Western Collectibles: Dream of the Wild West

These J.O. Bass original spurs sold on eBay for $8,700 on June 7, 2008.

I used the phrase “Go West Young Man” the other day, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. For ten years straight, Vickie and I traveled to Sheridan, Wyoming to the Eaton's Ranch and spent a week in the beautiful Bib Horn Mountains. I recommend this ranch to anyone that wants to experience the Old West as it was.

On our first trip to the Eaton’s Ranch, we were greeted by the wife of Big Bill Eaton, and these were her instruction: “We have a working ranch here, and we serve our wranglers food three times a day. If you’re hungry, you will show up. There will be a horse assigned to you equal to your ability to ride, and it will be yours for the week. The cabin assignments are posted on the bunk house wall. By the way, there are no locks on the doors. Other than this we hope not to see you unless there is a problem.” She meant every word, and these vacations were the best that I have ever experienced. Riding over 25,000 acres of mountains and flat land is an experience that I will never feel again unless we travel to the ranch one more time. You could spend the entire day in the mountains and never see another living sole. Just Deer, Antelopes, Fox, Wild Turkey, Elk, Bison and let’s not forget a few Rattlesnakes.

Can you now see why I fell in love with the West? This is where I first saw paintings by William Gollings, Remington, Curtis and so many others and knew that I would be searching to own them for the rest of my life. If you ever stray out that way, be sure to visit the Don King Museum in Sheridan. You will never see so many saddles, bridles and ropes in your whole life again.

By now you might be asking what this all has to do with collecting. I assure you, it does. What if you run across a Hollywood Saddlery Silver and Gold mounted saddle with Walt Goldsmiths Silver and Gold breast plate? This piece could easily command $10,000 or more. Then you may run across a pair of Batwing Chaps with hundreds of nickel studs priced at $2500. Not to be out done there are the Edward H. Bohlin Sterling Silver Spurs with the engraved Gold Horseheads for $8000. Believe it or not, these are the cheaper items in these classifications. Many of the Western collectibles will run in the $100,000 category or more. Western Memorabilia has been hot for many years and it doesn't seem to be losing its glitter any time soon.

When you combine these items with Western Art, you have the road to success opened to you. Yes, these items will be identified in the West, but how about where you live? Do you think someone on a trip back in the 1930's or 40's might have brought something home with them from the West? I have seen items worth tens of thousands packed away in some old trunk in the attic or basement just waiting to be found. Often the price for these items will be below $100. In fact I have already shared the story about the Indian blanket that was found that way and after being purchased for very few dollars, sold the second time for $200 and the third time for over $300,000. My hope for you is that when you buy an item, you will be the one selling it for the larger amounts because you’ll have the right knowledge necessary to recognize the true value.

Saddle Up, Buckle Up and let’s move those Lil doggies.

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The Expanding 31 Club

The 31 Club is just beginning to come to life. I hope you have noticed that the Marketplace is quickly filling up with quality items. And there will always be room for our members listings. Your staff has come to the final conclusion that it's time to start enhancing the Members Only section, and these new and exciting improvements will be starting this week. For all of you who are reading the daily blog and wondering if it's time to join the 31 Club, I'll say, "Yes it is". We plan on there being no other place on the Internet but right here where you can get the information you need and have opportunities to make money in this business.

Our goal is to make sure that our members are not only making money, but also having fun.

Jeremy has almost completed the internal items that needed to be addressed so the 31 Club could become all that we have envisioned. Cindy is busy getting our message out so that all who have an interested in Antiques, Collectibles and Fine Art will know about us. Our Internet rankings are way up and we've surpassed some bedrock names in the industry.

When we started planning this venture, I knew one day I would include experts in every field within our industry. One area that I am not comfortable with is Asian Antiques and Art. I've taken care of that by finding an expert in Asian Antiques to advise me and our members. I hope to be able to make an official announcement next week. I am very excited about this because now we can acquire knowledge about this vast area and we won't have to pass up those items that could prove to be real treasures for us.

Cindy reported to me that many of our members are taking advantage of Skip McGrath's eBay expertise. Skip has spent many years in the antique business himself, and is one of our biggest supporters. If you're planning on working the strategic plan for capital accumulation buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles, you'll likely be using eBay. Even though I've disagreed with them many times, eBay is always going to be a large factor in our successes. Why not learn to use eBay by the most enlightened person we know? We highly recommend you get hold of some of his eBay materials and let him guide you through all the confusion of it. Skip makes it easy! Check out Skip McGrathhere.

On our Members only site, you'll have access to a list of specialty auction houses so you will know where to send your better pieces to be auctioned. This was suggested to us by one of our members, and he even helped us assemble the list! I'm telling you, this is turning into one great club! I can tell you that this list will soon be posted in our members only section.

