“Do as I Do” - Daryle Lambert's Antique and Collectible Club – Use Others' Information.

Josh and Daryle

Would you believe that 50% of my time is spent researching items that I think might make me money? Today I will give you the tips that I use for getting the answers about the possible treasures I find. It really is easy to get the information you need but often we overlook the obvious. Let's just take a few examples.

I received an email from a wonderful young lady inquiring about this beautiful vase she had found. After much research she said the pattern matched closely with one on consolidated glass. However, she still wasn't sure and what could I tell her? I wish that I had all the knowledge that seems to be attributed to me but guess what, I don't. Just like many of you I have to start from scratch.

In this case my first thought was maybe there is a collectors' club for consolidated pieces and off to Google I went. Sure enough there was a collectors' club for Phoenix and consolidated both so I sent her the consolidated website, because if anyone knows consolidated it would be the club and its members. This should always be your first bet and these clubs are happy to assist you.

Next, what should I do to try and find a current price for this treasure? Ebay, ebay, ebay. This is perhaps the greatest source of pricing that you will ever find. First, look at current auctions and then the completed ones. Over 50% of the time you will find an item like yours that has sold and this is current. No, you don't use one source to establish your price but with Ebay you are well on your way. If the piece is Art Glass go the Julia's glass auctions on their web page or Cincinnati Art Galleries site on their home page. Between these two houses you will find most of the great glass pieces that have been sold. But now how about pottery? Treadway, Cincinnati Art Galleries and Rago will cover you there. Yes, it will serve you well to find out what auction houses specialize in what and then stay current on their auctions. Remember that price guides are at lest a year old when they are published, so for me they have very little actual value.

There are other ways to get the information that you need to make intelligent decision but the rest often require you to leave the house, which isn't all that bad either. One way to get information is by going to antique and collectible shows. In one afternoon at a show you will pick up an unlimited amount of knowledge, plus there will be people there to answer any other questions that you may have. The same thing can be said of antique shops but there the information will be less because usually these shops are owned by what we call "moms and pops" and the inventory will be small compared to a show where you can have up to 500 dealers or more. The way that most people learn is by reading and this is a super way to accumulate knowledge. Unfortunately I am a visual learner and it is best if I see what I am learning about.

I hope that this little outline that I use to obtain information will help you. This business is so simple and easy to run if a person will just slow down and let his mind do the walking.

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