After ordering, Lynch picked up another bottle of 1998 champagne and introduced, "The champagne here is from California, which produce some really great ones, so you must give it a try,"
"You're right, should we talk about the stamps now?" asked Hans.
Lynch gave him a slight smile before continuing, "We can start now, but I don't know too much either since I'm also a beginner in this profession."
Establishing a collection was quite the challenge for one's judgment, and stamp collection was no exception.
"When collecting stamps, you need to first find the number of stamps that have been released. As you probably have heard, the less of a stamp release, the more valuable it becomes. In addition, due to various reasons, after their release, a lot of stamps will be damaged, reducing the numbers even more."
"Less is more," commented Li Du.
Lynch gave him a smile before continuing, "Exactly. The second point is the material used as background. Stamps are often released with some for a reason such as historical events, to honor famous people, or revolving around other topics such as special animal and plants. These stamps are typically better than others."
"Such as 9/11 remembrance or those in honor of sports stars, right?" added Hans.
Nodding, Lynch then said, "Another aspect is the time that the stamp is released. There's not much to say here but that the older a stamp is, the more valuable it becomes. Stamps like the black penny that was released by the English government in 1840 is valued in the tens of millions now!"
"The fourth thing of note is the reason why the stamp was released. Special events such as the assassination of JFK will give the stamp more of a collectible value."
"This knowledge is not something difficult to acquire, but the next two points are just as important. These are error stamps and stamps that were printed with irregular shapes, which also tend be more expensive."
After a bit of thinking, Hans pointed out, "This is a variation of the first point, that they are more valuable since not many of them were released in the first place."
"Exactly."
At this moment, several beautifully cooked dishes were presented to them, filling the room with an enticing aroma. Sausage-cantaloupe wraps, tuna potato salad, bacon wrapped asparagus, marinated salmon, etc.
As the server removed the lid for his meal, two servings of black peppered steak cooked in red wine revealed itself to Li Du. Seeing the perfect meal, he immediately started eating.
[I'm not a foodie, but I really am hungry!]
In the meantime, Lynch and Hans, continued their conversation.
The knowledge that he introduced earlier were something that most people knew, the later one was more professional knowledge.
By now, Hans had become a very modest student who continued seeking knowledge, while Lynch acted as the respected teacher that patiently explained everything of importance.
Without anyone realizing, the food on the table had already been emptied, and when it came for Lynch to eat, the only things waiting for him were empty plates that dazzled in the light.
With this, Li Du gave Hans a stare that conveyed, nice cover buddy!
Thankfully, Lynch wasn't here for the food either. Either way, there's still his steak, so he began elegantly eating it as they got into the main topic.
"Russel, you are Flagstaff's most renowned collector, and now there's six precious stamps in front of you, you don't want to miss the opportunity, right?" asked Hans.
"If the price is right, then that's the truth," Lynch calmly returned.
"Then what do you think is the right price?"
"How about eighteen thousand?"
"For a piece?"
"How can that be, even if you collect the entire set, you won't even get that price!" laughed Lynch, "I'll buy these for eighteen thousand, it's the most reasonable price. "
"In order to get these stamps, we undertook a great risk, I believe that thirty six thousand is a better price," Hans suggested with a lower price.
"Thirty six thousand? Then I won't be able to buy it, how about twenty thousand?" Lynch said, clearly stating his position.
"At twenty thousand, we might even be able to get the principal, how about thirty four thousand then?"
Li Du immediately called a waiter, "Get me another serving of the previous food. Come, eat first and talk business later."
As the extra food were presented, the two's price war still continued. In the end, the bartering ended at twenty-eight thousand dollars.
Hans wanted to continue cutting down the price, but Li Du stopped him, "How about this, for my sake Fox, we'll take twenty-eight thousand. However, Mr. Lynch, would you be willing to take the bills for today's dinner?"
Looking at the plates in front of him, Lynch smiled, "I would love to."
After Han's phone informed them that the money had been transferred to their account, the tense business atmosphere immediately became much lighter both him and Lynch shook hands for a good business.
