Chandeliers - Daryle Lambert's Antiques and Collectibles Blog - Light into your life

I will be leaving the Smoky Mountains tomorrow but before leaving I had to visit Kay at the Gazebo. She was one of the first dealers in Lotton Glass and we always have a great time talking about how things are going.


When I rang her door bell she didn’t answer but I did get to look through the window and there were many Lotton piece. It seems that most of them were by members of the Lotton family besides Charles. It looked as if her shop was fully stocked with other great glass and pottery pieces and when I picked up her card at the door I noticed that she now deals in Lalique and Sabino, as well as Lotton. I have to assume she is doing well and I will see her next year.


I decided to walk a block and look through the Morton Antiques Shop. This is owned by Kay’s uncle and one of the finest antiques shops that I visit. It is filled with Meissen, early American glass, Tiffany and most of the other names you would recognize. I looked at a few of the items that he had and believe me there wasn’t anything cheap. The gentleman that I ususally talk to wasn't there but his partner, who is his son, was. We started to talk about business and he said that over the last three months their business had really picked up. I asked him if there were any items that were doing particularly well and he said Chandeliers. In fact he said they couldn't keep the better chandeliers in stock for very long.


This got me to thinking because I am often offered chandeliers but usually pass on them because it is so hard to pack and ship them. Also if you break a piece on the chandelier how would you ever replace it? But after thinking back to where I could have purchased some great pieces and what they seem to be bringing in the markets today the risk may well be worth it. In fact I just completed buying an estate but passed on the chandeliers. When I return home I hope they are still there and can be added to my inventory.


The chandelier is a perfect example of what I have talked about in the past. I am not interested myself in buying 1000 items for a $1 and then selling then one at a time for $2. Yes you would double your money but the work and time be worth it, not to me. However don’t confuse that with a chandelier that might have 50 or 100 pieces to pack and ship. The difference is that the chandelier will be shipped to one person and the profits can be four or five times your cost. Now that makes sense to me. Always evaluate what your time and money are worth before you accept or reject a trade.