Daryle Lambert: Time for Humor from the Past

Howdy and Bob - Thanks to www.myspace.com

“Hi I'm Buffalo Bob” was the sound that came from my TV as a young kid and when it did I knew it was time for laughter. Yes, maybe we need a show like that today. It is time to stand up and say we are Americans again and not let the doomsayers devalue what our ancestors gave their lives for. We are the greatest country on earth. There are some that want to relinquish that title, but not me.

I can still see Old Bob saying "What do you want to share with the kids today, Howdy?” If you don't remember Howdy Doody you have missed a real part of what American life was all about from 1947 till 1960 when the Howdy Doody show went off the air. It did reappear in the 70's as a favorite of college students that were recalling their past. For those of you who don't know, Howdy was a red-headed puppet.

Today, if you run across a Howdy doll that measures over 12 inches it could return you $600 to $700. A Howdy swinging from a bar toy with the box could cash in at near $1000. You have Howdy books, games, lamps, puppets and wristwatches that still can bring a smile to your face and a chuckle to your stomach if you are able to remember this wonderful time in our history.

Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody were symbols of what we stood for as we took time to laugh at ourselves but I'm not seeing much of that today. I yearn for the old shows that made all our troubles seem to fade away but even then we realized that there was hard work to be done. We just didn't complain about it all day.

People back then didn't expect to get everything given to them and they worked hard to educate their children, pay their medical bills and feed their families. Welfare was when you went to the warehouse and received a block of cheese, some powdered milk, and a few other things to get you through tough times. Being an American doesn't mean you get a free ride because I still remember Dad walking to work and Mom pushing the stroller to the grocery store.

If there are people that don't like working or living in this great country and are only looking for what it can give them, then it may be time they go where they think it's better. Please let us that do love this country keep what is left of it. We no longer can provide for those that don't contribute. Free lunches will eventually reduce this great country to a third world status and I have to admit I'm not ready for that.

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Art Business: The Changing Print Market

For years, I have said that prints held very little interest for me. However, my attitude might be changing for the short run.

Having worked with a lady for several months on selling her Andy Warhol prints, I told her I could no longer present them on our website when I secured a buyer at the posted price and she decided not to sell them. At the time, the price was $35,000 each for Warhol's "Howdy Doody" and "The Witch." I checked prices the other day on these two prints and found that they have almost doubled in price since I listed them. I know you won’t believe this-- I hardly did, but the asking price for Warhol’s Mickey Mouse print is now over $100,000. For a print!!!

I might say that this is an exception, but some good fortune has come my way by this increased value of prints. I scanned the completed sales on eBay for a Marc Chagall print I’ve owned for some time, and there on the screen right in front of me was my print. And it had just finished its auction at $12,000. You can bet there will be another one listed soon.

Then, Cecil called me this morning to tell me that a print he had hanging in the booth at the antique mall where he sells many of his items, had just sold for over $1,000 and another one for over $400. These prints, by Buffet, had been there over a year, and Cecil had expected them to be just decorative wall paper to make the booth attractive.

So what is happening in the print market? Has true art become so expensive that most people no longer can afford it? And, what do we do with this trend?

While I still have very little faith that this market in prints can be sustained, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't take advantage of this trend while it's here. Money is money. If people are willing to spend big bucks on prints, let's scour the countryside for them. Be sure, however, to list each print you buy quickly, so you don’t get stuck with many of them should the market reverse course.

The only warning I would give you is to not buy prints that have a certificate of authenticity with them. Usually these pieces were produced to take advantage of the buyer by unscrupulous sellers. There are exceptions, but let the buyer beware.

To build your client base in the Art business, it will always be best to encourage them to buy the real thing, and the best they can afford. In the Art World, it isn't how much you own, but rather the quality of each piece in your collection. If you help your clients to assemble an art collection with the best they can afford, always putting their best interest above making money, they will be your customers for life, and you will become the person other people will look to for advise in building their collections.

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