“Amateur!”

Tony loathed the proposal.

“Carbon-dating isn’t a foolproof method, yet you want a machine to do the appraisal. What a joke! Regardless if you’re using carbon-14 or thermoluminescence, none of these could beat the naked eye.”

Casper smirked at Tony’s admonishment. “You are right. Scientific appraisals have loopholes, but we wouldn’t know the difference till there is a comparison.”

The two men scoffed. “Stop pretending to be an expert. Now, return the jar to us! You can’t afford to pay if you break it?”

Casper laughed. “But I can. Let’s play a game. If the jar is genuine, I will pay you double the final bidding price at the fair.”

“What? You? Look at shabby attire. Where are you going to find the money if you can’t even afford a shard from the jar?”

Doubt filled Victoria’s mind as the men mocked Casper. She was impressed with his gut feel. However, his evaluations on the two items made no sense. Her interests were at stake because the vase and jar were finale items at the auction.

Tony pounded the table with his fist. “This is preposterous! Do you think you can act impudently because you’re rich? I don’t care about your finance. You owe us an explanation for claiming the jar to be a fake.”

He set the jar down and asked, “Mr. Lane, can you lend me your high-definition magnifying glass?”

Tony took one out of his toolbox reluctantly and gave Casper.

He felt a sense of familiarity during the examination. It felt different from the genuine antiques he had at home, more like the high-quality forgeries produced by his mentor.

Could this be one of his works?

was certain the enamel temple jar

rare treasures, Casper would examine the pieces thoroughly every day to hone his skills. Over time, he knew every piece like the back of his hand. A knowledgeable and gifted

to clear his doubts. Pretending to smash the jar was a

worried expressions

master forger, to mentor him. The man made seventy-two

the world of antiques. Some loved him, while others hated him. His forgeries had caused men to lose

Simpsons hired him to be Casper’s mentor. The man imparted everything about appraising antiques to his

most accomplished forger was also the best appraiser. To produce a replica that could pass as the

wasn’t one of

became the director of the

common practice for a master forger to leave his trademark on his work. Mr. Crane would carve a pin-sized crane camouflaged

“Bingo!”

found the forger’s signature hidden in a bird’s-eye. The galloping

Tony, who felt a chill down

what did you

Lane, I wonder if you have heard of a legend in the antique

dumbfounded. He didn’t expect the young man to know this. “Are you talking about the best master forger, Mr. Crane? I heard his workmanship was unmatched. His

men couldn’t find Mr. Crane, but their piece resembles

handed Tony the jar

and saw a fawn hidden in one of

field, Tony was clueless about the origin of that mark.

well-respected appraiser in

apprentice named Mr. Buck. I believe he is continuing his mentor’s practice when he left a carving of his signature

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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