Make Money Buying and Selling Antiques: Art Pottery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Antiques & Collectibles: What's in a Name?

Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica

One of the things I get to enjoy most is checking auction treasures sent to me by 31 Club Members. Stephen sends me a flier almost every week, and I think he's becoming very knowledgeable on what to look for when he attends auctions. I always email him back with a list of the items in that auction I'd be interested in if I were attending. However, Stephen learned a very important lesson last week. His eye told him that the three pieces of McCoy pottery were unusual, and he purchased them. But, he didn't check them carefully enough before he bid, because when he got them home, he discovered two had damage. Because he bought them right, and in fact, I think they may be rather rare, he still may salvage something.

Julie. sent me an auction flier where there were two pieces of Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica porcelain being offered. One was a platter and the other was a covered vegetable bowl. I told her if they sold for a hundred or two she should pick them up. Well, her report back to me wasn't what I wanted to hear, but my idea was great. If you ever see any Flora Danica be sure to give it the once over, and if it can be purchased right, take advantage of it. Most dealers would just consider it china. However, at this auction, there must have been some knowledgeable people in the crowd, because the platter brought $1500 while the covered vegetable bowl went to the highest bidder at $2000

Another item at the sale caught my attention and it was a Dale Chihuly bowl. Pieces by this glass artist can bring tens of thousands of dollars. Often his work is composed of a bowl and then three to five additional pieces inside of it. This was just a single bowl and nothing exciting, so I thought that it may have gone for $500 or so. Wrong. The final bid was $3300.

These are two names that I want you to add to your list of treasures to search for. No, Julie didn't buy at this sale but what about the next one she attends? Always remember, it doesn't matter how many pieces you miss, just the ones you buy. As long as you have money, I guarantee you that your number will come up, and that's when all the waiting will have been worthwhile.

Just a little refresher course: Don't spend your time researching common items, because every person on the street knows the value of them. Spend your time studying the rare, where the real money is. Most dealers want to talk about Roseville, Weller, McCoy or Haeger, but not me. I want to know more about Newcomb, Grueby, Rookwood or George Ohr. If you are talking about these pieces, I can assure you that my attention will be focused on that conversation. What's in a name? Everything, when it comes to Antiques, Collectibles and Fine Art.

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Daryle Lambert Blog: Changing and Cycling Markets in Antiques, Collectibles and Fine Art

European Pottery - Early Amphora Stellmacher Teplitz Floral Pottery Vase. Priced at $450 through JustArtPottery.com

A few years back, if you paid too much for a good piece of Rookwood, Grueby, Newcomb or even Roseville pottery, all you had to do was wait a week or so and it would prove to have been a bargain. Noting the results showing at auctions, as well as on eBay, I think those times have changed. In fact after discussing this with a very good friend of mine in the business, he agreed. Good pottery will always be good, but as I checked some of my price guides I found that the pieces were bringing only 50% or less of what they did two years ago. The top spot in the market has gone into other areas such as Paintings, Folk Art (Decoys), Antique Guns and so many other items that today, are commanding record prices.

This isn't to discourage you from buying pottery but only a suggestion that before you do check current prices, and don't depend on the price guide. If you have become adjusted to the old prices on pottery, it may take a while for you to get accustomed to offering the lower prices, but after a while it will seem normal again. One reason for this market adjustment is that American Art Pottery has primarily been for the American Market, and as the economy has softened, so have the desire of collectors.

For some reason the Art Glass Market doesn't seem to have had this same result. I haven't noticed the same decline in glass as I have in pottery. But still keep your eyes open to see if this trend will begin in glass as well. Over the last forty years, I have seen this type of cycling in the marketplace. Twenty some years ago, you couldn't give paintings away, but today, they are setting records at every auction.

Years ago, in the basement of a home I was called to, were 500 or more pieces of Roseville pottery in all the valuable patterns. I did buy some of them, but if I wanted to, I could have filled my pickup for less than $1,000. At the peak of the Roseville market, I might have been able to reture on what that collection would have sold for, but today, that purchase might have been just an average day’s work.
It’s important to keep your eyes on the next great thing collectors are searching for. While many items have decreased over the last year, Lotton Glass, for example has more than doubled on the secondary market, and might just be getting started its rise.

Political Memorabilia is one collecting area that I’ve been sharing with you recently, and the next several years should be great area of focus. If you are a member of the 31 Club, (and if you’re not, why not?) you’ll notice that the same old standard items didn't make my “What's Hot List”. In fact, I’ll guess that there are even a few items on this list you’re not familiar with. . I do have a confession to make, however. I included Roseville on this list because I thought it might recover from the beating it’s taken over the last few years due to reproductions coming onto the market. I might have been a little early in my prediction.

You may want to widen your horizon and begin including Asian and European items in your search list. With the dollar so weak, it wouldn't hurt to court the overseas market as part of your plan. Remember, the plan is to buy right. To do this, staying current with the markets is of the upmost importance.

