Antiques & Collectibles: The Power of Networking

To be in the Antique and Fine Art World, knowing a large number of people will prove to be the lifeblood of your business. Remember when I said to make business cards and pass them out to everyone you meet? There was also a time I instructed you to tell all your family and friends what you were doing. What if I told you there was a better way to pass your name around to let others know you're in others the Antique and Fine Art Business?

I received an email from a 31 Club Member asking if I was a member of "I Antique Online." To their surprise, I had never heard of it, so I looked it up. All I can say is -- Boy! I'm a member now. This is a new social networking website for people just like us. Its members are looking for answers and also to meet other people who want to network with other people interested in Antiques, Collectibles and Fine Art. I think this will become a very large site because of the amount of people interested in this subject. So, I'm highly recommending you join at http://www.iantiqueonline.com/ and participate in phases of their activities.

You may also want to join Face Book, because I understand they are the fastest growing social site on the web. I'm sure there are many more sites like these, and you can search them out for yourself.

If you join one or more of these sites, be sure to keep current so members will interact with you. This is what will help build your business. I've already started a forum on the site about making money.

The member who told me about “I Antique Online” also shared another very interesting site with me. “Shop Goodwill.” You probably have heard of Goodwill, but I didn't know they had a website. I joined right away and bid, on two paintings the first day, but I unfortunately got outbid at the last minute. Sounds strangely familiar doesn't it? I could have continued to bid on a painting when it was at $300 to $400 but unfortunately, it finished over $700. For the collector, that was okay, but I'm in this business to make money. I thought I could spend my money more wisely.

If you have sites you'd like to share, please send them to me and I'll publish them. And let more people know of the “31 Club.” The larger our number, the more benefit it will be to you when you decide to sell something or to buy pieces for your own gallery. You see, if you want to rent a car, you'll more than likely think of Hertz and might even consider renting there. Why? Because you recognize their name. What does the word eBay mean? You might not know, but I'll guarantee if you ask 100 people, they will all know the company is in the online auction business. When 31 Club has name recognition, you will benefit tremendously, so share your company. It will only come back to help you.

I was talking to a banker today, and I got the chance to tell her about the 31 Club. She said she'd go home and sign up. But she didn't stop there. She told her mother and aunt and now they're joining. Just think -- or $16.95 right now, you can not only learn how to become savvy in the Antique and Fine Art business, but membership can help you become a better business person all while you're building up cash reserves large enough to last a lifetime. This club can help everyone, whether you're buying antiques and fine art or lots of close-out items. Isn't that worth the price of admission?

I'm eagerly waiting for more of you to email or call me with what is happening in you searches. Your stories are what keeps my motor running – even the stories that didn't turn out so good. I'll leave the light on.
align="left">Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. 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!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Full Speed Ahead for the 31 Club Gallery & Maketplace

This Jean Faurege painting sold this week at the 31 Club Gallery for $5,000.

I am going to be up front with you, because this blog is mostly about your 31 Club Marketplace. I’ve been telling you for some time now that all the hard work Cindy, Chris, and Jeremy have been doing would pay off for our members. Well, we are beginning to see the results. The marketplace part of the 31 Club will be perhaps your greatest asset in this business. Let me explain that statement:

Getting top dollar for the fine art, antique & collectible items we sell in this business is important, but the percentage of the sale we keep has equal importance.

Within a very short period of time, our emails and phone calls have lit up with inquiries about our listings. Just in the last few days, we’ve sold the Jean Faurege Painting and the Doulton Lambeth-Hannah Barlow decorated vase. The painting brought $5000 and the vase $3750.

The owners of these items could have taken these pieces to auction or listed them on eBay, but here’s the difference. Customers are beginning to recognize the quality we are showing in the gallery and are seeing that they don't have to look through hundreds of items to find one of quality. I believe these two items we sold this week would have sat in a shop or in a booth at a show forever because of the few number of people that would have seen them, but with your 31 Club Gallery, there are now thousands of people viewing items every month.

When customers come to our 31 Club Gallery & Marketplace, they'll find items of high quality without searching through an endless inventory of common items. Once customers find something they like, they are buying it at the asking price.

I can assure you that the people who bought the Faurege painting and the Doulton Lambeth vase will know they bought a quality piece at a fair price. I've already received an email from the woman who purchased the painting expressing her complete satisfaction.

Selling items at auction can be expensive, but not selling items at the 31 Club Gallery & Marketplace. And buyers don't have to worry about buyer's premium when they buy.

$500 was the total commission on the $5,000 painting with no buyer’s premium a buyer would have to pay to an auction house. In this way, the buyer could pay the asking price and still save money, while the seller received $4,500. Compare that with what they would’ve received at auction house or on eBay.

