Finding a Mark on Leaded Crystal

This Lalique Bird Vase of one of four affordable Lalique Vases in the 31 Marketplace.

Before you invest in good leaded crystal glass, it's a good idea to handle many high quality pieces and become familiar with the weight and designs of the better ones. It's easy to get fooled today, and we don't want to let that happen to us.

Good leaded crystal can have marks, and it's a good idea to become acquainted with them. Often, all clear glass looks alike, but it isn’t. In your study, these differences will become apparent.

It would seem easy to say, all that's necessary to recognize this quality glass is to look at the bottom of each piece to see the mark. But truth is, there's an influx of what I call "copycat" pieces on the market today, and unless you're familiar with marks, you could be fooled.

Some of the best cut glass that was ever produced is marked. At a house sale, I often have taken a piece from one room to another trying to get just the right light on a glass item so that I could pick up that faintest piece of a mark, such as a Lalique, Steuben, or Baccarat mark, and even cut glass. I've often had difficulty finding one.

These companies usually marked their pieces by acid etching the mark or by signing them with an electric marking process. Often these marks are almost invisible to the naked eye with out proper lighting or magnification.

Once at an estate sale, I spotted a huge frosted glass frog sitting on a card table. I must have picked it up and put it back when I couldn't find a mar on the bottom, just like scores of other people did, during the day. I searched the rest of the sale a while and didn't find anything, but my mind wouldn’t let me forget that frog.

I went back to the room where the frog was and examined it once again from top to bottom. Even though this frog seemed so special, I still couldn't come up with anything. I put it back and headed to my car. Before I opened the door, I stopped dead in my tracks. That darn frog was bothering me, so I went back into the house, picked the blasted thing up and told myself I was going to find that mark or it's going to kill me. Believe it or not, there it was, as clear as day -- "Lalique." I immediately took it to the check out and the woman told me $25. I paid very quickly, before I could crack a smile or bust out laughing.

Once I started the research, I discovered that this little frog was quite valuable. I put it on eBay. It was hard to wait so many days for the auction to end, but it finally did and I netted $625 for myself.

There are a lot of people that don’t know the rare pieces made by these companies from the common ones. When you do, it will give you a tremendous advantage over them. Stay with the best names in the clear glass, because the copycats, as I have called them, have very little value in the secondary markets.

A lot of glass is also overpriced, and this is where discipline is needed. Don’t ever over pay for anything you buy, even if you can make a small profit. At the 31 Club, we set our goals at doubling the price we pay for each item, at the very least. And remember, look carefully for a mark. Make sure you bring a pen light and have a magnifying tool with you. And -- become familiar with those rare items that may not be marked.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can register for membership in the 31 Club and start becoming an expert buyer and seller.

Exposure Sells Your High Quality Antiques - Even in This Economy

Dimitar Manev, "Woman & Goat", is a new listing at 31 Club's Gallery & Marketplace. Manev, well known and exhibited in Europe, will be represented in America by 31 Inc.

Exposure of Your Antique Items is Key to Getting it Sold

We’ve talked about buying antiques and fine art, and I’ve shared with you the importance of buying right in my book, as well as in the Blog. But once you’ve made your purchases, your items must be exposed to the potential buyer. Exposure will be the key to getting your item sold.

We’ve been busy building up the 31 Gallery & Marketplace for this very purpose. The adjustments Jeremy has been making to our website should make each item searchable on a search engine and greatly increase the exposure of your item. Over the past year, our website ranking has steadily increased, and today our site has an excellent ranking.

So, while many of you have written, called and shared your latest purchases, now’s the time to get busy selling so you can keep your money churning. Become familiar with the 31 Gallery & Marketplace. We hope to see your items listed here. The more items we list, the greater viewership we will have. I believe that there will be no better place to sell your true treasures than on your own club website, and the amount of money saved will allow you to complete your “Million Dollar Race” even that much faster.

