Vintage Collector Watches: Small & Profitable

Original condition 1966 Omega Speedmaster Professional 321 is offered for $3,499 at Elitewristwatch.com


You have a clock on your computer, by your bedside, and even in your car, but the one on your wrist is the one that can bring a smile to your face. Wrist watches as time pieces have kept us on time for many decades and lately, their value has gone through the roof. And while you might be familiar with names like Rolex and Cartier, have you heard of Patek Phillipe?

Wrist watches can bring hundreds of thousands of dollars, and their owners may have little idea to their value. I’ve purchased a box lot of watches with up to 25 individual pieces and later discovered there was one worth $2,500 while the others only had values from $25 - $100. But, when they were purchased for a grand total of $500, this was a fantastic purchase.

Older time pieces have been passed down through the family with little thought as to their value. Often a person will sell these watches for $25 because it doesn’t have a band. Of course with rare exceptions, these bands if they had one would have no value anyway.

You can check for prices on watches on eBay’s completed sales or on the Internet for auction results at the major auction houses. There are also price guides for watches you can purchase. I encourage you to find a guide and buy a used copy. I promise you, if you study the watch guide, you will run across a watch that will bring you many times the money you paid for it. I used to wonder why some of the dealers took so much time examining boxes of what I thought were worthless time pieces. Now I know the truth. There was gold in them there boxes.

I am often able to buy old watches for $5 or $10 dollars that have 10 to 18 carat gold cases. The value alone of the gold can be several hundred dollars on these pieces. Most people would think that the jewels in a watch would have the most value, but in truth, they are almost valueless compared to the gold. If you happen to be extremely fortunate, you might even find a watch in a platinum case. Then you can really celebrate.

What makes a watch valuable? First is rarity. Then, several other factors come into play such as the manufacturer, age, materials (platinum, gold, silver or other) condition, and whether or not it is all original or designer piece.

With the price of gold and platinum where they are today, you must always figure in the value of the case, and then real money can be made just from the case alone, if it is 18K gold or higher. Any platinum watch will bring some money.

If you can find a vintage watch with its original band, buckles, its box, and all the original papers, you’ve found yourself a real winner, and it will command a large premium over comparable watches that are missing these items.

Have you seen the ads in your local paper where a company will take out two or more full pages in the paper purchasing old watches? Can you imagine the cost of these ads? Well, they aren’t in the business of losing money, so there must be great profits to be made in this material. Why not learn from these people who come into your area, advertise in a big way, and then make away with huge profits. They should be at a disadvantage, because in most cases, we don’t trust strangers. So in reverse, they do know you and hopefully you have their trust, so this business could be yours. You can get this business by placing a small ad at the same time they’re running theirs, but say you are a local buyer.

Be sure to add watches to your list of desirable things to watch for because they are perhaps one of the potentially profitable items that I can think of. And they don’t take up much space. Tick, tick, what a great sound.

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Vintage Clothing & Accessories as a Business

This Vintage Hermes 35" x 35" Silk Scarf sold on eBay for $250 in June, 2008.

Today as a favor for my friend, Colin, who is sharing our vacation, I attended a meeting on timeshares so that he could receive a $75 gift. This seemed simple enough, but as most things in my life it took a strange turn. When I joined him, the session was already in progress, and the young lady who was conducting the interview looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old. This proved to be the fact, because she was a recent high school graduate. Her name was Ana, and I was amazed at her command of the financial facts necessary to sell a timeshare.

Colin was more than willing for me to enter into their conversation, and I soon learned that her father was an Elvis Presley impersonator here in Pigeon Forge. What a life this young lady has lived, but I will have to share more of it with you later. I asked her if she got her poise from her father, and the answer was “yes”. I soon shared with her about the 31 Club, and this started an extended conversation.

You see, at this early age, she is already planning her future and it includes a Vintage Clothing store and this extended to a large Internet presence. Having my total attention now, she began to mentor me in the field of Vintage Clothing and Accessories. Did you know that the real market in this field is in the accessories, and the profit can be fit for a King? A vintage scarf that puts the finishing touches on the special outfit may sell for $250, or the belt that accentuates that wonderful waist line can fetch up to $500. Boy, am I behind the times! When you add hats, gloves, shoes and jewelry to this mix you have the opportunity to enlarge your bank account fairly rapidly. I ask her if the market in Vintage Clothing and Accessories could support her in the lifestyle that she wanted to live in the future. Her answer was “it could provide me with any lifestyle that I could dream of.” How often have you passed by the clothing and accessories lying in the bedroom of your last visit to a house sale?

