Antiques Looking Too Good Mean Caution Necessary before Buying

After a period of dedicated time spent working on our 31 Club website and attending to other club business, it was a great treat to be able to get back in the game this past weekend.

After church on Sunday, I spent part of the day with Cindy and Marsha back at the estate sale I went to on Saturday, but I ended up with as much money in my pocket as when I began the day. However, with the Saturday’s purchase of the Rookwood lamp, I have to confess that it was a pretty good weekend.

I’ve noticed that there are items entering the market that are just too good, and I want to warn you about some of them, as well as the reason you need to be very careful. At this weekend’s estate sale, there was a Cushman Scooter that had been customized by converting it into an ice cream vendor cart-scooter, similar to the old bicycle-vendor carts. Was it a vintage? It appeared in mint condition in every detail, even down to the Cushman emblems. However, upon further inspection, several clues didn’t add up. I could see the work that had been done on it. No doubt the skeleton and the engine were old, but I have doubts about the rest of the cart. Why?

First, it was held together by Phillips head screws. These type of screws were not available when this piece was originally made. Second, the heads of the nuts that were used to bolt the bumpers and other attachments were not old. I continued to inspect and came to the conclusion that most of this piece was newly fabricated and therefore, had very little antique value. However, this didn’t deter the seller from asking $10,000 for the cart.

Remember, when you are buying something for its antique value, the more of the original condition that has been maintained, the better the piece and the higher the value will be when it’s sold. Any alteration will take away value. If the piece is over-restored, it becomes a novelty item, not an antique. And novelty items are less valuable.

This becomes very important in other areas such as antique banks. If you find an antique bank in mint condition, with the paint as fresh as it had been done yesterday, it’s most likely a reproduction. Older paint will have a patina on it that will look soft and mellowed, while new paint will appear start and harsh. An old bank could also have been restored by repainting, and if that’s the case, its value can be reduced up to 75%.

When you find anything that should have antique value, leave it as found and buy it accordingly. My rule is that if I can't wash off the dirt with water and a mild detergent then I let the new buyer decide. In this way, the buyer will decide if he or she wants to take the chance of fully devaluing the item. New is new, and even if the con artists have come up with some of the most ingenious ways to age certain pieces, there are still telltale signs that will give them away. Any time you have a question regarding these matters, be sure to contact me either by email or phone. Happy Hunting.

P. S. Please comment on the website changes we are making. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. --- 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.

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Daryle Lambert Blog: Unexpected House and Estate Sale Treasures

When you go to house sale, where do you start? In the past, my suggestion would have been to start looking where the most valuable items were placed. Often this is in the living or dining rooms, but would I have been right?

How about the garage? Could this be the right place to start? Most of you know that the garage is where you run through after there is no other place left to look in the house, right? Well, you may have been wrong, and I may have been wrong, too.

Why didn't I see this before? It was right there before my eyes. Am I blind, or what?

Now I'm not taking about gardening or shop tools. But, what else could you find in a garage that might convince you that this is the place to look for treasure? It’s not automobiles, bicycles, sports equipment or fishing gear. But, is there anything else in that trash filled garage that the man of the house hasn't cleaned in years? They might be hanging on the wall in full view of everyone that enters the garage. Look closely, and you might see those little pieces of metal hanging there so neatly in rows. How about those old license plates? I’ve seen them at so many of the sales I’ve attended and never really gave them a thought.

Do me a big favor, and go to eBay and type in "license plate" in the search box. Then go to “completed items” and click for the results. Then arrange the listing to show from highest price to lowest. Can you believe it? I didn’t until I saw it with my own eyes.

I found a 1915 Tennessee license plate finishing at $17,119.15 with 30 bids. Closely followed by this was a 1933 inauguration D.C. Plate at $3,500. I had to go past 20 plates to find one that sold under $1,000 and a thousand plates to find one under $100. Does this make me sick? You bet it does because I can think back to the times I’ve been in garages and the walls were almost completely covered in license plates from before the second World War.

I BELIEVE I HAVE JUST ADDED THESE TO THE LIST OF ITEMS I WATCH FOR, AND MIGHT JUST HAVE COME ACROSS A NEW POSSIBLE COLLECTION IN MY FUTURE.

As a side bar -- I did complete my echo stress test yesterday, and even though my wife sometimes says I don't have a heart, I do. I’m waiting for the test results, but I think everything is going to be all right. It had been over four years since my last one, and the doctor thought it was about time to take another look. I ask you to keep me in your prayers and in God’s will.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members. Turbo charge your treasure hunting. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to build a bank account to last a lifetime, 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.

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Daryle Lambert - The Trend is Your Friend.

My mailbox was full of magazines today and each was filled with auctions ads. It looks to me as if everyone is trying to get their things sold before the market drops. But do I have news for them! The Antique & Collectible Market has a long way to run before the steam goes out of it. With the dollar collapsing and real estate in a free fall in many markets, where else are you going to put your money?

Foreigners are buying the best and highest quality Antiques and Collectibles from this country at fire sale prices because of the difference in the value of currencies. No, we haven't reached the top yet. In fact, the top is no where in sight. If we have a change in government that moves us toward socialism, we haven't seen anything yet.

So how do we take advantage of all this uncertainty? We must see the opportunities all this uncertainty creates. Remember, you don't need luck when you have knowledge. Educate yourself so that you will always be ahead of the curve. Art work, fine silver, jewelry, pottery and other rarities will always have value around the world. If we want to make money, we'll need to think about global markets and quit worrying so much about what is happening at home here. We'll need to be taking action in areas that we can actually do something about. All things change. When they do, we must change with it.


A house might drop in value here because of the credit crunch, but we can’t move it to China. This isn’t true of a painting. We can ship a painting almost anywhere.

Yes, the dollar will rebound, but when is the question. So, let's not be waiting for the event to occur. Let's take advantage of the circumstances as they present themselves. There is no crystal ball that can tell us how long this change might last, so let's not be a chicken little and bury our heads in the sand. We're going where the smart money is going. This can only be done when we are educated in the ways of the market place. This is what the 31 Club will be making every effort to guide you through. We want our members to be the best equipped individuals in the market place.

If people are rushing to get out of the market, it might be time for us to get in. They might be selling out of fear, or they might need money to make their larger house payment on the adjustable loans that are readjusting. We need to be ready to buy.

Local Auctions that aren’t well advertised should be a gold mine for our members, as there will be fewer people, and your ever-increasing knowledge level will help you immensely. Try to buy the best of these offerings, because that is where the true treasures will be found. Go to every house sale that you can attend, and look for the most expensive things offered. This isn’t the time to be buying two dollar items that might sell for four dollars. This is the time to step up to the plate while the iron is hot. We, at the 31 Club, will back up our members to the limit of our ability with our Associates Program. If you see something you might want to partner on, call or email us. Let's take advantage of these markets together. But you must be a member, first.

I believe very shortly, the prices that we are seeing for the rarities will seem cheap, so remember: The Trend is your Friend. Let's start the new year off with a bang.

By the way, I was asked what kind of painting I bought from Joan C. It is a beautiful little painting of flowers in a vase. I pick it up Wednesday and will show it to all of you.

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

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, "Femme Fatale", 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.

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