Chapter 142: Precious Alligator Leather
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After receiving payment, they split up the money, and Li Du had 2,500 more dollars to his name.
Hans should never have had money on his hands, or else it would be spent in the blink of an eye.
Since Godzilla was driving, Hans went to buy a dozen chilled beers and started enjoying them in the truck.
He also bought Godzilla a smoked sausage. Godzilla was enjoying the sausage as he drove, with his mouth glistening with oil from the food.
Besides the specimens, alligator leather, and oak furniture, the two units had other random items that were sold to Kevin’s junk store, and they made 1,000 dollars from them. Li Du now had 3,000.
As they began selling the bulkier items, Hans contacted a small auction house in Flagstaff.
The auction house was called "Freedom Hart," and was located in the central business district of Flagstaff. The place was small, and the renovations were old and odd. Even the doorbell was an old-fashioned bell.
As they pushed open the door, a bell hanging on the door gave a crisp ring. Hans shut his eyes and said, "Wow, what a nostalgic sound. When I was small, many stores had those."
"Then you can buy one back for yourself and put it up in your bedroom."
"I don’t have that much spare cash," Hans laughed. "Do you know how much these things are? Thousands of dollars, my friend!"
"You know your stuff, huh, Big Fox?" A blonde man walked in and said with a hearty laugh. "Ha-ha! Long time no see."
The man looked to be in his thirties. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and even during such a hot day wore business pants and leather shoes.
Hans introduced Li Du to the man. "Blanc Hart, a prideful, but successful businessman. He is someone worthy of respect."
Hart smiled and gave him a hug, saying, "So what should I call you? Mister-New-Treasure-Hunting-Tycoon of Flagstaff? I’ve heard of you guys already, and have been waiting for your arrival."
Hans said, "Without anything good enough, we wouldn’t dare come. Now, we have something."
"Mammoth’s ivory isn’t good stuff?" Hart asked.
Hearing this, Li Du realized that this man had strong connections with the storage auction business. They didn’t publicly reveal about getting their mammoth ivory.
"This time, we’ve brought something even better than a mammoth ivory," Hans said confidently. "Come, take a look."
After bringing down the boxes, the first thing revealed were the gazelle and reindeer specimens.
Seeing the specimens, Hart said in disappointment, "This? This kind of stuff you should just send to those outdoor merchandise stores. They’ll have customers that want it."
"What about this?" Hans continued to open the boxes, and revealed four small alligator head specimens.
Now, Hart began to look interested. "Wow; an American Alligator. It seems to be a young one. This is pretty—now you’ve finally shown me something interesting."
They opened the other boxes and revealed all the alligator specimens.
Hart brought a lamp over and adjusted the lighting several times. He then used a magnifying glass to examine the alligator heads.
After some examination, Hart nodded his head and said, "They’re not just some junk that’s been pieced together; they’re quality specimens that have been fully preserved. They are worth quite a bit. Oh, there are two more boxes—what’s in them?"
Hans opened the boxes, and the moment Hart saw what was inside, he said with joy, "Alligator leather? Let me see! I hope this is American Alligator leather—they’re one of the best breeds for leather!"
He gave a simple examination, and then made a phone call. An old man in his sixties rushed over in about twenty minutes.
Hans said quietly, "He’s a watchmaker. The best watches that Flagstaff produces are all made by him. He’s very knowledgeable on alligator leather used to make watch straps."
On the surface, Americans seemed to look down on Europeans, calling them things like "old-fashioned nobles." But in their hearts, they have always wanted to learn their crafts; especially with some items used in daily life, they took references from Europe.
Watches were one of such products. Americans loved handmade watches. The watchmaking industry was still booming in America.
The old man put on his glasses and examined the leather products. As he examined, he rubbed and squeezed them forcefully.
After inspecting, he nodded and said, "High-quality American Alligator leather. It’s rare to see so much of this together."
Hans asked, "Hart, are you interested in buying it?"
Hart nodded and said, "If the price is right. I think you guys are gonna make a killing today."
Hans said, "First, we all know that this is the best material for making watch straps. So, if I say 4,000 for about two pounds, that would be an acceptable price, right?"
Hart said, "This is good material for making watch straps, but not the best. Four thousand is too much—two thousand seems fair."
Some of the customers that were around were attracted over by the commotion. One of them butted in and said, "I’d say, buddy, carrying these skins of dead animals on you, don’t you guys feel bad?"
"Yeah, if there’s no demand, there’s no need for supply. This alligator leather should be boycotted."
The old watchmaker shook his head and said, "Then mutton, beef, and chicken—these were also made from slaughtering animals. Should that be boycotted too?"
Li Du had no intention to continue discussing animal protection rights, and asked, "What we should be concerned about is why everyone likes alligator leather watches?"
Hart said, "That’s simple. According to history, the Europeans of the past were nomads. From their way of life, they liked the intimacy with nature when using animal skin and fur. Animal skin products were well-liked by royalties, and due to how intricate they were, they also represented the social status of the royalties.
"Even today, in the eyes of some old-fashioned Europeans, wearing animal-skinned watches exemplifies their nobility in social gatherings."
Li Du asked, "Then there should be lots of animal-skin products, right? Like cow skin, pig skin, goat skin, etcetera..."
Hart said, "Yes, these are all suitable for making watches. Also, ostrich skin, lizard skin; these are also suitable for making watch straps. However, alligator leather has always been the most premium material amongst all."
"Why?" he asked, curious.
"It’s because of the special qualities of alligator leather, one of it which is that it’s waterproof. For most leather, when in contact with sweat, a smell will be produced. However, alligator skin doesn’t do this, and even turns glossier as time passes.
"Another reason is the rarity of the animal. Due to unsanctioned killings of the animal, the ecosystem was affected. Many countries have set up laws to protect alligators in the wild. With high costs for breeding them in captivity, the prices of alligator leather increase with each passing year."
Hart explained all of this sincerely to them in detail.
Li Du nodded and said, "Since alligator leather is precious, and since this is from American Alligators, 4,000 for two pounds isn’t that expensive, right?"
Hart said, "No, they’re not as expensive as gold. Two pounds of alligator leather on the market is worth about one to two thousand dollars. Two thousand for you guys is a generous amount already."
He searched on the web for the prices of alligator leather on the market. Indeed, ordinary alligator leather didn’t even fetch a thousand per two pounds.
Hans started laughing. "Hart, Hart, Hart. You sly fella’—is ours just some simple alligator leather?"
"What are you trying to say?" Hart asked.
Hans said, "You know what I mean. Alligator leather can’t all be used for making watch straps. In fact, it's extremely difficult to use this material for making watch straps.
"We all know that watch straps need to be thin and soft, while the leather on the back and tail areas of alligators are tough. Only a small portion of the underside, at the belly, can be harvested for making watch straps.
"And in the middle abdomen of alligators, only a small area has the scale pattern. That’s the real reason why the leather used for making watch straps is so expensive!"
He caressed the detailed pattern on the leather, and then said, "This is all leather from the underside of the alligator. You want to get them for a price of 2,000 dollars for every two pounds? Impossible!"
The old watchmaker laughed. "Lil’ Hart, be honest. That guy did his homework. He won’t be fooled so easily."