At an auction in 2011, someone auctioned two old chairs for 23 million **, which caused a sensation in the audience. The two chairs looked like piles of scrap wood without any lustre.
However, their owner, Zhang Zhiyong, smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into a slit. It turned out that these two chairs were broken chairs that he had stacked in the corner of his home for 29 years, and he actually shot such a **.
So, what is so special about these two worn-out chairs that they can fetch such a sky-high price? Let's explore the two chairs that Zhang Zhiyong picked up from **.
The grandson's marriage room has become a problem, and the old Zhang is sad Zhang Zhiyong, a retired worker in Beijing, has worked hard to raise his children, and he can finally enjoy his old age in peace. However, in 2011, the grandson was getting married and needed a new house.
Looking at the constant ** housing prices, Lao Zhang turned white. He could only save money for his family, and occasionally when he got together with friends, he expressed his dissatisfaction. The wedding room of his grandson became a big problem for him.
Zhang Zhiyong came down to play chess and chat with his friends as usual, and everyone ridiculed his grandson for getting married, but he frowned. He looked at the crowd, sighed, and said, "Do you know how high the housing prices are now?
Who would dare to buy a house? Who can afford to buy a house? I can't help with my grandson's marriage, and I am nagged by my family at home every day. Several old men nodded in agreement: "Isn't it?"
Housing prices are much higher now than they were back then. Several people complained, Zhang Zhiyong suddenly talked about the two broken chairs he picked up when he was young, and looked bitter: "How many years have this been, my wife hasn't forgotten about it, and a few days ago I took it out and talked about it again, how many years have you said about it, why are you still thinking about it?" ”
One of the old men jokingly said, "What kind of antique did you pick up back then, why don't you find a connoisseur to take a look?" Zhang Zhiyong smiled, waved his hand and said, "Impossible, if the antiques were so easy to pick up, the tattered ones would have made a fortune a long time ago." ”
Is this ** a cultural relic? Zhang Zhiyong anxiously asked his son, and after he learned the news from the Internet, he never forgot it. Although the son thinks that the two chairs are just rags picked up by his father, Zhang Zhiyong firmly believes that if the two chairs are really cultural relics, the grandson's house will be in place.
He immediately went home, pulled his son over, pointed to two mottled and worn chairs, and said, "You can take a picture of the ** and show it to the expert." In the face of his father's insistence, the son reluctantly auctioned ** and sent it to Beijing Guardian Auction Company.
Although his son does not believe that the two chairs are cultural relics, Zhang Zhiyong is still looking forward to the expert's reply.
I never thought that ordinary old chairs would become precious cultural relics. A ** from a garbage dump attracted a ** from an auction house. After expert identification, these two chairs turned out to be the rare Huanghuali solid wood made of the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty "carved dragon pattern four-headed official hat chair", worth a thousand gold.
Although Zhang Zhiyong's son still had some doubts in his heart, he was unwilling to pour cold water on his father when he saw his father so excited. The value of this chair gives people a new understanding of the treasures of the dump.
The experts were thrilled to find a pair of genuine cultural relics official hat chairs, they grabbed Lao Zhang and began to ask about the ** of the two chairs. Zhang Zhiyong's answer stunned them: he "picked up" it in the garbage heap 29 years ago.
In the antique market in Beijing in the past, there was a saying called "picking up leaks", that is, buying priceless treasures at a low price, once successful, you can quickly "make a fortune".
As a result, many people were keen to collect antiques at that time. In 1982, under the influence of his friends, Zhang Zhiyong also became interested in antiques and frequented the antique market in old Beijing.
However, Zhang Zhiyong rarely buys things, although the power of "picking up leaks" is huge, but he knows that this is almost an unavoidable thing. He only has the ability to read and hyphenation, and finding a big leak in many commodities is simply a fool's dream.
Therefore, he is generally just a bystander, watching others bargain or appraise, and rarely takes the initiative to participate.
Zhang Zhiyong is a man who likes to look for opportunities to "pick up" at scrapyards near antique markets. He not only focuses on finding valuable cultural relics, but also on those items that can be reused, such as books and scrap iron sheets.
His behavior was familiar and recognized by the staff of the scrap station. One day, after visiting the antique market as usual, Zhang Zhiyong came to the scrapyard to look for "treasures".
