Ringing in the Changes
Sunday Marco placed the bags on his dining table and turned on the kettle. His hunt through the bric-a-brac stores of a small nearby town had turned up a few good finds and a couple of possibilities. He sat with his tea and checked everything over. A painting by a semi-renowned local artist - he could probably make $200 on that; a few old coins that he'd maybe earn $30 by selling on eBay; a strange ceramic bell that had cost pennies and could be trash but could be something, maybe; and a cigarette case inscribed for a notable early 20th century opera singer. If that turned out to be legit, Marco could be looking at a few thousand. He started trying to match the bell to others online, but couldn't turn up anything quite like it. It was small and pretty, overly fussy perhaps, but intricately decorated. If it was as old as the rest of the stuff in the shop then the craftsmanship was impressive and the condition was exquisite. If it was modern, factory produced crap then hey, he...