Daryle Lambert: Antique and Collectible Automobile Memorabilia

Daryle Lambert: Antique and Collectible Automobile Memorabilia

What could be better for us as dealers and collectors than to have the “Big Three” auto manufacturers headline the news each day if automobiles are our passion? Everyone is talking about what the government should or shouldn't do. To bail or not to bail! This will definitely cause collectibles from auto industry to appreciate. It looks as if many models produced by the major companies Ford, General Motors and Chrysler will cease to be made. You should be aware that when any model of car is discontinues or deleted from a company’s assembly line, that car’s advertising, manuals and anything else pertaining to that model becomes collectible. I personally believe that coming years may be the best of the automobile years for the collector since the muscle car mania.

So the question is; how do we take advantage of this period of time when the automobile is the subject of every discussion? My answer is to buy, buy, and then buy some more. This is one of the few areas where paper items can command nice returns on your investment. Old magazines with car ads can bring more than you would think, dealership cardboard cutout ads can bring hundreds of dollars and the owner manuals from rare and unusual models find eager collectors just waiting for these items to come into your possession.

If you recall, I recently did a blog on license plates with the values that can exceed a thousand dollars for certain ones. There are so many other items to be collected from the automobile industry. Tin Dealer signs can bring out of this world prices while hood ornaments seem to be the cream of the crop for collectors (the right one can often bring tens of thousands). I received an email recently from a lady that has an entire collection of some fabulous hood ornaments for sale. She had them all mounted for presentation. I am waiting to hear back from her because I believe this collection could be quite valuable and I would like to represent her in finding a buyer.

Model cars, toy cars, paddle cars, and even small scale cars are out in the marketplace just waiting to be found by the members of the 31 Club. With all the publicity surrounding the automobile industry today, this should be one of your centers of focus while you are searching for treasure.

I will share a short story with you and I hope I haven’t shared this before. I was in a home with various antiques but after spending several hours there, I found nothing of interest to me so as I was leaving through the garage, I noticed a small wheel under a pile of other things. Asking the gentleman what was there, he told me it was his son’s race car. I immediately uncovered a quarter midget racer from the 50's. Thinking this would be a great thing for my son, I asked what he would take for the racer. The gentleman said $300 and I said "sold." Getting the car home and doing my research, it soon became apparent to me that this was quite a collectible and not a “go-cart” for a child. I ended up selling the racer for about $2,500. I have to confess - I hated to part with it more than my son did.

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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.”

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The Advantage of Knowing Your Buyers and Making Private Sales

Charles Lotton, 1977, pulled feather vase sold through 31 Gallery & Marketplace in 2007.

Even in uncertain economic times like these, good customers are looking to increase their collections.

Having a buyer in mind before we buy an item greatly reduces the time it will take to sell it. When our time in the Antique & Collectible Business is spent servicing past customers, we won’t have to give away our found treasures at low prices. If we can find the right items for them, we’ll be able to turn our money quickly and keep it circulating. This should be one of our main goals.

At least 75% of the sales in the higher end Antiques and Fine Arts are made between private individuals.

Since I introduced Lotton Glass as the “next” Tiffany, many people have asked me to call them if I ran across a nice piece of this wonderful glass. Well, this happened two days ago. One of our members let me know he wished to sell a very special John Lotton 15” vase. I knew of a customer who just might be interested for the right price. Bingo. Another sale made and everyone is happy.

As the 31 Club grows larger, private sales between members will increase.

In private sales, the seller will receive more money for items, and the buyers will pay less. That works for me. How about you? I think we’ll have a large number of very satisfied customers.

The average sales price for items sold in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace is beginning to increase.

We are seeing more sales averaging $3,000 – $4,000 thousand and fewer items selling in the lower prices. You’ll make more money dealing in higher end items, and if you read yesterday’s blog, you’ll understand just why the higher end more rare items are where we want to be, especially in uncertain economic times.