The commission on the Doulton Lambeth vase was only $281.25, netting the seller $3468.75. I highly encourage you to consider listing your better items on the 31 Club Gallery & Marketplace. If they don’t sell as quickly as you would like, you can always sell them at auction. Another great advantage to your marketplace is that your items never leave your hands until they are sold.

Beginning Wednesday, Cindy and I will be photographing over 100 new items we’ll be listing, and I think you’ll enjoy and benefit from these expanded listings. I believe there’s a new Sheriff coming to town and it’s the 31 Club Gallery & Marketplace. Remember --I told you first.

It is so easy for Club Members to list with us.

Everything is sold on the condition that it is still available. You send us the pictures and descriptions and the prices you wish to achieve and we'll set you up. We do reserve the right to refuse items if they don't meet our high standards or if they are over priced for the current market. We are using the honor system with our members. You’ll deal with the customer directly and will send us the commission check. Yes, we are going to be a community that helps one another.

Members --Remember -- If you come across special items beyond your buying budget, call us and see if the items fits our Associates Program. We'll help you buy the item!

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

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. 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!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Rare Books & Collectible Books

Have you noticed how the price of Antique and Collectible Books are increasing? If not, you should take another look. I have a theory to why this is happening, and I believe there is a trend forming.

As the price of gas increases, it’s only natural that people will be spending more time at home. When they tire of watching TV, there will likely be an increase in time spent reading. Books present a cheap form of entertainment, and an excellent source of knowledge.

Why is this important to us, and what do we need to know to take advantage of this opportunity?

Books are plentiful and there are treasures there to be found, so be sure not to pass them by without a look.

We can begin our research on sites like AbesBooks, Schiffer Collector Books, and Amazon’s book store. Here you will be able to find comparable prices for the books you locate in your hunt. It will also show you the different prices based on condition, which is the most important factor in pricing books. One copy of a rare book in used condition with a library stamp and writing on the pages might sell for $50, while the same book in mint or near mint condition could easily fetch $1000 or more. Quite a difference right?

What type of books are in high demand today?

This is a question I get quite often and it isn't an easy one to answer. Yes, signed first edition books will always top the list, but this is an ever- changing market. One year ago, you could have pick up Obama's books for a pittance, but today they will cost you a pretty penny. Perhaps a new author writes a huge winner like Harry Potter and continues to write numerous others as sequels. These, in the first editions, signed, by the author, can put serious money in your pocket. This is one area where the contemporary tag may not affect the price.

But let’s not forget the older books. As interest grows on certain subjects due to new movies or current events, the older books, again, take on the glamour of super stars. For example, a 1976 1st edition signed "Interview With The Vampire" by author Anne Rice, is offered at $1000 at C. Dickens Fine, Rare & Collectible Books.

Historical material will always be popular, if written by the right author and signed. I went into a family member’s home recently and was amazed when I was shown sets of Civil War books and was told that these sets were worth $25,000 to $75,000 dollars each. Who would have thought it? One area of interest this year might be the Olympics.

I still love the story about the person who bought a first edition of Tarzan for $2.00 without the dust cover, only to find himself standing next to the guy who had the dust cover wrapped around a completely different book. He asked the man with the dust cover if he could buy it, and they finally agreed to a price of $1,000. I personally know the gentleman who bought this book, and he later sold it for over $18,000. There's also a set of Tarzan Books for sale at C. Dickens.

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!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Who Says Young People Have No Interest in Collecting?

The way things were done in the antique business years ago seem to be fading from my memory. This was very apparent to me as we ventured into an old shop in upper Wisconsin called the Wonder Shop. Most antique shops or malls today are very orderly, but not this one. It was the kind of mall I remembered from my youth-- a large building stuffed from top to bottom with every conceivable item you might want to purchase. We had traveled some distance to get to this relic from the past, but you couldn’t imagine our disappointment as we approached the building only to find a closed sign posted. Nineteen of us, mostly children, had their chins dropped in disappointment.

This would be a sad ending to a story, if out of the corner of my eye, I hadn’t seen a gentleman by the name of Randy walking toward our cars. We were greeted with a big friendly smile, and I informed him that we had some serious shoppers with us and asked him if he could open his store. Randy, being a man who loves children, said, “Sure, come on in.” I couldn’t help but think that if this was Chicago, the police would already be there the minute we put our noses up to the windows to peek inside.

Randy unlocked the store, and for the next two hours, I observed eleven children having the time of their lives. Digging through passageways that were barely wide enough for them to struggle through, they reappeared carrying World War II helmets, fishing poles, beanie babies and too many other items for me to list. I wish I could have saved the looks on their little faces for you but I didn’t have my camera. Let someone tell me that young people no longer have an interest in collecting. The adults, not wanting to be out done, found old milk cans, book racks, coffee mugs, games, nick knacks for the cabin, and this list could also continue.

