"My offer is very fair already," old George argued.
"At least 70,000 US Dollars! The dashboard and the delicate components are all intact."
"50,000 US Dollars! I also need to sell it when I collect it; I can’t be expected to lose money," said old George.
"Can you at least give me 68,000 US Dollars?"
"That’s utterly impossible!!"
The two argued incessantly, but ultimately, old George came out on top. They both made concessions, and the old customer sold his private plane to George Pawnshop for 65,000 US Dollars.
Allen Zhang watched them haggle with great interest.
The old customer took the money and the receipt with a displeased face, complaining, "You really made a killing this time! Heartless George!"
Old George was all smiles, unfazed, "Say hello to your wife for me."
"I will, you heartless Texan," the customer cursed under his breath, unable to understand why the least conspicuous guy in school ended up being the most successful among them.
Deciding between outright robbery and the civilized version of it, old George chose to open a pawnshop to rob people gracefully. Having a conscience could make money, but lacking one could make even more.
Old George shrugged, unconcerned, look at you, all worked up.
The customers in line had all completed their transactions, and finally, it was Allen Zhang’s turn to sell his item. Old George’s eyes lit up, and cheerfully he said, "My dear customer, do you have anything good to sell to me? As long as it’s not an Indian scalp or any other bizarre items, I’ll do my best to buy it."
"Really? What I have to sell, you’ve definitely never seen before," Allen Zhang chuckled.
Old George suddenly had a bad feeling, "I don’t buy human tissue."
"Look how scared you are! This is the Diamond Gold Mask worn by Elizabeth Taylor. How much are you willing to pay for it?" Allen Zhang was amused and brought out the glittering Diamond Gold Mask.
"Elizabeth Taylor? Oh! It’s really beautiful!"
As soon as old George heard, he immediately became interested, bright-eyed, he took the mask and examined it closely, praising, "This is really a nice piece, the craftsmanship is even master level. Elizabeth Taylor was only second to Marilyn Monroe in fame in the last century! At an auction before, someone consigned a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe, and it eventually sold for a whopping 1 million US Dollars!"
He exclaimed, "Such collectibles are very valuable, there are many rich people willing to collect them, typically, they make an appearance as premium collections at auctions! It’s just a shame that Elizabeth Taylor would only wear it at private balls and never in public or in front of the media, so this collectible isn’t very famous."
After thinking it over, he quoted his price, "I can offer 300,000 US Dollars."
"That’s too little, I want 750,000 US Dollars," Allen Zhang said, unamused.
"How much? 750,000 US Dollars?"
Old George was stunned, putting on a pained expression, forcibly shaking his head in refusal, "Buddy, I don’t have that kind of funds to buy this piece, as you can see, my pawnshop is only so big. If you’re not in urgent need of money, maybe you could try consigning it to an auction house? Just pay a 5% commission and you can sell it for a high price and even enjoy a tax exemption policy."
The bystander old customer also became interested, looking at the Diamond Gold Mask and suggested, "There’s an auction happening in Los Angeles in a couple of days. If you trust old George, you could consign it with him. He has the connections to deal with it, and you’d only need to give 2% commission to the auction house!"
"Is that so?" Allen Zhang was surprised as he looked towards old George.
Old George nodded, "I was just about to consign an item from my shop to the auction house. If you trust me, you can leave the mask with me, and I’ll take care of your item as well. If the auction is successful, you just need to give me a little share, not much, just between 0.5% and 1% in commission fees."
"What item are you auctioning? Is it the private plane?" Allen Zhang asked curiously.
Old George chuckled, "It’s a diamond ring, from an 18th-century European aristocratic family, with a few hundred years of history. I and some partners bought it from an antiques collector, and practically all the funds in my shop are invested in that piece, otherwise I could have taken your mask."
"Ok. I’ll consign the item with you, do we need a contract?" Allen Zhang thought it over for a moment then agreed to his offer. After all, he was not in a rush to get the money, and selling it for a higher price at the auction house was a good choice anyway.
"Of course, we won’t rest easy without a contract. Your item will be stored here. If it gets damaged or lost, I will certainly compensate you! If it doesn’t sell, I will return the collectible to you unchanged and won’t charge any management or consignment fees. Please follow me!" Old George cheerfully led Allen Zhang into the house, and into a little back room.
This was Allen Zhang’s first time inside the pawnshop, where many collectibles were displayed – fossils, snuff bottles, watches, porcelain. The gold coins and empty liquor bottle he sold to old George last time were also displayed here.