Make Money Buying and Selling Antiques: Art Pottery

Rookwood Pottery. (Photo from www.bargainjohn.com)

When you're looking to make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles, it's important to take note that Collectors of art pottery will usually stop at nothing to purchase the pieces they desire.

So pottery is second to fine art on my list of treasures to find. I have many success stories to share with you and hopefully after reading this blog you will be sharing yours with me in the future. It was only after attending an auction at the Cincinnati Art Gallery that I became a true believer in the business of buying and selling art pottery.

Sitting in my seat on the third row so that I could see everything that was going on at the auction, I began to plan my strategies for purchasing the items that I had circled in the catalog. One item really caught my eye because I hadn't ever seen one like it. It was a plaque showing a steamship pulling out of port. It was a rather large plaque and I figured it would bring some nice money but did I ever underestimate it! This piece, that could have possible been purchased at a house sale for five to seven thousand dollars, never looked back as it passed $50,000. The audience, including me, was holding its breath at $75,000 and people were applauding as it sailed past $100,000. Who says you can't make money in this business?

It wasn't that dramatic but I attended a house sale where there was a Grueby vase being offered. Every dealer in Chicago was ahead of me in line so I returned home thinking that I might return to the sale later, which I did. The vase was still there with its $5000 price tag and I was asked if I would like to purchase it. My answer was “Why should I when everyone else has passed on it?” I was able to negotiate a deal by putting four other items with it, and the total I paid was $3200. Do you see where I follow my own rules? The four pieces sold for around $2000 but, are you ready for this? The Grueby vase sold in Cincinnati for $13,500. I ask, can you make money with art pottery? I walked into a shop in Glencoe, Illinois and spotted a rather plain Rookwood small vase. What made it special was that the vase was carved. It was uncrazed and by one of the top artists at Rookwood pottery, so I figured that I would make a pass at it for around $300. The price tag read $600 and after some lengthy negotiations I was able to purchase it for $350. I feel I made a fair return on my money as it sold for $4500 at auction.

But this isn't about me so how can I help you? First I would like to give a list of what I think the leading potteries are. These are not in any particular order: Rookwood, Grueby, Newcomb, George Ohr, University of North Dakota, Marblehead, Teco and believe it or not, Tiffany. A great book to study on is American Art Pottery by David Rago. It should be purchased at Abebooks.com or Amazon.com and it doesn't matter if it is used. Also you have heard me say many times that you should always keep your Kovels Book of Marks close at hand.

Here are the steps that I take to value a piece of pottery. First, who made it and who is the artist? Second, I evaluate the condition. It should be mint to bring top dollar as damage can take 75% of the value away. Then I look at the size--the larger the better is a general rule (in fact some pottery is valued by the inch). Last, is the market for this pottery increasing or decreasing? Why did I include that last step? Here is an example: Roseville was one of the favorites of the dealers but the market has gone down dramatically for Roseville pieces so I didn't include it in my list. Yes, if you can buy them cheaply enough they are still a buy, but not at the prices of past years. You see we want to make money and not let others set the prices for us so, yes the market is important.

When you want to make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles, staying with pottery makes sense, because there is an ample supply to be had and there will always be collectors for the better pieces.


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Daryle Lambert: Antiques can be a great buy out of Season

Each day for me can be an adventure. My son was sick last night so I got little sleep. But waking up this morning I realized that I would get to spend the whole day with him and it became a blessing. I didn't know what to write about today until I looked out the window at the snow and the trees with no leaves and tried to visualize what this view was like only a couple of months ago. There were potted plants on the patio and hanging ferns under the eves of the house, I then tried to create a picture in my mind of what it could look like next year with benches and fountains and new plantings. This brought on a warm feeling and a smile to my face. No, I haven't lost my mind but it did make me think of another way for us to make money.