He rummaged through boxes of scrap, and after some hard work, he found some old newspapers and waste cartons, some of which even had information such as the time of restocking.
For these waste products, Zhang Zhiyong has already packed them all with ease, and is ready to take them to the scrap yard for some money. The core idea of the new copy: Zhang Zhiyong is a person who is good at discovering and utilizing the value of waste, he looks for opportunities to "pick up leaks" at the scrap yard near the antique market, and also looks for items that can be reused.
His behavior was recognized and supported by the staff of the scrap station.
Zhang Zhiyong was about to pack up and leave when a middle-aged man riding a tricycle stopped in front of him. The middle-aged man took out a few pieces of "waste wood" from the car and asked him, "Brother, do you want these two broken chairs?"
I'll give it to you for free. Zhang Zhiyong looked at the chair that could no longer sit on people, the paint was almost gone, it looked dilapidated, and waved his hand to refuse. However, the middle-aged man said, "It's useless to me, you can take it back and use it as firewood." ”
Zhang Zhiyong thought about it, although coal is burned at home now, but these wood can be used to make fires, so he agreed. He took a closer look at the two broken chairs, not only the paint was peeling off, but even some of the parts were falling apart, and the legs of the chairs were uneven, obviously unable to sit on people.
Zhang Zhiyong bought two solid wood chairs online, thinking that it would be convenient when lighting the fire, so he insisted on moving the chairs home despite his wife's objections. However, his wife reproached him for taking up space and wanted to throw the chair away.
Although Zhang Zhiyong felt aggrieved, he decided to take a gamble and keep the chairs to prove that they were practical. So, he began to repair the chair, and after many days of hard work, he finally put it together.
Although his family still does not want to see these two chairs, Zhang Zhiyong regards them as treasures and often sits on the chairs by himself, feeling very satisfied.
Zhang Zhiyong decided to auction off the two chairs in his home because he was in urgent need of a house. The two chairs have been sitting here for 29 years, and Zhang Zhiyong has repaired them, and although they look a little shabby, they are very sturdy to sit on.
Experts at the auction house said they could help Zhang Zhiyong repair the two chairs, and now that antique furniture is very popular, the two chairs are likely to sell**.
Zhang Zhiyong was very impressed, he inquired about the process and matters of the auction, and discussed it with his family for a while. Although he was still hesitant in his heart, he decided to sell the chair when he thought of his grandson's wedding and the housing prices in Beijing.
Although the restored official hat chair still looks a little mottled on the surface, it is much cleaner than before, no longer wobbly, and looks no different from ordinary chairs.
When the furniture of the Ming and Qing dynasties was popular again, the auction site was crowded, and everyone stared at the two chairs on the stage, all of them were determined to win. Zhang Zhiyong was fortunate to pick up this "leak", this official hat chair made of precious yellow rosewood, which made countless collectors rush to it.
The starting price is several million, and the bidding sounds come and go, Zhang Zhiyong looked at the crowd, and every time he called out a number, his heart seemed to stop beating for half a beat. These collectors may be just a number in their eyes, but for a common man, it is money that he cannot earn in his life.
* Climbing to 10 million, Zhang Zhiyong's heart beat faster. He was surprised to find that the two hat chairs were worth a lot of money. Recalling that his wife once complained that the chair took up space, Zhang Zhiyong couldn't help but straighten his waist.
When the ** called 23 million, the collectors bowed their heads, apparently they did not expect the two chairs to sell so much**. The auctioneer's final word declares the auction over.
The two official hat chairs were finally sold for 23 million, and Zhang Zhiyong's smile was as bright as a flower. The problem of his grandson's housing was solved, and a big stone in Zhang Zhiyong's heart also fell to the ground.
Although 23 million two official hat chairs sound a little bizarre, it is not surprising that considering the boom of furniture in the Ming and Qing dynasties at that time and the fanatical love of collectors.
Although Zhang Zhiyong's time to run has allowed him to reap some results, this is not a replicable success model, we should maintain a down-to-earth mentality, through down-to-earth work and hard work to make money, is the real way to success.
Don't expect unexpected good fortune and rely on your own efforts to achieve your goals.