The Wish List will be completed within the next week, and its use will be limited to members. The public will be able to view your entries to purchase and contact. Each member will be receiving thousands of dollars worth of free advertising from their wish lists, and this alone could assure your success.

Please give us your comments on the changes that you are seeing on the website and anything that needs to be added or corrected. And if you have suggestions you'd like us to hear, drop us a line or a call!

Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today. Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Continue to Grow Your Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers who are making more money than they thought possible.

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Kay Finch Collectibles

“Go West Young Man.” I’ve heard this expression all my life, but it takes on a new meaning when looking for antique and collectible treasures that seem “out of place.” Items made in California but found at an estate sale in Vermont would be considered “out of place,” and these out of place items stand a very good chance of being bought right and sold for a decent profit to a West Coast collector.

Kay Finch pottery is a good example of this. To me, these look as if they were made by a child out of common ceramics material, but to the collector, they are fabulous works of art. Finch started making her humors animals in the 1930's and opened her studio in the 1940's. Her work was considered so unique at the time, there was a ready market for anything she produced. After World War II, cheap foreign imports caused a lack of interest in the more expensive pieces she produced in her studio, and soon after her husband’s death in 1961, she closed her studio. Over 700 designs were produced from her studio, and when it closed, she continued to work for many more years for other companies.

Although she is best know for her animal ceramics, many of which were modeled after her own animals, nothing was beyond her range, including people. Collectors today are willing to pay almost anything for her one-of-a-kind pieces, and you can find over twenty different marks she used. After sharing a few prices on the early items Finch produced, you’ll probably be on the lookout for items bearing her name. You might even find her items very cheap at a garage sale because they don’t appear to be very valuable. Many of her pieces are “NPA”, which means no price available, or priceless.

Take a look at some of these prices: Best in show Afghan no. 5490 - $3000; Petey the Donkey no. 4776 - $3000; Chinese Princess $6000 (and she is only 3 inches tall) and Grail the Shepherd no. 478 $1500. This is real money for these simple figurines. And, as unattractive as I find them, I must confess, they do make me smile. So, when you’re out looking, remember that it’s so important to be able to see things through other’s eyes. And just because it doesn’t appeal to me, it appeals to someone else, and that’s all that matters.

There is a wonderful book out about Kay and her life called Kay Finch: Biography-Identification-Values by Devin Frick, Jean Frick and Richard Martinez. This book can come in handy. As always, try to locate a second hand copy to be budget conscious.

Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today. Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Continue to Grow Your Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers who are making more money than they thought possible.

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Identifying Paperweights for Value

This Baccarat Paperweight sold in 2001 on eBay for $10,566 to a private collector.

“I found a wonderful art glass vase at a house sale, but I left behind some pottery and a paperweight and now it's weighing heavy on my mind.”

Lou Ann, a 31 Club Member who often finds wonderful items at fantastic prices, said that to me last week. I can honestly say that after 40 years in the business, I still ask myself what I might have left behind at a sale. The voice in my head says to me, “That piece of pottery might have been better than you thought, and that painting could’ve turned out to be a real winner, Daryle. Why didn’t you buy it.” I even find myself churning these thoughts in my mind months after the sale. Although I try not to think about what I might’ve missed, I’m only human.

I don't know if the pottery Lou Ann left behind was special, but at a low enough price, I would have taken the chance since I was already there. However, the real story might have been the paperweight.

Most people know very little about paperweights, so having the knowledge can give us a big leg up on finding that special one.

Paperweights only have had two great periods in their development, first from 1840 to 1860 and then starting in 1952 and continuing today.The most famous companies producing paperweights during their heyday in the first period were the St. Louis Company, Baccarat, Clichy, Bacchus and Whitefriars. Soon after this period, the art of making paperweights landed in America with companies such as The New England Glass Company, Gillinder, Mt. Washington and later Millville.

Try to get a look at some of these early pieces because they are just fantastic, produced with amazing quality. I could spend the next ten pages just describing them, but this would do you very little good, and I highly recommend you buy a few good books on paperweights. Second hand books are just fine. In fact, we’d sure appreciate it if you used our site if you order books from Amazon, because it helps us keep this site up and running. Take a look at this good guide for starters: Collectors' Paperweights: Price Guide and Catalog

The second period of paperweights starting in 1952 with companies like Lundberg, Orient and Flume, Perthshire, Stankard, Ysart and a name I’m sure you’re already familiar with – Lotton. Lotton’s pieces are going up in value as we speak. Baccarat is producing weights that challenge the early the early ones for beauty. Each of these companies have made outstanding paperweights for the collectors.

Early pieces can bring over $100,000 and it isn't unusual to find ones priced from $10,000 to $25,000. In fact, it is very hard to find a great example that doesn't bring over $500. Like almost everything else, when the paperweight market got hot, the fakes and reproductions spilled out into the market place, but most of them are so bad, my nine-year-old can tell the difference.

