Eyesight: It is a lifetime of trembling and walking under thin ice
Picking up leaks or taking medicine is fundamentally a matter of eyesight. The collection has a process of eye cultivation. In most cases, eyesight is not directly related to the thickness of the purse. It's not that the more money you have, the more you dare to buy things, and the less money you have, the more you dare not buy them. Whether you dare to buy or not, how much money you buy is directly proportional to the level of your eyesight. I have met some people who like to collect, and they always stay at tens of thousands of goods, not because they can't afford it, but their eyesight always stays at that stage. Many people don't have much improvement in their eyesight after playing for a long time, and they don't have time to grow.
So what motivates them to start collecting high-priced pieces? trust, trust in sellers.
With trust, you dare to spend money.
Every year, there is news that individual merchants do hundreds of millions of dollars of trading. It is not that the accumulated turnover of many customers is often bought by one customer. He gained the trust of this gold owner. Many people who make fake goods make more money than old ones, and why? Those who make fake goods rely on their mouths, and it is easier to win trust, and it is easier to do "big business" and change places with one shot.
And those who do old goods usually hold the thinking of relying on the goods to speak, they don't say much, they buy what they understand, and don't buy if they don't understand. This is sold to people with discernment, sold to veteran collectors. Most people don't make a lot of money, but they do earn peace of mind. The market is not good, and you can't starve to death, and the store has been there for decades.
Why do you like to go to Sotheby's and Christie's to buy things?
A 300-year-old company has a good reputation in the industry and few fakes. Nature is widely liked by beginners, and it is also recognized. It's better to buy expensive than fake. Inheritance is also a trust endorsement, inheritance is orderly, the authenticity of the goods is basically guaranteed, and there are naturally more people competing for it. As for who passed it down and how it was handed down, these are just the cloak of propaganda. Many gold owners don't really care about this when they hold up their cards, and the more people say yes, the more they dare to buy it with confidence.
The first thing that the wealthy buy is to rest assured. Knowledgeable people naturally buy the utensils themselves, and a good inheritance can add points, but it will not put the cart before the horse. The goods, even if they are a good inheritance, do not pay for it.
Throughout the ages, the appraisal that can cover the coffin is conclusive, and everyone is out of their own pockets, and there is no exception. Why? Simple question of logic.
They live out of it, and they eat this mouthful. Left hand in, right hand out. A lifetime has to pass countless antiquities, real money in and out. There is no room for mistakes. Often buy the wrong big goods, and you may not be able to get up for many years. even, bankrupt and closed the business.
In the end, there will not be many experts left on this road who can always be good and live for a long time. All of them must be legends, and a pair of fiery eyes are all trained by a lifetime of trembling and walking under thin ice.
A little arrogance and conceit can lead to a big setback. They will put more effort into learning than the average collector or an expert in the system. The lesson is deeper, and the eyesight will improve faster. Of course, to enter this circle, you also need to have the understanding of learning, if you don't have more money, no matter how diligent you are, it will be in vain, and it won't take long to be out.
There is an old saying in the collecting circle: "Eyesight is made by money". One more thing to add: I have to smash my heart to do it. If you have 10 million, buy the wrong item for 30,000. And you only have 20,000, borrowed 10,000, and bought the wrong 30,000 goods. This kind of motivating learning experience is different. Therefore, it is not that you can smash your eyesight if you have money, and if you don't buy pain, your progress is not solid. That's why I don't believe that people who don't buy goods can develop good eyesight.
In recent years, some experts who have frequently appeared in the mass media have frequently appeared in scandals of revealing their eyesight, hurting others and themselves. Relying on some so-called titles, they came out and scribbled appraisal reports. has earned enough appraisal fees, but what has been damaged is the credibility of the officials.
Of course, there are not no capable people in the system, but there are not many of them, and they are low-key. In general, the theoretical knowledge is strong, but the practical experience is still less than that of experts. The rules don't let them buy goods, and the salary they only have is not enough for them to fight.
Connoisseurs, players, collectors: one is luckier than the other
Collectors, while satisfying their own preferences, poured money into the industry. But there are few collectors who are born to be idle and immersed in this industry all the time. Studying and appreciating antiquities is just a hobby for them, and it has to be said that this is a luxury hobby that requires deep financial resources.
Collectors are culturally nourished in their pursuit of antiquities. For the new and old artifacts, there is no need to do major research.
A smart collector often leaves this responsibility to a trusted broker (connoisseur) who does not want to be an expert in the field. How can there be so much time, after all, there is other work to do, unless it is after retirement.
The "Idle and Elegant Objects" exhibition at the Sackler Museum at Peking University is a good example of a collection. The owner of the collection, Mr. Mak Po Tai, is a successful Hong Kong entrepreneur who has been busy with business and has loved Song porcelain for decades. Most of his collections come from the assistance of brokers, and the cooperation with brokers is mature and standardized, which is rare in China.