Picasso, Chagall, Dubord, and Vickery may be a few listed artists you’ve become familiar with in your search, and yesterday I stated that the 31 Club was in negotiation to purchase a collection. Well, the negotiations are over and your Club is now in the possession of either lithographs or originals by these artists. Although some are lithographs, they are still much in demand, because each is signed by the artist. One of the greatest things about each piece is that they are professionally framed and ready to hang in the most discriminating home. Throw in a few pieces of Lalique and a slag lamp with this sale, and I say we had one whale of a day! You will see these items listed on the market place as soon as I can find the time to list them.

I’m not the only one in the buying mood based upon the e-mails and calls I’m getting. Keep up the great work and keep e-mailing us. Keep up the great work and keep your emails coming.

Yesterday, a member asked me when I buy. My answer was, “Whenever the opportunity presents itself.” I have no special buying time. It might be tomorrow or not for a few weeks, but when it does come, don’t be bashful. Yesterday was our time to buy. When you consistently hand out business cards and speak to people everyday about your business, you’ll soon start getting calls, in every season of the year.

Antiques, Fine Art & The Economy

I’ve been very pleased on how fast our members are being able to distinguish the better pieces from the common ones. I hope you’re spending your time becoming increasingly more familiar with the items that meet your personal preferences, keeping your eye on the trend and taking notice of what others are buying. And they are buying, regardless of how bleakly the evening news paints the picture of the U.S. economy.

There is more money pouring into this country than ever in our history. With the dollar so undervalued, America is the best place in the world right now to make investments; particularly in rare and valuable tangible items given the volatility of the stock markets.

Now that we’re in an economic slowdown here in the U.S., other countries are prospering like never before. They’ve got more money to burn than they know what to do with, and they’re looking to buy here for pennies on the dollar. They’re very interested in the rare and valuable antique and fine art items we’re dealing in and are gobbling them up. Yes, indeed! Ours is an international business, and people from other parts of the world know it’s “Betty’s Bargain Basement” in America right now. And they’re coming here with empty suitcases in hand. Let’s plan to have what they’re looking for on hand.

Let’s not forget that there’s more wealthy people in our country than ever before, as well. And they’re still buying. My friend, Murray out in California, just told me about an extraordinary day his wife had selling china at a department store in Beverly Hills.

A lady walked in stating she’d like to purchase a set of China. Murray’s wife assisted her and at the end of the day, this woman’s grand total was $125,000. Who says people don’t have money for discretionary spending? Just think, if we could have shown her a set of Antique Meissen, we could’ve made a wonderful sale, and the customer could have owned something of great value, now and most likely, in the future.

So, don’t let the ten o’clock news upset you too much. Your time to shine will come soon enough when you make the necessary steps through the 31 Club Plan.
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Consolidated Glass - Ruba Rombic, Martele and The Valuable Lalique Look-Alike

Ruba Rombic Vase. Photo from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Have you ever seen something that your mind says you have seen before? This might have happen to you if you ran across a wonderful unmarked Deco glass vase, reasonably priced. You might have even passed it over, thinking the piece was a reproduction of Lalique, or some other Art Deco company’s work.

I am sure that this has happened to me, because I wasn't up to speed on the wares of The Consolidated Glass Company. Now I’m wondering just how much money I have left on the table by not knowing more about this company and some their outstanding patterns of glass.

This Pennsylvania company was formed in 1884, producing lamps, tableware, and art glass. Their earlier pieces don't seem to warrant much collector interest today, but their Art Deco lines produced after 1925 are the most sought after today. The company closed its doors in 1967.

Martele is a line they produced that resembles Lalique, using the same frosted effect Lalique used in their glass production during the same time period. When used along with the Deco designs of the day, the result was a creation that had great eye appeal, and today, has piqued the interest of sophisticated collectors. The geometric designs of Ruba Rombic, designed by Rueben Haley, are as modern today as they were when first manufactured, and is the ultimate in Consolidated Glass.

