However, this Tang-dynasty silver pomander did have one drawback: its surface had apparently been specially cleaned by its original owner or Er Dan, damaging some of the traces and patina on it.
As everyone knew, the value of antiques came not only from their craftsmanship but also from their age. Patina was precisely the evidence that an object had weathered the long years, and objects with patina also looked warmer and more restrained.
If the patina was washed away, setting aside the wastefulness of it, the object would lose much of its appeal to some collectors. This would undoubtedly diminish its value to some extent.
Of course, some people had their own preferences, or simply liked buying old gold and silver items to wear. Once such objects came into their hands, they liked to clean the surfaces and wash away the patina as well. For them, the value of the silver pomander before them would not be affected much.
Chu Chen still found such behavior extremely regrettable. Patina was precisely where the value of old gold and silverware lay. If one truly minded patina, it was better not to buy old gold or silverware. At the end of the day, old gold and silverware were secondhand goods, and they could never look as bright and fresh as new ones.
Besides, an object had passed through the hands of several people or even several generations before reaching you, so it always carried one or two stories. Keeping it treasured in a cabinet and taking it out from time to time to slowly run your fingers over it and savor it was a beautiful thing, was it not? Once it was washed, that feeling would be gone.
In addition to patina, the silver pomander might also have borne traces of excavation. Moreover,