FIND THE MARK OTHERS MISS - Know Quality in Pottery, Art Glass, & Porcelain

If you can’t see it, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. How many times have I had to tell myself that? I promise you, more than I wish to recall. What am I talking about?

I once visited a very high-end antique store in Los angles and found nothing of interest that could be bought and then sold for a profit. But, as I was leaving the store, for some reason I looked up at a top shelf where there were two extremely large vases. I asked the dealer if he would get a ladder and bring them down so that I could get a better look at them. Hesitantly, he did.

I examined the vases from top to bottom not finding a mark, but being sure that they were Doulton Lambeth pieces decorated by one of their leading artists. Going over them several more times finding nothing, I was about to decide that these vases truly were not signed. This is where persistence can pay off. Being stubborn as all that know me can attest to, I refused to give up. Turning them around in my hands another time, I finally caught a glimpse of three letters within the body of the vase, "FEB".

FEB, Florence E. Barlow, the sister of Hannah Barlow. This had just become my lucky day. The two Barlow sisters were Doulton's best known decorators, and their vases always bring top prices.

Why hadn’t others found these marks? Very simply, the marks weren’t typically where one would find marks on pottery. I am sure there had been hundreds of people who looked at the bottoms of these pieces, but after finding nothing, returned them to their resting place. You see, ninety-five percent of these vases would have been marked on the bottom. But, not these. And, on top of that, this mark, "FEB" had been incorporated into the actual design of the vase, making it almost impossible to find. But, not impossible to a persistant and stubborn man like me. The poor dealer had no idea that these vases were special pieces.

I could barely hold my composure when I asked the price. Two hundred and fifty dollars each was his response, and at this time, I didn’t know if it was a time to dance or cry.

Returning to my car carrying these two precious bundles ever so carefully, I placed them into the back seat. Then, I pinched myself to be sure that I wasn’t dreaming. You see, these wonderful 22" vases were worth over $5,000 each, even then.

I truly tell you, this isn’t a rare occurrence. I have had it happen many times since then. Lalique, Steuben and other art glass pieces with etched marks often present a huge problem in finding the marks. The secret is to recognize the quality of the materials and the decorations on the piece. If they both meet the standards of a quality piece, then you should spend the time required to verify the maker.

I want to challenge you to a test. At the next show you attend, find a Tiffany Lamp and ask to look at it. I believe that you will find that it isn’t easy to located the marks on the lamp because of their small size and because of where they are located under the shade.

The message here is to know quality first. Make a study the most sought after pottery, porcelain and art glass, and know the various artists whose work is in demand and commands the highest prices. Use every source you can. Search the Internet. See these pieces up close at shows. Invest in your own resource library. Used books can easily be found at reasonable prices through the internet. Take a look at our recommended reading list and choose your area to study at this time.

Keep your eyes open and don’t get in a hurry if you find something that tells you it has quality but the mark isn't immediately apparent. Be persistant in looking for the mark on pieces you recognize as high quality.

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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NEED HELP GETTING AROUND - Why Not Use a Cane? Antique Canes.

We might all need a little assistance some day, so why not consider a cane. In fact, you might look pretty smart if you own one today.

In the nineteenth century, every well-dressed gentleman used a cane, or a walking stick as they were often referred to in their day. This was the height of fashion. A man in a tuxedo would have appeared undressed if his attire didn't include a snappy walking stick. What lady would be seen with a man that didn't have the appropriate cane? How dare a gentleman call on a lady without this symbol of prosperity?

But by World War II, styles had changed, and the walking stick or cane went out of style and was used only by the infirmed. Most of the time today, you will find canes relegated to the basement or closet, but in its day! Wow! Could there be treasures, again, found in the basement or attic.

But, let's go back now to that hay day when walking sticks were king, when every dapper gentleman was sporting a wonderfully decorated cane. You see, walking sticks or canes, weren't just for physical support, but had many numerous and inventive uses, too. Some had hidden swords in them, while others served as whiskey flasks, so that a man could take that quick drink if needed. No expense was spared to show that your cane would set you apart from others of less financial means. They where often decorated with ivory. Diamonds, rubies, and other precious jewels often adorned the ivory. Gold and Silver often made up the handles of the most expensive walking sticks. Many canes were made of porcelain and enamel decorated with miniature portraits and other images.

Believe it or not, there are collectors that have hundreds of glass canes in their collection. I personally think that the glass canes may be the most beautiful of all. These are true works of art produced by the best glass tradesmen of the day.

