MIX and MATCH - This Can Prove Profitable in Antiques & Collectibles

How often have you seen something for sale, but it wasn’t complete and passed it by? You may have found a pedestal but not the jardinière, or a mechanical bank missing a part and thought that these had no value. But you would have been wrong. If it is rare, it will still have value if the condition of the piece is good.

Let me give you some examples. I spoke to Cecil this week, and his story gave me the blog for today. Cecil found a Weller Flemish pedestal and bought it for $179. Knowing the pattern, and seeing that the piece had a heavily carved surface like Newcomb pottery, there was no doubt that he was going to buy it and put the piece into inventory. After returning home to search the Weller book, to his amazement the piece listed for $750 - $1,000. If he can find the matching jardinière, this combination might well bring over $2,500 in today’s market.

I went to an auction and found a Daum Nancy lamp that was missing the wiring and shade, so very few people were interested in it. I was able to buy it for a small amount of its valve, which I think would’ve been somewhere around $5,000 today. You see, the value in Daum Nancy is in the glass, not the lamp base. The base can be replaced but not the acid etched glass.

The Tarzan book that brought $18,000.00 was bought for $2.00. However it was without the cover, so the buyer had to pay $1,000 or more for a matching cover, but look at the results.

The best thing that I will ever teach you is rarity is where it’s at. I may repeat this until you are sick of hearing it, but I still won’t stop saying it over and over again. This is the area of the market we will need to be working toward as we climb our 31 Steps. When we focus here, money will be made. This is the goal. To be working the steps through the beginning stages so we can be dealing in the rare and valuable items soon enough. It won't take too many steps to get there, either. By Step 4, you can already be making a $1,600 purchase (on an item that can sell for at least $3,200) My experience tells me that once you're into making a $1,000 and up buys, there's not quite as many people to compete with. How many pieces do you think you'll have to buy and sell if you're working with the rare? Not too many. You can now take your time doing your reasearch and homework before you decide to buy.

Remember, always look at what a piece could be -- not what it is when you find it. Common things can’t be improved much to bring higher value. But the finer items, if they can be brought back to whole, can still bring top valve.

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

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Shocking Isn't It? - The Lights Came On

Would you think that a vintage string of Christmas light could sell for several thousand dollars? What about a single light from the string selling for hundreds of dollars? Unthinkable, right? But it happens to be true. Remember the old bubble lights that we would watch for hours? If you can find the older ones today they will fetch a pretty penny. SHOCKING!

Those old glass ornaments, that were stored so carefully in years past, might have done much better than other investments you have made over the years. A bicycle- built-for-two ornament, made in Germany, might fetch $10,000 today, and considering that its cost was probably less than a quarter, I would say that the return was quite adequate. Animal ornaments seem to bring huge money, and I think that it is because so few were made. Reindeer, camels, birds seem to have been appropriate at the time. Even the more common one can bring $40 or more and if they are purchased for one or two dollars each. If you buy serveral, then the reward could be quite handsome.

The next thing that you may watch for is paper mache candy containers. Some of the Santa ones have been know to bring over $5,000. Not bad for pressed paper. Other pieces from the Christmas story are also in demand. These pieces were originally priced at only pennies and given as gifts for the children's pleasure. Can you imagine if you told someone back then that these candy containers would sell for thousands of dollars later? You would've been sent off to the institution, never to have been heard from again. We aren't even to the best part, yet.

Toys for Christmas have always been a hit, and never has it been more true than now. The true toy collector would go crazy over any toy about Saint Nick from the 1800's. I would say that the sky is the limit for some of the first Christmas toys. These wonderful treasures can come in cast iron, wood, paper mache or even early plastic. There are some real treasures out there just waiting for our members to find them. What are you waiting for? Hook up the sleigh and away we go, Ho Ho.

I can't wait for the first Christmass story and I know it will be coming soon.

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

Not Where You Begin - But Where You End

The best advice that I have ever given someone is to deal in the areas where they felt comfortable. This means both in knowledge and price. Until you have the knowledge required to buy a $100,000 painting, you will never feel comfortable buying it. Also, if paying a $100,000 for something makes you uncomfortable, you aren’t ready to buy it, even if you have the money.

This doesn’t mean that if you come upon a bargain that you don’t act, it simple means at those time you seek help from someone that is comfortable at those levels. You won’t make all the profit, but you also won’t take all the risk when you're not prepared to do so. I have made friends that have been in the fine art business for nearly a hundred years, and I seek their advice often. They have assured me that they will be available if, and when, I find something that makes me nervous.

You should be finding these people before you discover something. By doing so, you will be prepared to act when the opportunity presents itself. One good way to find these people is at antique shows. The dealers will be more than happy to share information with you, and as your relationship with them grows, they will trust your judgement and then will become your partner if need be.

A second place to look for people to partner up with is the antique shops. Spend some time in your local shops and get to know the proprietors, so that if the time comes that you feel the need for information or money to help in the purchaser of some treasure, these people will be prepared to help you.

The third place I would explore would be personal friends that might like to make some extra money. They usually can’t help you with the knowledge, but they can be a great place to find help with financing. With these three avenues, you should never find a treasure that, combined with others, can’t be bought. Now all that is left to do is go out there and find your treasures. Hopefully, in the future, your 31 Club will be able to fill this need for you. Can you tell us of something you pass on because of price or lack of knowledge?