People are impatient by nature and when something is out of season they often sell it for a fraction of its real value. What could be more out of “season” than garden furnishings? You are probably thinking; is there any money in these items? After reading the next paragraph of this blog, you will never ask that question again. Just think back to the last house or garage sale you attended. Remember those sad looking garden pots setting at the back of the garage with the wilted plants still in them or the wrought iron benches setting in the backyard with no price tags. This could equate to big money for you and me.

I want to share a story about two large pots that were setting on a front porch where there was a sale being conducted. Hundreds of people visited that sale and most of them left with nothing in their hands, passing those pots as they entered and exited the house. Just one person took the time to examine these dark green pots and then their eyes lit up. Going back into the house and asking the price, it caught the sales conductor so off guard she said "I will have to check." Coming back and she said "I'm not sure, but would you give $300?" The buyer quickly responded, "Yes." These particular pots happened to be “Teco” pottery and worth several thousand dollars.

Let’s look at some garden items with value. If there happens to be a cast iron bench in a backyard with a fern shape design about 60 inches in length from the 19th century it could bring anywhere from $2,500 - $5,000 in today’s market. How many times have you seen figures used in a garden setting but paid no attention to them? Well, I hope you didn't pass this one, a little girl and boy reading a book by M. Geiss, because it could be worth $5,000. Outdoor fountains may look fairly drab this time of year but in the spring they come to life again. A dolphin and boy cast iron and zinc 66" X 70" fountain may bring up to $10,000. That should create some sunshine for you. A few more to entice you; Majolica seat with molded birds, cattails, dragonflies and water lilies by George Jones, valued at $20,000 or how about this one; covered urn, baluster shaped, angels, cast iron,1880's 71" is valued at a whopping $25,000 or more.

I hope that this blog gets you out of those winter blues because just writing it has done that for me.

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Daryle Lambert - Mission Accomplished. Antique Items delivered to Auction House.

Can you imagine getting up at 3:00 in the morning and leaving on a 24 hour trip? Well that is what Cindy and I did when we left for Evansville, Indiana yesterday morning.

Cindy arrived at my house at 4:00 am, and we took off under a a clear night sky, thankful for good weather. The van was already packed with the items we were bringing to Sohn's Auction House in Evansville, Indiana including the Harvey Joiner portrait we have. We immediately became immersed in conversation knowing it was going to be a very long trip. We talked and talked, until I finally realized the gas gauge indicator was blinking. Neither one of us knew how long it had been on. We prayed for a gas station to appear, quickly, and what a sigh of relief for both of us when one finally did.

31 Club Member, Cecil, was waiting for us at Sohn's Auction House in Evansville when we arrived there at 10:00 A.M. He's the tall guy in Today's Photos. We met with Don Sohn, and checked in our pieces for the January 2nd auction. After our paperwork was done, we browsed the current auction offerings that were on display, and what a great display it was. There was so many interesting pieces here of early farm life we could've spent hours going through it all. We also saw Teco, Rookwood, Roseville and Hull Pottery. "The auction houses in Chicago don't have these kinds of things," Cindy commented. She's right, because starting Thursday, Don is going to have one terrific auction.

I saw the best coin collection that I personally have ever seen being sold, I believe, on Saturday. Glassware and China was on every table plus great antique toys, advertising signs and furniture. If you are in the Evansville area you wouldn't want to miss this auction. What a great place for finding treasures.

I can hardly wait until our pieces sell on the second of January, and Don seems to think that he is going to have an even bigger sale that day. Yes, things are very different in the country, and our city girl now sees that very clearly.

We spent a good couple hours browsing at Sohn's until our stomachs began to rumble. My daughter, Dana joined Cindy, Cecil and me for a fine lunch of the most delicious sea bass both Cindy and I ever had. Treasure hunting with Cecil was next, and we set out to look through all the little shops and malls in the area. All the shop owners knew Cecil, and unfortunately, we didn't find much. Cindy and I are fairly certain Cecil picked the places clean days before, but it was a great deal of fun looking and spending time together.

