Chapter 34: The Jewish Antique Dealer

"Dragon Well?"

Before the tea touched his lips, the faint yet rich aroma triggered memories deep within Zhang Hainuo's heart.

"Mr. Link indeed has a discerning eye!" chuckled the elderly man with white hair. "This is indeed top-grade tea imported from China! I could tell at a glance that you are someone who knows tea!"

"I wouldn't dare claim to know tea; I've just been fortunate enough to have tasted it a few times before."

Such treatment left Zhang Hainuo feeling quite satisfied. After sipping the tea, he took out a small velvet pouch from his briefcase. Just like the one he handed to the unscrupulous merchant Thomson earlier, this pouch also contained only one coin – a genuine ancient Egyptian gold coin salvaged from a shipwreck.

The old man carefully took the gold coin, examining it with a magnifying glass on the spot. After scrutinizing it several times, he confidently said, "Correct, this is a coin from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt! The dynasty was wiped out by the Ottoman Empire in a war 402 years ago. It is said that half of Egypt's wealth became the spoils of war for the Turks!"

"I see."

Zhang Hainuo pretended to suddenly understand, though he had actually had one of these coins authenticated by a local antique dealer in Istanbul. However, considering the limited financial resources of the Turks and the potential trouble it might cause, he decided to bring these coins to the United States to sell.

So, when the manager of the antique shop he visited earlier claimed that the coin he had was a counterfeit, Zhang Hainuo knew that the man had switched it. Without arguing with him, as he lacked evidence and didn't want to attract unnecessary attention from the American police, he hoped to use the value of the gold coin to "evaluate" the credibility of these antique dealers and then choose a reputable and powerful one for the transaction.

"How much is a coin like this worth?"

Zhang Hainuo spoke in German, as after introducing himself as an Austrian businessman, the elderly man unexpectedly conversed with them fluently in German, which was much easier than speaking English.

"In the New York market, you can buy one for between $600 and $800, depending on the specific condition and preservation! As for this one, I'm willing to offer $800 because it's in quite good condition, and the gold content is substantial!"

Zhang Hainuo smiled slightly. This was precisely the one he had deliberately selected from those shipwreck coins.

"And what about one like this?" He magically produced another coin from his briefcase, which was somewhat more damaged compared to the first.

The old man wasn't surprised. Skillfully, he took the coin from Zhang Hainuo and studied it, then placed it and the previous coin on opposite ends of a delicate scale. Immediately, the end with the second coin rose high.

"Mr. Link, you see, this coin was damaged for some reason at the time, and it is also lacking in weight. However, as a genuine ancient Egyptian gold coin, it still holds value! $400! No, $450!"

Zhang Hainuo reached into his pocket and pulled out another velvet pouch. "Can you take a look at this one as well?"

A few minutes later, the old man exclaimed, "This is a replica. Although the craftsmanship is very exquisite, it is entirely made by later generations. It can only be considered a fine work of art at best, and its value would not exceed $100. Mr. Link, did you buy this as an antique as well?"

Zhang Hainuo shook his head with a smile. The business acumen of the Jewish people was well known. Not only were they adept at seizing opportunities and finding or creating business opportunities, but they also excelled in public relations, leveraging, and monopolizing, while also considering their reputation as their top priority. Now it seemed that these were not just rumors.

Meanwhile, Otto remained silent and sullen. Since the old man introduced himself as a Jewish merchant who had once lived in Germany, he seemed uncomfortable sitting here ever since. It wasn't just because Germans resented Jews for profiting from their misfortune during the crisis after World War I. In fact, this animosity had been going on for centuries:

Jews were discriminated against and persecuted since the 4th century for refusing to recognize Jesus as the savior, due to their adherence to Jewish religious doctrines, ever since Constantine accepted Christianity. The Crusades in the 11th century reignited Christian hatred towards Jews. From then until the Renaissance period, Jews in Western and Central Europe were constantly persecuted and expelled by rulers everywhere. The anti-Semitic sentiment that began in the late 19th century merged more into "racism" on the basis of religion. Regardless of whether the reasons were justified, the result was another exile of the Jewish people, from the most severe anti-Jewish Russia to Western Europe, and from Western Europe to the Americas and elsewhere.