No, I don’t think that there were any real treasures found yesterday, but as I have mentioned before, this is for the family, and I can assure you if we had spent the day at Disney World, no one would have had a better time than we did at the Wonder Shop. I personally think this day was what God intended. Not all treasures can be valued in dollars.

Let me share some of the other positives with you. Randy is now a member of the 31 Club, and he will be participating in all our programs. He also took me up to the second floor where he said he and his wife had been setting aside items to sell when they retired. He has no intention of quitting this business completely.

Now for the sad part of this story. Due to his wife’s illness, he is selling the property and all its contents, and so, we are back to where we started in this Blog. Things of the past are disappearing before my very eyes, however, I feel so blessed that my son, Joshua, and all the other children with us experienced this way of doing business before it truly disappears.

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!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

“I’ve Bought a Painting. Now What Do I Do? -- Make Money!

Ellen B. Farr (1840-1907)

For those of you who have purchased Fine Art, Antique or Collectible treasures, and are wondering where to re-sell them to make money, this Blog, about a purchase a 31 Club Member made, should give you some things to consider when re-selling a piece.

Mason has been communicating with me for several weeks, and last week he emailed me very excited about a purchase he made. I am asked to give my opinion on numerous items each day, and how to make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles, and often times I have to give the bad news that the item someone is considering to buy or has already bought has very little value. But in Mason’s case, I had very good news for him.

Mason had purchased a painting by Ellen Farr (1840-1907). It is a true treasure, and he has a good chance to make money, because it was new to the marketplace, plus it was untouched, making it even more desirable. Mason had seen that a painting by Farr had just sold for over $14,000 and that excited him.

This is the place where it’s important to have some knowledge about what makes a particular artist’s work valuable if you want to make money. First, you have to compare apples to apples. Mason’s painting was only 20 inches while the $14,000 painting was over 60 inches. Second, the larger painting was of a cherry tree, which seems to be a signature image for Farr, while the smaller painting was a still life. Yes, these both are desirable, but the larger painting will usually command a much higher price, and in addition to that, the cherry tree will bring more than the still life generally if it's a signature for the artist. This kind of knowledge will help you make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles.

Now that Mason is in possession of the painting, what should he do next? There are three main choices he could make to sell this painting. First, he could sell his painting at John Moran’s auction, because this is the auction house where the highest price was obtained for a Farr painting. But let’s take a closer look at this option.

If Mason made this choice, he could have to wait as much as three months for the next appropriate auction for his painting before he can expect to make money. In addition to that, the painting would be out of his possession for that amount of time, and if it’s up for auction, he has no assurance it will be sold. Because of the price he paid for it, he must sell it with a reserve (meaning a price it must reach or it isn’t sold). That reserve price might not be achieved. If it isn’t sold at the auction, then it’s no longer considered new to the market, and because of this, future buyers will discount its value. Last but not least are the high commission fees he'll encounter at auction which will eat away at his profit.

His second choice could be consigning it to the 31 Club Gallery. Here he would pay a much smaller fee and be able to retain a much larger percentage of the sales price for himself. It would be advertised on the Internet and the art guides which would give it excellent coverage, however again, there isn’t an assurance it would be sold.

His last option is to search the market for someone willing to purchase it directly from him. After Mason shared his painting with me, I began an extensive search for a buyer. After close examination by the people I called, I received an offer of $2800. This represented a profit of one thousand dollars. If he accepts this offer, he doesn’t have to wait for an auction and pay their commission fees. Once the purchase is completed, Mason can ship it directly to the buyer. Should he choose this option, he may receive a little less money, however he is assured his painting is sold. When you want to make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles, as well as fine art paintings, it helps to remember the purpose: To make money keeping our money turning as quickly as possible, and then do it all over again. Holding out for top dollar stagnates your money.

Yes, there may be circumstances where any of these options would be best, but what do you think Mason’s best choice is? You will be faced with this decision yourself soon. If he sold it for the $2800, what would his total be after the next ninety days, and how many more times would he have turned his money during this period of time? I am going to let you think about this because this is the core of what you’ll be doing.

I seem like I’m on a 50 state marathon this summer, because this weekend, I’ll be in Wisconsin. However, I won’t be gone long; I’ll return home Sunday.

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 make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan on How to Make Money Buying and Selling Antiques & Collectibles. 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 about how to make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles is FREE with your membership. Join Today!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Daryle Lambert – When is Enough My Good Man ?


