The People Have Spoken

Now is the time for all Americans to unite behind its government. No, my candidate didn't win but I hope America did. The world will now wait to see how this country reacts to the election. If we stay divided our enemies will take advantage of our division. Each election gives a new President the opportunity to take this country in the direction that they think is best for it. I sincerely hope that President Obama will lead the entire country in a direction that will be best for generations to come.

In past blogs I stated that Obama as President would make this the most exciting time for political memorabilia since Washington and Lincoln. I will wait to see if that prophecy comes true. I hope that my readers took advantage of this opportunity because prices for this year’s campaign items will sky rocket over the next several years. These collectibles will not only be sought in this country but around the world. Look for the best of these items and your reward will be unbelievable.

The difference between collectibles that come and go are that they rise or fall based on a whim but political memorabilia is part of history. Children for every generation to come will see items from this election in museums. As such, these items will have to be purchased by museums and the competition for unique items will be fierce. There will be no lack of buyers for the rare and unusual items that represent Obama's life and his journey to the Presidency of the United States.

This will likely be my last blog on this particular subject but I think you will be kept well informed on the progress of political items by auction house results and completed e-bay sales for the items that I hope you have been accumulating over the past few months.

Now it is time to begin searching for the next great thing to bring to you. One of the best things about being an antique and art dealer is that the markets never stop and there are always new items that become of interest to people each day.

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Buyers:

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How Do You Measure Success ?

With a great scale! That is how you measure success. Scales have been one of the most important instruments for the person in business since ancient times. I remember in movies of the Roman Empire scales being used. At one time, the instruments were very primitive - composed of a lever with weights hung on one end and the item to be weighed was placed in a pan at the other end. This was functional but compared to today’s scales that are digital and can measure things minutely, we have come a long way.

The scales that really caught my eye were the gold scales use during the great gold rush. Stories abound of how merchants cheated the miners by under-weighing their gold. One of the old sayings was "How could you get a true measure." But in the old West and the rest of the country, scales were being used to measure grain, medicine, candy, milk and almost anything else that was being sold by merchants.

Later, the greatest scales of interest to me were the ones used in carnivals and amusement parks to weigh a person. I remember one that had a clown’s head that moved and its eyes opened and closed as you were being weighed. People have always been interested in their weight - so scales of all types have been manufactured that we can obsess over our weight.

Our mail also has to be weighed so that the proper postage fee could be applied for its shipping cost. There is airmail or ground mail and parcel post or priority mail and your cost varies depending on how fast you want the receiver to get your package. But the question is: Can we make money purchasing and selling scales?” I will let you be the judge. The Eine cast iron suspension bridge scales from the 19th century should bring more $5,000 today while a Rosenfield Reliance penny cast iron scale might sell for more than $15,000. There is a wide verity of different scales to choose from, but generally, the antique ones will bring you $500 or more. Today, you may find scales used for the wrong reasons but in the past they were an instrument necessary to conduct business. The more unusual the scales, the more valuable they will be, so keep a keen eye out for the scales to success.

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After the Election, What Then?

Tomorrow we will have a new President, and I personally believe that the coming year will be a very good one. I also believe the Antique and Fine Art Markets will flourish. If this is true, how might we start preparing for this time?

Maximize your money by buying something of value. Remember, money in the bank next year will likely produce very little income for you because of low interest rates. Getting back to basics is the order here, and looking to what has produced the greatest returns in the past will tell us what to buy. Paintings, Art Pottery and Art Glass have proven themselves to be the greatest return on investment for many years, and this will hold true in the coming year.

Paintings have guaranteed the person who has found pieces by listed artists and bought them well, the greatest return on investment. The number of people qualified to estimate their value is smaller than any other field in the antiques field. This being true, I highly recommend you spend time familiarizing yourself with a number of listed artists you want to become very knowledgeable about. I chose artists that appealed to me and then followed their successes in the marketplace through auction results and articles written about their works.

My list includes Harvey Joiner, Carl Brenner and Patty Thum. These are all Kentucky artists, and being from Kentucky, I have been able to accumulate a list of people who are searching for their paintings. Whenever I find one, I have a ready market for it. Next, I turned to one of my true loves -- the West. When I traveled to Wyoming, I discovered the paintings of artists such as William Golling, John Borein and Ida McAffee. All of these artist have served me well over the years, and have greatly added to my bank account.

Closely behind paintings, in return on investment, comes American Art Pottery. Grueby, Newcomb, Rookwood and George Orr pottery have increased over the years many times their value, and I believe their value will continue to escalate because of the limited number of pieces that were produced. Have you done your homework so you can know the rare and unusual in these lines?

