Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 56 Who says antiques can’t be identified by measuring radiation?
Evidence room.

The long desks were arranged in a circle, with five professors and their assistants each occupying a corner.

Just as Zheng Jian was looking carefully, he heard a commotion outside the door: Guan Xingmin pushed Lin Sicheng in.

Wang Qizhi followed closely behind, watching the fun.

Still walking and arguing:
"Director Guan, aren't you embarrassing us by detecting radiation with the naked eye?"

"If I don't make things difficult for you, the boss will make things difficult for me. Besides, who said you can't use the equipment?"

"So what's the difference between my test and others'?"

"It's different anyway!" Guan Xingmin lowered his voice, "Since you're here, give me a hand: even if it's just for the sake of formality!"

After pushing and shoving, Lin Sicheng finally got to the edge of the long table. He was extremely hesitant.

I guess the leader just mentioned it casually, but Guan Xingmin said he was an expert and really carried it out meticulously?

It’s no exaggeration to say that if this gets out, it will really make people who know the business laugh out loud.

He gave a thumbs-up helplessly: "Director Guan, this is your execution ability!"

"Nonsense, how else can I be the director?"

Lin Sicheng sighed and looked at Wang Qizhi again. Wang Qizhi smiled and nodded.

Move your mouth above and run your legs off below... Why don't you try running one and give it a try?
Just like Guan Xingmin said: Even if it’s just a formality.

Lin Sicheng could only put on gloves and pick up the handheld radiation detector.

Scientifically known as a Geiger counter, it can detect alpha, beta, gamma, and x-rays. Operation is simple: flip the switch and the small screen displays the numbers. If radiation exceeds a safe level, an alarm will flash red.

Then, Lin Sicheng acted like a fool, taking a handheld game console and taking pictures of the cultural relics on the long table.

The head of the physical evidence department and a female police officer stood on either side, holding folders and recording very carefully.

I just want to ask, is this posture formal or not?
The teaching assistants scoffed inwardly: "Why measure radiation levels on antiques? Isn't this just a shoddy job?"
It's really not tested much, and the key is that it's useless.

Shaking their heads and sighing, the professors each went about their duties.

It was indeed quite simple. Since he had nothing else to do, Wang Qizhi asked again, "How did that backflow pot fool carbon-14 and thermoluminescence dating instruments?"

"Use the radioactive decay properties of atomic isotopes!"

Wang Qizhi nodded. "I understand the principle. What I'm asking is how the antiquities dealers managed to conceal their crimes."

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "I don't know!"

Wang Qizhi was skeptical: "You don't know?"

Don’t you know that you dared to pick up a stool and smash it, sending two “Hong Kong businessmen” into the hospital?
Lin Sicheng did know, but he couldn't say it because the technology was too advanced, especially thermoluminescence.

To put it simply: the quartz, feldspar, calcite and other crystals in porcelain clay have the characteristic of absorbing the radiation energy of radioactive elements (uranium, thorium, potassium-40) in the soil, but when the temperature reaches above 800 degrees, all the radiation energy will be released.

This means that after being fired in the kiln, all the energy in the porcelain is reset to zero, and then the mineral crystals absorb it at a constant rate. The longer the time, the more energy is absorbed.

Thermoluminescence utilizes this property: the sample is heated, and the temperature is controlled at around 500 degrees, so that the crystal slowly releases energy, and then the total light intensity is detected, and the firing age of the porcelain is calculated.

The fake ones are freshly burned, so naturally there is no radiation energy in them. How can they fool the instrument?

There are two ways. The first is very simple, and Wang Qizhi and Guan Xingmin also know it: run it through a machine with radiation function dozens or hundreds of times. For example, airport security scanners, hospital X-ray machines, CT machines, and even gamma machines and gamma afterloaders.

But there is a disadvantage: direct radiation exposure will cause the glaze layer to become opacified and even fade.

Imagine a glass bottle that has been exposed to the sun for several years... There is no need to do any testing, it can be distinguished by the naked eye, so it is rarely used.

The second method is a backflow kettle: add a small amount of mineral elements in the decaying stage, such as depleted uranium. The more you add, the longer the age the instrument calculates. Not only is the effect obvious, but it also lasts...hundreds of millions of years!

But there is a very high technical threshold. There are not many people in China who understand it, and almost no one does it.

Therefore, Lin Sicheng suspected that the backflow teapot was most likely the product of a foreign laboratory.

It's not surprising, there will be more and more of these things in the future: around 15 or 16, whole boatloads of Tang Sancai and Yuan Qinghua will be brought in...