Members Are on the Hunt for Great Items

Right now, I can mention several items that there have buyers just waiting for members to find the right piece for them. These include paintings by Carl Brenner, Patty Thum, Paul Sawyier, Pauline Palmer and Harvey Joiner. (By the way, we are working on acquiring one of Joiner’s paintings that’s presently in Canada.)

Customers of ours are looking for more great glass by Charles Lotton and John Lotton. A customer is looking for three Springfield Rifles to present to each one of his sons. George Ohr Pottery and Rookwood Pottery have buyers waiting for the right piece at 31 Club.

Utilizing the 31 Club Wish List in combination with the Associates Program will catapult your profit making ability.

Let’s see how this works: The Wish List gives you the opportunity to advertise the items you want to buy at no charge. Free Advertising. Say you’re wanting to by Rookwood Pottery, but you’re only able to purchase $300-$400 items. Along comes someone who sees your list and that you buy Rookwood, but they have a rare piece and want $2,000 for it. You know you can sell it for double that or more, but you don’t have the $2,000 to buy it. Are you going to throw away a perfectly good buy? No.

That’s when you use the Associates Program. We buy it, we sell it, and you get 35% of the net sale. Let’s plug some figures into that. Say we netted $4,500 when we sold that Rookwood vase you called us about. You’ll have made $1,575. And you never invested a dime or did anything to sell it. Now, add a zero onto all those figures and see how you feel. Think about this very hard and imagine the possibilities. I’ll be glad to hear from you when this hits you over the head. When it does, feel free to share your excitement with me at info@31corp.com or call me at 847-784-8544 if you have questions.

Now, go take on this fine day.

*******

Treasure Hunters:

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

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Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
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Regional Art: There’s No Place Like Home

Have you thought about becoming a specialist in art from your surrounding area? Over the years, I have had some of the greatest art in my home by collecting the works of Kentucky artists. I’ve also made the largest amount of money in this business in Kentucky Art sales. I’ve found many of my Kentucky paintings in other states where they weren't as appreciated as they are at home, so big bucks were made that way. If you think about becoming specialized in the art of your region, both past and present, you might agree that this makes great sense.

As you know, I am forever on the hunt for paintings by Harvey Joiner, Carl Brenner, Paul Sawyier and Patty Thum. There are, of course, many more artists I’ll always add to my collection if they are presented to me, particularly from the Kentucky River Artists. You might recall I stated that everything in my house, with the exceptions of my wife and son are for sale for the right price, but two paintings by Patty Thum are my wife’s favorites, and they would have to go for a pretty penny if she’s to ever part with them.

I’ve been able to share my passions for Kentucky Art with my readers in several past blogs. It isn’t often one finds himself in a position to share his passions with others, however I’m in this position today.

You see, over forty years ago, I got to know an attorney in Owensboro Kentucky, by the name of Robert E. Humphreys, Jr. He had been a friend of my father’s for many years, and Mr. Humphreys assisted both of us in the oil and gas business. Although I knew him quite well, I had no idea many years later I would discover we had a similar passion – a love for the artists of Kentucky. While he was considerably older than me, this was one part of his life we had never discussed.

Well, a year or so ago, I was told Mr. Humphreys had one of the best known collections of Kentucky Art, and upon his death, his daughter and son-in-law acquired it. I wanted to introduce myself to them, so I phoned their residence and had a conversation about our love for these paintings. To my surprise, I was told that this collection would be shown in the Owensboro Kentucky Fine Arts Museum during the month of August, 2008. They also sent me a wonderful book that contains the entire collection of 48 works of Kentucky art Mr. Humphreys collected over three decades. I can’t be thankful enough for this gift. My only regret is that I, more than likely, won't be able to attend the showing this month.

You can feel the excitement I receive when I look at these wonderful paintings by going to the site of the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. I’ve linked it below. What an honor to have such a wonderful exhibit shared with the people of Owensboro and the many others who will attend this fabulous showing. I hope they will show their appreciation to the family.

