Tracing a palm-sized jade pig resting on its haunches, an antique trader in Taiwan said the ears on the nearly 400-year-old piece are a marker of its authenticity.
"The folds in the pig's ears show the handiwork, the ancient handicraft" of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), said the 60-year-old trader, who would only provide his last name as Lee.
"It takes very careful carving. If it were duplicates, they wouldn't make it that delicate and detailed."