Daryle Lambert: EBay Alternatives for Antique & Collectible Dealers

Roseville Falline Vase in Excellent Condition is Available at SeeAuctions.com


Markets always correct themselves. I’ve been writing about this subject on my blogs and in articles months before others were even thinking eBay might be in trouble.* And, it’s not only eBay who will be in trouble. Auction Houses, including online auctions, have surpassed what the market is willing to pay for their services, and a change has been emerging in response. People have had enough of being squeezed for fees and more fees. We see the affect greed has had as new auction alternatives continue to pop up everywhere, and new and exciting opportunities are unveiled. Today, there are some great alternatives to eBay, as well as the traditional auction houses.

Two visionary men have come with an idea that I think will change the way Antique and Collectible dealers do business today. While I’ve written previously about OnlineAuction.com for a while now on earlier posts, Seeauctions.com, the new kid on the block, has really knocked it out of the park completely.

I’ve spoken extensively with Seeauctions and boy – how I wish I had the foresight this owner has. People who are trying their best to make a living in the Antique & Collectible industry will find that Seeauctions.com is helping this industry in an unbelievable way. You see, for the next two years, dealers who use seesauctions will have the opportunity to sell their valuable items totally free of charge.

He has the same vision that I have, and that is to help people to make money now, and accept the pay off for the effort later. When I created my marketplace at 31corp.com, that’s what I had in mind.

When nothing else seemed to be working for me, I decided to try out seesauctions.com and listed some of my own marketplace items on it – almost $200,000 worth of items. To my delight, I’m beginning to get bids on items I hadn’t been able to previously drum up interest on.

To our 31 Club Members I’d say – open an account with Seeauctions, and dual list them on both our site and seesauctions. If you’re item sells at either site, make sure you de-list your item on the site where it didn’t sell. You might be surprised that I say this but know that my recommendation is just another way I show you that I have our members’ interests at the center of all we do. When I published my book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles, my motivation was to help others learn how to make money in this business and learn to effectively grow the profits. It’s my personal desire to see everyone who joins our unique antique business club succeed.

To Seeauctions, I say a heartfelt thank you. You will never fully realize how much you’re appreciated by those of us looking for a good alternative.

Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle's 220 Page Book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
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Art Treasures from Mexico

Mexican Silver and Malachite Parrot Center Piece is offered at the 31 Club Gallery

Being in California this week has given me the opportunity to talk with many citizens of Mexican decent. Their friendliness has allowed me to ask them about the art and antiques produced south of our border, and to my amazement, they were very open, and their knowledge of rare items surprised and educated me.

I was aware of the silver from the Taxco region and the art of Diego Rivera, but very little else of what I might be looking for from Mexico. From our conversations, I now know that my education in Mexican treasures is very limited, and I am determined to change this as soon as I return to Chicago.

I learned from the people I met that quality items from Mexico are spread throughout this country and can be found in just about every state. Jewelry of coin silver has been produced in Mexico for hundreds of years, and some of the most beautiful pieces in the world had their beginning in the Taxco region. Some of the best goldsmiths ever to work with this precious metal came from this area, and their pieces can be found throughout Mexico and the States. Women from around the world have treasured their collections representing different types of pins, bracelets, and necklaces that often are adorned with precious stones.

Collections of pottery and textiles made by the native people of Mexico adorn the most prestigious collections throughout the world. Dealers often make the mistake of thinking that the only items that come across our borders from Mexico are the cheap commercial items that sell in the tourist shops, but I can guarantee you that there are great opportunities to profit by having the necessary knowledge to distinguish what are rare and common items from Mexico.

I also learned about the abundance of quality art produced by Mexican artists. I knew Diego Rivera’s work could bring up to a million and a half dollars, but past him, I’ve had very little knowledge of other artists. Since I know there must be more of these fine artists, when I returned back to our base, I got on the computer to do some research. I found several artists’ works I’d like to bring to your attention.

From 1932, a little pencil drawing, just 9 x 11 inches by Kahlo, sold for $13,000 while paintings by Francisco Zunigo and Luis Lopez each brought in thousands. I would suggest that you use your computer to find even more Mexican artist that will pay you handsomely, if you find them in your search.

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

Rare Books - Just What the Doctor Ordered

Page from a Rare 17th Century German Midwivery Book.

How often have you visited a garage or house sale and seen shelves stuffed with books you never took the time to look through? Probably, more times than you can count. I know I have. Books have always been a very secret collectible that few knew the value of. By not taking a look at the books at these sales, we might be making one of the biggest mistakes we can make in the antique business, and we just might be passing up some good solid money.

You won’t find the book dealers very talkative at house sales and estate sales, and for good reason. They can quietly enter a sale like a shadow, walk out with a fortune, and no one will be the wiser.

Granted, most books are worth very little, but not if you find medical books. Certain kinds of medical books. If you should find an old medical book, know that many of these can bring you huge profits, and you should know which ones. There are books listed on eBay for $5,000 and more, and I’m sure if you check AbesBooks, you will find many more, perhaps more expensive than this. There may have been a medical book at that last sale you attended, just sitting there, but you were in a big hurry to get into another room with all the overpriced items, while that book dealer who was standing in line behind you, breezed in and out in no time flat.

The seller of the book, “Primer of Hygiene,” listed on eBay, is asking $5,000 for his copy. I wonder what it will sell for. “Beck’s Medical Jurisprudence,” 1823, sold for $547 on eBay, and a 17th Century German Obstetrics/Midwifery book, sold on eBay for $750 early this month. “Medical Essay on Drunkenness” by Trotter, 1813, is listed for $1,250 on eBay. Given the topic, it will be interesting to see what this one sells for as well. These are they the types of books we could be keeping our eyes opened for.

It seems that the most valuable medical books are those from the early 1800’s or before, so this will give you a starting point. Interesting subject matter is usually a requirement, if we expect the books we find to have the values we’re looking for. When I realized the amount of money I could make if I found the right books, my interest in reading picked up noticeably. And that’s not all bad, is it?

