"This..."
"Is this the O-version Triangle Circle Yuan Datou?"
He was a bit uncertain.
Really uncertain.
Because these things are so rare, and whenever one does appear, it's almost always snatched up instantly.
Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised. Xu Boss really does have a sharp eye for coins.
Most people wouldn't be able to tell.
Xu Rushan looked at it again, then said, "I can't make this determination on my own. Mr. Lin, are you in a hurry? If not, I'll call a friend to help me confirm."
Lin Xiao replied, "Not in a hurry."
"Alright then."
Xu Rushan immediately made a phone call. After a quick conversation, he said, "Mr. Lin, please sit down. My friend will be here shortly."
The two sat facing each other. Xu Rushan picked up the other two Yuan Datou coins and began inspecting them, but he didn't say anything.
After a while, Xu Rushan asked, "Mr. Lin, did you buy these on the street?"
"Yes, I just bought them, still fresh."
"How much did they cost?"
"Five thousand."
"Each?"
"Three coins."
"Wow." Xu Rushan exclaimed, "If these three Yuan Datou are real, Mr. Lin, you've made quite a find!"
The viewers were buzzing with curiosity.
"So these are real?"
"Real, worth over a million?"
"What about the other two? Mr. Lin, tell us!"
"This must be scripted, right? The boss is a setup, right?"
"Setup my foot, Xu Rushan from the Fuzi Temple Baibao Pavilion (Treasure Pavilion) is a famous name in the Jinling (Nanjing) antique scene. His worth is in the tens of millions. If you know anything, you wouldn't call him a setup."
"This guy is indeed famous in the field, especially when it comes to coins and ceramics. He was a master of picking up treasures in his younger years."
"He's that famous?"
"He started with treasure hunting? No wonder he can tell."
"Compared to Mr. Lin, there's still a gap. Mr. Lin can tell with just one glance, but Xu Boss spent several minutes and had to bring someone else in to confirm."
"True, that's how it is."
About 20 minutes later, a middle-aged man with a balding head and glasses, who looked very refined, entered the store.
As soon as the man walked in, Xu Rushan went up to greet him, then introduced him to Lin Xiao, "This is Qian He, my close friend and the Deputy Director of the Archaeological Institute at the Jinling Museum. When it comes to identification, he's a real expert, especially with Qing Dynasty and modern relics."
Lin Xiao was a bit surprised. What surprised him was that, with his status, Qian He had come to do an identification job with just one phone call.
Little did he know, Qian He and Xu Rushan were not only friends but also business partners.
When Xu Rushan wasn't 100% sure about something, he would ask people around him for help.
For example, the old man from earlier, and now, Qian He, the deputy director.
Qian He would also get paid for doing the identification work.
Additionally, some antiques require a certificate of authentication after identification.
Such certificates need stamps and signatures from experts and scholars.
If anyone later finds out the item is fake, the reputations of the identification experts would be affected.
"This is Mr. Lin Xiao, a professional treasure hunter."
Xu Rushan made the introduction, and Qian He looked at Lin Xiao in surprise.
This young?
He nodded slightly and went straight to the point, "Where are the items?"
The three of them sat back down at the table. Qian He picked up one Yuan Datou and began examining it closely.
After about two minutes, Qian He put it down and said, "This is the 1914 O-version Triangle Circle Yuan Datou, genuine."
He immediately gave his verdict.
Then he picked up the other two coins and quickly provided an identification for them.
"This one is the 1914 Gansu version, in perfect condition. It's rare to have it preserved this well, and it's genuine."
"This one... Hm, let me take another look!"
Qian He took the last coin, his expression becoming more serious. He examined it for a longer time, turning it over repeatedly. After five minutes, he still hadn't reached a conclusion.
At this point, Lin Xiao spoke up, "This is a trial coin from the Tianjin Mint, and it's a signed version. The signature is from the foreign coin engraving expert, the Italian sculptor Luigi Giorgi—L. Giorgi."
Qian He looked at him, surprised. "You figured it out?"
Lin Xiao chuckled, "If I couldn't figure it out, how would I have bought it?"
Qian He nodded, understanding the reasoning.
If someone didn't notice the details, how could they have purchased it?
Qian He said, "Mr. Lin really knows his stuff when it comes to coins. It seems you've done quite a bit of research."
Lin Xiao smiled and nodded, not saying much.
Xu Rushan, sitting beside them, was secretly amazed. He had also looked at these two coins earlier.
He recognized the Gansu version, but the last one? He didn't recognize it.
There are so many versions of Yuan Datou coins that even professional collectors may not claim to have seen every single one.
But Lin Xiao could recognize such a rare item—it was really impressive.
If, as Lin Xiao said, this was a trial coin, that meant it hadn't been circulated back then.
Uncirculated means extremely few exist in the world!
That also means its price will be shocking!