We soon heard that the snow storm moving into the Chicago area was coming earlier than anticipated, and Cindy kept saying, "Don't you think we should head home soon?" Cecil and I sped up our search and headed to the front door. When we got there, Cindy had disappeared on us. We waited and waited. Cecil finally had to go back and find her. Yes, she was combing through some box in a corner that was pretty well hidden, thinking she just might find something. I didn't think we'd ever get her to come out of that store and head back for Chicago, but we finally did.

We hit snow about halfway home, and it wasn't pretty. Slowing down to forty miles an hour the rest of the way home, we finally got back to my house at midnight, but Cindy still had another 45 minutes in the storm to get back to her house.

This morning, the snow is piled up about six or more inches. Joshua, his friend Ben and I waded though the snow over to my truck so I could drive them to school. I finally realized my wife, Vickie, never gave me back my keys when we traded vehicles for the Evansville trip. And she was already long gone. Let me tell you, after having been awake close to 24 hours with little sleep inbetween, that twenty minute trek through the snow with the boys a real lesson in having stamina. It's good to be home now, and I just might even sneak in a cat nap.

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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. Contact us here.

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Daryle Lambert - Has His Eye on Van Briggle Pottery

One of my first loves is American Art Pottery. It was easy to fall in love with the beauty of Rookwood Pottery, because these fantastic pieces were made in Cincinnati Ohio, only about two hours from my Kentucky Home. The same can be said for Roseville Pottery, because it, too, was made in Ohio. But how I got interested in Van Briggle Pottery, made in Colorado, makes for a good story. This will show you that studying and researching one thing might just lead you down a very different path from the one you thought you were traveling upon.

I was quickly becoming a serious Rookwood collector a few years back, studying everything I could get my hands on that mentioned Rookwood. One day, I came across the name of Artus Van Briggle listed as an artist for the Rookwood Pottery Company. I decided I should add a couple of his pieces to my collection. So, off I went like a old bird dog trying to track that special piece I had decided was waiting for me to discover.

Having very little luck finding a Van Briggle piece over the next several months, I went back to my books. I wanted to figure out why I was having so little success in my search. I soon found that Van Briggle started with Rookwood in 1887 but stayed there for a very short time before moving on to several other companies. For reasons of poor health, he returned to Cincinnati in 1897 and worked for Rookwood another three years before starting his own company in 1901. Because he was actually only at Roodwood for a few years, his production there was limited. Now I had my answer for why it was so difficult to find pieces of his work at Rookwood.

He never fully recovered his health, so instead of beginning his new business in Ohio, he traveled to Colorado where he set up shop. Within four years, Artus Van Briggle died. After I found out more of his history, I made the decision to see if I could find some of his earlier pieces for my collection rather than his Rookwood pots. You see what I mean? You can never guess where this business is going to lead you.

I was much more successful in finding the Van Briggle pieces than I was the Rookwood. I soon realized that if I was going to collect Van Briggle, it had to be pieces that were made while he was living.

The difference in price for pieces made in the three years he actually worked at his factory and the later pieces was astonishing to me. I'll give you some examples. A piece made by the Van Briggle Pottery Co. after 1930 may bring less than one hundred dollars. But a piece made from 1910 to 1930 can fetch up to seven or eight thousand dollars. This was the period of time his wife, Ann, continued running the factory. But are you ready for this? A piece made by his factory while he was living, from 1901-1904, could bring $30,000 to $50,000! In fact, the piece shown in today's photo sold at auction in March of 2007 for $42,000 through Craftsman Auctions.

The mark on most Van Briggle is two capital A’s side by side. There is a wonderful book printed on Van Briggle called, Colorado Pottery by Carol and Jim Carlton. If you find it, be sure to add one to your library. You can check for used books through our Amazon Link right from our recommended reading list page.

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 an Erte Bronze, Lotton Glass, and many many more high quality items priced reasonably with no buyer's premiums. If you have a high quality piece you'd like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your piece to us. No high fees selling with us.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building 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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