Chapter 120 The Big Stage
If we say that in the early 1980s, my country’s antique market was like a seedling awakened by the spring rain of reform.
It must hibernate its fragile root system in the soil and can only absorb nutrients little by little and grow gradually.
On the contrary, the stamp market during this period was like the magic beans planted by Jack.
It is full of vitality, develops unscrupulously, and grows rapidly.
In fact, anyone who has done a little research on collecting will know that it was the earliest collection variety that became popular across the country.
Neither antiques or calligraphy and painting, nor ancient books or jade, but stamps.
Why does this happen? There's a reason for that, of course.
To sum up, it is simply because stamp collection requires a small amount of funds, many ways to obtain it, and a low threshold for entry into the market.
And this kind of valuable ticket is not only easy to carry, but also conducive to transactions.
From a people's perspective, our country's culture was monotonous and its economy was underdeveloped.
Stamps are almost the cheapest and most convenient collecting hobby among all investment categories.
Because it costs at least a few yuan to buy a piece of porcelain, and more than ten yuan to buy a calligraphy and painting.
Seal stones, jades, bronzes, ancient books, mahogany furniture, and the four treasures of the study are all needed by collectors who want to be a plaything.
Only stamps can be purchased for a few cents.
You can even have fun asking an acquaintance for a cancellation ticket that comes in the envelope.
Then this hobby naturally has people-friendly attributes.
Besides, before the reform, my country's bank interest rates were always very low, but buying stamps can also yield excess returns.
Like the famous "The mountains and rivers of the motherland are red", "Mei Lanfang's souvenir sheet", as well as the well-known "Huangshan", "Butterfly", "Goldfish", "Chrysanthemum" and "Peony" Excellent ticket types, prices are rising all year round.
With the continuous, stable and amazing rate of return, people have formed the idea that "you can make a fortune by buying stamps".
Therefore, stamp collecting could easily become an investment behavior that attracted people at that time.
This kind of investment is also due to the small size of stamps and the small amount of funds they carry, which is not enough to arouse the vigilance of relevant departments.
Besides, stamps are not as related to the national economy and people's livelihood as grain and oil tickets and industrial tickets.
Even considering the current national conditions, the increase in the value of stamps is not only not harmful, but also beneficial to the issuance of stamps.
Therefore this kind of speculation almost never receives official intervention.
If the government wants to take control, it means to regulate public order and control the resulting incidents of cheating, abduction, and fights.
Maybe even a little disclosure here.
Even during the "Movement", many commemorative stamps and special stamps issued in the past were considered to be "sealed, endowed, and repaired goods" and stopped being sold.
Stamp collecting was criticized as a "bourgeois activity".
The private exchange and purchase of stamps by a considerable number of stamp collectors in the capital has never stopped.
It's just a matter of the people not holding officials accountable, and the superiors turning a blind eye.
So since stamps have such various favorable comprehensive factors.
As soon as the "Movement" ended, the private stamp trade in the capital was revived. It was the first to recover, which was a natural thing.
When talking about this, we have to mention a "holy place" in the minds of stamp collectors in the capital.
This is the National Philatelic Corporation established by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in January 1955 at No. 77 Donghua Gate in the east wing of the Forbidden City.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, this has been the most frequent place for private transactions among private collectors.
The "Movement" closed for a time and reopened in July 1978.
When this place became popular again, the enthusiasm of philatelic enthusiasts exploded like a blowout.
Whenever new stamps are released, the business counters of philatelic companies are crowded with people, triggering a rush to buy new stamps.
In addition to some newly issued stamps, the counter also displays some stamps that have been issued before the "Movement" and during the "Movement".
These stamps will also arouse stamp collectors' desire to buy.
Perhaps because the enthusiasm for stamp collecting has been suppressed for too long, people are reluctant to leave even if they walk out of the door of a stamp collecting company. They would gather in front of the philatelic company, in twos and threes, whispering in low voices, exchanging all information about stamps with each other.
Among these people are intellectuals, workers, cadres and students, as well as some idle members of society.
They come from different jobs and from all over the capital.
But here they all have a common identity, that is, they are stamp collectors.
As for these people gathering in front of the stamp company, they have two purposes.
The first is to exchange information and increase stamp knowledge.
The second is to exchange stamps and enrich your collection.
Some of them are stamp collectors who have known each other for a long time, and some are new friends.
But everyone's stamp collecting level is definitely different, and everyone's income level is also very different. .
Some people are eager to buy some stamps to enrich their collections.
Other people will have some surplus stamps on their hands due to chance.
In the early days of reform and opening up, people were ashamed to talk about money, and regarded stamp collecting as a purely cultural activity.
Exchanging stamps for stamps makes sense.
But if you pay one hand and get the goods at the same time, others will label you as "profit-seeking" and "vulgar philistine" on your forehead.
In fact, Ning Weimin did not have to worry about his livelihood last year.
