Road to becoming the wealthiest: Starting From Treasure Hunting in the Cabinets
Chapter 115 - 114: Invaluable Treasure!

Chapter 115: Chapter 114: Invaluable Treasure!

Sean Knight wasn’t surprised that Melvin Richardson asked him to offer a price.

After all, Sean was an amateur.

However, he didn’t dare to offer a random price, since the internet was so developed now, and Sean could definitely find out the prices of similar items.

He thought for a moment and said to Sean:

"Sean, as you know, there are only about a dozen Tang Swords existing in the world. They are all in public or private museums, and there is basically no circulation. Calling them national treasures is not an exaggeration."

"Yes, I know," Sean nodded, "Not only do I know this, but I also know that most of the Tang Swords in existence are in Japan. Because of this, several collectors have called me wanting to buy this sword. But since they all live in the Beautiful Country, I didn’t sell it to them..."

Before Melvin could speak, Howard Richardson interrupted:

"Uncle Melvin, are you telling tall tales to raise the price? Don’t use this kind of rhetoric in front of your own people!"

Sean glanced at Howard and realized that he was not talking about him, but giving him a subtle reminder.

After all, Melvin was a veteran in this industry, and if he used street vendor tactics to raise the price, it would indeed be quite low-level.

Sean chuckled:

"I’m not bragging or raising the price. At first, I accidentally let a collector surnamed Roberts see the sword. He wanted to buy it for one million and five hundred thousand dollars..."

"Surnamed Roberts?" Melvin was taken aback.

At first, when Sean mentioned someone had asked about it, Melvin really thought Sean was showing off.

But when Sean mentioned Roberts, Melvin knew who he was talking about.

"Harry Roberts," Sean recalled and said.

"Sean, tell us how you let him see the Tang Sword?" Melvin became very interested.

"I got a bunch of Japanese swords from an old warehouse, and this Tang Sword was mixed in there," Sean recounted briefly, "The warehouse owner said the swords were confiscated from the Ryukyu Islands. I felt that this one was different, so I checked the documents and determined it was a Tang Sword."

Melvin looked at Sean in surprise as ordinary people might not be able to distinguish the difference.

Howard exclaimed in amazement:

"Did you find these things in someone else’s warehouse?"

"Americans call our profession Treasure Hunters. We specialize in sourcing treasures from containers whose lease terms have expired or warehouses that can’t afford the rent," Sean explained, "But that time, it was someone else’s collection they were planning to sell."

"Then you really are lucky!" Howard admired, "How much did you pay for those swords?"

"100 dollars per sword."

"Oh my!" Howard was completely speechless.

How profitable!

Sean just smiled and said:

"The main reason is that counterfeits haven’t become popular here. Actually, I think Uncle Richardson must have experienced this when collecting antiques."

Melvin laughed: "I can’t compare to you! Please continue talking about Mr. Roberts."

"Uncle Richardson, do you know Harry Roberts?"

"Well, we’ve dealt with each other before," Melvin said and didn’t elaborate any further.

Sean knew not to ask any more questions and continued the story:

"I heard that Mr. Roberts collects World War II-related items, so I found him and sold him those Japanese swords. Then he saw this Tang Sword in the back of my car..."

Melvin nodded slowly.

"Later, several people with surnames like Languard and others called me, and I suspected Harry Roberts had leaked the news," Sean continued, "But since they were all abroad, I didn’t plan to sell to them."

At that moment, Sean’s mobile phone rang.

Sean picked it up and laughed:

"What a coincidence! Mr. Roberts is calling again."

Howard was dumbfounded:

"Could it be that coincidental? Uncle Melvin, you didn’t arrange this to deceive my uncle, did you?"

"Go away, is it even necessary?" Sean laughed and scolded while taking the call.

On the other end, Harry Roberts spoke sincerely:

"Mr. Knight, I’ve raised some more money. 3 million, 3 million dollars to buy your sword - There is no one here who would offer a higher price!"

Sean replied apologetically:

"It’s not a matter of money - I really want to sell this sword domestically."

"Mr. Knight, rest assured, after buying the sword, I will collect it and not sell it to others. Although I have settled in the Beautiful Country, I am still Chinese!"

No matter what Harry Roberts said, Sean wouldn’t relent.

After hanging up, Sean looked up and saw Melvin and Howard staring at him.

"What’s wrong?"

Melvin shook his head and slowly said:

"In fact, 3 million dollars is too low. But given this is Beautiful Country, the low price for China’s antiques is pretty normal."

Howard curiously looked at Uncle Melvin and asked:

"Uncle Melvin, is this the first time you’ve actively sought to raise the price for something you’re interested in?"

"Get lost, I’m just telling the truth!"

Melvin thought for a moment and said to Sean:

"I know it’s because of Howard, and also because I don’t sell the items I collect anymore, so that’s why you plan to sell the sword to me. You think highly of me, and I won’t let you down."

He raised his hand and spread out all five fingers:

"50 million, 50 million RM, I’ll buy this Tang Sword. How about that?"

This price shocked not only Sean, but even Howard!

"Uncle, are you offering such a high price? 50 million, that’s almost eight million dollars - just now, that man offered more than double!"

Melvin waved his hand:

"Harry Roberts’s private museum is small to begin with, and he started by dealing with low-end antiques, so it’s normal for him to not have much money."

He pointed to himself and then to the west:

"If you really put this Tang Sword in a domestic auction, you’ll see if it can make a big splash!"

"By then, there will be plenty of people willing to pay 50 million! Not to mention others, the person in Forty-Nine City might be able to offer a hundred million!"

"A hundred million?" Howard was so shocked that he could hardly retract his tongue!

This rusty blade?

Unbelievable!

"This thing brings so much prestige!" Melvin got excited and said:

"Think about it; in other private collections, there are porcelains, large pieces of rosewood furniture, and the like to anchor the exhibition. But with this Tang Sword, casually mentioning its title as the twelfth in the world rankings is quite prestigious, isn’t it?"

It did make sense.

How many items in private collections could be considered extraordinary treasures?

Especially items recognized by the world that could also be privately collected.

Bronze ware, for example, is not allowed for private collection by national regulation.

What about the others?

There certainly are items, but how many can be shown?

That’s where Tang Swords, neither showy nor hiding, come in to highlight one’s status!

Think about it; it represents the superb martial arts of the Tang Dynasty!

An era when one person could annihilate an entire country!

The excitement was contagious!

And there were only a few of them in the world!

With this thing on display, even without speaking, it’s still distinguished!