By sheer chance, I had been watching an episode of the Antique Road Show, and they happened to have a woman looking for an appraisal of a very old religious book. She seemed like she would have been satisfied if they told her it was worth $100. When they gave her a price of $45,000 to $55,000 she seemed to pass into a trance. Wouldn’t you like to have that happen to you some day? Why couldn’t it?

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

Recognize Today's Opportunity in Antiques & Fine Art. Buy, Buy, Buy

Rookwood Lamp by Margaret McDonald is offered at 31 Club Gallery & Marketplace

At this time, should we sell everything we own? A lot of very rich people on a TV program I watched late last night said we should. Are they right? It’s interesting to me that this was the general consensus, because I can assure you, they haven’t sold a thing. In fact, they will probably be the buying as everyone else is selling.

Take a look at Warren Buffet, a man most consider the smartest investor in the world. What’s he doing these days? He’s spending billions buying up the best companies he can find. I’d rather follow him than all those people who say the sky is falling.

So what should traders of antiques, collectibles and fine art be doing right now? The same thing we’ve been studying all year long at the 31 Club. We should be buying the best we can with the knowledge we’ve gained. We should be keeping our goals in front of us at all times, and moving forward even in the midst of this economic hysteria.

If someone is willing to sell you a Tiffany lamp for half of what its value was a year ago, buy it, of course. This is the time to take advantage of the mass hysteria sweeping the country. There’s never been a better opportunity to acquire some of the finest items at great prices. There is an old song that says a fool jumps in. That’s exactly what’s happening now. The stock market crash and burn has been the result of panic selling. People have jumped over the cliff, and many of them don’t know why they did. If you’re tempted to jump over the cliff, take a look behind you and see whether anyone is pushing you over the cliff or you’re doing it voluntarily.

Right now, valuables that have lost the least in this economic shakeout are the true artistic rarities in the Antique and Fine Art fields. I’m asking members of the 31 Club to turn around, see through the ash clouds of this economic hysteria and buy during this time. This is a great buying opportunity. The best items picked up during this time will be the ones that gain tremendous value as the economic climate improves. You cannot go wrong today buying the best Art Pottery like Rookwood, Grueby, Newcomb, and Ohr. The better Art Glass like Tiffany, Daum Nancy, Galle, Quezal, Rene Lalique, and many others will only gain in value and add to your bottom line. Fine Art Paintings that are being marketed at values far below their true value today are my personal favorites. This is a great time to look for paintings that represent artists who lived in your region. There will always be buyers for their works.

Yes, the common items so many people bought from garage sales for pennies and put up for sale on eBay might not be good sellers at this time. Then again, that’s not where we, at the 31 Club, want to be anyway. We aim to be dealing in the higher end of the market place, with items that are highly desirable and rare.

Right before leaving on vacation, I left six bids at an upcoming auction for paintings by listed artists I thought had been undervalued by the auction house. I won’t know if I purchased any of them until I return home, but my wish is that I purchased everyone of them.

Another event, right before leaving on vacation, was a call from man with twelve pieces of Lotton Glass he wanted to sell. I told him I would buy every one of his pieces. When I return home, I hope to purchase these.

As you can see, I will continue to buy the better pieces until I run out of money and can’t get any more. If I couldn’t buy now, I would get out of the business because this is the easiest time to make money in Antiques and Fine Art. You might be asking why I say that. Well, here’s why: When prices are up, the sellers think they should be getting top dollar for anything they sell, regardless of its true value. In a down market, people just want to get out at any price. That’s why you can find bargain during these times.

So, buy, buy, buy. You’ll be glad you did.

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

How Hard is a Working Vacation?

Spending time in constructive ways is the best strategy to prepare yourself for success in the antique, collectible and fine art business. this will pay you off in spades. Any time spent reading about antiques or art will only help you when you go out into the field and see what the pickings are. Scanning eBay’s completed sales will give you a sound basis for setting the prices you are willing to pay for almost any item you find while you’re out on the hunt and will give you the latest prices you need to sell your items. If you do this continually, you’ll know a lot more than you might think you do.

When I go travel away from home, I’m still thinking antiques and art, even if I’m supposed to be vacationing (much to the dismay of my wife.) I’ve found that when I’m vacationing or traveling anywhere, if I do business while I’m away, my trip has become a business trip, and that’s good for my bank account. There are certain actions that I think will give you a tremendous head start on your competition, if you follow them while traveling. Like, always having a least 50 business cards with you at all times and dispensing of them liberally, once you’ve determined that those you’ve spoken to about antiques, or about what you do, have an interest.

While I’m in the hotel, I pull out the phone book and make a list of all the dealers. I do this with the auction houses, as well. If there’s time, I call some of them and introduce myself. I tell them about the items I specifically look for and the items I generally look for. I also ask them to go to the 31 Club Wish List and look at what items I’m buying, as well as the ones members are looking to buy. When I call the auction houses, I ask them to put me on their mailing list. I also tell them I’ll send one of my business cards to be put on file with them.

If there’s time, I stop in as many of these antique shops as I can. I introduce myself to the proprietors, enter into a conversation and take a look at their items. If you wonder if I really do this all when I travel, here’s an example of my first day in Palm Desert, California, where I’m spending my 25th wedding anniversary with my wife, of course, and her sister and brother-in-law.

We arrived yesterday, and upon our arrival, we stopped for a bite to eat once we picked up our rental car. There was a small antique shop I made sure we stopped in to after lunch. We were greeted by a very polite lady, so I introduced myself and shared a bit about the 31 Club with her. She was more than willing to show me her shop and tell me all about the better items she was offering for sale. When it came time for me to leave, I gave her a card and asked if she’d send me an email so I could put her in my files.

Next, we all stopped at this wonderful little mall on the bay, and while my wife and the others dashed into one shop, I slipped into a glass shop I spotted. I found several pieces of art glass for sale by an artist I’m familiar with. The proprietor was more than willing to talk at great length about all of the artists’ work, and again, I left my card. I honestly think the 31 Club might have picked up two new members at these two establishments.