Art Glass speaks for itself, with Tiffany leading the way in value, but it doesn't stop there. Companies like Stueben follow closely behind. I believe, however, that in the area of Art Glass, the real growth in value might be in the more contemporary glass such as Lotton, Smallhouse and Satava. I’ll be writing more on these last two another time.

I’m happy to assist my readers in any way I can about getting back to the basics. If you have questions, just ask me. Leave a question in the comment box is you like, or send me an e-mail at info@31corp.com. I want this coming year to be one that people will look back on and say ”The 31 Club changed the way that business will be conducted in the future.”

Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle's 220 Page Book,
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The Right Place

This is the time that you must use all the advantages that you have learned though reading the 31 Club's blog. Yes, the top dollar can be had for your better items that you wish to sell but knowing where that price will come from is most important. I just experienced this myself on a painting by Walter Darby Bannard.

After conducing my research, I found that Wright Auction here in Chicago had done quite well with Bannard's paintings and since I live in Chicago this would the obvious place to sell it. Was I wrong? I took the painting to Wright's and left it to be appraised for auction only to be very disappointed by their pre-auction estimate. Fortunately, I didn't accept their estimate and picked up the painting. I wasn't sure what to do – so I contacted one of the largest auction houses in the country and after just a few days, the reply came and to my amazement their estimate priced it higher than I had expected originally.

The lesson here is that your opinion can be right even if someone else disagrees with it. Sticking to your guns until you are given a reason to change your mind should be your rule. Why have we spent so much time studying if our opinion doesn't matter? In fact, just because we've been told that a piece a certain value might mean a lack of confidence in the auction house's ability to sell our piece. So rather than sacrifice the piece, look for a better opportunity.

Another example is my experience with the two Charles Courtney Curran's paintings that I am offering in the marketplace. I have had a lot of interest in these painting and have received several offers but nothing that I would accept. Was I right? Let's see - holding to a price of $9,000 for the pair, I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one that thought they had that much value until Shannon's Auction recently sold a smaller, yet similar, painting by the same artist at their last auction. It brought $5,100 and confirmed my opinion of an accurate valuation on the two pieces I have. YOU MAY NOT ALWAYS BE RIGHT AND THERE MAY BE TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE TO ALTER YOUR PRICE, BUT BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR TIME DOING THIS AND ONLY DO SO WHEN YOU ARE CONVINCED THAT IT IS AN APPROPRIATE DECISION.

As you find out that the rare and unusual doesn't come along every day, you should maximize your profit when they do, because the true collector will be willing to pay you a fair price for your better pieces. The examples I sited above demonstrates this principle, because by using good judgment, the return on these items will be thousands more than if a hasty decision is made and someone else benefits from the true value for the pieces.

This is the time to keep your powder dry until that special opportunity arrives then open fire and shoot for the moon.

Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle's 220 Page Book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
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Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

Partner Up with 31 Club on High Quality Treasures You Find. We Do the Rest!!

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible

The Changing Seasons

Brrr... can you feel the weather changing? I am looking out my window and admiring the beauty of nature as the trees are putting on their fall colors. In fact, this may be my favorite time of the year. But please don't ask me about the weather in a couple of months when there is two feet of snow on the ground.

Are you aware that the changing of the seasons is one of the most painted subjects that we have? There are artists that paint the same scene in all four seasons – spring, summer, fall and winter. This truly gives you a different perspective of a scene that you may never have been aware of because your eyes didn't take in the changes to your view as the seasons passed.

I have found that collectors have a tendency to collect paintings of a specific season to add to their collection. This may be because paintings about winter bring back fond memories from their past. Another reason for collecting paintings of a particular season is that the color of each one of them is so different. Winter scenes are usually rather drab while spring is full of new life and fall is full of rich, deep colors.

Landscape paintings have always been favorites and therefore they should always be on our list as potentially profitable. Good regional artwork always brings top dollar and landscapes are at the top of the list. I would suggest that you use the computer to research Brown County Indiana artists. There was a group of artists that would go to Brown County because of the natural beauty they found there. Those artists include names like T.C. Steele, Carl Graf, Edward K. Williams, Lucie Hartrath, Dale Bessire, C. Curry Bohm, Adolph Shulz, and William McKendree Snyder just to name a few. There are willing buyers just waiting to be called if you acquire art work by any of these artists. This is just one area where artists gathered and there are many more places like Brown County spread throughout this amazing country of ours. These artists spent their lives bringing some of the most beautiful scenes that anyone could imagine to life so that they can now be admired by all throughout the ages. They can be found in the eastern parts of our country, Texas and California to many other areas such as the pacific Northwest and far West.

This is the time to take in the beauty of the seasons and profit from your experience.

Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle's 220 Page Book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!



Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

Partner Up with 31 Club on High Quality Treasures You Find. We Do the Rest!!

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible

Halloween and Collectibles

As a child, I waited all year for Halloween to roll around, and fondly remember those nights when I took a pillowcase and canvassed the neighborhood with my friends. Knocking on doors, saying “trick or treat” and watching the adults hand over the loot filled with homemade popcorn balls, candied apples and other special prepared treats conjure up feeling I can hardly express properly. Those were such special days. I filled my sack until I could no longer carry it, then headed home to empty it. But, once I emptied it, I wasn’t yet done. I headed out for round two, especially to those houses that were giving away whole candy bars.

My costume was always homemade, because we couldn't afford the store bought kind. But that didn't matter; I was having the greatest childhood in the world. What a treat it was to run through the neighborhood by ourselves past sunset. My folks didn’t worry about us encountering trouble, because all the neighbors watched out for one another’s children.

My best memories of Halloween, however, were the ones spent before the night of trick or treating. Those days spent with my mom and dad helping us kids carve pumpkins are visions in my mind that will never fade. No matter how bad a job we did on the pumpkins, they would always tell us how beautiful they were. Usually mom would have hot apple cider waiting when we finally trudged in from the porch, and the fireplace was always ablaze. Today, on this special childhood occasion, is your house like this? I hope it is. My whole neighborhood took part in this day, and people who didn't have children, often seemed to have a better time than the ones who did. This day creates great childhood memories.

What has happened to our lives since those carefree days? I wish I knew. Today, I won't even let my son go out early Halloween night without Vickie or me being with him. Most of the candy Joshua receives is given away or thrown away, if it's not properly packaged. I ask God’s forgiveness for the way we have sat back and watched these special childhood times to be ruined for our children.

So why am I writing so much about Halloween? If you remember, I said that people collect what they remember from their past, and Halloween was usually a happy day for most people. This being so, then there most be collectibles that can make us money from Halloween. And, there are. A few of these collectibles would be candy containers of Hobo's, Jack O' Lanterns, and Roly Polys.

Witches can easily bring you $500 or more. Costumes from the past such as Boss Hogg, Fonz, Mickey Mouse, Spiderman and other creatures are always being sought out by collectors. Paper mache masks from the Mardi Gras can command prices as high as $1000. There are many more items that will come to mind as you are on the search, but don't leave Halloween items off your list of things to search for. BOO!


Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle's 220 Page Book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!



Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

Partner Up with 31 Club on High Quality Treasures You Find. We Do the Rest!!

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Political Collectibles & Memorabilia: Last Call for 2008 Freebies

I hope you have heeded my advise over this past six months or so and have collected every item you could pertaining to this year’s election. If you have stashed away a nice collection, these items will be as good as money in the bank for you. With the election only a few days away, it’s anyone’s guess who will be declared leader of this great country. In past Blogs (linked for you below) I’ve stated that if Obama is elected, the memorabilia from this election season could be equal in value to that of Washington and Lincoln. If you haven’t collected anything yet, it’s still possible for you to participate in this bonanza.

Go to the local headquarters and pick as much material as they will allow you to take. Offer to post yard signs, because these will have value after the election. If you’ve been lucky enough to have collected early during the campaign season and have pieces signed by the candidate, these can be gold for you. Try to find photographs signed by Obama or school yearbooks from schools he’s attended and signed his name for a friend. Anything with Obama’s signature will put money into your account. Take a look at what’s currently selling on eBay under the candidates names, then look through the completed sales. You’ll get an idea of what current values are and the types of items are most sought after.

History will still be made should McCain be elected, with the Republican party electing the first woman to ever hold the office of Vice President of the United States. I’ve seen Sarah Palin autographing signs for people while she’s been campaigning. Those can be worth a lot of money. Gather everything and anything you can that’s free, and if you have a good hunch about who will win, you might want to bid on a special piece that’s currently selling.

I have been totally surprised by the attention my political memorabilia blogs have received. Two major newspapers in New York have called and interviewed me about my view of where values will go with this year’s election collectibles, and they were surprised at what I had to say. An AP reporter did a story about my view for a California paper earlier this year, and yesterday I was called by an reporter from CBS Television in Los Angeles wanting to do a TV interview, but the time and distance, unfortunately, made that impossible.

Only 5 days to go, so don’t be left out.

Here's my other Election Memorabilia Blogs/Articles:
February 17, 2008: "Is eBay Predicting the Primary Results?"
March 20, 2008
May 20, 2008
August 30, 2008
Sept. 15, 2008
Oct. 8, 2008

Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!



Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

Partner Up with 31 Club on High Quality Treasures You Find. We Do the Rest!!

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com