FIND THE MARK OTHERS MISS - Know Quality in Pottery, Art Glass, & Porcelain

If you can’t see it, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. How many times have I had to tell myself that? I promise you, more than I wish to recall. What am I talking about?

I once visited a very high-end antique store in Los angles and found nothing of interest that could be bought and then sold for a profit. But, as I was leaving the store, for some reason I looked up at a top shelf where there were two extremely large vases. I asked the dealer if he would get a ladder and bring them down so that I could get a better look at them. Hesitantly, he did.

I examined the vases from top to bottom not finding a mark, but being sure that they were Doulton Lambeth pieces decorated by one of their leading artists. Going over them several more times finding nothing, I was about to decide that these vases truly were not signed. This is where persistence can pay off. Being stubborn as all that know me can attest to, I refused to give up. Turning them around in my hands another time, I finally caught a glimpse of three letters within the body of the vase, "FEB".

FEB, Florence E. Barlow, the sister of Hannah Barlow. This had just become my lucky day. The two Barlow sisters were Doulton's best known decorators, and their vases always bring top prices.

Why hadn’t others found these marks? Very simply, the marks weren’t typically where one would find marks on pottery. I am sure there had been hundreds of people who looked at the bottoms of these pieces, but after finding nothing, returned them to their resting place. You see, ninety-five percent of these vases would have been marked on the bottom. But, not these. And, on top of that, this mark, "FEB" had been incorporated into the actual design of the vase, making it almost impossible to find. But, not impossible to a persistant and stubborn man like me. The poor dealer had no idea that these vases were special pieces.

I could barely hold my composure when I asked the price. Two hundred and fifty dollars each was his response, and at this time, I didn’t know if it was a time to dance or cry.

Returning to my car carrying these two precious bundles ever so carefully, I placed them into the back seat. Then, I pinched myself to be sure that I wasn’t dreaming. You see, these wonderful 22" vases were worth over $5,000 each, even then.

I truly tell you, this isn’t a rare occurrence. I have had it happen many times since then. Lalique, Steuben and other art glass pieces with etched marks often present a huge problem in finding the marks. The secret is to recognize the quality of the materials and the decorations on the piece. If they both meet the standards of a quality piece, then you should spend the time required to verify the maker.

I want to challenge you to a test. At the next show you attend, find a Tiffany Lamp and ask to look at it. I believe that you will find that it isn’t easy to located the marks on the lamp because of their small size and because of where they are located under the shade.

The message here is to know quality first. Make a study the most sought after pottery, porcelain and art glass, and know the various artists whose work is in demand and commands the highest prices. Use every source you can. Search the Internet. See these pieces up close at shows. Invest in your own resource library. Used books can easily be found at reasonable prices through the internet. Take a look at our recommended reading list and choose your area to study at this time.

Keep your eyes open and don’t get in a hurry if you find something that tells you it has quality but the mark isn't immediately apparent. Be persistant in looking for the mark on pieces you recognize as high quality.

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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LOOKS CAN BE DECEPTIVE: Fakes & Forgeries

The way something looks doesn't mean that it is real. Most forgers take liberty to change the signatures that they were forging just enough that you could tell that it wasn't original.

Why am I telling you this today? This weekend I did an appraisal fair in Western Springs, Illinios for the Historical Society, and this story comes from that event.

A lady came to my station with a beautiful blue aurene bud vase for me to appraise. This was a rather large piece, and I thought perhaps it would be one of those special pieces we see once in a while.

Turning the piece over, there was the name you hope to see: Tiffany. However, I had never seen a Tiffany piece signed like this one. LCT TIFFANY INC FAURILE and perhaps ten numbers, it seemed a little strange to my eye. So, all I could do at the time was to tell her that if the mark was correct, then the value would be such and such. You see all that shine isn't always gold.

Returning home, I consulted my flash cards of real and fake marks and couldn't find this combination, so the search goes on. But you can be assured that I won't stop until the mystery is solved. These flash cards could be bought from the classifieds in the AntiqueWeek or Antique Trader at one time and they may still be available there.

In the past, there were many companies producing beautiful art glass, but the top of the line was Tiffany. Every so often, a forger would take a piece of Stueben or other glass and mark it Tiffany to increase its value. The strange thing is that today it might well be as valuable with the original name as the forged one.

Fakes and forgeries are widespread today, so be sure to consult with a person familiar with the marks of the company that is being represented. These people that are doing this have taken just a little fun out of our business, but if you're careful about this, it won't be a problem for you. This practice is showing up in all areas of our business: Pottery, Metal, Furniture, Glass, Paintings and many others.

By the way, I did see some wonderful things at the event, and the best might have been a mechanical bank in the form an elepant where the tail raised the trunk to deposit the coin. This wonderful piece still retained 95% of its original paint and was in mint condition otherwise.

I would like to thank MIR Appraisal Services,Inc for inviting me, and I hope to do many more events with them. If you need appraisals, you can find them in the Chicago phone book. They are located on Michigan Ave.
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

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don't have to sign in to leave your message.

Some Things that Shine - Can Really Sparkle Later

When buying good leaded crystal glass, you should have handled a lot of pieces before you invest in this field. You want to be able to recognize the weight and designs on the better pieces you encounter, because it is easy to get fooled today. Also, being acquainted with their marks will come from familiarity. I don’t know of a book that shows the marks, so if anyone does, write and let us know. Often, all clear glass looks alike, but it isn’t. In your search, these differences will become apparent. There has also been an influx of what I call copycat pieces that are coming into the market today.

It would seem easy to say, all that is necessary to recognize this glass is to look at the bottom of each piece, right? Wrong. I often have taken a piece from one room to another trying to get just the right light on it so that I could pick up that faintest piece of a mark, such as Lalique, Steuben, Baccarat, and even cut glass. Did you know that some of the best cut glass that was ever produced is marked? Most people don’t. These companies usually marked their pieces by acid etching the mark or by signing them with an electric marking process. Often these marks are almost invisible to the naked eye with out proper lighting or magnification.

Once, as I was attending an estate sale, and running very late I must add, there, on one of the card tables, was a huge frosted glass frog. I picked it up like probably 100's of other people during the day, but put it back down when I couldn’t find a mark on its bottom. After spending several minutes searching the rest of the sale and finding nothing, my mind wouldn’t let me forget that frog. I re-entered the room where it was located, picked the piece up again and examined it from top to bottom, but came to the same conclusion: Nothing special.

Going to the car and being ready to get out of there, I stopped in my tracks, re-entered the house, picked that darn frog up and said, I am going to find that mark or it's going to kill me. Believe it or not, there it was, as clear as day, and marked Lalique. I pick it up and went to the counter and asked the price. The answer almost made me start laughing right there. They told me $25.00. Paying very quickly and running out the door, I discovered in researching the piece that it was quite valuable. Putting that darn frog on eBay and waiting for the seven days was difficult but worth it, $650.00. Yahoo!

You will find most of this glass will be over-priced, and this is where the discipline comes in. Don’t ever over pay, even if you can make a small profit. We are waiting to make our money work for us, and that means at least doubling the price we pay for each item, if not more. However, there are a lot of people that don’t know the rare pieces made by these companies from the common ones. when you do, it will give you a tremendous advantage over them.

Stay with the best names in the clear glass, because the copycats, as I have called them, have very little value in the secondary markets.

If it sparkles, look at it carefully, because you just might find that special frog yourself.

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