At the end of each trip, I drop a hand written note along with my business card to those antique establishments I've called by phone, but wasn't able to stop in to.
I can assure you these simple things will increase your business and profits. I have also found many fine treasures while I was supposed to be on vacation.

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

How Researching Artist's Signature Pays Off

Diego Rivera

If you came across a quality painting with only the initials “CC” signed, would it be worth your while to find out if this might be something of value? On the one hand, the time researching might pay off handsomely, but on the other hand, the time spent researching might add nothing more than another layer of knowledge, possibly to be used next time around.

This is the way it is in the Fine Arts business. You’ll often find signed paintings, but can’t decipher the signature. It may take you a lot of time researching and there’s a chance you’ll come up empty handed. But, the rewards of finding something valuable are fantastic. I found a painting one time that I knew had to be painted by a talented artist, but I couldn’t read the signature. My only solution was to go through the entire set of signature books I had, so I decided to do this. About halfway through the first book, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I found a direct match. At this point, I still didn’t know the value of my piece, but once I saw this artist’s signature in the book, I knew he was a listed artist and I could track this down.

I grabbed my Davenport’s Art Price Guide and quickly look him up. I discovered that the $150 I paid for this painting had been well spent. The least expensive of this artist’s work brought $5,000 while his top sale was over $82,000. I soon sold this painting for just over $12,500. If I had paid myself $200 for the time I spent researching, my profit still would have been over $11,500. Not bad for a little work.

Remember, we are looking for things others miss, and often the point where they walk away is when there’s a signature that isn’t clear. How many people do you suppose looked at that painting and thought that it just wouldn’t be worth the effort to research it.

There are other things people walk away from in the art world. For example, many famous artists used only initials to sign their work. If you don’t have a book on these monograms, then they’ll mean nothing to you. I use the American and European set of books called “Signatures and Monograms” by John Castagno. If you can find these used on the Internet or through Abesbooks or Amazon, they could be like gold to you.

In these books, you’ll also learn that artists often painted under more than one name. A woman may have painted under her maiden name, as well as her married name. These books also contain sections on indecipherable signatures and the symbols some artists used on their paintings.

You will also find where artist often painted under more than one name. A lady for instance my have painted under her maiden name and also her married name. They also have a sections in these books on indecipherable signatures and symbols that some artist used on their paintings.

Back to my original question – if you found a painting marked “CC”, would you take the time to research it? If you did, you’d discover it was painted by the famous artist Jean Baptiste Camilla Corot, and it would be very valuable. If a painting is signed, “Picasso” most people would pay attention, but if it had the initial D with the number 32 after it and you researched it, you’d know it was by Diego Rivera and it was time to snatch that up. And what if you could buy one of these for just a few hundred dollars, because somebody didn’t know what it was. The record for one of Rivera’s works is over $1,500,000. Like I said in my book, let’s spend our time where the money is.

One of our members just emailed me about a painting she purchased for $1200. If it’s genuine, it’s worth over $28,000. I have my fingers crossed for her. And presently, I’m researching a painting that could very easily be worth $65,000 or more. I’ll share the results with you when I get them, and it wouldn’t hurt to have your fingers crossed for me, too.

There are other sources of looking up artists, such as AskArt.com, ArtNet.com and ArtPrice.com. These are subscription based services. If you're a member of the 31 Club, rather than subscribing to these yourself, you can give us a call and we'll check the name and prices for you. That's just one more advantage of being a member.

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

Antique Snuff Boxes: Small and Valuable Treasures Worth Sniffing Around For

Swiss Enamel & Gold Snuff Box, circa 1740. Photograph property of M.S. Rau Antiques

Papier Mache Snuff Box, circa 1814. Photograph property AAAWT,Inc.

I often tell Members of the 31 Club that money in the antique and collectible world can be made with items smaller than a bread box. Besides not taking up too much space in your home until you get them sold, you won’t be faced with transporting these small treasures back and forth, which eats away at your time and erodes your profit. Snuff Boxes and Snuff Bottles certainly qualify as items smaller than a bread box, and they can be quite valuable. Today, I'll focus mainly on snuff boxes.

Snuff, used for many centuries, is a tobacco that is ground into a very fine powder. It’s sniffed through the nose, tucked behind the lip, or tucked inside the cheek. It came in either a dry form or a moist form.

In Europe, in centuries gone by, the use of snuff was a very popular social ritual, mainly with the elite. Many a high society lady or gent would never leave home without their stylish snuff box and would often have several to choose from. They even had snuff boxes for every season. In China, snuff bottles were very popular, and the bottle stopper had a little pad on the inside of it. The process for use was the same.

In 19th Century America, some women might have smoked cigars in public for its shock value, however, there were far more ladies discreetly using snuff, which was perfectly acceptable. This was Women’s Lib 19th Century style, and it caught on.

Fast forward to the 21st Century and we find that anything to do with snuff has become highly collectible. If you find one for a collector, they'll pay you handsomely, especially for the right one.

Snuff boxes can be made from almost any material. They were often made of antler, silver, wood, brass, gold, pewter and many others. They also can be a combination of several materials, artistically decorated. Most boxes were decorated with gold or silver, often with the owner’s initials engraved on them. Many were highly decorated, and of course, these are quite valuable. Let’s look at a few values in Kovel’s Price Guide to see if your eyebrows move a little north:

A 3” Gold Enamled Box of a Harbor Scene, c. 1830 valued at $17,250. If that’s too rich for your blood, how about a Metal, Gilt, Musical, engine-turned panels sized at four inches for $14,950. These must have been owned by a very special lady or gent.

$32,500. That's the price of the snuff box shown in Today's Photo, top photo. It's at M.S. Rau Antiques and this Swiss Enamel and Gold Snuff Box, circa 1740, looks like it contains a double ivory portrait,adding to its value. This is a real beauty. When you take a look at all their high end snuff boxes, you'll have a better idea of the high quality, high end boxes out there.

Today's Photo, bottom, is an Papier Mache Snuff Box With a Print of American Victory on Lake Champlain, circa 1814. This piece will also qualify as Historical Memorabilia as it is a rare example of the War of 1812. It depicts Macdonough's September 11, 1814 victory over the British fleet on Lake Champlainthe. It's valued at $ $1,350 at aaawt.com.

