Quick Turn Your Antique & Collectible Items to Keep Your Money in Circulation

I got the chance to visit with Cecil visited while I was headed back to Chicago, and we found some time to visit an indoor antique market together. We came upon a booth filled with some pretty good items. There was pottery, good art glass and some other varied items. To Cecil’s surprise, he began to recognize most of the pieces and realized they belonged to a lady who had placed them in his store to sell over ten years ago.

She must have tried to sell these items at many places since Cecil first saw them with no success. There was a Budweiser advertising piece she had turned down $1250 for when she had it at Cecil's store, but now her price was $950. What must she be waiting for? Perhaps she isn't convinced her prices are too high, but ten years? If she had sold everything at her cost back then and reinvested her money the 31 Club way, she may have been retired by now.

This isn't where the story ends, however. I thought a bigger market place might be the thing these items needed to get them sold. So, I asked the sales lady if I picked several items that totaled from one to two thousand dollars, would she make the offer? I was told yes because the owner had reasons why she wanted to liquidate her inventory. After scanning her entire booth, I came up with a list of items that, by her tickets, totaled $2425 (but they were all well over priced.)

After discussing it with Cecil, he said his top dollar would be $1050, however due to the circumstances I decided to make the offer $1250. It took about twenty minutes to get the answer. “No, but $1500 would be okay.” I told the sales lady I was already paying more than I should, and that I was leaving for Nashville and then returning to Chicago and $1250 was my last offer. She let me walk out of the store with my money in my pocket. In my opinion, she made a huge mistake. Will she even sell a portion of these items over the next ten years? Who knows.

Why is this story important to you as your search for treasure advances?

This type of experience can halt your enthusiasm. If you paid too much, you could end up tying up your money, and if a bargain does come your way, there might not be money for its purchase. Yes, you’ll always have the Associates Program to fall back on, but then the item has to be something the Club will approve first. We are in the business of keeping our money moving. You can’t compound your resources very quickly by holding items for long periods of time without buying and selling something.

90 days or 6 months should be more than enough time to sell anything you’ve acquired, even if it goes to auction.

If it’s in your possession after that length of time, my advise is to send it to auction. With the proceeds you get for its sale, start the compounding method all over again. Even if you paid a little too much and there may not be a lot of profit, you’ll have your money back in circulation where it should be. I wish this lady good luck, but my hope and pray for her is that if this is her chosen profession that she’ll join with us at the 31 Club, where we as a community, can take her under our wing and give her some guidance.

Thanks for all your prayers while I was away.

Daryle

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Antique Soda Shop Items Have Stong Values Today

Antique Soda Fountain found at the Bryant House in Weston, Vermont. Photo from roadfood.com

As a young kid, I remember going to the Olde Soda Shop in Lewisport Kentucky with my Uncle Jim. He was my father’s youngest brother, yet only four years older than me. The town of Lewisport had a population of about 500 back then, and everyone, including the adults, seemed to congregate at this shop on the weekends. It was the most popular place in town for feasting on delicious homemade ice cream and sundaes.

Little did I know back then that almost everything in the store would become a real treasure in a few year’s time. One of the biggest tragedies to this little town was when the government closed the ice cream shop stating sanitary reasons. Most people thought that the real reason was because the larger company making ice cream in the city couldn't compete in quality with the homemade kind being made in Lewisport. I have to agree with this assessment.

Let’s take a look at some values of the items found in the Olde Soda Shop, like the ice cream scoop. The Gilchrist No. 34 Banana Split scoop was recently listed at $675.00. There are many that will bring even more than this, and if you’ve ever had a dip of homemade ice cream served from one of these, you’ll say it is worth every penny of that price. How about soda dispensers? Most of these were also advertising pieces of what they dispensed, like Hires Munimaker Syrup. Today, that dispenser would cost you $6,500. Today, a Scott’s Root Beer Barrel shape dispenser can be yours for the small sum of $4,500. These dispensers were in all kinds of soda shops, and you might find one at your next garage sale.

Advertising was what really caught your eye when you entered the shop in Lewisport. Coke Cola, Green River, Cherry Smash, Root Beer, and Grape Crush were just a few of the dispensers that you might see on the other side of the counter. Almost all of these dispensers today will bring over $500 and several will sell in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. Not to be out done are the tin and cardboard signs that were sitting everywhere. This made it virtually impossible not to order something, and if you find one of these, their value will compare with the soda dispensers.

When I close my eyes, I can still catch the aroma of fresh fruit, candy, peanuts and chewing gum that filled the air. And there were dispensers and jars in which these items were contained, too. What stories these shops could share if they still existed today.

Ice Cream Parlor tables and chairs, stools, and benches will still bring a pretty penny today. Who says the old days weren’t worthwhile? Be sure to keep these in mind when you are on your search for treasures from yesteryear.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your treasure hunting skills. Get FREE Mentoring. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to make high profits and continue to grow your money buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

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