Daryle Lambert Blog: Is it Time to Buy Royal Doulton Again?

Royal Doulton Tiger sold for $270 at Direct Auction, Chicago

In years past, I was a huge collector of the Doulton animal figurines but choose to sell them at the height of their range. Since then, I have watched as the prices of the Doulton animals have dropped, in some cases, as much as 75%. But, with the British Pound at a large premium to the dollar, now is the time to start watching those Doulton pieces again and consider buying.

Even I make mistakes on the things that I am most qualified on. This week at Direct Auction in Chicago, there was a 13” Doulton Lion that was going to be auctioned. I was thinking that I could make some money with that piece, but when Tuesday rolled around, I talked myself out of going to the sale. What a mistake that was. The piece sold for $270. I believe that on a good day, it could bring $1,000. Even after commission, the profit could have been over $600. Not bad for a Tuesday afternoon.

The story doesn't stop there, however. Two mint condition early Hummel Umbrella Boy and Girl figurines, that in the past, sold for over $1,500, were being offered Tuesday at Direct Auction. They sold for $350 each to a dealer. They could easily have been sold for $650 apiece.

Whenever you preview an auction, always key in on at least one item that should do well for you if purchased right. When you attend that auction, and if you buy your key piece, everything else you buy just becomes a bonus. I might have every easily left $2,000 or more on the table by talking myself out of attending Direct's auction. Shame on me. Even after all these years, I am still learning right alongside you. My only problem is that I seem to be learning some of these lessons all over again.

Like I told your several day ago, the good things are beginning to come to the market, so now is the time to really get active. Check every auction that is listed in your local paper or trade journal then the neighborhood paper if your community has one. Don't forget to see what is appearing in on the Ruby Lane website in your area I have found great buys there. Take a look at EstateSales.net and register to be notified of sales in your area. Winter is ending and many people are in a financial bind. People are eager to make changes and this will accrue to your benefit.

This is the time to see the basic principle that we teach come into play. By the end of the year, your eyes will be wide open to the potential that these markets offer you.

31 Club Members -- Watch your E-Mail for our Tips on Buying Royal Doulton. This will help you weed out the common from the more valuable.

To Learn More About Royal Doulton History and Top Artists, Shiffer's "Royal Doulton, A Legacy of Excellence 1871-1945" is an excellent resource. It's discounted at Amazon and includes a price guide.

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High Profit Day - Adventures in the Antique Business

I am reporting to you from the back-seat of a 2001 Ford Wind star. This is our last ski trip of the season, and we are traveling with three adults and three kids. The last trip like this that I took ended in one of my better days for treasure hunting. Here's what happened:

While everyone else did their own thing, I decided to venture out to see what I could find. Believe it or not, at the first place I stopped, there were some great Royal Doulton figurines from the 1940s. I soon began to bargain with the owner and used the technique that I have taught you in past blogs. I put about twenty figurines in a group and calculated the average price per piece I wanted to pay, then made the offer. At first there was a negative response, but as I started to walk away, the woman ask if I would pay any more than my offer. I explained why that was my best offer. You see asking if I would pay more, she told me that we were very close to closing the deal. Sure enough, after a few minutes she agreed to sell them to me for my original offer.

Putting that many figurines together meant that the total offer was rather substantial. Sometimes that's hard to refuse. Money talks, and the higher the amount of money offered, the harder it is for the seller to turn it down. If I had tried to bargain on the figurines one at a time, I would have probably left the shop empty handed.

Since I had spent over $5000 with the woman, she knew that I was a serious buyer. So, when I reached for the door she asked if I was interested in any other figurines. I thought that she was probably talking about Hummels or Lladros, but still I said “sure." The rule is not to ever stop a person from telling you of other things they have for sale, even if you have a doubt that there will be any interest.

The next thing that I knew she was locking up her shop, and we were headed to her home. Arriving at a rather modest home, I have to admit I wasn’t too excited. Walking through her living room, I did see some Early American furniture, but nothing that really caught my eye. Then we entered the family room and my eyes almost popped out of my head. There in front of me was one of the largest collections of Meissen figurines I had ever seen. I was looking at a good $100,000 worth of Meissen. I had to get a hold of myself because I didn't want to show the excitement I was feeling inside.

Looking over the collection and trying to conceal my unbelievable desire to purchase each every one of the pieces, I ask how many of the figurines were for sale. Her answer almost knocked me down. "All of them for the right price." I was like a child in a candy shop, but I had to control myself. I proceeded to pick the pieces that interested me most. I knew without a doubt I had selected over $20,000 worth of figurines at the price that I was willing to pay. I made the offer, and this time, without hesitation, she said that seems fair to me. You see, I had established credibility with her on the first trade. Now she accepted me as the expert.

I treated her fairly and purchase the pieces at a price that fit my standard rule for buying, so you know that this was one profitable day for me. There are many great lessons to be gleaned from this experience, but perhaps the greatest is that you must always keep your emotions under control when you are trying to make a purchase. Also, you must appear as the person who has all the facts at his fingertips.

Do you need college funds, retirement funds, or want a larger stash of cash for you lifestyle? The 31 Club uses a wealth building plan that can help you accumulate enough funds to last a lifetime, buying and selling antiques, collectibles, and fine art. Join the 31 Club. Learn about Art, Antiques & Collectibles. Learn How to Invest in Art, Antiques & Collectibles and build lifetime wealth. The plan is in my book. When you join today, you'll receive my 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles, FREE, plus MENTORING from me whenever call me. Or, order 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles and your membership is FREE and you still get mentoring. Either way, you're in. I know it sounds crazy to get all this for about $20, but I assure you, I'm offering this. If you've read this far, why not hop aboard.