Remember, we look for the higher end, rare items. As we work our way up the 31 Steps, our ever increasing knowledge of true quality and rarity will help us along the way. Please make every effort to attend antique shows in your area to see high quality items up close and face to face. The first goal is to be able to recognize quality when you see it.

Snuff was not reserved for the high society crowd. We regular folks used it, too. I can still remember the way my Grandmother would quickly sniff a little, sneeze, and then hold her dainty handkerchief to her nose. As a child, I often wondered why she would do this. Maybe to clear her nose, I thought.

Today, snuff is a dying industry. To the ladies and gents of days long gone, aside from being the socially chic thing to do then, that special little high from nicotines was what they were probably after. In those days, the use of snuff also made the dentists very happy, too. It caused many a mouth problem and surely increased the bottom line in the dentists' books.

If you're interested in "sniffing out" more information on snuff boxes, you might start by reading Christopher Proudlove's Blog on Snuff Boxes at WriteAntiques.com and Tobacco.org has a very informative timeline of tobacco that's quite interesting.

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles , is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

It's a What? A Whirligig?

If I told you a whirligig could bring in some big money, would you know what a whirligig is and how to spot one?

I always teach that the money in this business is made in the rare. The rare and desirable will keep your money turning, and a whirligig falls into this category.

So what is a whirligig? Think motion. Think action. Then, consider our past as a farming culture. When we were mainly farmers, birds in the fields, pecking away at crops was a real problem. Farmers needed something to scare off the birds without having to constantly have someone on the lookout who could to run out into the fields and wildly flap their arms to get rid them. Enter the whirligig. It’s a type of interesting and creative folk contraption made by a farmer on his time off from the fields, to solve the bird problem. Many will call it a toy, because it brought much delight to children, as well as to adults, but this contraption was designed with a purpose.

Most of these interesting contraptions are made of wood, but they can be made of almost any material. They have moving pieces, and when the wind blows on them, it creates an action. They might remind you of windmills -- folksy windmills.

I have seen figural whirligigs whose arms spin and the head moves. These are rather simple, but there are others depicting a person sawing a log or a woman churning butter. With these, you are beginning to touch upon the higher dollar whirligigs. They weren’t actually meant to scare off the birds, but rather to enjoy. These are the ones whose dollar value has escalated so much. The number of these pieces that have survived till now is limited. To the avid collector of these artistic creations, the hunt for them is a labor of love.

Unlike items like duck decoys, whose value escalates when it is signed by a particular artist, whirligigs don’t have to be signed for them to be valuable; the value is in the design.

Here is an example of some whirligig values: Two men turning a fan, articulated limbs, 13X18 inches, valued at $690. 20th Century 12” man wearing black jacket and blue trousers,$1380. Policeman, one arm and band leader the other arm, 20 inches, wooden, $3300. And, a man wearing a pealed hat, blue jacket, and red vest, 21 inches, $6325.

While there are reproductions, a close look will tell you the differences. Look for signs of new paint, modern screws, no patina, poor workmanship and materials not of the time.

There are so many items that have the potential to bring big money, but first we have to know what to look for. If you come across one of these during your hunt, I hope this blog will come to mind. And, if you’re successful in buying it, you might just keep a whirligig for a while before selling it just to amuse yourself.

Today's Photo comes from Marquisauctions.com.

*******

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

Pardon Our Dust, But......

The 31 Club is on the march, and with our new listing arm on Askart.com, members who list art work in the 31 Gallery will have the backing of AskArt's 70,000 daily viewers coming into play. If you’ve been wondering if anything is happening, our tentacle on Ask Art should assure you there’s much work going on behind the scenes.

Our Wish List and Inventory Pages will be tested on Friday, and provided there no bugs, you will soon be able to do your own advertising and bookkeeping right on the 31 Club Members Site. If you haven’t gone onto the Members Only site yet, you might do so now and take a look at the 31 Club Expert Resource. If you decide an auction is the best venue for your particular item(s), our Listing of Specialty Auction Houses is an invaluable resource. Here, we’ve identified the best auction houses to sell an item of a particular category.

Presently, it’s taking some time to get all your listings posted. You can speed up this process by sending us photos sized 640 x 480, including photos of the markings, if any. If you don’t know of a way to re-size your photos, try downloading GIMP. It’s free and you can do a lot of nifty things with this program.

Your listing should include as many details as possible, like they ask for on eBay. Specifically, we need size, artist’s name, the material it’s made of, date or time period if you can determine it, and any markings on the piece. It’s very important to be accurate about its condition, and any damage needs to be specifically identified.

If your items is a painting, please indicate whether or not it’s signed, as well as the location of the signature. (Lower right, lower left, etc.) Is it oil on canvas, oil on board, watercolor, or ink drawing? Make sure this is indicated. Also include the size - framed and unframed.

Include information about provenance, (origins) if there is any. This can increase the value of your item.

Website hits are growing steadily each month, and this will result in more sales and purchases. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we appreciate our charter members who’ve supported while we build an amazing site. Nothing could have been accomplished without those of you who climbed on board with us on this new adventure at a time when the media was writing the epitaph on this business. I know we are the industry leaders when I see others trying to duplicate our efforts. They''ll find that hard to do, considering they don’t have the fantastic and loyal members of the 31 Club behind them.

A 31 Club First – A painting assigned by a member to the Associates Program and purchased by 31 Club will be going to auction in at an internationally known auction house for modern design and art, Wright Auctions, here in Chicago. When it sells, this club member will make 35% of its net sales price without having to had invested a dime.

By month’s end, we should be hitting all cylinders so keep watching and participating with us in the best club in the antique business.

We warmly welcome all suggestions that you feel would benefit our members, so don’t be shy about dropping us a note during are growth and construction phase. We’d love to hear from you.

*******

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

Get Out That Silver Polish

Have you seen that the price of Gold and Silver are declining? For those of us in the Antique & Collectible business, this decline will make it possible for us to make money buying Gold and Silver items again.