So be on the lookout for these wonderful items from our past. They may be found in the corner of a room or in a attics, totally out of sight. Search them out, because the rewards can be outstanding. A presentation cane with a gold handle can command from a few thousand dollars to well over $20,000. The American record for a single cane was set on May 6, 2006 when $44,592 was the top bid for a single cane at Tradewinds Cane Auction

If you have purchased the Kovels Antique and Collectible Price Guide, you will find numerous examples of canes that will help you along in your journey with the 31 Club. Another good resource book is Canes & Walking Sticks: A Stroll Through Time & Place. These and other books recommended by the 31 Club, can be accessed right from our Amazon Link. Be sure to check for used copies on Amazon to save yourself some money. We encourage you to purchase through us to help build up the 31 Club so we can continue and expand club benefits. Aother wonderful website where you can educate yourself further about antique canes and their colorful history is at CaneQuest.com. This site is filled with as much information as you can absorb. As with the other topics I discuss, do your own internet searches and see what you come up with. All of this now becomes just another layer of knowledge that will assist in your search for treasure and building your personal wealth.

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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THAT SMELL - Can Mean Money to You Perfume and Scent Bottles for Both Men and Women

Perfume Bottles can be a wonderful scent for both men and women. In fact I knew a woman by the name of Sherry that made her living buying and selling only these bottles and she does quite well.

These wonderful bottles predate the ancient Egyptian empires but today days collectors are looking for the ones from the nineteenth and twentieth century. These examples can be found made of cut glass, pressed glass, art glass, silver, enamel and yes even plastic.

There seems to be a endless supply of these bottles to be found and this give the collector ample opportunity to add items to their collections. Also perfume bottles come in all price ranges from the beautiful decorative ones selling for only a few dollars to the special pieces made by the best manufactures that may command tens of thousands of dollars.

These bottles usually have a top and these tops can come in two styles first just the common closing ones that are required to keep the perfume from evaporating to the atomizers that are used to apply the perfume to the area on the body where it is to be used. The DeVilbiss Company is the best known producer of the atomizers, they started in business in 1888. Their pieces are marked and a high percentage of the bottles are also.

You will see examples of the perfume bottles at most sales you attend and often there will be real bargains to be had if your eye is sharp enough.

I think that you will recognize some of these names Christain Dior, Cartier, Chanel, Lucien Lelong just to mention a few. Believe it or nor you will find bottles that haven’t been opened where the content may be worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars. This can prove to be a nice little bonus because full these bottles will even have a higher price than if they were empty.

Lets look at some examples now Thomas Web and Sons cameo glass duck bill, value up to $10,000 plus, Christain Dior Dog shape, value $15,000 plus, Cut Glass triple miter Overlay valued at $12,000 plus, Lubin magda of woman’s head $9500 plus and I could go on and on. There is a guide book on these perfume bottle called, Perfume, Cologne and Scent Bottles by Jacquelyne North and Duane young. If you can find it I think this book will make you money by knowing the rare bottles from the common.

My favorites as you might expect are the ones made by Charles Lotton, you may want to go to his website www.lottongallery.com and look at several of his beautiful bottles. There are others by Lalique, Steuben and many other companies that command premium prices for their bottles. These fabulous scent bottles are in demand and we should expend the energy to fill this need.

One last little note there is a word factice which is used to refer the person to the large store display bottle and you will see these in your search. Since there are so few of these manufactured it is only reasonable to think their prices might be quit high and you would be right. These are usually filled with colored water.

Let us hear from you. We are always open to new ideas and your input is highly valued.

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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NUMBERS CAN COUNT - The Appeal of the 31 Club Community - Groups - Friends

We still have an 11 year old boy trying to start an after school Club with his friends so they can enter our Million Dollar Race here at the 31 Club. If you have been reading the blog, you have heard me talk about him.

Our hopes are that the school will encourage this wonderful group of boys and girls to expand their knowledge of economics by studying along with us. I have received several emails from them, asking for their advice and guidance, which to me is a great honor. I hope we can continue to support them in their efforts. If you have any ideas how we can get this message into our schools so that more students can become educated in ways to create their own future, would you please share them with us?

Yesterday, I got surprise when a wonderful lady, by the name of Marsha, approached me and asked if I remembered a phone conversation that we had.

At first, I honestly couldn't remember, and it took me a minute to get on the same track with her. It finally all came back to me. I remembered that she and some friends were looking for new challenges and opportunities and decided to start a business and they needed some space. We had spoken about where this space might be found. While we were speaking together today, I mentioned to her that I had also started a business, shared with her about the 31 Club, and gave her our website address. Lo and behold, Sunday morning she walked up to me at church and said, "Me and my friends are going to join your Club." Wow! That sure caught me by surprise. My only response was, "That is great, Marsha."