How do we know what paperweights are worth, and how can they be identified?

Here’s a little secret. Most people pick up a paperweight and look on the bottom, finding nothing and put it back down. But, most paperweights are identified by marks within the weight itself. Baccarat has figures within the canes that even give you the date they were made. Often the maker’s initials are marked within the design of the weight, and you will have to look very carefully to find them. Take time to study every paperweight you see, because just one might put several thousand dollars in your pocket.

Get those books and study them. They will more likely only set you back a few dollars, but owning them could prove invaluable.

Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today. Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Continue to Grow Your Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers who are making more money than they thought possible.

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Antiques & Collectibles: Learn What to Avoid or Buy Extremely Low

I’ve received many calls lately from people wanting to know my opinion on contemporary collectibles. I’ve taken the general view that these aren’t worth the time needed to sell them, however, there are always exceptions – like at what price I can get them for.

Frederick Hart is a wonderful artist that worked in Lucite and Bronze. However, to give you an idea why I avoid this type of merchandise unless I can purchase it at a price that seems almost idiotic, let me share a couple of stories.

I’d been working with a couple on their art collection for several weeks when they sprang a surprise on me. They had acquired several Frederick Hart pieces and asked if I was interested in them. They showed me a small bronze. I offered $1,000 for it, and they accepted. I soon sold it for $2,500. But, then they ask me if I would be interested in a major piece of Hart’s work called “Fidelia.” I was reluctant to even give the owner a bid, but since I had purchased so much from them, I did. $2,500. Again, I was startled when they accepted, because I had no idea what I would do with it. There was, however, one lady that had purchased the small bronze from me, and she was willing to take a look. Thankfully, she bought that one as well, for $5,000, allowing me to make some money on the piece. Today, “Fidelia” is in a gallery, offered at over $25,000. I wish the gallery luck getting the price.

Can you imagine taking a 90% licking on something you purchased? I was able to double my money but that wasn't a guarantee. I could have had some real trouble selling these pieces. Don't hesitate to offer what you may think is a totally unreasonable price for items that could be potentially difficult to re-sell. Even original Erte bronzes can be difficult to sell, unless you can buy them extremely reasonably. I’ve purchased two Erte bronzes and was able to double my money on both, but only because I was able to purchase them at less than 25% of their retail value.

Perhaps the strangest piece I’ve purchased was a bronze of two Leopards with a nude on top. This piece was about 2/3 life size and extremely heavy. It listed for about $55,000 and I purchased it for $5,000. I tried and tried to sell it with no success, but finally a dealer in Florida took it off my hands for $7,500. Believe me, even though the dealer paid the shipping, it wasn't worth the headaches to get it shipped. At last check, the dealer still had the piece after almost two years. I wish him luck because he bailed me out.

It’s has been my experience that if you don't have some idea of where to move the merchandise, it’s better left for someone else. It totally amazes me how people can buy these types of items with so little regard for their money. “I just loved it and wanted to own the piece for my home” is the reason most people buy these items, spending more money than they could ever resell it for.

Other items that fall into this category are Franklin Mint, Collector Plates, Thomas Kincaid, and any other Collectible you’re told will become very expensive in the future. Remember the Beanie Babies? How about the Dolls that you could adopt, what happened to them? With items such as these, please be safe rather than sorry.

Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today. Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Continue to Grow Your Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers who are making more money than they thought possible.

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Special Father's Day Sporting Collectibles

Today, I'm attending the Nascar Race in Brooklyn, Michigan. This is my Father’s Day surprise from my wife, Vickie, and my son, Joshua. I hope each of you will have a wonderful Father’s Day and not forget the Father of us all on this day.

I want to connect this Blog to things that bring back memories of our fathers. Since I knew mine best, I will share a few things that remind me of him.

He was on the Kentucky racing commission, and I remember the lapel pin that he was given. It allowed him to enter any race track in the world free. He was so proud of this pin. I would give almost anything for it, but one of my siblings ended up with it. They called my father, “Big Stan” and aside from his family, he loved nothing more than the racing of thoroughbred horses. This is where I got my interest in the Kentucky Derby glasses and other racing memorabilia. Big Brown didn’t win the Triple Crown this year, but you can bet that items belonging to him will become great collectibles. There are unlimited items to collect that are connected to racing, and as I have put together a small collection of racing programs, glasses, silks and other items, it has allowed me to keep my father close to me.

His next passion was gol,f and I have written a Blog on golf collectibles before, but let’s just revisit them. With Tiger Woods being the greatest golfer that’s ever lived, this has reawakend the interest in collecting golf memorabilia. I visited the home of one of our 31 Club Members, Ray, and on his wall was a large frame that contained one of the flags from the Augusta Golf course. This is where the US Open is played. The flag was signed by all the All-Stars of that day. To complete this great piece, there were several photos signed by the golfers who played in that tournament. Golf collectors have a wide variety of items to collect. There are ball, clubs, signatures, bags, shoes, photos and many other things that I could mention. Maybe your dad was a golfer, and these things would bring back memories of when you played a few rounds with him.

