cixi used. There was nothing that they, the sellers, dared not say.

Despite this, Qinan is expensive.

Even if the carved Guanyin statue is like "a girl with braces is so beautiful," the bidding price is still rising all the way. Soon it reached the 5000 million threshold, and there were only three parties left bidding.

At this moment, Ma Weidu, the absolute core figure in the venue on the first floor, suddenly raised his number plate.

"No. 78, 5100 million!"

Star effect is instantaneous.

Those buyers who had the strength before but wanted to watch the show first quickly joined the battlefield again.

Seeing such a scene, Zhang Yang couldn't help but said in his heart, "What a thief."

This teacher Ma is the best childcare teacher!

With Ma Weidu's help, the final transaction price of the first lot was 6105 million.

Zhang Yang announced directly: We are open.

……

The second lot is a brush holder with reliefs of landscapes and figures from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. The raw material is a little different, it is carved from bamboo.

Fortunately, there is a signature, and the sculptor wrote his name, Gu Jue. It can be found that he was a famous sculptor in Jiading during the Kangxi period.

The starting price was only 80, and the final transaction price was 120 million.

Compared with the price of the previous lot, this bamboo pen holder is simply a bargain.

But this was actually Zhang Yang's deliberate arrangement.

For auction organizers, auctions are about allowing buyers to consume better and sellers to make more money.

So relaxation is very important.

They have been bombarded with tens of millions of national treasures. Although the numbers seem shocking, it is actually very easy to fail.

It still has to be like now, with a very ordinary antique sandwiched in the middle, so that the rich boss can relax.

The third item, continuing with the hard dishes, is the Ganoderma lucidum Ruyi carved from boxwood used by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty.

The signature is four-character regular script [Yongzheng year system].

The auction page specifically states that after appraisal and confirmation by an expert team, it is certain that this auction is authentic from the Yongzheng period.

It is also commonly known as "fidelity".

The starting price is five million.

"This is beautiful." Miss Shen rarely expressed her opinion on the collection.

"I think so," Zhang Yang replied with a smile, "Yongzheng's aesthetics were more simple and elegant. This boxwood-carved Ganoderma lucidum doesn't have too many bells and whistles. It's quite artistic."

"Yeah, the only problem is that its color doesn't look like Ganoderma lucidum." Shen Shuyu looked at his grandfather, "I remember you also have one, Grandpa, the Ganoderma lucidum carved from wood, that one is red."

"Mine can't be compared with this one." Mr. Ma explained with a smile, "My carving is a modern wood carving. There is a huge gap in material and craftsmanship between it and this kind of imperial carving."

"Sir, are you interested in this thing?" Zhang Yang asked.

If they were really interested, he would just take a photo and give it to others.

Anyway, the handling fees are all earned by yourself. Buying by yourself is more cost-effective than other ordinary buyers.

"Haha, thank you for your kindness, Zhang Yang."

"But at my age, I no longer have much obsession with these collections." Master Ma waved his hand to tell Zhang Yang not to be too polite.

"I'm interested." Uncle Shen next to him suddenly interrupted.

"Uncle!" Shen Shuyu reminded.

"Okay, okay, I didn't ask Xiao Zhang to buy it for me. Why are you in a hurry?"

"Zhang Yang." Uncle Shen picked up the auction brochure on the table and handed it to Zhang Yang, "Can you help me see if there is any hard currency."

"It's the kind of treasure that's particularly easy to sell. It's best if you want to sell it in the morning and someone will take it at noon."

"Your aunt is very strict with me. I want to use this method to set up a small treasury. Let's buy gold. I'm afraid of depreciation. Is it safer to buy antiques?"

"I'm afraid...there isn't one here." Zhang Yang shook his head.

Although the other party's intimate tone made him feel comfortable, and he almost recommended one or two items.

But Shen Shuyu gave him a look, hinting that he must not do it.

Of course you have to listen to Miss Shen. Who knows whether what Uncle Shen said is true or false?

"There's no guarantee of value? Isn't it?"

"This is at an auction, and it will basically be sold at a premium." Zhang Yang explained.

"Then the starting price is actually a good deal, right?" Uncle Shen caught the loophole in Zhang Yang's words and forced him to give his opinion.

Zhang Yang had no choice but to recommend a treasure to the other party that would definitely increase in value - a large red sandalwood three-bay Buddhist niche on top of the veranda made by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.

It is said to be a Buddhist niche, but it would not be out of place to think of it as a model of a traditional palace.

Because the "double eaves verandah roof" itself is the architectural form of the Taihe Hall in the Forbidden City.

Moreover, this architectural form was the highest level among the royal buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Even the Imperial Ancestral Temple used this type of architecture.

"Is this thing so awesome? I feel a bit like a model."

Uncle Shen muttered for a moment, and found that something was wrong with the way Shen Shuyu looked at him, so he quickly explained:

"Xiao Zhang, I'm not doubting your vision. I'm afraid that when I sell this thing, I won't be able to explain its value."

"You don't have to worry about that at all, it's clearly written on it."

Zhang Yang dug out the photos he took when pricing this item.

On the back of this Buddhist niche, in Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan characters, it is recorded that in the 34th year of Qianlong's reign, a Tibetan eminent monk presided over the design and supervision of the construction of this Buddhist niche in Yanjing.

It is equivalent to the inscription on the stone tablet.

After listening to Zhang Yang's introduction, Uncle Shen finally felt relieved.

He clenched his fists, looking like he was determined to win.

After listening to the explanation, Shen Shuyu continued to ask Zhang Yang:

"I understand, so the gilded Buddha statues from the Ming and Qing Dynasties were enshrined in this kind of Buddhist niche, right?"

"Yes, this is used to enshrine three statues of Amitayus Buddha. According to records, it was for the eightieth birthday of Emperor Qianlong's biological mother, the Queen Mother."

……

About half an hour later, Uncle Shen's eyes were almost blinded, and he finally waited for the auction of Lot 23 to begin.

When the auctioneer was explaining the auction items on the stage, Zhang Yang noticed that many buyers below were already eager to take a chance.

This is a good thing, really obvious.

The middle-aged man next to him put his hand directly on the bidding button.

"Starting price: 180 million. Is there anyone who bids 180 million?"

"No. 21, 200 million;"

"No. 133, 250 million;"

"..."

Quotes suddenly burst out from all over the place, and it was as lively as a vegetable market.

"Uncle, why don't you bid?" Shen Shuyu looked at his uncle's dull look and felt a little strange.

As a pushy guy like him, he should be the first to make an offer.

"Don't worry, look at that great god."

Uncle Shen pointed at someone on the first floor and followed his line of sight. It turned out that he was talking about Ma Weidu.

When the price was still rising slowly, Ma Weidu suddenly raised his number plate, then made an "eight" gesture to the auctioneer, and then nodded.

"Bid No. 78...eight million!"

(End of this chapter)