Cybis – Daryle Lambert's Antiques and Collectibles Blog – Have you ever changed your mind?

Cybis Deserves a New look - Thanks to Laurelauction.com

Yes, I have know for years that this business is cyclical, but the cycles seem to be shortening. It used to be that an artist’s works would go up in value but, until their death, their works never seemed to skyrocket. This seems to be changing and perhaps some of that can be attributed to the internet and the ability to get information immediately.

The hot periods for an artist can change within a two year period today. Take for example the works of W. A. Slaughter, the Texas artist who paints Blue Bonnets. His larger paintings were bringing $25,000 or more at private sales and today you may be lucky to get half that, while the reverse is true of Harvey Joiner's paintings. I thought that anyone who would pay more than $2500 for a Joiner was out of his or her mind, but today that amount won't purchase a 4 x 6 inch painting by him. Joiner usually painted wooded scenes and there are pictures of him painting the same painting over and over. It is said that he painted 5000 or more of the same scene. I am seeing paintings by Joiner bringing $7500 to $12,500 that wouldn't sell for $2000 five years ago.

These trends aren't restricted to just paintings either. Cybis figurines used to leave a bad taste in my mouth because I never seemed to recover my investment in them. I would say to myself that there is no way I could lose money on this large Cybis figurine if I could buy it for such and such. This strategy just never seemed to work. Now, however, I believe this has changed. At the Sohn's auction in Evansville, there was a fairly large collection of Cybis and I thought maybe it might be time for me to reconsider my position on these figurines because I was having very little luck buying the Tiffanies and Doultons that were bringing huge prices.

So, as I sat in the audience and the Cybis started to cross the auction block, to my surprise they were bringing more on the opening bid than I was willing to give for my final bid. At first I said to myself this will only last for a few pieces and then it will be my turn to step in. That never happened and after perhaps two hours of sales of the Cybis figurines, I had made one purchase. So I guess my advice to you is to take another look at Cybis. It may be its time to shine.

Here is another situation that has my head spinning. Doulton flambé was something that I simply couldn't give away for years. Cecil, my friend from Owensboro, had a pair of beautiful flambé vases that he tried to sell me for years. I never made him an offer because I knew they would be mine if I did. However, today I see the large elephants bringing $2000 that I wouldn't have given $400 for just a short time ago.

These are just two examples that have set me back to thinking about what I really know. Perhaps it might also be a great time for you to reassess how you feel about certain items. Like me, you may be passing by great purchases because of your past experiences.

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