The most valuable antique

George, a wealthy business man, met David at his antique store on his grand opening day. While David was taking George on a tour of his store, he also suggested to him several pieces of antiques for his collection.



David: Hey George, come over here. I want to show you something. You may like this dressing table. It’s worth today $120,000 dollars.

George: Wow!!! I thought if it was a couple hundred dollars, I would buy it for my wife.

David: A couple hundred dollars!? No way. You know—this one belonged to Marie Antoinette’s cousin.

George: There are some cracks in many areas, and the colors are scratchy and old. Dressing tables sold at Target’s look newer and are a lot cheaper.

David: George, you don’t understand. Antiques have to look aged—the older they are, the more valuable they become. New furniture at Target’s has no value for collecting.



David: Look at this Roman armchair, you may want it in your living room.

George: How much is it?

David: It’s worth $85,000 dollars. But for a special friend, I can give it to you for $55,000.

George: $55,000 for this old chair!? My sofa I bought last year from Jordan’s Furniture was only $1,200. It looks more comfortable than this. For this old chair I don’t know how long it will last.

David: George, you don’t understand. This one is antique, people don’t use it.

George: So, why would I need to buy it?

David: For decoration and to show off to people who come to visit your house.



David: George, what about this tea set? I know you like drinking tea so you really need this for your collection.

George: It looks nice. I love Chinese style tea sets. How much is it?

David: $275,000

George: You mean ‘Dollars’? Or ‘Yuan’?

David: $275,000 dollars.

George: Are you kidding me?

David: No, I’m not kidding you. This one was made during Qin Dynasty. This tea set was one of the Qin Emperor’s most favorite. He used it almost everyday. Before Qin Emperor died, he gave it to one of his favorite eunuchs, and it’s had been passed down through the eunuch’s younger generations.

George: I don’t know if I would enjoy drinking tea from the same cup the Emperor used. Although, he was a Highness, at that time Chinese people would not have had good dental care.

David: George, this tea set is different from the tea sets you have at home. This one is antique, you can’t use it and don’t let any of your friends touch it. Not only that, you have to build a glass box to cover it.

George: For what?

David: To protect it from breaking because it is so valuable, if it breaks, you will lose a lot of money. So now tell me, which antique pieces do you want to buy today?

George: I don’t want to buy any because I have the most valuable antique at my home, and it is more valuable than any in your store.

David: Oh!!! What kind of antique do you collect?

George: My wife—she is very old and valuable because she is worth $10 million dollars on my prenuptial.