For a long while, the market was adding no value for the rarity or beauty of a piece, only weighing the value of its base metal. But now, these wonderful items, that have lasted the test of time, will once again make sense for us to buy. I’m thinking tea sets, compotes, vases and even silverware at prices that are sensible enough for us to make a fair profit.

Gold jewelry may get to the point where the dealer doesn't just weigh a piece and quote you the base metal price. I think the metal will always have a value and be a component of the actual value of the item, but other factors will become important. The spread between the offer and bid will again be wider.

A friend of mine came by the house today and showed me some items her elderly aunt took to a company who advertised an event at a local hotel to buy jewelry. She attended with her aunt to oversee this offer. to buy. I’ve been aware of these, what I would call scams, for over year. My friend was smart enough to prevent her aunt from selling these fine pieces for next to nothing, and when I looked at them and she told me what they offered, I don’t believe they even offered the price of the gold. I’d recommend staying away from these types of events.

As prices decline for gold and silver, people will have fewer and fewer places to dispose of their fine jewelry. You see, these so called “merchants” will no longer be able to simply weigh for the gold and silver content and offer you very little. And what do they do with the gold and silver once they “buy” it from you? They melt it down for the metal and then they’ve made their money.

I remember the good old day when I bought a sterling tea pot for a few hundred dollars. No, the silver content wasn’t worth that, but it was produced by a famous silversmith from the late 1700’s. I knew this was a special piece the moment my eyes landed on it. Believe it or not, I called all over the world before finally selling it in Australia for several thousand dollars.

It will be fun again to do our research and look for items that can return us 10 or 20 times our investment. Still, I don't think this change will affect silver plate or gold plate much, and these items should probably be avoided except in rare cases.

I just can't resist mentioning that earlier this year I strongly recommended my readers sell their gold and silver. At the time, the price of silver was around $16. I was a little early, because it did go briefly to $20 before coming right back down. At the time I made that recommendation, I had people e-mailing me hate mail, threatening my life and questioning my intelligence for making that recommendation in writing and sending it to the news services. But, of course, these were the people in the business of selling gold and silver to the public.

I stuck to my guns and continued to write about selling silver anyway. You know, I haven’t heard from any of those people again. And now, all their customers who bought at that time have lost a great deal of their investment while the fat cats have already cashed their checks and danced into the sunset. It isn’t over yet. I predict silver be $6-$8 soon enough, and gold will be back to $600 an ounce. Then it will be time for us to load up on it.

*******

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It
We Buy & Sell It
You Net 35%.

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

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.


Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle's 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

Dedham Pottery

Dedham Turkey Plate is offered in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

31 Club Members, Ron & Mary, traveled from Ohio to spend the day antiquing with Daryle.

As I mentioned in Sunday’s Blog, I had the opportunity to spend the day hunting for antiques with 31 Club members, Mary and Ron, who traveled from Ohio to visit with me. One of the high points that day was the discovery of a Dedham Turkey plate. I was able to purchase it at a very fair price, and it is now offered in our 31 Gallery & Marketplace, here. This isn’t the first time a Dedham piece has been good to me.

Several years ago, I was shopping and spotted a strange looking five inch pitcher among items sitting on a table. It had a strange design, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it. I must have picked it up and put it back down four or five times before taking it to the sales table and asking the dealer what their best price would be. The dealer wanted $175, which seemed ridiculous to me. But, there was something about this piece that was gnawing at me. So, without knowing what I had in my hand, I offered $100. The dealer said no, but she’d take $125. I had to think about that for a minute, and, as I’ve taught you before, I never put the piece back down until I made my final decision. I decided to take it at $125.

It was a very different piece with an owl on one side and a rooster on the other. I don't remember the rest of the design, but it had the appearance of being crazed all over, and the mark on its bottom was smeared and not legible. Somehow, I just knew it was special.

When I got home and did some homework, I found out it was a Dedham piece called the “Day and Night” pitcher. I sold it very close to $1,000. There is a lesson here. If something seems to stand out as you are searching, it might be your subconscious memory telling you that it’s special. In fact, you might have seen it in a book, magazine or at an auction at one time and had forgotten it but your subconscious hadn’t. In today’s guides, I see that this pitcher now sells for a little less than what I sold it for, but to me back then, it was a real home run.

The Dedham company was founded in 1872 in Chelsea, Massachusetts by the Robertson family. Dedham went through several transitions and finally closed for good in 1943 during the war. They became very famous for their crackle ware, most of which featured animals, flowers and other natural motifs.

Just to list a few of their better known pieces, the Polar Bear 8 ½ plate lists in Kovel’s Price Guide for only $10.18, while the Lily 6 ¼ brings $1150. A real treasure is the Thistle 8 ½ inch plate signed by Hugh Robertson, listed for $2970. They also made vases, and most of these bring big money from $2000 up.

There are some authorized reproductions of Dedham, and further information on these are available at the Dedham Historical Society.

This is definitely a company’s wares you should keep in mind while searching in the field. that you should keep in your mind while searching in the field.

*******

Buyers -- Buy High Quality Items for Fair Prices at 31 Gallery and Marketplace.

Sellers -- Sell your High Quality Items for Low Fees at 31 Marketplace and Gallery.

Treasure Hunters -- You Find, We Buy, We Sell, You Net 35%. Partner Up with 31 Club on High Quality Treasures you simply find.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today. and get FREE MENTORING in the Antique Business.

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

Link: Dedham Historical Society

Trailblazing The Path To Success in the Antique and Fine Art Market: 31 Club Wish List & Associate Program

Your 31 Club is trailblazing a path for people in this industry, and its tremendous growth will make it a better opportunity for our members.

31 Club is building the one place to go to if you are looking for high quality antiques, the one place to go to let people know you are ready, willing and able to buy, the one place to sell, the one place to go to get free mentoring on dealing in Antiques and Fine Art, and the one place to consign your rare and high quality antiques and art. While anyone can consign their rare and high quality items to 31 Club Gallery & Marketplace, our already low commissions are even lower when you’re a member. With our membership offer ridiculously reasonable right now, it makes good sense to join now rather than later.