After finishing everything, the two left, but as Lynch was taking care of the bill, the cashier told him, "Sir, it comes out to a total of nine hundred and fifty five dollars."
"That much?" Lynch asked in a shocked tone.
The cashier then showed him the bill, "The two gentlemen ordered some food for takeout as well."
With that explanation, Lynch could only look at the stamps before letting out a bitter smile, "Those two stooges."
Twenty-eight thousand dollars, Li Du's cut was over seventeen thousand. As he looked at the continually increasing numbers in his bank account, he couldn't help but let out a smile.
Seeing the take-out that they bought home, Hannah also smiled, "So you guys went to the Golden Aquatint again, you guys must have had a great trip as well then."
"Of course, you should know that a very curious thing happened today," Hans proudly stated, "En, don't touch the tuna, that's for Ah Meow."
AH Meow, "MEOW!"
As he fiercely protected his tuna, his stare clearly connected his message, 'If there's anyone that dares touch my food, then you will have to spit out what you eat and give back what you took!'
After Hans retold everything that happened today, Hannah was also quite shocked, and continuously praised Ah Meow's mysteriousness.
"To be honest, I still feel that it's Li's effort," commented Hans.
"What do you mean?" Li Du nervously asked.
"If it wasn't for your kindness, then he would have already died in the cage. If it wasn't for your training, then he wouldn't have known what to do. So, if it's not your effort then who's effort is it?"
Understanding what he meant, Li Du also calmed down and awkwardly chuckled, "Hehe, what are you saying…"
"Don't be so modest," interrupted Hans, "What I mean is, hey Hannah, why are you still eating? You should go for Li instead, don't you feel something for him? Don't you love him? Aren't you only going to marry him? Then quickly say that you love him!"
Li Du, who had just calmed down a moment ago, suddenly jumped up again, shouting, "F*ck, what are you saying?"
Hannah also seems to have been made speechless by this statement, "Hans, are you crazy? What are you bullsh*ting?!"
After ordering, Lynch picked up another bottle of 1998 champagne and introduced, "The champagne here is from California, which produce some really great ones, so you must give it a try,"
"You're right, should we talk about the stamps now?" asked Hans.
Lynch gave him a slight smile before continuing, "We can start now, but I don't know too much either since I'm also a beginner in this profession."
Establishing a collection was quite the challenge for one's judgment, and stamp collection was no exception.
"When collecting stamps, you need to first find the number of stamps that have been released. As you probably have heard, the less of a stamp release, the more valuable it becomes. In addition, due to various reasons, after their release, a lot of stamps will be damaged, reducing the numbers even more."
"Less is more," commented Li Du.
Lynch gave him a smile before continuing, "Exactly. The second point is the material used as background. Stamps are often released with some for a reason such as historical events, to honor famous people, or revolving around other topics such as special animal and plants. These stamps are typically better than others."
"Such as 9/11 remembrance or those in honor of sports stars, right?" added Hans.
Nodding, Lynch then said, "Another aspect is the time that the stamp is released. There's not much to say here but that the older a stamp is, the more valuable it becomes. Stamps like the black penny that was released by the English government in 1840 is valued in the tens of millions now!"
"The fourth thing of note is the reason why the stamp was released. Special events such as the assassination of JFK will give the stamp more of a collectible value."
"This knowledge is not something difficult to acquire, but the next two points are just as important. These are error stamps and stamps that were printed with irregular shapes, which also tend be more expensive."
After a bit of thinking, Hans pointed out, "This is a variation of the first point, that they are more valuable since not many of them were released in the first place."
"Exactly."
At this moment, several beautifully cooked dishes were presented to them, filling the room with an enticing aroma. Sausage-cantaloupe wraps, tuna potato salad, bacon wrapped asparagus, marinated salmon, etc.
As the server removed the lid for his meal, two servings of black peppered steak cooked in red wine revealed itself to Li Du. Seeing the perfect meal, he immediately started eating.
[I'm not a foodie, but I really am hungry!]