I have been fortune enough to buy and sell several pieces of this glass, however they have always been the large vases with molded animals or birds. Usually these pieces are decorated in green, blue or tan colors with an ivory background. The pieces I have purchase for under $50 have usually sold in the $150 to $250 range, still making it a very worthwhile purchase within our criteria. Consolidated Glass can easily be confused with Phoenix Glass. Look into these two glass companies. If you're in the early steps of your 31 Steps, you might run across these and it could be a buy for you.

Decades ago, Depression Glass Collectors also collected Consolidated, and what is written in books about Consolidated's Ruba Rombic and other patterns, is mostly found in books geared for Depression Glass Collectors. And by the way, if you ever run across a book at a garage or estate sale called Phoenix and Consolidated Art Glass: 1926-1980 by Jack D. Wilson, I'd buy it cheap. It's out of print, and today on Amazon, there's only 9 used copies starting at $69, while on Abesbooks, there's 5 from $140 to $155.00.

Consolidated’s better pieces bring a whole lot more than their common ones. A decanter set in the Ruba Rombic patters may bring $10,000 today, while a water set made in the same pattern might command $5,000. The Martele patterns might not bring as much as the Ruba Rombic pattern, but I guarantee if you find a large vase in this pattern, you have indeed found a treasure.

This is one time that “look a likes” can bring big money, so keep your eyes sharp.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members. Turbo charge your treasure hunting today and start building a bank account big enough to last a lifetime. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

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Some Things that Shine - Can Really Sparkle Later

When buying good leaded crystal glass, you should have handled a lot of pieces before you invest in this field. You want to be able to recognize the weight and designs on the better pieces you encounter, because it is easy to get fooled today. Also, being acquainted with their marks will come from familiarity. I don’t know of a book that shows the marks, so if anyone does, write and let us know. Often, all clear glass looks alike, but it isn’t. In your search, these differences will become apparent. There has also been an influx of what I call copycat pieces that are coming into the market today.

It would seem easy to say, all that is necessary to recognize this glass is to look at the bottom of each piece, right? Wrong. I often have taken a piece from one room to another trying to get just the right light on it so that I could pick up that faintest piece of a mark, such as Lalique, Steuben, Baccarat, and even cut glass. Did you know that some of the best cut glass that was ever produced is marked? Most people don’t. These companies usually marked their pieces by acid etching the mark or by signing them with an electric marking process. Often these marks are almost invisible to the naked eye with out proper lighting or magnification.

Once, as I was attending an estate sale, and running very late I must add, there, on one of the card tables, was a huge frosted glass frog. I picked it up like probably 100's of other people during the day, but put it back down when I couldn’t find a mark on its bottom. After spending several minutes searching the rest of the sale and finding nothing, my mind wouldn’t let me forget that frog. I re-entered the room where it was located, picked the piece up again and examined it from top to bottom, but came to the same conclusion: Nothing special.

Going to the car and being ready to get out of there, I stopped in my tracks, re-entered the house, picked that darn frog up and said, I am going to find that mark or it's going to kill me. Believe it or not, there it was, as clear as day, and marked Lalique. I pick it up and went to the counter and asked the price. The answer almost made me start laughing right there. They told me $25.00. Paying very quickly and running out the door, I discovered in researching the piece that it was quite valuable. Putting that darn frog on eBay and waiting for the seven days was difficult but worth it, $650.00. Yahoo!

You will find most of this glass will be over-priced, and this is where the discipline comes in. Don’t ever over pay, even if you can make a small profit. We are waiting to make our money work for us, and that means at least doubling the price we pay for each item, if not more. However, there are a lot of people that don’t know the rare pieces made by these companies from the common ones. when you do, it will give you a tremendous advantage over them.

Stay with the best names in the clear glass, because the copycats, as I have called them, have very little value in the secondary markets.

If it sparkles, look at it carefully, because you just might find that special frog yourself.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club and start your own race to your millions! Read more about it here!"The Guy in the Red Tie" --- Daryle Lambert