Just think, we at 31 Club, are really starting to turn this market around. Last year, I can still remember when all I could read was negative articles about this business or listen as dealers complained about the business, while still doing it the old fashion way. We published several articles to the contrary and challenged this negativity through our blogs. Now I hear dealers excited about the market, and even the trade papers are beginning to think that the Antique and Fine Art business is here to stay. Considering that new records are being set in almost all areas of our business on a daily basis, they should. 31 Club was first to recognize that the best in this business is still ahead of us. As our members complete the steps in our individual Million Dollar Race, the rest of the crowd will find us hard to catch up to.

So why am I writing about all of this today?

You’ll remember that the Associates Program is already working for many members. Using the program allows the member to partner with us, with no investment of their own, to purchase the best items they find and then receive 35% of the net profit when the club sells the item.

Well, today, our long awaited 31 Club Wish List is ready to be activated. These Wish Lists will work as free advertising for Members when thousands of people see their ad as it goes out over Yahoo and Google. Each time a person visits our website, they’ll be exposed to our members’ Wish List. Can you imagine the response you could get?

The combination of these two programs, Wish List & Associates Program has the greatest potential to increase the likelihood our members will succeed in a big way in the Antique and Fine Art Business.

Members should watch their e-mail for instructions on how to use the Wish List.

If you aren’t a member of 31 Club yet, go to our website and join us today!
Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills.

Get FREE MENTORING.

Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today.

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

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

LINK: 31 Club Article July, 2007

Always Be Prepared to Make an Offer

Charles Courney Curran

The margin between success and failure in the antique business is razor thin. When you come across items you know are treasures and you want to make an offer, there are many things that will mean the difference between having your offer accepted or not.

The inflexion in your voice, the manner in which you make the offer, the kind of day the seller has encountered, and your being able to assure the seller you are an expert on whatever items your dealing on can mean closing the deal or walking away empty handed.

Never leave home without having the means to buy whatever you might come across during the day. Carry blank checks, credit cards, or the phone number for the 31 Club with you at all times.

Don’t let your past experience dictate your present action.

How does this all play out in real life? My experience from other day might happen to you:

There’s a man whom I’ve found it very difficult to deal with over the years. Now, this isn’t because he wants to be unfair with me, but he reasons that, “If Daryle can make a profit on the items I sell him, so can I.” I can’t fault him for that.

The other day I was able to visit his place of business just at closing time. He wasn’t in, but as I looked around, I found some items I wanted to make an offer on, so we called him to see if he was in the selling mood. Although my past experience with him hadn’t resulted in a sale, I tried anyway. He haggled a little, but to my surprise, he said the pieces were mine if I could pay for them immediately.

Two wonderful paintings by Charles Courney Curran (be sure to look him up], a signed Ronald Reagan photograph in a great frame, the best print of West Point, from about 1860 that I’ve ever seen, and two watercolors by Daniel Sheerin immediately became mine for almost $6000.

I’m wondering though, would the results have been the same if I said, “I’ll send you a check?” Or, what if I'd let my past experience with him dictate my present action? My past experience told me he'd say, "No Deal." If I'd kept that in mind when I spotted his shop, I might never have gone in to look that day.

You see the timing was right. The deal was closed because I could pay for the pieces at that moment, and he envisioned something else he wanted to do with the money that day.

I will be completing my travels today, and the last part of the trip will not be nearly as pleasant as the time I spent yesterday doing what I love to do: search for treasure. Most of the finds I come across aren’t found at times I know what I will be looking, at but rather when I least expect them, like yesterday, so you must always be ready.

I did make a major mistake in yesterdays blog and believe it or not it wasn’t in my grammar. The mistake was that it is my Brother-in-Law’s funeral, not my Son-in-Law’s.

*****

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills.

Get FREE MENTORING.

Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today.

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

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Antique & Collectible Business: Why Am I In This Businss?

This Historical Document, a Patrick Henry signed Land Grant is available in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get out there day after day to look at the things others are discarding, often times turning up with nothing. Every now and then I think, “Why am I doing this?”

Then, there comes a day like I had yesterday, and those thoughts flee as quickly as they popped into my head, and I know why I keep myself moving forward in this business, even when I don't feel like it.

When I answered the phone yesterday, a woman on the other end asked me, “Are you the ones with the Patrick Henry document?”

I told her yes, and she explained that she’d been trying to find someone who could help her, and that she’d called numerous places, including auction houses, with no success.

“I think you might have come to the right place. What do you have,” I asked her?

I was hardly prepared for what I heard next.

“I have at least six signed historical land grants plus many other very well known men’s autographs. You see, my father was a surgeon in New York, and he was collecting these pieces starting back in the late 1800's,” she told me.

I’ve got to admit, I was getting rather excited at this point, and I waited patiently for her story to unfold. We spoke for about fifteen minutes when she asked me, “Do you know who Robert Louis Stevenson was?”

While I was not the greatest scholar in my class, even this old country boy knows Robert Louis Stevenson as the author of my favorite book, Treasure Island. In my book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles,I wrote that Treasure Island was the story that first got me interested in treasure hunting as a child. I was all ears as she embellished on this question.

“My father was a friend of Robert Louis Stevenson, and they visited one day at an Inn. He gave my father a poem he had written for him, and it was passed on to me.”

This must be a one of a kind, unpublished poem by Robert Lewis Stevenson. I could hardly breathe, and as we continued talking, she dropped another bombshell on me.

“You may not have known my father, but I bet you know a baby he delivered. It was the most famous birth he performed in his long career as a surgeon.”

Okay, she had me hanging.

“He was the doctor who delivered Jacqueline Kennedy,” she said.

As in Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onasis. The First Lady. Wife of the 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. These phrases were pounding in my head.

You can probably figure out by now, I'll soon be speaking with her again, very soon. And perhaps I'll be traveling to the East Coast to see her.