When I returned home after church and Joshua’s soccer game, I couldn’t get what Marsha had said to me off my mind. We were appealing to all ages? And if so, why? I’m sure that the possibility of making money might have something to do with it, but I can't help but think there has to be more to it than that. But what?

Then, I remembered what Pastor Marty had said in his sermon today. He said, " We need to be connected to God and then to one another, and after that, to reach out to others." I had my answer. We were doing just what Pastor Marty had said.

When we first started the 31 Club, I knew that it was going to be God based, because that is what I prayed for. In fact, I asked God to make it fail if it wasn’t pleasing to him. But if it was pleasing to him, that its success would change people's lives and the way they operate in the world.

Soon, we received e-mail from people who heard our message. We heard from Todd and he shared his story about his son. We hear from many others who read our blog and have joined our club who ask to be kept in prayer by our members. I believe this speaks volumes about how God is viewing our efforts. Maybe our message from the 31 Club is just beginning to be heard.

We are becoming a community through this Club. Yes, Marsha wants to join with us, and this will even draw her and her friends closer together because of their common interest. Yes, the young man of only eleven, along with his friends want to join with us so that they can share their common interest and set goals for themselves. Yes, we desire to bond together in a common goal that will not only benefit us, but all that come in contact with us, as we share our knowledge, friendship, and our lives with one another.

People need to share with others, both friends and strangers. My hope is that the 31 Club gives them the opportunity to do that very thing. Today has reawakend my desire to send our message to all that will have ears to hear. Yes, we can be as concerned about others as much as we are about ourselves.

Working together we are going to make a difference, I promise you that.

Let us hear from you. We are always open to new ideas and your input is highly valued.

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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FREE GIFTS - CAN BECOME TREASURES - CRACKER JACKS - SUPERMAN - McDONALDS

Yes, Carnival Glass and Depression Glass were given as free premiums to our parents, but there were others, and will be more free premiums, even today.

Some of you might not remember when the Superman premiums that came in cereal boxes were free, but I do. I sure wish that I had kept the special ring that was mine as a young child. Today, it is worth thousands of dollars. Many of the other Superman toys also bring big bucks today. A trading card set will bring $2500, plastic telephone $1000 and radio $1500. These are still out there just waiting for you to find them.

Superman was the creation of two seventeen year old boys in 1938 just before World War II. He was featured on the radio, television, cartoons and several movies.

Another great prize that children collected were the Cracker Jack premiums. They started to put these prizes in boxes of molasses flavored popcorn in 1912. Many of these Cracker Jack premiums will bring $100 and up. Some are unmarked. So, search the guide on these pieces. Yes, there are guide books and resource books for just about anything. Check the 31 Club's Recommended Reading List, and search for any book on any subject, new or used. That way you will know these items if you run across them in a box lot.

What about now? Are there great collectibles being created today? Yes! In fact, I suggest that you pick up anything that is being given away free. At the pro baseball games they often give away something to the first five hundred or so that enter the park. This is also true of basketball. I have seen the bobble head plastic baseball figurines that were given at the ball park being listed on eBay the next day for $25 - $50.

But it doesn’t stop here. You might remember that early on in these blogs, I suggested that this is going to be one of the most interesting elections of our lifetime. So be sure to go to all the major candidate's campaign headquarters and pick up several pieces of each poster, bumper sticker, flyer and pin that they have for your taking. The reason you want to take several of each is that you might want to sell a few as the price goes up while keeping some for your own collection. These might become extremely valuable after several years.

Let's not forget the restaurant give aways. McDonalds is the king of this type of premium. They have produced more individual prizes than almost all other companies combined. Burger King, Long John Silvers, Kentucky Fried Chicken and so many others also produce premiums. If you started your child with a free premium collection the day they were born, by the time they were eighteen there would be no worry about the cost of their college education. In fact they would have money to burn.

This business can be easy, especially when you have people throwing things at you that can bring a lot of money into your pocket for free.

Just a side note. Yesterday Joshua was called into a casting call for a major company, and it is all because of the exposure from this website. He was so excited, and I was so proud.

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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SPARKLE SPARKLE LITTLE STAR - How I Wonder What You Are. DIAMOND - RUBY - EMERALD - SAPPHIRE

Jewelry. This is a subject that women never tire of and we men should pay attention to. The women have always had it right, and yes, diamonds should be their best friend.

I have a little different approach to buying jewelry than most, and I find my way to be very lucrative. It is very difficult to go out on a Saturday morning to the sales and not have a chance to buy multiple pieces of jewelry. Yes, most of these pieces will be costume, but don’t be so quick to judge before you examine them.