"...I spent about 15 years in the antiques and collectible field
and I can tell you this is one of the best books you will ever
read about making money with art, antiques and collectibles."
-Skip McGrath, Auction Seller's Resources & EBay Powerweller

"It has been a great pleasure knowing Daryle for more than
10 years. I share his excitement in releasing this book. He is
a man of his word."
Riley Humler, Cincinnati Art Galleries
Consultant, Antique RoadShow

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If you haven't yet had a chance to see what we've got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We've got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you'd like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us.

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Pass The Word - This Business Just Got Easier

The first 90 days in the life of our company have been exciting and encouraging, and we’re off to a great start. Now is the time to start thinking about giving a 31 Club Membership to your friends and family for Christmas. There would be no better gift than the gift of membership to this unique club. We will be keeping the Charter Membership Program open through December 31, 2007. All charter members will have no future fees to stay active with us. So, for about the price of a really good pizza, your friends and family can have access to us, plus a copy of our book, “31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles” for your help in getting us started.

Those of you who keep in contact with us truly know that I am dedicated to helping you succeed in ascending the 31 Steps and reaching the financial goal you have set for yourself. With that said, the staff and I have voted to extend another great benefit: The Associate Program. You can use this program should you come upon an item that is a good buy, but you might not be in a position to purchase just yet. The company can buy this piece, provide for it being sold, and give the member a generous percentage of the net profit for finding it. Call or E-mail us for the details.

We are in this together, and we will not leave any stone unturned to assure your financial success. Your club is providing you opportunities to get you moving forward by blazing a new trail. PASS THE WORD!

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club and start your own race to your millions! Read more about it here!"The Guy in the Red Tie" --- Daryle Lambert

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MIX and MATCH - This Can Prove Profitable in Antiques & Collectibles

How often have you seen something for sale, but it wasn’t complete and passed it by? You may have found a pedestal but not the jardinière, or a mechanical bank missing a part and thought that these had no value. But you would have been wrong. If it is rare, it will still have value if the condition of the piece is good.

Let me give you some examples. I spoke to Cecil this week, and his story gave me the blog for today. Cecil found a Weller Flemish pedestal and bought it for $179. Knowing the pattern, and seeing that the piece had a heavily carved surface like Newcomb pottery, there was no doubt that he was going to buy it and put the piece into inventory. After returning home to search the Weller book, to his amazement the piece listed for $750 - $1,000. If he can find the matching jardinière, this combination might well bring over $2,500 in today’s market.

I went to an auction and found a Daum Nancy lamp that was missing the wiring and shade, so very few people were interested in it. I was able to buy it for a small amount of its valve, which I think would’ve been somewhere around $5,000 today. You see, the value in Daum Nancy is in the glass, not the lamp base. The base can be replaced but not the acid etched glass.

The Tarzan book that brought $18,000.00 was bought for $2.00. However it was without the cover, so the buyer had to pay $1,000 or more for a matching cover, but look at the results.

The best thing that I will ever teach you is rarity is where it’s at. I may repeat this until you are sick of hearing it, but I still won’t stop saying it over and over again. This is the area of the market we will need to be working toward as we climb our 31 Steps. When we focus here, money will be made. This is the goal. To be working the steps through the beginning stages so we can be dealing in the rare and valuable items soon enough. It won't take too many steps to get there, either. By Step 4, you can already be making a $1,600 purchase (on an item that can sell for at least $3,200) My experience tells me that once you're into making a $1,000 and up buys, there's not quite as many people to compete with. How many pieces do you think you'll have to buy and sell if you're working with the rare? Not too many. You can now take your time doing your reasearch and homework before you decide to buy.

Remember, always look at what a piece could be -- not what it is when you find it. Common things can’t be improved much to bring higher value. But the finer items, if they can be brought back to whole, can still bring top valve.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club and start your own race to your millions! Read more about it here!"The Guy in the Red Tie" --- Daryle Lambert

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Out of the Gate - Sky is the Limit!

Yahoo! The 31 Gang has broken out of the gate in the $1,000,000 Race.

Our enamel on copper painting, that was purchased for $35.00, just finished on eBay for $313.00. The Doulton figurine that was purchased for $65.00 finished at $80.79 and the music box didn't sell. Our $125.00 invested returned a net of $335.63 after fees, definitely more than double and completing our first step in the race. Plus, we still have the music box to sell later!

We will be listing the two Meissen figurines that we purchased for $340 on eBay, and hopefully, we will be making one or more steps on them. Patience and consistency will get us across the finish line, and I hope that there are a lot of you there with us.

Yesterday, I was able to purchase three miniature Lotton vases. But before I let the person off the phone, I asked if she had anything else that I might be interested in buying. Her response was, "I have several other Lotton pieces, and I would be glad to sell them to you whenever I can find them."

The lesson here is to never leave a person after a purchase without asking if they have other things to sell. They may have other pieces. If they do, you can buy them at a price that is acceptable to you. How do you know this? Because you were able to purchase the items from them already, at a prices that you could accept.

As you can see, The 31 Gang isn't making just one purchase to meet its goals, but multiple ones. In our first purchase, only one piece out of the three reached our goal, but the combination of their sales prices got us over the top. It is fine to put all your money in one item, but it isn't always necessary to do so for you to take the next step.

Now that the weather is changing, there may not be as many house sales and garage sales for you to attend, but there are still more places to search than you will ever be able to visit. Auctions, Consignment shops, antiue shops, shows, just to name a few. There will be newspaper ads to answer, ads in the for sale section of the Antique Trader, AntiqueWeek, Maine Antique Digest, and The Bee will provide happy hunting grounds for you all winter.

I want to thank each and every one of you for your concern and support as we work our way through the death of our friend.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club and start your own race to your millions! Read more about it here!"The Guy in the Red Tie" --- Daryle Lambert

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