Local and Regional Antiques & Collectibles

Vintage Cast Iron Toy Horse and Wagon sold for $266.51 USD in June 2008 on eBay.

I spent this past weekend in Kentucky for our family reunion, and I have to admit, I had a very special weekend with aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces. And, what would a family reunion be without the fabulous food prepared only as my Aunt Martha can prepare it. This is not to say that the other ladies didn’t fix their finest dishes. But, no one could refuse Aunt Martha’s coconut peach cake.

The conversations quickly turned to what I was doing, and it didn’t take me long to start bragging about all the members of the 31 Club. I shared many of your stories with them, and I think I might have even recruited some new members. As I was talking about the success of the club, I began to think about what the members of my family could do to equal your success.

You see, I feel certain that most of them would never have the opportunity to buy a Tiffany lamp or Grueby vase, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for them to compete in the 31 Club’s million dollar race. The only difference will be the type of items they might buy.

As a child, I remember my great uncle living with my grandparents, and he had the neatest Civil War rifle I’ve ever seen, even today. I still wonder who ended up with it. When I think about it, where else could you find as rich a field to harvest for Civil War Memorabilia as Kentucky? You may not know it, but in Kentucky there were soldiers fighting for both sides during the Civil War; and in many instances, brothers fought brothers. I just wish I could search all the chests hidden away in closets and attics in small town Kentucky.

So, what other true treasures might be found in Kentucky? Aladdin lamps are a dime a dozen in clear glass, but did you know that colored ones with unusual designs can sell for thousands of dollars? How about razors? These simple items were a mainstay for the early settlers of most areas in Kentucky. For the right razor, $1000 wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. And where else could a person expect to find one of the earliest pairs of Levi Jeans if not in Kentucky? I can remember every male in the family having had at least two pairs of jeans. These jeans, today, are worth several thousand dollars a pair.

I am not a big fan of primitive furniture but be assured there is gold in the right pieces. Signed furniture by the right craftsman can bring six figures. I saw a primitive blue kitchen cabinet sell for $25,000 at the Heart of Country Show. At the time, I wondered if I found this in my search, if would I have paid $1000 for it. The answer to that question would probably have been no.

I was raised in the farm areas of Kentucky, and families were usually rather large. In fact, my father’s family had nine children, and this was considered small. As you can imagine, toy purchases were very limited, and a child might be fortunate enough to receive something special every year or so. When this did happen, it usually consisted of a cast iron toy, a doll or some marbles. I just saw a box of marbles bring in over $18,000 at auction.

Perhaps some of the greatest treasures to be found in the rural areas are the handmade items that were produced for use in everyday life. Hand stitched blankets can bring a fortune today. Small children used to practice stitching lettering and numbers on pieces of cloth, and today if you find one of these signed and dated with figures or scenes, get ready to go to the bank.

I know when I get home I’ll have a lot of e-mail to answer, so if you’ve written me, please be patient while I settle in and begin answering them.

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

Get FREE MENTORING. 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 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!

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

Civil War Collectibles Part II

Yesterday I was in Gettysburg, and looking at all the examples of the best of the Civil War memorabilia made me thirsty to get back in the antique treasure hunting race. Taking a little time off made my competitive passions even greater and truly opened my eyes.

Being as vision oriented as I am, standing on the high ground in Gettysburg looking over the valleys below, my mind could actually visualize the troops coming up the hills. I could actually feel the presence of the spirits of the battlefield. The only other time I've felt this was at the Battleship Arizona in Hawaii.

Most of the troops who participated in the Battle at Gettysburg lost 50% or more of their members, and more than 640,000 lost their lives in this war. To consider it another way, you could say that 2% of this country's population was lost during those four years. Now, I truly understand why so many books have been written about the Civil War, and why so many Collectors want to own a part of this history.

You may assume that my eyes were opened to only the physical side of collecting the weapons of war, but you would be so wrong. How about the items pertaining to slavery? There are many paper items that remain from the days of slavery. There are bills of sale for slaves, reward posters for runaway slaves and even auction bulletins where people were sold as common belongings.

The mid 1800's was also one of the greatest political eras of this countries history. Campaign buttons and flags were everywhere during the elections of those years. Banners were strung from every building. There were bandannas, photographs, ribbons and many more things that would fetch large sums of money today. Newspapers from those years are very collectible today.

Where can these items be found? It isn't in Gettysburg, but in Texas, California, Wyoming and most of the states that really weren't involved in the Civil War. Why am I so sure? If you were to start out looking in the likely places, you'd find they've already been found and their values are known. But, as families moved, and items were passed down to family members and families spread out into other states, these items were soon forgotten. As I've told you before, it's very difficult for me to find a great painting by a Kentucky Artist in Kentucky, but I've found them in California, Connecticut and Florida. The same reason applies here.

I could give you the prices for some of the Civil War items, but it's best to do your own research, and then see where it leads you. It will create an excitement and thirst for knowledge within you. My senses for collecting have been heightened by this short break, and now I'm ready to throw myself into finding those treasures that are out there waiting for me. It won't be nearly as hard now to scan the house sales ads and auction bulletins as it was before this trip.

This may well be a good lesson for all of us. If there are times that you feel just a little burned out, find somewhere you can see the best of the best of an area of Antiques, Collectibles or Fine Art, and go visit that place. I can assure you, my fire has been re-ignited, and you will too.

REMEMBER TO HONOR YOUR MOTHER AND WIFE ON THIS MOTHER'S DAY. WISHING YOU A BLESSED AND JOYFUL MOTHER'S DAY. -- Daryle

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your treasure hunting skills. Get FREE Mentoring. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to make high profits and continue to grow your money buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Take a look at our Gallery of Fine Art Paintings by Listed Artists, here.

Civil War Collectibles/Memorabilia

Civil War Era Lyon & Healy Snare Drum is offered for $1,195 at Shotwell Antiques

It’s been a fabulous few days in Baltimore. We visited three ships and a submarine in the harbor. But, the highlight of the day was when a Mexican sailing ship pulled into dock with all the sailors in their white military uniforms. The officers had chests full of medals and you could see their national pride. A formal presentation welcoming the captain to Baltimore by some dignitaries followed.

This put me in a "pride of country mood," so tomorrow we are going to Gettysburg, the one place often cited as the turning point of the Civil War. I have been reminded of my faith in God and Country by this trip and of how thankful I am to be a citizen of the United States of America. Where else could we have had the opportunity to start the 31 Club, a club that is helping so many people?

The Civil War has produced some of the most collectible items that the world has ever known. This is a field of collecting that can be started for very little money, while the better items can command prices we probably never would have dreamed of. A collection can be started with a single bullet from the war era for a dollar or two.

If you find items used in the war, the are plenty of collectors out there and the rewards will astonish you. Confederate and Union swords can bring tens of thousands in the market place today. A single drum at auction might top $10,000 or more. A uniform could top $100,000 if it belonged to the right person, and weapons have no upper limit. I have seen a single button from a uniform bring thousands of dollars. If the items have records to connect them to a soldier, this will double or triple its value.

The exciting news for you is that Civil War memorabilia is plentiful, and there are many books written on the values of these today. This is one of the areas that our members should familiarize themselves with. Price Guides always come in handy like Warman's Civil War Collectibles Identification And Price Guide and Illustrated Catalog of Civil War Military Goods: Union Weapons, Insignia, Uniform Accessories and Other Equipment

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your treasure hunting skills. Get FREE Mentoring. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to make high profits and continue to grow your money buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Take a look at our Gallery of Fine Art Paintings by Listed Artists, here.