I promise, as soon as I return to Chicago, I will be hitting the books to get myself up to par on this field of collectibles. I hope that you will too. Ana has promised to stay in touch, and as continues to coach me, I will help her get her company off he ground. Colin and I have already learned that she is going to be in Chicago soon, and we’ll get together then.

Almost everyday, I run into people that have great ideas that pertain to the field of collecting. I hope that I will be able to pass these on to our members so that the horizons in collectibles will be widened. Who would have ever thought that those old garments and accessories that my mother was throwing out today could be worth a fortune? We always get back to those tried and true sayings like “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” So true, so true.
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Call Us Country

I am so appreciative that my readers allow me to, on occasion, write about something other than Antiques and Fine Art. This happens to be one of those days. You will find out, if you continue to follow this blog, that the most important things in life to me are God, Family and Country. Often in my daily life I forget about these things to some degree because of my daily surroundings. I have to admit that I am a television junkie, and the negative focuses of most programs do nothing to strengthen my core beliefs. This is why this trip to the Smoky Mountains has been so refreshing to me, and it is just starting.

When I hear people say they aren’t proud of this country nor ever have been, this causes me to wonder why they live here. The reason I allow myself to say this is because while I don’t agree with everything that is done in this country or all the things that are said about it, I will never waver from saying that I am extremely proud of the Red, White and Blue and am offended by anyone who doesn’t. Yes, they have the right to state their opinion; that’s what makes this country great, but that right doesn’t include saying they have never been proud of it when so many men and women have given their last breath defending these peoples’ rights to their opinions.

It’s so refreshing to be in a place where people speak to you before being spoken to and that’s what I am finding in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I see men opening the doors for ladies and parents that are proud to have their children sharing a vacation with them. I’ve encountered very little discussion of politics and much more interest in their spiritual life and that of the people they meet. I have heard no condemnation of the country or its President. Yes, they may not have agreed with every decision the President made but do still recognize him as their president. It feels as if I might be in a foreign country compared to the news that comes out of Chicago. Yes, I think that I can state, without reservation, that I am country.

Last evening, my wife Vickie, her stepmother, our son Joshua, Vickie’s niece Samantha, and my friend Colin attended a show, and it was such a pleasure. It was filled with comedy that was appropriate for all in attendance, and we shared laughs together. Also, the Veterans were honored for their service to country, and they stood to lengthy applause. God was honored in song and praise, with many songs giving thanks for all he has provided this country. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the crowd.

Last, but definitely not least, we sang patriotic songs together, ending in God Bless America. You can bet I will sleep well tonight as just one old country boy.


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Researching One Collectible Item a Week Can Mean Money in Your Pocket

Have you run out of items to research? If you take at least one item a week and research it, this can mean money in your pocket. There are some items that are very collectible and most dealers pass them by because they don’t have any idea of their value.

Today I’m talking collectible electrical items.

Here in the mountains where I’m vacationing, summer has started out very hot. While we’re staying in air conditioned accomodations, in days past people had to depend upon electric fans to stay cool. Did you know that these old fans can bring hundreds of dollars today? And you may very well find them in a garage or yard sale.

There are special fans that combine several metals to get a wonderful decorative look, and these fans were far ahead of their day. Prices of these wonderful fans can be checked and researched in Kovel’s Price Guide as well as on the internet. The copper blades on some of them gave an Arts and Crafts look and added to the decor of many above average homes of the day.

After the invention of electricity, the country had a thirst for items that could make life easier. Telephones became popular, and today, the decorative ones can bring $500 and up. The first telephones had wooden cases and a fairly large magnet in their core. In good shape and with all their working parts, these can bring at least $500. The wooden telephones began to disappear when a wonderful era of fabulous designs in phones began. Many of these will also demand a fair penny in today’s market.

One item that I bet you hadn’t thought of is electric cigarette lighters. Yes, electric cigarette lighters. In fact, if you see one today you might not recognize what it is. With the demise of smoking, anything associated with tobacco will become very collectible.

Early examples of electric hair curlers might be worth watching for, as well as early electric razors.