I think that the public has finally said enough is enough: no rising prices from auction houses. My phone is ringing off the hook with people looking for alternatives to selling at auctions. Our marketplace at the 31 Club is going to be one of the answers to this dilemma. Once the combined commission for the buyers and sellers went beyond 25% it was only a matter of time before the customers would get fed up and look for alternatives. However these alternatives don't appear over night; they have to evolve. Your staff has spent many hours discussing how we could serve our members best, and be assured if they did the work most of the profits would end up in their pockets. Please look at our commission structure if you list your items on the 31 galleries. The maximum is 10% for items selling under $5000 if you are a member of the 31 Club. That the higher levels the commission is even less. Now that some houses have over a 50% combined commission I think the customers have had enough.


In my opinion this is the reason that eBay is turning to what appears to be a more retail friendly model. They know that these commission rates can't be sustained. One of the reasons that auctions were attractive was because under normal circumstances their item would be sold on a certain date if it met the reserve that they had settled on. However today if they are receiving less than 50% of the hammered price, I think they may be willing to wait a little longer for their items to sell where they receive 90% or more of the sales price. The great thing that we are offering the market with our galleries is when customers search for quality Antiques and Art they won't have to struggle through thousands of items to find one that is worthy of their consideration.


One of the promises I made each one of you was that I would keep you ahead of the trends and I stand by that promise. We were one of the first to share with you the changes coming with eBay. Yes they didn't go all the way to satisfying their base but at least they acknowledged that there were problems.


Just a little history lesson; when I started in the Antique and Art business the commissions at auctions were 5% with no buyers premium. Unbelievable, right? Today it is more important than ever to search out the best venue for selling your hard earned treasures. Yes you might say “ Daryle you said that it is all about buying and never about selling.” That is still true and if you buy right it really won't matter where you sell because your goal will still be met. But why be satisfied with such a small profit from your efforts when if you use the recommendations of the 31 Club those profits will be expanded tremendously? Jeremy and Cindy are in the process of accumulating these lists as I write this blog.


The 31 Club is going to be your best alternative to the outside forces that are trying to minimize the importance of the people becoming educated in the field of Antiques and Fine Art by convincing them that they are a fortune to be able to pay over 50% of the selling price of their treasures, but I don't believe that and neither should you.


So that you will know that I heed my own advice, I would like to share this little story with you. Just a little side bar. When I decided to publish my book “The 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques and collectibles “ everyone said I should go to one of the large publishing houses. So I listened and they informed me I would be fortunate to sign with them because I would receive 20% of all sales, but I would have to do most of my own advertising. I politely told them to write their own books, that no way would I take a deal were even if the book was successful I would lose money. Guess what? Thanks to you I can say that I am very thankful and God is blessing this venture that we are taking together and I wish nothing but the best for those publishers, but my books will always be sold directly to you. I also was told if I didn't put them in stores my sales would be limited. Wrong again. I still believe that the people have the last say and I have heard from you loud and clear.

Antiques & Collectibles: What's in a Name?

Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica

One of the things I get to enjoy most is checking auction treasures sent to me by 31 Club Members. Stephen sends me a flier almost every week, and I think he's becoming very knowledgeable on what to look for when he attends auctions. I always email him back with a list of the items in that auction I'd be interested in if I were attending. However, Stephen learned a very important lesson last week. His eye told him that the three pieces of McCoy pottery were unusual, and he purchased them. But, he didn't check them carefully enough before he bid, because when he got them home, he discovered two had damage. Because he bought them right, and in fact, I think they may be rather rare, he still may salvage something.

Julie. sent me an auction flier where there were two pieces of Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica porcelain being offered. One was a platter and the other was a covered vegetable bowl. I told her if they sold for a hundred or two she should pick them up. Well, her report back to me wasn't what I wanted to hear, but my idea was great. If you ever see any Flora Danica be sure to give it the once over, and if it can be purchased right, take advantage of it. Most dealers would just consider it china. However, at this auction, there must have been some knowledgeable people in the crowd, because the platter brought $1500 while the covered vegetable bowl went to the highest bidder at $2000

Another item at the sale caught my attention and it was a Dale Chihuly bowl. Pieces by this glass artist can bring tens of thousands of dollars. Often his work is composed of a bowl and then three to five additional pieces inside of it. This was just a single bowl and nothing exciting, so I thought that it may have gone for $500 or so. Wrong. The final bid was $3300.

These are two names that I want you to add to your list of treasures to search for. No, Julie didn't buy at this sale but what about the next one she attends? Always remember, it doesn't matter how many pieces you miss, just the ones you buy. As long as you have money, I guarantee you that your number will come up, and that's when all the waiting will have been worthwhile.

Just a little refresher course: Don't spend your time researching common items, because every person on the street knows the value of them. Spend your time studying the rare, where the real money is. Most dealers want to talk about Roseville, Weller, McCoy or Haeger, but not me. I want to know more about Newcomb, Grueby, Rookwood or George Ohr. If you are talking about these pieces, I can assure you that my attention will be focused on that conversation. What's in a name? Everything, when it comes to Antiques, Collectibles and Fine Art.

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!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.