As a small child I remember my father taking me hunting and how I begged to shoot his shotgun. Finally giving in, he picked a milk apple, a large green round ball that grows on this type of tree, as my target. I aimed the gun but was afraid of the recoil so I kept it off my shoulder. I fired the gun and ended upon my backside and received a large bruise on my arm. I will never remember that moment without thinking of my dad. I can still see the 16 gauge Ithaca pump shot gun he owned. It meant so much to me to go hunting with it after his death. People can collect guns, shells, advertising, paintings and a variety of other items related to hunting, and you will find they are more than generous with their money when it comes to buying them.

I am sure that your fathers had things that would mean more to you than money could buy, and this is how collectibles get started. As we go about our business of buying and selling, don’t forget that these things have special meaning to the ones that buy them from us. They will be glad you located a special item for them.

In the future, I’m hoping that when Joshua sees the racing program from the race we’re at this weekend, he’ll feel the special feeling that can only be felt when you are remembering.

Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today. Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Continue to Grow Your Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers who are making more money than they thought possible.

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Working the Trends in the Antique and Fine Art Markets

Lotton Glass Lava & Cypriot Vases. Photo from Lotton Glass Club.

It’s come up upon the first year anniversary since I published my book and launched the 31 Club, and naturally, I’ve been thinking about the past year. I’ve shared a lot of my expertise with blooming enthusiasts, and it does my heart good to see many of you doing things you never thought you could do. It’s always helpful to visit the past for a brief time and examine what’s occurred, so let's do that.

When 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles was released, others were stating that the Antique, Collectible, and Fine Art Markets were doomed. I completely disagreed with the barrage of negative articles that came out about this topic, so we decided to go on a crusade to show that these markets, were in fact, healthier than ever. So we wrote about it and sent our articles all over. A look at the market today shows that there are record prices realized in almost every category of the industry, and while I don’t get to read everything around, I haven’t seen negative articles about our industry in a long time. But where is the market headed now? Remember the trend is your friend so let’s check out a few markets.

The American Art Market is still on fire. Paintings that were bringing in only a thousand dollars or two dollars may produce figures today that I'm startled by. I’ll start with some of the markets that I am most familiar with.

Paintings by Kentucky artists have reached heights that most who collect them never thought possible. Harvey Joiner’s paintings, just a few years ago, could be purchased for $400 to $500 dollars. The market trended upward, and the prices escalated to the $800 range. But, over the last 24 months, his paintings may now demand $10,000 to $15,000 and even the smallest 5 to 8 inch paintings can fetch $4,500 at auction.

I have probably sold 30 of Joiner’s paintings over the last 5 years, and I’ll say I wish that I had them back at the prices I sold them for, but that isn't the way we work in the 31 Club program, is it. We take our profits and move on with our money, and keep it turning. That's the only way the compounding effect we are looking for will ever be achieved.

Regional Art

The same that we said about prices on Harvey Joiner can also be said about artists such as Carl Brenner and Patty Thum. Collectors are standing in line to purchase works by these artists that are not even their best. The trend in Regional Art is going straight up, so you might want to look into your local market and see if it's following the trend. If it is, don’t you think it might be worth your while to find some of it?

Art Glass

My friend, Warner, introduced me to Lotton Glass less than five years ago. At that time, we were able to purchase examples of Charles Lotton’s best work for under $500 for small and medium pieces, but what about today?

I pulled out some old auction catalogs from back then to see if there was perhaps a single piece of Lotton represented in the sales. I don’t think I found more than two pieces in any one sale. And there weren’t buyers lined up for these pieces. Flash forward to today and you find that both Early’s Auction and Cincinnati Art Gallery just completed sales with about 40 pieces of Lotton represented in each sale.

Usually when this many pieces of anything are sold at one auction, the prices are reduced, but not in this case. Most of the Lotton offerings brought close to retail. So, where’s the trend here? We can still look to make a wonderful profit on this glass if we can buy it right. Most good pieces of Lotton Glass are bringing in over $1,500 and as much as $7,000 or $8,000. I believe this same trend is being followed by most good Art Glass today.

Know What The Trend is and Follow It.

Know what’s in demand today and look to buy these items as you ascend the 31 Steps of our plan. Follow the trend and buy, buy, buy – according to the plan developed in 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antique & Collectibles. When you do, you’ll find you’ll complete these steps in this upward market faster than you could ever have imagined. See you in the winner’s circle.

Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today. Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Continue to Grow Your Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers who are making more money than they thought possible.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership.

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