Wang Qizhi did not ask any more questions, and Lin Sicheng went through the motions in an orderly manner.
"Qing Kangxi imitating Ming Yongle 'Hu Ren Music and Dance' horse hanging vase, radiation value 0.28 micro..."

"Ming Dynasty Zhou Wenjing's 'Ancient Forest with Crows', 0.08... Never mind, just ignore it..."

"Qing Xianfeng Spring Plum Blossom Snow Sulfur Glass Bowl, 0.76 micro..."

After roughly testing twenty pieces, Lin Sicheng's patience wore thin. Seeing that several professors had finished their appraisals, he rolled his eyes.
"Director Guan, how about we check again this afternoon?"

By the afternoon, Lin Sicheng had already run away?
"Check a few more pieces, check a few more pieces..." Guan Xingmin coaxed a child, "Aren't you going to thank Professor Wang at Tangle Palace tonight?" Lin Sicheng was stunned: After all this time, I still have to pay?

Forget it, just help them to the end.

Lin Sicheng continued: "Song Cizhou white background black flower brush washer, 0.42 micro..."

"Yuan Dynasty Hetian jade white lion paperweight, 0.02, negligible..."

"Liao and Jin blue glazed hollow incense burner, 0.86 micro..."

"One box of Yuanfeng Tongbao coins from the Northern Song Dynasty... negligible... Hey, wait, is the machine broken?"

They had already walked past when Lin Sicheng exclaimed, "Huh?"

Guan Xingmin and Wang Qizhi thought there was something wrong with the box of copper coins. But then they looked at the radiation meter again: 0.02... indeed, negligible.

Besides, this is a copper coin, not a mineral crystal, and it is covered with rust. Isn’t it normal that the radiation value is low?
What's wrong with that?

Confused, Lin Sicheng fell back:

Liao and Jin blue glazed hollow incense burner, 0.86...

Yuan Dynasty Hetian jade white lion paperweight, 0.02...

Song Dynasty Cizhou white background black flower brush washer, 0.42...

Lin Sicheng looked at the screen of the radiation meter and exclaimed, "Ha!"

What did you just say?

Mineral crystals absorb radiation energy at a constant rate. Not to mention before, where did the radiation energy absorbed by this piece of jade go in the seven or eight hundred years from the Yuan Dynasty to the present?

The two followed him: "What's wrong?"

"Hetian jade, 0.02?"

Still a little drunk, Wang Qizhi was still wondering what the relationship was between Hetian jade and 0.02, when Guan Xingmin's eyes bulged.

Even ancient paintings from the Ming Dynasty have a value of 0.08, but jade lions from the Yuan Dynasty are only 0.02?

The former is just paper, artificially processed, while the latter is jade, naturally carved. But the radiation level of paper paintings is four times that of jade?
This is even funnier than asking Lin Sicheng to identify radioactive sources with his naked eyes...

Just as he was thinking how ridiculous it was, Lin Sicheng took the folder from the female police officer:
Item: White jade lion paperweight.

Era: Yuan.

Material: Hetian jade.

Excavation site: Ancient tomb of Yuan Dynasty in Hengshan County, YL City (pending review).

Appraisal Unit: Provincial Department Appraisal Center, Municipal Bureau Appraisal Center...

Identification member: ...

Continue to turn down, page 2:

Re-examination unit: Guidance Group of the School of Cultural Heritage of Xi’an University.

Re-examination expert: Yu Zijian.

On the last line, Huo Ran signed Professor Yu’s name.

Lin Sicheng frowned.

This jade lion is definitely fake, there is no doubt about that. The problem is that neither the provincial department nor the municipal bureau has identified it.

The key point is: Professor Yu, the college's expert in stone carving and jade, was also unable to identify it.

What should we do now?
Wang Qizhi reacted and his eyes widened: Who said that antiques cannot be identified by measuring radiation values?

Isn't this the proof?
The radiation value is so small that there is no doubt: there is definitely something wrong with this jade lion.

The question is, what should we do with Professor Yu’s signature and this appraisal report?
Just as he was thinking of an idea, Lin Sicheng blinked: "It hasn't been stamped yet!"

Nonsense, the chapter is still in my bag?

While still wondering what this guy meant, Lin Sicheng silently opened the buckle and pulled out the second one, which was Professor Yu's re-examination report.

Add Wang Qizhi, Guan Xingmin, the section chief, and the female police officer—four people, eight eyes—and everyone was watching. Lin Sicheng calmly tucked the paper into his trouser pocket.

(End of this chapter)