Economically, Jews in various countries where they resided tended to belong to the relatively wealthy class. Some indeed were not benevolent in their wealth, and the wealth and unscrupulousness of some Jews led to widespread public resentment. In the period of William II's German Empire, anti-Jewish sentiment was also quite serious, but the government at that time did not adopt policies of exterminating humanity like the Nazis.

As someone from a traditional Christian family and a German nobleman, Otto naturally had no fondness for Jews. Perhaps the previous Hainuo held the same view, but for Zhang Hainuo, racial discrimination was an irrational existence, and he had no interest in inheriting or even promoting it.

"Mr. Barbas, I see that your main collection here consists of vases and clocks, I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable about ancient coins!" Zhang Hainuo sipped his tea lightly. He had to admit that the Jewish antique shop's tea brewing skills were also commendable.

"Hehe, since we are in this line of antiques, how could we not understand coins?" the Jewish old man laughed. "I'm sure Mr. Link himself isn't in this line of business, is he?"

Zhang Hainuo looked at him without commenting.

"In the antique business, there are many ways to buy – directly sourcing from folk people, purchasing from other antique dealers, or buying from customers who come to us! As for selling, there are generally three ways – recommending to familiar people, holding exhibitions, or selling directly in the shop!" The Jewish old man arranged the three coins that Zhang Hainuo had brought out in front of him. "As businessmen, we sell what customers need. In a city like New York, those who frequent antique shops are generally wealthy upper-class people. Most of them buy antiques to decorate their already luxurious rooms, so they need vases, clocks, oil paintings, silverware, and so on. As for coins... hehe, there isn't much room for flaunting, so we don't need to display coin collections. Mr. Link, wouldn't you agree?"

Although the old man's words carried a hint of cunning, they were also very practical. However, Zhang Hainuo was still calculating whether or not to do business with this Jewish antique dealer.

At this moment, the old man seemed to perceive his thoughts.

"Please forgive me for being presumptuous. If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Link has more than just these three coins in his possession."

Zhang Hainuo leisurely placed the delicate teacup back into the tray and said, "You're right. My friend found an ancient shipwreck in the Aegean Sea and asked me to come to New York to check the market. If the price is right, he may bring those coins over here for sale. Mr. Barbas, I don't mean to offend, but I want to make sure if you have enough financial capability to buy them!"

"Oh?"

The old man put away the smile on his face and looked at Zhang Hainuo seriously. Perhaps from the moment these guests walked into the shop, this shrewd Jewish merchant had smelled an opportunity. However, being able to make the other party voluntarily disclose this information also proved his shrewdness.

"I, Barbas, have only been in New York for a short 22 years, but before that, I was in the antique business when I lived in Germany, and my ancestors were all merchants. As for the family's savings, I wouldn't dare to say much, but in the Jewish Business Association in New York, I still have a certain status. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to open a shop here on Broadway! If Mr. Link's friend doesn't trust me, I can ask the Jewish Business Association to guarantee that each of his coins will fetch a good price!"

Zhang Hainuo pondered for a moment. "Could I contact my friend first?"

"Of course, of course!" The Jewish old man clearly wouldn't let go of such a lucrative deal that came to his doorstep. He took out a beautifully printed card from the drawer and handed it to Zhang Hainuo, saying, "If Mr. Link's friend is inconvenient to come to New York, I can go to Europe in person! This is my business card, with the address and phone number of my antique shop. If Mr. Link has any instructions, there's no need to come in person; just tell me where to meet, and I will go there as soon as possible!"

"Very well, then I'll take my leave!"

Although Zhang Hainuo didn't show it, he already had a rough idea in mind. In Istanbul, the local antique dealers valued such coins at 1200 Turkish Lira. Although the exchange rate between the Turkish Lira and the US dollar was not fixed due to the continuous depreciation of the Turkish Lira after World War I, if calculated based on the value of goods, it was approximately $300 to $400.

Although most of the German sailors, including Otto, had no good feelings towards Jews, as long as it was a mutually beneficial transaction, they didn't have much objection. Two days later, Zhang Hainuo arranged for Barbas to quickly negotiate aboard the ship. A few hours later, they finalized the first transaction: Barbas bought 1000 ancient Egyptian gold coins provided by Zhang Hainuo for $686,000, all in cash. For this transaction, which could be considered a huge sum in 1919, Barbas only took 48 hours to raise the cash, and the two sides then conducted a quick inspection and payment on board the ship.