Arlington Park Antique Show Finds

Roseville Falline

It’s Spring Time, and around here that means it’s time to visit the Arlington Park Antique Show. It was held this weekend, and I was very excited to get the ball rolling again. Cindy and I met to discuss our strategy before we entered the show, and while we waited for the gate to open, I talked to everyone within ear shot. The mood was upbeat, and the people were very eager to begin their shopping. Cindy and I did as we always do by following a pattern throughout the building to be sure we didn't miss anything of importance.

Whoa, were prices high! For the first four hours we drew a blank. Finally breaking for lunch we decided to retrace our steps, thinking that at the close of the sale, some dealers might be more willing to deal with us.

So after much disappointment, we approached a booth we’d looked at earlier. In fact, this was the same booth we ended up buying from last year. They seem to always be tempting us with their outstanding inventory of glass and pottery. Yesterday, they had a wonderful Weller Forest Jardinier and Pedestal we eyed earlier, along with several other pieces of really fine pottery. A huge Roseville vase in the Green Pinecone pattern was still there, as well as one of my favorites – a ten inch vase in the Falline pattern from 1933.

So, as closing time was creeping up closer, bingo! They significantly reduced the price of the Weller Forest Jardinier and Pedestal to meet our goal. It’s rather large and I’m certain they wouldn’t want to pack that up and lug it home. By closing time, we were able to come to an agreement on price for the huge Roseville Green Pinecone pattern vase as well as the Falline pattern vase.

Paul was so nice and even packed the pieces, and Jo Ann helped carry them to the car. You can be assured that we will never fail to visit their booths if they set up at a show we attend. This is what I mean by networking when I talk about networking. You should make an attempt to meet these folks. I have never had a problem with any item that I’ve purchased from them, but I feel certain if I did, they would be accommodating. Without these wonderful people, my entire day would have been wasted. You will soon see these pieces on our website, and I am sure you will appreciate them as much as Cindy and I did.

If you ever run across Joann Woodall and Paul Woolmer from Hampshire, Illinois, be sure to stop and say howdy. These folks are real home town and ready to deal. They can be reached at Wagon Wheel Antiques [ www.wagonwheelantiques.net ] Next to them you will also find some fine folks in their booth. Cindy Horvath and Mike Nickel have a store called A Nickel’s Worth out of Portland, Michigan. I’m not certain, but I think these two stores work as partners. Last year, they supplied us with some fine Lotton vases we listed on the 31 Club site. If you remember, those pieces didn’t last long.

Yesterday I promised a great story for today, and I don't want to disappoint you. However, you may get tired of hearing this name so often. Yes, it was Cecil R. again. He called me Saturday afternoon to ask if I was near my computer. It so happened that I was away from home. But, I couldn't help myself from asking what he had found. “Oh, nothing was his reply. Well I wasn't going to let him get away with that, so again I asked, “What did you find?”

He told me that it was just a small watercolor about 5x7 inches. I asked him who the artist was and when he told me, my hat almost flew off my head. I asked him if I could be his partner on that, but he wasn’t buying that one. I couldn’t wait to get home to research it, and as I expected, that small watercolor has a value of $6,000 to $8,000. Please don’t tell me there isn’t any great treasure out there to be found. Cecil asked me not to give the artist’s name yet, but hopefully I can do that at a later date.

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Daryle Lambert: Surprise Value in Sleeper Paintings -- Harvey Joiner

Just because the art world is on fire doesn't mean that every artist will have his work available for sale in the market. Why is this important to know?

Let's take Kentucky artist, Harvey Joiner for example. Though he was exceptionally skilled in portraiture, having painted the first five Indiana Governors and portraits of prominent people of the time, he became best known for his paintings of Cherokee Park in Louisville, Kentucky. He was born in 1852 and died 1932. His work wasn't appreciated until the last few years, and not many of his paintings have changed hands throughout the art world . Most of his paintings have stayed within the families they were painted for. If they were purchased, they were handed down through the families.

Because his paintings very seldom come on the market, his sales prices in the art guides have stayed very low. In fact, over the last ten years, you can find very few listings and prices of his work sold. If you look him up in the ASK ART guide, you will find 15 listings, and only two of these listings are over ten years old, and most of them are within the last two years.

Because of this, the prices for his paintings are way behind the market. In ASK ART his highest listing is $4,000, but I personally know that some of his paintings have brought over $10,000 when sold through private transactions. Do you think this information gives you the advantage when you spot a Joiner, knowing that if a person researched it, they could only find a value of $4,000 or less?

When you are studying painters, check to see when their last painting came up for auction. This might just give you the clue that you're searching for. If it has been quite a while since something has sold, you can take an educated guess that the value might have appreciated several times from that sale but not be shown by the guides.

What I find is that there seems to be works from a small group of painters the market continually sells over and over. In fact, as I check ASK ART, I often find the same painting has sold four or five times in the last ten years. The term "new to the market," often tossed around by the auction houses, to me means that no one knows what the true value will be when the painting is sold.

Let's look and see what we can learn from this. If you're considering making an offer on a painting, and the artist hasn't had a piece come to market for a while, take that as a plus, because more than likely it will be undervalued. Second, if it has been several years since the artist has had one of his paintings sold, you might find that they are selling at a huge premium in the private market compared to the values that are in the guides. An example of this is a Pauline Palmer painting sold privately by one of our 31 Club members for $120,000, yet the auction guides list Palmer's highest price gained at an auction around $50,000. Third, your study and knowledge can come into play because most people simply look at the auction record guides, then offer half of what the guide states. You might offer more than the guide shows.

One of the greatest benefits to being a member of the 31 Club is that you'll have access to all the information necessary to evaluate a painting. When you call us and e-mail the specifics of the piece, such as size, type of painting, artist's name, photos of the front and back, perhaps some detail shots, and a shot of the signature, we can give you an estimated value. We can even purchase the painting with you if you choose.

The main reason I now spend 75% of my time in the art field is because that is were the big money can be found. Just check the auction records in the trade paper. You'll see what I mean.

Have you taken out your subscriptions to the Maine Antique Digest, AntiqueWeek, and The Antique Trader? What are you waiting for? These are your guides to wealth. One poor or mediocre painting bought because you read an article in one of these papers can pay for all of them for the rest of your life.

Today's Photo is a detail from a portrait by Harvey Joiner, currently up for auction at Sohn's Auction House in Evansville, Indiana at this weekend's auction, beginning Friday.

If you're looking for the pathway to reach your goals with antiques, collectibles and fine art, the 31 Club can be the venue that will give you the nuts and bolts for successfully buying, selling and profiting in the 21st Century Marketplace. Join us today and rub shoulders with like-minded people.

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