In the meantime, Lynch and Hans, continued their conversation.
The knowledge that he introduced earlier were something that most people knew, the later one was more professional knowledge.
By now, Hans had become a very modest student who continued seeking knowledge, while Lynch acted as the respected teacher that patiently explained everything of importance.
Without anyone realizing, the food on the table had already been emptied, and when it came for Lynch to eat, the only things waiting for him were empty plates that dazzled in the light.
With this, Li Du gave Hans a stare that conveyed, nice cover buddy!
Thankfully, Lynch wasn't here for the food either. Either way, there's still his steak, so he began elegantly eating it as they got into the main topic.
"Russel, you are Flagstaff's most renowned collector, and now there's six precious stamps in front of you, you don't want to miss the opportunity, right?" asked Hans.
"If the price is right, then that's the truth," Lynch calmly returned.
"Then what do you think is the right price?"
"How about eighteen thousand?"
"For a piece?"
"How can that be, even if you collect the entire set, you won't even get that price!" laughed Lynch, "I'll buy these for eighteen thousand, it's the most reasonable price. "
"In order to get these stamps, we undertook a great risk, I believe that thirty six thousand is a better price," Hans suggested with a lower price.
"Thirty six thousand? Then I won't be able to buy it, how about twenty thousand?" Lynch said, clearly stating his position.
"At twenty thousand, we might even be able to get the principal, how about thirty four thousand then?"
Li Du immediately called a waiter, "Get me another serving of the previous food. Come, eat first and talk business later."
As the extra food were presented, the two's price war still continued. In the end, the bartering ended at twenty-eight thousand dollars.
Hans wanted to continue cutting down the price, but Li Du stopped him, "How about this, for my sake Fox, we'll take twenty-eight thousand. However, Mr. Lynch, would you be willing to take the bills for today's dinner?"
Looking at the plates in front of him, Lynch smiled, "I would love to."
After Han's phone informed them that the money had been transferred to their account, the tense business atmosphere immediately became much lighter both him and Lynch shook hands for a good business.
After finishing everything, the two left, but as Lynch was taking care of the bill, the cashier told him, "Sir, it comes out to a total of nine hundred and fifty five dollars."
"That much?" Lynch asked in a shocked tone.
The cashier then showed him the bill, "The two gentlemen ordered some food for takeout as well."
With that explanation, Lynch could only look at the stamps before letting out a bitter smile, "Those two stooges."
Twenty-eight thousand dollars, Li Du's cut was over seventeen thousand. As he looked at the continually increasing numbers in his bank account, he couldn't help but let out a smile.
Seeing the take-out that they bought home, Hannah also smiled, "So you guys went to the Golden Aquatint again, you guys must have had a great trip as well then."
"Of course, you should know that a very curious thing happened today," Hans proudly stated, "En, don't touch the tuna, that's for Ah Meow."
AH Meow, "MEOW!"
As he fiercely protected his tuna, his stare clearly connected his message, 'If there's anyone that dares touch my food, then you will have to spit out what you eat and give back what you took!'
After Hans retold everything that happened today, Hannah was also quite shocked, and continuously praised Ah Meow's mysteriousness.
"To be honest, I still feel that it's Li's effort," commented Hans.
"What do you mean?" Li Du nervously asked.
"If it wasn't for your kindness, then he would have already died in the cage. If it wasn't for your training, then he wouldn't have known what to do. So, if it's not your effort then who's effort is it?"
Understanding what he meant, Li Du also calmed down and awkwardly chuckled, "Hehe, what are you saying…"
"Don't be so modest," interrupted Hans, "What I mean is, hey Hannah, why are you still eating? You should go for Li instead, don't you feel something for him? Don't you love him? Aren't you only going to marry him? Then quickly say that you love him!"
Li Du, who had just calmed down a moment ago, suddenly jumped up again, shouting, "F*ck, what are you saying?"
Hannah also seems to have been made speechless by this statement, "Hans, are you crazy? What are you bullsh*ting?!"