The fun has already arrived for me again. I think my nine-year-old, Joshua, would even enjoy a day like I had yesterday. What other business can give you a story like this? I hope profit will come for both me, and the lady who called me. In her own words, she told me it was time to sell these items now. The big question is: What all does she really have? Wow! What a day!

Do you have good and bad days in this business? Share how you handle things by adding them in the comments. You just might help another 31 Club Member.

***

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.

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

Find Your Passion. I Love Daum Nancy Glass

Rare Daum Nancy Roulot signed 9" Vase available at 31 Gallery & Marketplace

What is your passion? In the Antique & Fine Art Business, this is very important to know if you want to be successful. Over time, my passions have changed along with my collections. As a child, I started collecting coins and when I sold the collection, it paid for my college education. This was a true blessing because I already had a wife and child at the time. I later developed a passion for Griswold cast iron, and when it came time to buy a house, the sale of my Griswold collection provided for the down payment. Since then, I have collected, if you want to call it collecting, many things. In reality, I’ve been able to keep beautiful things until I sold them at a price I was satisfied with.

My latest passion is for Fine Art, because it is the most difficult to master. I spend several hours a week just studying in the direction I want my passion in art to go. For example, I'm most interested in Kentucky artists and regional art. But don't misunderstand me, everything in my house, with the exception of my wife and son, are for sale for the right price. For example, my two Patty Thum paintings, that happen to be the only paintings I’ve brought home that my wife likes, could cost you a pretty penny, but they are for sale for the right price.

But, there’s been one passion that’s stayed with me for many years and that is Daum Nancy Glass. I fell in love with this art glass the first time I saw it. I particularly like the enameled acid etched pieces, and I look for these. Over the years, I have always kept a few pieces of this glass in my home, even though I have owned many that have been sold. I prefer Daum Nancy Glass to Galle, and I think the artistry of Daum is much better than Galle.

Financially speaking, Daum Nancy has been fantastic for me, and it can be for you too, once you become knowledgeable about it. One Daum vase I owned made the cover of the Cincinnati At Galleries sales catalog one year. It was a large piece of a winter scene depicting snow blanketing the ground with leafless birch trees filled with blackbirds. If I remember correctly, this vase brought over $15,000.

Today, however, we have to be careful about reproductions or outright fakes, but with Daum Nancy this is fairly easy. First look at as many pieces of the real thing as you can. This is easily done by visiting good Antique Shows. One of the greatest pieces to keep your eye out for are the Daum Nancy 1 inch to 2 inch range Miniatures, decorated with winter scenes and some flowers. I have sold these little beauties for over $2,500 and usually never pay more than $500 for them.

“Glass Art Nouveau to Art Deco” by Victor Arwas is a great book you might want to have. I’m sure there are many other books out there, but I have this one. Books on Glass, Antiques and Art are a must if you want to expand your knowledge in this field. It’s not necessary to purchase new books. I buy used, and it enables me to buy many books. Whatever older book you’re looking for, chances are you can find it used on Amazon.com.

Learn Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills and Put a Turbo Charge on your money making skills. Join Me at the 31 Club and get FREE Mentoring.

You'll Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially, Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with the Strategic Plan 31 Club Members follow. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join today.

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


Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.


Daum Nancy LINKS:

Passage Arts has some fine examples of Daum Nancy
http://www.arts1900.nl/Fransglasindexpagina.html

Google Images: Daum Nancy

Don't Quit

I have to admit to you, yesterday was a hard day for me. I’ve been struggling to keep my little dog, Bella, who is a mix of chihuahua and dachshund, but finally I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life and give her up. Even though she spent almost 24 hours a day with me and even shared our bed, I was unable to break her to use the outside. My wife was extremely patient and gave me the time to make this decision without pushing. But once it became embarrassing for her to invite friends to our home, I had no choice. Yesterday, I really felt like just quitting until I saw a poem that I have hanging on my wall now. I’d like to share it with you. Please take the time to watch this video and take in its true meaning. God intended for all us to succeed and we only lose when we quit.

Click Here for Video

It’s times like this that I draw true strength from knowing what we are accomplishing with the 31 Club. If, together, we can help others to be successful, it is then that we know this: By helping others we ourselves are being helped.

Cindy and I spent most of the afternoon photographing pieces for the marketplace, and she will begin to list them soon. I also got an advanced look at the new inventory program, and it is near completion. I often forget about where you and I are going together, but then I pinch myself and say “what are you teaching our members about patience?”

31 Club Member, Cecil, called today, and it looks like we’ll be buying an Anna Pig next month using the 31 Club's Associates Program. No, we haven’t decided to go into farming, but this is something you should know about. You see, Anna was a pottery company in Anna, Illinois started by the Cornwall Kirkpatrick and Wallace Kirkpatrick. They are best known for pottery pig bottles and jugs. The last Anna Pig sold for around $12,000. In Kovel’s guide, there’s an example shown priced at $7,000. Keep your eyes open. And, take advantage of our Associates Program when you come across items that might not be within your budget. You can still make money when you partner up with us by using the Associates Program. We can buy the item and you'll make money on its sale. This program is available to all Club Members.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club, today.

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

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Maximizing Opportunities and Staying in Control in the Antiques and Fine Art Business

Most of you know by now that I have many stories about my experiences in the antique and fine art business. I share these stories with you to not only share my knowledge about the antiques themselves, but also as a way to share the ways I’ve handled business relationships and negotiating for items.

If you’re to ascend the 31 Steps and be dealing in the higher end of the markets, you not only have to be knowledgeable about the items, but about people, too. As I’ve said before, this is a people business.

An experience that continues to inspire me on my hunt for antiques and fine art was the time I was heading out to visit my family in Owensboro, Kentucky and was wrestling with the idea of visiting a gentleman who I had spoken to on the phone before I left. He had asked me to stop in and see him while I was in the area, but in my mind, I was thinking it would be a waste of time. After all, he didn’t have anything at the time I’d be interested in, and I was on a time crunch with this trip. But, it weighed on my mind. I reminded myself that this business is built on personal contacts, and if I didn’t have time for meeting with others, I should find another source of income. So, I called him back and confirmed a meeting, knowing that I’d be forming a relationship that might lead somewhere at sometime.

