Sorting an Elder's Belongings Reveals a 1970s Sunflower Moutai Brought Back from Japan: A Chunxiang Wine Merchants Buyback Record

Key points of this article (case sharing): While helping my elders tidy up their old home, I unexpectedly found two bottles of the Japanese export version of the 1970s "Sunflower" under the bed.Moutai?

In Hong Kong, a fast-paced city, many precious old objects are often hidden deep in inconspicuous old tenement buildings or housing estates. As appraisers of "Chunxiang Wine Merchants", we meet all kinds of customers every day and listen to the story behind each bottle of old wine. What I want to share with you today is a real buyback case of "Japanese export version Sunflower brand Moutai in the 1970s". This was not only a successful high-price transaction, but also a heartwarming experience of retrieving family memories.

Origin: Unexpected discovery while tidying up my grandfather’s old house

In the middle of last month, Mr. Zhang, who lives in Kowloon, contacted us via WhatsApp. Mr. Zhang said that his grandfather, who is over 80 years old, suffered from knee degeneration, so his family decided to arrange for him to move to a senior citizen apartment with an elevator and dedicated care. While helping his grandfather clean out the old house and clear away the debris, Mr. Zhang found two bottles of baijiu with strange packaging in an old wooden box under the bed.

"I don't usually drink much, and I only recognized it saying 'Kweichow Moutai', but what's strange is that the picture on the wine label is not the common Feitian fairy, but a Sunflower, with a bunch of Japanese characters printed on the back. I'm not sure if this is fake wine, so I want to ask you to help take a look." Mr. Zhang said in the message.

After receiving the photo from Mr. Zhang (as shown above), our team's appraiser immediately brightened up - this is not a fake wine, but the famous "Sunflower brand" in the baijiu collection world for export Moutai, and it is an imported version of Japan Jiangshi Trading Co., Ltd. with great historical value.

Identification and communication: Decoding the historical imprint of "Sunflower"

We arranged a free on-site appraisal service on the same day. After seeing the real thing, we carefully checked the seal, red ribbon, wine label details and the weight of the bottle.

We explained the extraordinary life story of these two bottles of wine to Mr. Zhang in detail: During the special historical period from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, the "Feitian" trademark originally used for export was suspended for some reason, and was replaced by "Sunflower", which symbolizes vitality. It was not until 1975 that the "Feitian" trademark was fully restored. Therefore, the production cycle of "Sunflower brand" Moutai is extremely short, and the quantity in existence is very rare.

Looking at the back labels of these two bottles of wine, the words "Capacity 545ml", "Proof 55%" and "Importer: 29 Doyama-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Eji Trading Co., Ltd." are clearly printed. This proves that they were specially exported to Japan by China Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Import and Export Corporation. Due to Japan's measurement standards at the time, most of the Moutai exported to Japan adopted the special specification of 545ml, which is also a rare highlight in today's collection market.

After listening to our popular science, Mr. Zhang and Grandpa were very surprised. Grandpa recalled that this was probably a gift from a Japanese business partner in the early 1970s when he was still doing seafood trading. Decades later, he had long forgotten these two bottles of wine.

Sincere offer, successful transaction

After comprehensive evaluation, it was found that the sealing films of the two bottles of wine were intact and the writing on the red ribbon was clear. Although the edges of the wine labels were naturally slightly yellowed, the overall quality was of average quality and the degree of volatility (liquid loss rate) was extremely low. We immediately offered Mr. Zhang a very competitive price.

Mr. Zhang originally planned to dispose of it as ordinary sundries, but he did not expect that it turned out to be a windfall. He happily said that this generous buyback money can just be used to buy a better medical wheelchair for his grandfather and subsidize the daily expenses of the elderly apartment. Both parties happily completed the cash settlement on the spot.

📊 Product value compilation: Sunflower brand Moutai (Japanese export version)

In order to let everyone understand the value of this type of old wine more intuitively, we have compiled the following information for reference:

Assessment Item	Details
Brands and Trademarks	Kweichow Moutai (Sunflower brand - Sunflower sunny pattern)
Year of production estimate	About 1969 - 1975
Special specifications	545ml / 55% Vol (exclusive specification of Japan Jiangzi Trading)
market scarcity	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Extremely high. The production cycle is short, the consumption is large, and there are very few intact ones in existence)
Collection value rating	9.5 / 10 (A special product of the historical transitional period, with extremely high cultural relics and appreciation value)
Appreciation trend in recent years	Showing a steady upward trend. The old Moutai continues to rise in the auction market, especially the export version with a specific historical background, which is highly sought after by Chinese collectors in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas.

💡 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about old wine buyback

Q1: How do I judge whether the old Moutai or imported spirits at home is worth anything? A: The value of old wine mainly depends on four factors:Authenticity, year, condition (completeness of packaging), alcohol storage capacity (whether it is volatile). For example, the early "Three Revolutions", "Local State-owned" or the above-mentioned "Sunflower", as long as they are properly preserved, their value is very considerable. If you're not sure, the quickest way is to take photos and send them to us for a free initial estimate.

Q2: Compared with the export version Moutai, which is available in Japanese or English, which one is more valuable than the domestic version? A: Both have their own merits. Domestic versions (such as the Five Star brand) have a wide audience in China; while export versions (such as Feitian, Sunflower) often attract the attention of specific collectors at international auctions and have a unique premium space due to the strict export standards of the year, excellent wine quality, and the exclusive capacity and wine labels of specific countries (such as Japan and France).

Q3: If the wine label is yellowed, slightly damaged, or the sealing rubber sleeve is slightly cracked, will it affect the buyback value? A: There will be some impact. The collecting world pays attention to "quality", but it is normal for decades-old wine to have natural signs of aging. As long as it is not seriously damaged by man-made damage and there is no serious leakage of alcohol, we will still buy back it for you according to the highest market standards. Remember Do not clean it yourself or remove worn labels, it is best to keep it as is.