The value of early television sets and radios can bring prices in the thousands, and it would be well worth your while to research them. I predict that soon there will be a very active collector group for old computers, if there isn’t one already.

I will leave it to your imagination to think of the many other items that fall into this category of collectible electrical items

Because they weren’t made to be collectible, but functional, they weren’t stored away to be protected as many collectible items are. Many of these items were destroyed, leaving only a few, so upon selling them to collectors, they should meet our rule on buying and selling. These items should continue to appreciate in value for the remaining ones that survive.


Office Matters: I didn’t know my computer at home had to be shut down in order for me to get my e-mails at another location. (I learn something new about these machines every day!) I apologize ahead of time if I didn’t answer you promptly. My neighbor will turn that off for me, and then we should be back running. I hope I can get at the e-mails that were sent to me the past couple of days. If you have questions that perhaps Cindy might answer for you, you can e-mail her at cindy@31corp.com. Be sure to put 31 Club in the subject.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today.

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The Art of the Deal

Being away this week is really hard for me. I have a lot on my mind, particularly the offer I made on a Porfirio Salinas painting. Salinas is famous for his skillful artistry in painting landscapes of Texas Bluebonnets.

I’d been working on this offer for some time, and when I left Thursday, the seller and I were getting close to finalizing the sale. It looked as if my offer would be accepted. However, right before I left, the seller said they wanted to “check one more thing.” This is where a very important lesson is to be learned.

I want the painting very much, but at what cost? I’ve made my final offer, so all there is for me to do is wait. It’s difficult, and yes, I would like to offer more if that would assure me the painting would become mine. But doing so would accomplish nothing, because the seller has already stated they were going to “check one more place.”

If you can complete a sale of a painting, an antique, or a collectible item, do it while you are with that person to guarantee the best results. If the sale can’t be completed, you must stick to you guns on price when your last offer is made. This is important for the following reasons:

Raising your price against yourself will only give the seller reason to question if you have truly made your last bid. It will give them more incentive to search for a higher bid elsewhere.

If you break with the buying criteria and purchase an item figuring you can still make some profit on it, you won’t last in the business very long. You see, if you start taking less profit on one item, this can become a habit. And if the profits you are taking won’t pay your operating costs at the end of the month, you days in the business are numbered.

I can see, taste and smell that Salinas painting as mine, but not for more than I already offered. Yes, this is often a hard thing to comply with, but it’s necessary.

Still having your money in your pocket is never a losing thing in this business.

We want to turn money as fast as possible, but only if the items meet our previously set criteria.

Sticking to your guns in your buying criteria creates the pathway to meeting your financial goals. When you don’t stick to the criteria, you might as well throw stumbling stones along that pathway.

If you’re reading this and are asking what that buying criteria is, the answers can be found in my book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles. If you haven’t joined the 31 Club yet and received your free 220 page paperback book, why not join today? Membership is ridiculously inexpensive right now.

On another note, I visited 31 Club Member, Cecil R., on the way to the Smokies, and we went treasure hunting together. I didn’t find anything that was truly worth buying, however I did learn a lesson from Cecil.

In the trunk of his car, Cecil opened a box for me, containing all types of silver, from candlesticks to trays. It all must’ve weighed 15 to 20 pounds. I asked him what he was going to do with all that. “I’ll try to sell it for a couple of weeks. If it doesn’t sell, I’ll scrap it.” I like that; he considered an alternative exit strategy before he bought.

Cecil figured that at the price he purchased it all, he’d still more than double his money if he had to scrap it. Then, he chuckled and said, “There’s a lot of people who haven’t kept up to date with the price of silver.” I know he made an offer that the seller was happy with and worked for him, too.

If you have questions about anything, please send them in, and we will answer them as soon as possible.
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Canine Collectibles

Hutschenreuther Short Haired Pointer Figurine is offered at 31 Galley & Marketplace for $650

I’m on the move again, this time to the Great Smoky Mountains. Not having my reference books and the internet at my fingertips, I was thinking about what I could share today. When we passed a Greyhound bus, I knew I had the subject for today: Canine Collectibles.

Collectors of Dog Figurines and Art Will Pay Big for a Special Piece. The more life-like the piece, the more it will bring in the marketplace. Like everything else in this field, quality counts.