I will give you my rule in buying jewelry, and it goes like this. First, check to see if the piece is mounted in gold or platinum and what karat this metal is?. Next, you should know that gold can come in several colors and you make yourself aware of these varieties. Platinum is usually white or silver and is the most precious of the metals that you will find. Most pieces of jewelry will be marked unless the mark has worn off or the piece is very early.

Once you have been around jewelry for a while, you can guess at what the value of the gold or platinum in a piece is worth on the open market. Yes, 24 karat gold is worth more than 14 karat but by only about half as much. With gold at the present time selling at the $800 range per ounce, it doesn’t have to be a very large piece to have quite a value. The same with platinum, but even more so.

You will need to find a good book on metal marks so that if the piece is gold plated or filled you will know not to buy it for the metal content. Have you noticed that I haven’t even mentioned the stones that it may contain?Yes, I have done this for a reason. Can you guess why?

I always try the buy jewelry at one third the value of the actual metal. Example: If I think that the ring has one half ounce of 24 karat gold in it and the market price for gold is $800, then I try to buy the piece at about $260-$270. By doing this I can assure myself that I can double my investment even if I have to scrap the metal. Scraping mean to sell the base metal in the commodity market. By doing this, you are assured of taking your next step in the race to 31 Steps, and that is our goal in the 31 Club's Million Dollar Race.

Now you know my secret. It doesn’t matter what the stones are, because they are just the icing on the cake. If they are semi-previous stones, so be it. But if they are Diamonds , Rubies, Emeralds, or Sapphires, you may have found yourself a real treasure.

I think I have told you the story about the watch that my friend, Warner, bought for $200 that turned out to be a french designer piece worth at least $5,000. I know personally that his wife was very pleased with that purchase and still has it to this day.

Even the cut of the stones can be misleading. There was a diamond cut in the early years called the "mine cut." Today, if you find a piece of jewelry with mine cut stones in it, you might very well think that it might have very little value, but you might be surprised.

I have shared with you why there is always a crowd around the jewelry cases. I hope that from now on, there will be one more person there, and that person will be you.

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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DEPRESSION WHAT? GLASS - IT MAY BE TIME TO BUY.

From my days as a trader, I have learned that the best time to buy is when others are selling. This is called being a contrarian. There will always be a time to buy everything, and this just might be the time for Depression Glass.

For you young folks, these pieces of tableware were given as premiums by companies such as gas stations and grocery stores as an enticement to buy their other merchandise. This was a very successful selling tool for many companies for a long time. Therefore, as you can imagine, there were thousands, if not millions of pieces produced, and they could be found on every table in America.

During the fifties and sixties they became a very desired collectible. People collected certain patterns such as Sharon, Royal Lace, Princess, Mayfair, Madrid and Miss America just to name a few. American SweetHeart and Cherry Blossom may have been the most collected of all, and you could see pieces of these patterns at every sale you attended.

There were rare pieces even then in Depression Glass such as butter dishes, cheese dishes, pitchers, cake plates and candy jars. Since there were so many pieces made, it was easy to collect it, and a lot of people had fairly large collections. They were always looking for the rarer pieces to add to their collections, and so the hunt began.

You can see that not much has changed, the rare pieces were hardest to find, and what really divided the rare from the common was color. A blue console in the American Sweetheart pattern will bring close to $2,000 today. How would you like to find that for a couple of dollars? Blue was where it was at.

So what has happened? The people that remembered Depression Glass are mostly past the collecting age, and the young people haven’t pick it up yet. But they will soon enough. You see, all about cycles.

What I find most unusual, however, is when a collectibles falls from favor, then all the pieces in that collectible seem to start selling at the same price regardless of their rarity. This is where the real treasures begin to appear. These can be just waiting for you to find them. When you do find them, the real collectors will be knocking your doors down to buy them from you.

There are many books written about Depression Glass, and I would highly recommend that you get acquainted with the patterns and colors of each one. I believe this glass can be a big money maker for you and help as you move through the 31 Steps I speak of in my book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques and Collectibles. Why not use these pieces in the early stage of your ascent up the steps toward your personal wealth?

Take extra time to examine each piece of depression glass. Any damage will reduce its value to almost zero. There are reproductions in a couple of patterns you should stay away from, and the books will show you how to recognize these.

Today most people just think of Depression Glass as just a colorful way to brighten up their tables, but to the true collector of these pieces they are like diamonds.

Remember, the 31 Club has compiled a list of recommened books to help you achieve your goals. Why not browse through the list of recommended books, and choose those that will help you achieve your goals.

I want to, again, thank all of you for your prayers for my son, Daryle II. The first report seemed very good, but now they say he has blockage on his right side and may need surgery. So again, I would like for you to keep him in your prayers.

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

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don't have to sign in to leave your message.