In order to buy monkey tickets, he visited the National Philatelic Corporation many times.
When he first came for a "pilgrimage" in June, the spontaneous market in front of the Philatelic Corporation was almost like this.
At that time, most stamp collectors were still quite pure in their dealings. The unspoken rule of communication is to bring two "mobile" stamp albums with you to the philatelic company.
One contains stamps that show the level of appreciation, and the other contains stamps that can be exchanged or transferred with others.
It really only exchanges tickets, not sells them.
He just curiously asked about the prices of several types of tickets, but he was given the cold shoulder everywhere. No one wanted to pay attention to him.
But precisely because of the limitations of exchanging stamps for stamps.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to satisfy the desire of stamp collectors who are eager to improve their stamp collecting skills.
In particular, it cannot satisfy the desire of some relatively wealthy people to own rare stamps.
So later on, some people began to separate from these stamp collectors.
They specialize in hoarding some stamps that are particularly needed by stamp collectors, and are also good at understanding the psychology of stamp collectors.
Do some small business by selling low prices and selling high prices to earn the difference.
Of course, such people have a bad reputation in the postal market, and they are directly called a "stamp dealer"
Real stamp collectors are most resistant to such speculative activities, which will be considered to be exploitative and get something for nothing, and at the same time it will tarnish the spirit of stamp collecting.
But nothing has a single attribute, and stamp collectors sometimes cannot do without these "stamp dealers".
Because "stamp dealers" can indeed make the flow of stamps more efficient, and also allow stamp collectors to exchange their needs more conveniently.
This fully demonstrates that these "stamp dealers" are actually the backbone that can truly expand the market.
So when Ning Weimin rounded up all the monkey stamps from the Philatelic Corporation, he left here for only two months.
When he came back after the New Year, he found that the place had completely changed.
The number of people at the entrance of the head office suddenly increased several times, and the informal small market was extremely prosperous.
Especially on Sundays, the place is packed with people, just like a farmer’s market.
There are many "stamp dealers" who are no longer satisfied with just holding a stamp album and walking through the crowd, looking for trading opportunities, as they did in the past.
Some people simply spread newspapers, set up a street stall, and became farmers waiting for the harvest.
As soon as those stamp albums are opened, colorful stamps will come into view, and stamp collectors can't help but salivate and immediately pay for them.
Faced with such a situation, others may be indifferent and only pay attention to the transaction content inside.
But it was different for Ning Weimin.
To put it bluntly, Kang Shude was just as excited as when he saw the ghost market again.
For no other reason than because his previous job in his previous life was to eat stamps and work as a postal dealer.
He still remembered the winter in his previous life, when the cold wind howled and the dust flew.
In the Madian stamp trading market, only the stall owners are suffering.
At that time, he made a living by selling tape in the postal market, and he decided that this place was his journey in life.
He still remembered the spring in his previous life, with the spring scenery full of scenery, the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
At that time, the Madian stamp and coin market was like an erupting volcano.
Countless bags, countless people, countless wads of money.
Having already started working as a scalper, he decided that stamps would be a turning point in his life.
He still remembers that in the autumn of that year, the currency market soared.
The high-end luxury cars parked at the entrance of the market stretch as far as the eye can see, just like an international auto show.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi are lined up, as are Cheetah, Bentley, Ferrari, and Maserati.
During that time, a large amount of hot money poured in like flies, and the Madian Postal Market was like a giant cash machine that never stopped.
Because every day I can see the deposit numbers in my bank card rising almost crazily.
After making a huge profit of 1.2 million, he decided that stamps were the highlight of his life.
That’s it, I eat clear soup noodles when I have no money, and whole abalone and lobster when I’m rich.
He is really a lucky person.
In the postal market, it took only five years to clear away the fog of life and find my career direction.
He went through many obstacles from a tape vendor, a street guerrilla, and a stamp merchant to become a businessman with his own business.
It was stamps and the postal market that made him truly reborn, escape poverty, and become a small business owner with few assets.
That’s why he loves the stamp industry. It is an emotion from the heart and the DNA in his bones.
No one misses such a chaotic and noisy environment more than he does, and no one is more at ease with it than he is.
No one knows better than him that no matter how big a postal dealer is, it has grown up from such a small fish and shrimp "stamp dealer".
No one knows better than him that our Republic will grow into the world's largest stamp collection and distribution center in the future.
Both the number of philatelic enthusiasts and the number of people devoted to the stamp profession.
Whether it is the scale of stamp business premises or the scale of stamp trading, it ranks first in the world and stands out from the rest.
And he will not only witness the evolution of this entire process, but will also become an important participant in this market, even the leader!
So even though it started in 1981, it has made great achievements in antique calligraphy and painting.
In contrast, what makes Ning Weimin even more happy is that the small market in front of the stamp company has already taken shape and is about to become a truly free trading stamp market.
This is the big stage where he can fully display his abilities.
This was his first step in writing the legend of life.
(End of this chapter)