At one time, I had a fabulous collection of dog items which included everything from porcelain figurines to limited prints of special dog breeds. Did you know that dog collectors will pay almost anything for special pieces that represent their favorite breed? If you can find interesting pieces that appeal to the canine collector, this field holds unlimited opportunity to make money.

A few of the breeds that command high prices from the collectors are the Borzi, also known as the Russian Wolf Hound, the Bull Terrier, and the French Poodle. I have sold porcelain figurines by such companies as Meissen, Rosenthal, Nymphenburg and Royal Worchester for several thousand dollars each of the Borzi.

The Bull terrier is on my favorite list to watch for. If you run across the large Royal Doulton brindle Bull Terrier, in the large sizes, you’ll find that prices might reach as much as $15,000. Another key piece for this breed is the Marshall Boehm figurine, and you can almost set your price for this if you find one of these. And, the French would have my tail if I didn’t mention the highly collected French Poodle.

If you find any of these pieces, be sure to purchase them quickly before the person behind you sees them, because they never last long at a sale. There are bronzes, glass, pottery, and many other representations of these dogs that could substantially add to your profit once purchased.

Let’s not leave out paintings, prints (I have one of a champion Fox Terrier that I have been offered $1000 for but think it is worth more), advertising pieces, silver cups given to the winners of dog shows, and even medals awarded to the best of a show. If you have doubts as to this market, go to eBay completed auctions and see for yourself.

I once had a friend that called me about three pottery dogs he found and asked my opinion of them. When I did the research, I found that they were very rare, so I suggested that he ask $1,000 apiece for them. And guess what. I wasn’t even close. They reached almost $2,500 each. I just saw where a pottery Whippet dog sold for well over $12,000. With figures like these, I don’t think I need to further encourage you to look for canine collectibles. Remember, the more life-like the piece, the higher the value will be in the marketplace, and quality and condition count.

If it goes bow wow, then it is worth taking a look at.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today.

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

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The Lure of Satava Glass

Richard Satava Plum Nautilus Black Sea Foam Lidded, 19.50" high by 8.25" wide,is offered at Satava.com for $3,600

I am always looking for something to add to my inventory of knowledge, and I think I have found a winner. One of our members put me on to Satava Glass, and I can assure, I will be encouraging our members to take a look at it and to also be ready to purchase pieces if they become available in their search. You can see this wonderful glass highly skilled artist, Richard Satava, at http://www.satava.com/. Satava’s interest in glass began back in 1969 in California, and he opened his studio in 1977.

You might want to start sharing about this beautiful glass with your contacts, so they’ll be ready to purchase whatever you find – sort of like selling before you purchase -- and that isn't all bad. In fact, I am making my list of customers as I type this blog. I believe that if I can find some pieces at today’s prices, my customers can double their purchase price within the next year.

I have to admit, I fell in love with the nautical pieces, and I must have one of the Jellyfish pieces for myself. I hope to talk with Richard in the near future, because I won't be at peace until he shares with me how he makes the Jellyfish. If you find one of his pieces, and you’re not interested in it, please call me and give me a chance at it.

You should be aware there are others who now are making Jellyfish pieces, such as Christoper Lowry, however, in my opinion, no one matches the artistry of Richard Satava.

The 31 Club promised to keep its members ahead of the trend, and by announcing that this glass is one of the new featured items suggested by the 31 Club, we're doing just that. I would think that if you mentioned Satava to the average person today, they would say “Who?” But, that won't last long.

I want to encourage all of you to bring items that catch your attention to the 31 Club, so that its members can evaluate them, and if they pass our scrutiny, we'll recommend them for purchase. So many fantastic works of art go unnoticed because they are never fully brought to the public’s attention. Believe it our not, Tiffany was just another name until a lady in New York by the name of Lillian Nassau sponsored it and bought these wonderful pieces to the place where today, Tiffany is a household name.

The next ten days are going to be very difficult, as I travel to the Smokies, but I’m sure your staff is up to the task at hand. I can share with you that Cindy is a little nervous about how communications are going to proceed next week, but I assured her everything will be all right.

We may not be able to get to you as quickly as normal, but please be patient. I’ll be near a computer and also have my cell, but if I never put them down on this family vacation, I'm not sure that I will come back alive. My wife Vickie is small, but you’ve heard dynamite comes in small packages.

Have a wonderful week and be sure to remember what the 4th of July is all about.

God Bless you all.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today.

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

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