What Cheng Zhen brought next was a snuff bottle. Luo Tian inevitably thought of what Ouyang Tian said about how he would sleep with a snuff bottle when he was a child. He couldn't help but bring up his smile. This smile was very warm. Cheng Zhen
He looked a little dumbfounded: "What happened to you today? I almost thought you were that sentimental Sister Lin."
"No, because my favorite is the snuff bottle." Luo Tian said, "And this one is made of agate."
The body of this snuff bottle is made of agate. There are no other patterns on the front and back of the body except the natural lines of the agate body. There are animal face patterns symmetrically carved on both sides of the body. The overall workmanship of the body is exquisite. Luo Tian said: "Snuff
When collecting snuff bottles, you must pay attention to seven aspects: 1. Shape. Choose a snuff bottle with beautiful shape and well-proportioned shape. 2. Original. The lid of the snuff bottle and the small spoon attached to the cork must be original. 3. Color. The snuff bottle
The color of the snuff bottle must be fresh and moist. Fourth, completeness. The snuff bottle must be intact, with no cracks, defects, or fading. Five, carving. The carving of the snuff bottle must be exquisite and beautiful. Six. Painting. The painting of the snuff bottle
It must be fine, clean, non-artificial, and artistic. 7. Pot wall. The outer wall of the snuff bottle must be smooth and smooth, with high transparency and no blisters or wind marks.”
After Luo Tian finished speaking, he suddenly picked up the cup and went to the bathroom to fill it with a glass of water. He threw the snuff bottle directly into the water. Before Cheng Zhen could scream, he saw the snuff bottle floating up: "It's so light.
!”
"This is the legendary thing about floating on water. A snuff bottle is a square-inch piece of art. If you close the lid and throw it into the water, it can still float. It shows that it is very thin and the craftsmanship is very exquisite." Luo Tian thought for a moment: "But it's a pity.
, it’s not for the royal family, it’s about 40,000 yuan, but if it’s for the royal family, the price would be several times higher.”
Yuan Jie interjected at this time: "None of the things today are very valuable. It's a pity that our commission will be less."
No wonder Yuan Jie said this, because the appraisal fee is based on the appraised price. The more valuable the antique, the higher the appraisal fee charged by the company. Luo Tian said: "If everyone has a peerless treasure in their hands,
, then everyone will be prosperous. Besides, this is a technical job, and you can make mistakes at any time. You are talking about it being easy. If you go out and try it, there is no guarantee that you can make money."
"Let's work." Zhang Qiwei raised his head and said steadily. Yuan Jie scolded: "You will show your stability in front of the boss, just like how frivolous I am."
Luo Tian laughed: "You don't have to show it, we all know that you are very frivolous."
What's the point? Yuan Jie was complaining that the antiques sent for appraisal recently were not valuable, and this valuable one came up. It was a jade incense burner. Luo Tian said: "The highlight of today seems to be this one."
The incense burner is a tool for burning incense. It is used as a ritual tool in religious sacrifices: fumigating mosquitoes can remove moisture. There are many mosquitoes in ordinary people's homes and they are relatively humid. Mosquitoes can be driven away by incense; while fumigation in wealthy people's homes can drive away mosquitoes.
The furnace was used for fumigating clothes and quilts, purifying the environment, and keeping the smell of the house pure. Especially when distinguished guests came to visit, the fumigation furnace must be burned to show solemnity. The production and use of incense entered a very prosperous period during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
During this period, the main hall, study room, and bedrooms of the Forbidden City were all equipped with huge incense burners with a height of three to four feet. Most of them were made of fine cloisonné products such as cloisonné enamel, and some were cast in gilt bronze and exquisitely carved, demonstrating the luxurious and noble royal style.
The literati at that time also liked to display incense burners of various shapes and elegant patterns on their desks to create a pleasant and elegant artistic conception.
"Judging from the texture of the jadeite alone, it is positive, dense, yang, and even. Judging from the shape of the incense burner, there are patterns such as Ruyi and Ganoderma lucidum on it. This is a typical pattern of royal utensils in the Qing Dynasty, and it is quite well protected.
No damage." Luo Tian closed his eyes and thought for a while: "Let's look at its weight first."
Cheng Zhen helped Luo Tian weigh the jade incense burner. When it was done, Luo Tian clapped his hands and said, "That's it, five million."
The carving knife in Yuan Jie's hand shook, and he almost smashed the jade in his hand. He took a deep breath: "Is it really five million? Luo Tian, are you kidding me?"
"The appraisal report will be out soon. I will make fun of you, but will I make fun of the guests?" Luo Tian shook his head and said: "Cheng Zhen, this is worth a lot of money, so you must keep it well."
Cheng Zhen didn't dare to be careless. He carefully held the jade incense burner and put it in the safe, thinking that he should inform the owner as soon as possible to come and collect it.
Luo Tian was already looking at something. They were two stamps, but they were not from his country. Cheng Zhen said, "This was brought over by an international student abroad."
"She must have studied in the UK." Luo Tian said.
"How do you know?" Cheng Zhenchen was surprised.
Luo Tian picked up one of them: "This one is the earliest stamp in Britain, no, it should be said to be the earliest stamp in the world - the Penny Black. It was originally scheduled to be released on New Year's Day in 1840, but because it was not ready, the stamp
It was sold on May 1st and officially opened on May 6th. The designer's name was Rowland Hill. The Queen gave him the title of earl. The International Philatelic Association honored him as the "Father of Stamps". Many countries also issued commemorative stamps.
Stamps from Rowland Hill.”
The prototype of the ticket first appeared in the middle of the 17th century. In 1653, King Louis XIV of France gave Vilaye the property rights to open a postal service in the Paris area. Vilaye established a "small post office" in Paris and also set up a "small post office" in the streets.
Postal boxes collect and deliver letters every day. Veraye uses a label called a postage-paid certificate to send letters to users. The sender puts or affixes the postage-paid certificate on the envelope, writes the date of sending the letter, and puts the letter
Put it in the mailbox. After the post office receives the letter, it tears up the postage-paid certificate and delivers the letter to the recipient. This kind of postage-paid certificate label can be said to be the predecessor of stamps. This kind of label is torn with use and has not been passed down.
.
Later, Rowland Hill took the first step in designing stamps. Hill published a book called "Postal Reform—Its Importance and Reality" on February 22, 1837, advocating the abolition of free mail privileges.
, in the UK, the reform plan was to charge only 1 penny for mail weighing less than 0.6 ounces, and the sender would prepay the postage. It also proposed using a beautifully printed postal product to prepay the postage, which aroused widespread response. July 1839
On the 22nd, Hill's postal reform proposal was finally passed by the House of Commons. On August 17, the plan was approved by Queen Victoria, and it was decided to be officially implemented on January 10, 1840.
The first two stamp designs were also attributed to Rowland • Hill. He received thousands of designs for them, but in the end he discarded them. The portrait on the stamp came from an 1837 stamp that he particularly liked.
Commemorative coins. Stamps with a face value of 1p have a black background, while stamps with a face value of 2p have a blue background.