Think about becoming knowledgeable about the art of your region. After all, there’s no place like home.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Art, Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills with FREE MENTORING from Daryle Lambert. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets to help you profit. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Program. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today.

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Today's Photo is a painting by Frank J. Girardin(1856-1945), a native of Louisville, Kentucky who later moved to Richmond, Indiana. This piece is available at Payne Fine Arts

TODAY'S LINK:

Owensboro Museum of Fine Art Humphreys Collection

Working the Trends in the Antique and Fine Art Markets

Lotton Glass Lava & Cypriot Vases. Photo from Lotton Glass Club.

It’s come up upon the first year anniversary since I published my book and launched the 31 Club, and naturally, I’ve been thinking about the past year. I’ve shared a lot of my expertise with blooming enthusiasts, and it does my heart good to see many of you doing things you never thought you could do. It’s always helpful to visit the past for a brief time and examine what’s occurred, so let's do that.

When 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles was released, others were stating that the Antique, Collectible, and Fine Art Markets were doomed. I completely disagreed with the barrage of negative articles that came out about this topic, so we decided to go on a crusade to show that these markets, were in fact, healthier than ever. So we wrote about it and sent our articles all over. A look at the market today shows that there are record prices realized in almost every category of the industry, and while I don’t get to read everything around, I haven’t seen negative articles about our industry in a long time. But where is the market headed now? Remember the trend is your friend so let’s check out a few markets.

The American Art Market is still on fire. Paintings that were bringing in only a thousand dollars or two dollars may produce figures today that I'm startled by. I’ll start with some of the markets that I am most familiar with.

Paintings by Kentucky artists have reached heights that most who collect them never thought possible. Harvey Joiner’s paintings, just a few years ago, could be purchased for $400 to $500 dollars. The market trended upward, and the prices escalated to the $800 range. But, over the last 24 months, his paintings may now demand $10,000 to $15,000 and even the smallest 5 to 8 inch paintings can fetch $4,500 at auction.

I have probably sold 30 of Joiner’s paintings over the last 5 years, and I’ll say I wish that I had them back at the prices I sold them for, but that isn't the way we work in the 31 Club program, is it. We take our profits and move on with our money, and keep it turning. That's the only way the compounding effect we are looking for will ever be achieved.

Regional Art

The same that we said about prices on Harvey Joiner can also be said about artists such as Carl Brenner and Patty Thum. Collectors are standing in line to purchase works by these artists that are not even their best. The trend in Regional Art is going straight up, so you might want to look into your local market and see if it's following the trend. If it is, don’t you think it might be worth your while to find some of it?

Art Glass

My friend, Warner, introduced me to Lotton Glass less than five years ago. At that time, we were able to purchase examples of Charles Lotton’s best work for under $500 for small and medium pieces, but what about today?

I pulled out some old auction catalogs from back then to see if there was perhaps a single piece of Lotton represented in the sales. I don’t think I found more than two pieces in any one sale. And there weren’t buyers lined up for these pieces. Flash forward to today and you find that both Early’s Auction and Cincinnati Art Gallery just completed sales with about 40 pieces of Lotton represented in each sale.

Usually when this many pieces of anything are sold at one auction, the prices are reduced, but not in this case. Most of the Lotton offerings brought close to retail. So, where’s the trend here? We can still look to make a wonderful profit on this glass if we can buy it right. Most good pieces of Lotton Glass are bringing in over $1,500 and as much as $7,000 or $8,000. I believe this same trend is being followed by most good Art Glass today.

Know What The Trend is and Follow It.

Know what’s in demand today and look to buy these items as you ascend the 31 Steps of our plan. Follow the trend and buy, buy, buy – according to the plan developed in 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antique & Collectibles. When you do, you’ll find you’ll complete these steps in this upward market faster than you could ever have imagined. See you in the winner’s circle.

Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today. Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Continue to Grow Your Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers who are making more money than they thought possible.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership.

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