“Alert! When is Something too Cheap? “ - Daryle Lambert

Meissen - Thanks to www.flicker.com

My answer to that question is very simple and here it is “When people throw the baby out with the bath water things have become too cheap.” I was talking to a friend this morning and during the conversation I realized that my life really hasn't changed with all this economic upheaval and the same can be said about quality antiques and fine art. Yes, my 401K has lost value and the equity in my house is lower but still I continue to live as I did before all these things happened. So how, you must be asking, does this apply to antiques and fine art?

Well, a painting by Picasso and a Rookwood vase are still as rare as they were before this downturn and the people that wish to own them are thankful to buy them at cheaper prices but if the price hadn't dropped they would have still have bought them. So what has changed? Only people’s fears. This is causing them to throw away real treasures at under valued prices and this is great for us.

I received an email about several Meissen figurines and so to check what the market had done to Meissen I went to eBay where I was startled by the prices. Only a few months ago the same pieces would have brought two or three times as much as they do today. Meissen is still the number one porcelain for collectors in the world and I think it will always be.

So here is the ALERT! It is time to buy Meissen and even good pieces should be considered that are listed on eBay. Scour all the garage and house sales for these pieces and if they are priced comparable to the prices on eBay put them in your sack. There are very nice pieces that are selling on eBay that you can sell on other venues for double if not more. This is happening because of the lose of viewership at eBay. More and more pieces are passing under the radar screen undetected. Be sure that you are familiar with the Meissen marks which can be found in Kovel's New Dictionary of marks.

The drop in the prices for the lower end items is explainable but the drop in the price of quality antiques and fine art isn't warranted. This is an opportunity that I doubt will last long and we should take advantage of it while it exists.

My friend Farad found a Meissen cup and saucer and I don't know what he paid but I am sure it wasn't much. His sale price, however, will surprise you: $3500. Remember the three figurines I told you about that we sold for the 31 Club? They were bought for $170 each and sold at an average of $600 each. This is the time that you can enhance your bank account by purchasing Meissen so keep your eyes open.

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