When I arrived at his gallery, he was busy with customers, so I just browsed the gallery. I saw several paintings that caught my eye, and I began to look a little more closely at his offerings. I was very surprised when I discovered several paintings with the gallery owner’s signature on them. I had no idea he was an artist.

He meandered over to me when he finished with his customers, and said, “You must be Daryle.” We spoke for a while when, out of the blue, he asked me if I’d accompany him downtown to see some paintings. I wanted to continue talking with him, so off we went. I’ve learned to always expect the unexpected, and I was game.

We arrived at an office building and went up several floors before we entered a jewelry store. We were greeted by a pleasant man and invited to examine the paintings on the walls. I was so sure I’d have little interest in them and was in no hurry, but that soon changed when I spied a painting that looked to me like one by Harvey Joiner. Sure enough, it was! And next to it – why – I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was a very large Carl Brenner painting. And it didn’t stop there. The next painting was a favorite artist of mine: Patty Thum. If you’re not following me, these are all Kentucky artists that I specialize in! My hands began to tremble. I felt like a kid in a candy shop, but I didn’t want to show my excitement.

The gallery owner who had brought me to see these paintings asked if I had any interest in any of them. I said, “Maybe.” About that time, the owner of this particular shop asked if I thought there was anything here that might have my interest. This broke me out of my trance, and in a feeble voice I said, “You have some nice paintings.”

“Is there any special one you are interested in,” he asked? This is where I knew I had to keep my cool.

“Well," I said, "I'm really looking to buy a collection.” This was the first thing that came out of my mouth. “Really,” he responded. “Well you can buy these.” I now knew I was leading this trade in the right direction and maintaining a poker face was absolutely essential.

I ask if he had a pen and paper and he soon produced them. I tried to make it appear as if these paintings weren’t really anything that special to me, but at the right price, I could be interested in buying them all. I went to each painting and asked the price, then figured what I could pay, then added it to the preceding price on my paper.

I could see his interest peaking, because he knew the figure I was going to offer would be considerable. By the time I finished marking down the inventory on paper, there were about a dozen paintings, and my figure totaled between thirty and forty thousand dollars.

For awhile he insisted there was no way he would sell them for that amount. But, I could see in his eyes, there was no way he was going to let me and my money leave his shop. At this time, all I had to do was make it appear that I was moving his way a little. There was one painting that he was especially attached to, so I offered to drop this one from the deal. But, he apparently wanted to prolong the game, by saying he’d need to go in the back office to see what his cost on it was. I knew the game was over and we already had a deal. He soon emerged from the back office and said, “I never thought I’d do this, but I guess we have a deal.”

There were smiles all around because I’m certain the seller made a handsome profit, the gentleman who brought me in made about $4,000 and I had just pocketed $30,000 or more. This ended a very happy story.

I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you all the lessons that can be learned in this story, but one very important one is to maximize every opportunity that presents itself to you and always be in control of that opportunity.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club.

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Buying Collectibles In Quantities Makes Sense – Marsha’s Story

31 Club Member struck gold with this Minton Oyster Plate and learned the value of buying in quantity.

A few weeks back, I wrote about a 31 Club member, Marsha, who I helped make decisions on buying a large McCoy Pottery collection she located from a local newspaper ad. The collection had about 100 pieces plus a few throw in items consisting of several Shawnee pieces, and one oyster plate.

The owner had not asked us anything about his collection and had decided to offer it to anyone who was interested at a price we could both be satisfied with. His goal was to get it out of his house as soon as he could.

Although the asking price for the lot was extremely reasonable at $500, we still asked if there was any room for a better price. (We followed the rules, anyway.) Since there had been no other interest, (we were the only response he got to his ad) he was receptive to reducing the price to $400.

Once we left this man’s house, I had asked Marsha how she thought we did. She didn’t really know, but hoped we did okay. Once we got into the car and drove off, I told Marsha that I believed there was just one piece we purchased in the lot that would pay for all of the pieces, and might even give her a profit above and beyond what she paid out. At first she looked at me like I was a nut case, then she asked, “Which one?”

“It’s not any of the McCoy pieces or even the Shawnee. But, that one oyster plate will probably bring you over $500,” I told her. Now, I didn’t have my book with me, but since I was almost certain this oyster plate was a Minton, I took a guess at the price. I could tell by her eyes that she wasn’t quite sure she trusted me on that. She got rather quite and I suspected she might be wondering what she just got herself into.

Marsha struggled a bit beginning with this program. While she has a great eye for quality, cashing in on her great buys was another story. If you recall from my previous Blog about Marsha, she had some basic office set up tasks to take care of before she could sell her found treasures, and this was holding her up. She needed a digital camera and had to learn how to use it. She needed to buy a new computer in order to even have the capacity to use the camera. Her computer was from the stone age. She’d never used eBay before, but, being the excellent student she is, it didn’t take long for her to catch on and soon listed her Minton Oyster Plate.

A bid of $250 for the plate finally gave her some hope. Soon someone bid $350, but then the listing sat with no activity up until close to the end of the auction. The real action started in the last 30 seconds, when it was bid up to $572. (Most of the bids on eBay today come within the last minute of the offering.) When you figure her cost was under $4, this selling price made for a pretty fair return on investment, wouldn't you say? I don’t know about you, but I’m sure going to keep my eyes open for oyster plates.

I believe if Marsha had previously used eBay and already had a good feedback history, this plate could’ve brought even more money. You see, people are fearful of new listers who haven’t done business on eBay before, and will often not bid as high as they might for a lister with an established eBay record. Trust needs to be earned.

She has already begun selling her McCoy items, and several of them have brought over $20. And it’s all profit from here on down the line. I suspect those 100 plus McCoy items will keep Marsha very busy.

If you haven’t already taken a look into the expanded 31 Gallery & Marketplace, please do so. It will serve you well as an educational tool and a guide.


Stay tuned for more 31 Club Member’s Great Finds, How they Bought Them, How and Where they Sold Them.

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.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT! You can sign in "Anonymous."