In recent years, most of the domestic buyers involved in art transactions are still running for money, for asset allocation of value preservation and appreciation. Only a few of the wealthy are going for cultural collections. Many collectors in China like to buy things on their own, first, it is difficult to find a reliable broker, and second, the credit is unstable in the general environment, and the boat of friendship will overturn.
There is a process of development and maturity, society is progressing, civilization is returning, and it will always get better. On the other hand, there are too few people in China who really like to collect and have strong strength. Most of them are rich, vassal, elegant, and just having fun. Or do something else under the guise of collecting, and have other plans.
It is estimated that China will not be able to produce a Meiyintang in 50 years.
The owner of the Meiyintang is Swiss, and the collection is systematic and standardized. What this generation can't do, the next generation will continue to do, which can be called a classic textbook for the collection of ancient Chinese ceramics. If you want to do it now, it's not too late, it's just not possible. It's useless to have money, and people stock up on good goods first. This is a matter of foresight and vision, given by the times, and resigned to fate.
Meiyintang doesn't sell things, but if someone else makes a chicken bowl cup, you have to spend 280 million to buy it. Mei Yin Tang's collection is only possible thanks to the help of the older generation of well-known antique dealers, such as Qiu Yanzhi and Eskenazi, and it is almost a lifetime of help.
A mature broker must not only have an eye, but also a vision. To look farther than a collector, the requirement itself is relatively high. At present, there are very few experts in China who can do it. So, many buyers buy it themselves.
A typical example: Liu Yiqian who bought the front and back covers.
Liu Yiqian was a clever art buyer, and in his early years at auctions, he was particularly fond of the front and back covers of auction catalogues. On the one hand, the utensils that can be used as the front and back covers are all good things in this auction, or they will not be covered, and they are worth buying. On the other hand, the estimation is for security reasons. Your auction company can't put a fake on the cover, that's a matter of smashing the brand and damaging the reputation. This may be the clever buying method that came up with out of desperation at that stage.
But if there is a credible brokerage team, they will not use this method, which will cost a lot of money. Liu Yiqian is not the richest in China, but he is the most willing to spend money on art. There are still some such rich people in the country, but there are not many in absolute number. Compared with the proportion of the existing wealthy in the country, the relative number is smaller.
When you wake up and want to play, you must be taking over at a high price. This group of wealthy people, whether out of love or investment, but every bid they make directly and powerfully promotes the progress of ancient Chinese art.
I understand that the player and the collector are two different concepts. It's much easier to become a player than a collector because the conditions are more lenient, and the player wants to "play" and have fun. If you buy it today, you can sell it tomorrow, if you are happy, if you are happy, you will not sell it, and if you give more money, you will not sell it. If you can't buy it even if you have money, you will die in a hurry. Nothing else, just see if you are unhappy and not give it to you. This is the player, buy some if you like, and don't force the system to collect.
However, if you want to become a collector in the true sense, there are almost harsh conditions. Not only to like, but also to have money, both are indispensable. The key is to have a systematic collection, and after buying, you must be able to keep it and save a little bit. Sometimes I don't like it much, but in order to make up a variety, I will buy it. In order to wait for the goods, I will think about it for many years and endure loneliness. The most important thing is to meet the right person, which is a shortcut to buying the right collection. Many collectors who want to become collectors are sacrificed on the edge of the collecting circle.
Collectors who have access to the Jeong-Do Collection are lucky. Most "collectors" were not so lucky, and were bought to death before they could get on the right path. This phenomenon is very common, and most people have good intentions at the beginning, love collecting, and have strong purchasing power, but the astray path is always going further and further.
Many people have burned their money and are old, and they still haven't woken up. That's not the worst outcome, at least it's fun. The most tragic thing is that life is coming to an end before I wake up, and I don't even have time to make money.
In fact, some of the so-called "National Treasure Gangs" more or less know what their collections are all about. It's just that I've been deceived for a long time, and when I wake up, there's not much left, and there's no way out. I can't give an explanation to my relatives, friends, and family. So I was forced to continue to deceive, deceive myself, my relatives and friends, and deceive others, and live for the rest of my life. There are many similar cases, all of which are ridiculous collections, and the list goes on.
Antique shops have this characteristic, and many new and old standards of the category rely on visual perception and mouth. This gives people who peddle fakes a lot of leeway. It's a circle issue. Selling fakes is basically active on the periphery of the collecting circle, waiting for first-time collectors. These people are very powerful, clever and sticky.
No matter how rich and wise you are, if a little vanity is caught and a little pride is used, you will be killed without discussion. As a result, many people who are interested in collecting either "die" on this beach or retreat. There are very few people who can really escape this round of artillery fire and enter the inner circle of playing real things, and they have become the lucky ones.