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Daryle Lambert Blog: Spring has Sprung For Antiques and Collectibles Season

Hot Wheels Redline Custome Mustang sold for $810.99 USD recently on eBay.

Get your best fitting shoes out, because the season for Antiquing is about to begin. The number of events will start picking up which means the treasures we hunt will be harder for just the few to find.

Because the crowds will be spread out, you’ll find your chances at treasure will increase. This is a perfect time to go back to your book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques and Collectibles, for all those tips on preparing for these opportunities.

This season, I will be looking for the items on my “ What’s Hot List,” and members of 31 Club can find the 2008 list in the members only section of the website. I hope you’ve already looked at it and have taken the time to acquaint yourself with these items I’ve picked items I believe the general public might overlook, and your knowing their value will greatly enhance your bank account.

As spring rolls in, people will be bringing out the things they think will interest prospective buyers attending their sales. This is a great time to find that sports item not mark up to its right value. Old baseball gloves can bring thousands of dollars, and you could find one marked $10 because it looks so unusable. It might even be flat as a pancake, what if it’s a Wilson Roy Campanella catcher’s mit from the 50s. It could fetch as much as $7,500. Be sure to watch for signed balls and bats, too. I once sold a baseball for $1,000 and that was when a $1000 looked big to me.

As “spring cleaning” comes upon us, people often are in a rush to clean house, so much so that they sometimes “throw the baby out with the bath water.” Make sure you look in every box, leaving no rock unturned.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that because the first piece in the box has very little value that nothing in the box has worth. Remember, I found a Saturday Evening Girls plate about seven plates down in a box. I bought for twenty-five cents and sold it for well over $300. The Grueby vase that I sold for over $13,000 was found in a garage, and a painting a friend found was in the basement among items that weren't worth $1.00, but he took it to auction and sold it for over $21,000.

What a great time to find those toys that kids have out grown. I am trying to patiently wait until one father I’ve been speaking with gives me the go ahead to buy his sons' cars and trains. Tin toys like Tonka and Structo are going up in value every year, so keep you eye out for them. Don't forget the Red line Hot Wheels cars. One sold not too long ago for over $18,000. Look to see these cars and the Match Box cars on Ebay’s completed listings to see the kind of prices some of these items go for.

Don’t forget about the more expensive items during these early months. If your account is up to $5,000 try to buy two or three higher end items you might be able to purchase with that money, while still meeting the goal of a profit of at least 100%. We don’t want to stay with the low end merchandise even though these purchases get us started on the journey toward our million dollars. The more quickly we begin to deal in the rare and more valuable, the sooner our goal will be reached. Your hibernation should be over and your energy levels high. I'll see you at the finish line.

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Daryle Lambert: Don't Walk on Those Tiles. Especially If They're Grueby.

How often have you seen a tile and thought, I don't need to look at that? In your haste to look at something more interesting, you may have just passed a real treasure. Most of the better potteries made tiles to hang on the wall or place around the fireplace. The complex quality these tiles have make them of great value in the market place.

Grueby started in the tile manufacturing business in 1894 when William Grueby began to make tile under the name of Grueby Faience Company. These tiles were enameled architectural faience pieces, and they immediately became popular. They came in many forms, with carved mermaids, ships and flowers being some of the favorite subjects chosen by the artist. Some of these tiles may well bring $10,000 plus in today's market. I have been fortunate enough to find several of the Grueby tiles in the past, but nothing that was very special or rare. For the most part, I have had the little cupid tile, but even these they may bring $500 each. That isn't bad if they were purchased for $5.00.

The closest I have ever been to making a killing in tile was when I attended the Music City Show in Nashville. Cecil and I decide to run an ad in the local paper, and we got a call of interest to us, so off we went. What a disappointment this visit was until I eyed the fireplace. My eyes almost popped out of my head. There before me was a fireplace completely made of Grueby tile, and some pieces I hadn't ever seen before.

I began to ask questions very cautiously so not to give my hand away. After some time, I knew that no one had ever approached them about buying the whole fireplace, so I ask them if it was for sale. Their answer was "at the right price."

What a predicament I was in, wanting to be fair but not scaring them at the same time. I finally said I would pay them $25,000 for it and waited patiently for their answer. “What will we do with that large hole in our living room wall?” the woman asked me. I scratched my head and did some calculating, finally offering to fix it if it wouldn't cost more than $5,000. There, for a minute, I thought that it was mine. But it wasn't to be. They said I would hear from them, but it never happened. To this day, I don't really know what the value of all the tile would have been, but when I put the total to them, it could have possibly come to over $100,000. You see there were over two hundred tiles and half were the very decorative ones.

Most of you might have been aware of the Grueby pottery in the form of vases and bowls, but how any of you knew that there was gold in them thar tiles? Often you will find tiles lying in groups, and most people just pass them by. I'm sure you won't pass them by from now on. I have lost the name of their company but if you want to know anything about tile call Wendy and Sandy at 978-649-4983. There are also many wonderful books on Art Tiles that you can search out as well.

I was going to include Rookwood tile in this blog, but I think I will keep that for tomorrow.

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