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.

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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!!

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Collectible Band Instruments

This vintage Mark VI Alto Saxophone recently sold on eBay for $6,400

I have just been welcomed into the reality of life with a growing 9-year-old boy who has many interests. If you’re wondering what this has to do with the 31 Club and making money, here it is: The price and value of musical instruments.

When Joshua came home from school the other day and informed me and my wife that he was going to be in the band, my first thought was – Great! Then I went on eBay and checked prices on his chosen instrument, the Saxophone.

I could hardly believe there was a sax listed for $100,000. I knew this had to be a very special one so I continued in my search. After going through about fifty saxophones, slowly, the prices dropped to $5000 and I was beginning to feel a panic. Another hundred listings and the price was down to $2,500. At this point I thought Joshua and I might be having a very intense conversation about what kind of musical instrument he might pursue. I finally got to the very end of the listings on eBay and found some for about $300. These, I figured, must really be trash. It wasn’t until later that Cindy suggested I might rent an instrument for a while to see if this was truly what Joshua wanted to pursue before investing money in a high quality instrument. She's been through this before.

I’m sharing this all with you because Joshua’s interest has uncovered an area of collecting that I’ve never delved into. As you can guess, that might soon change.

I frequently see used instruments at House Sales and Garage Sales, so after checking the saxophone on eBay, I looked into other band instruments such as trumpets, clarinets, flutes and tubas. It was the same for all of them. Even at the local auction I attend twice a month, there are always instruments sold. I promise you, I will be doing more research into this are and writing more blogs on this subject. But, while you’re waiting for me to give you more direct information, I sugget you begin doing your own homework.

Isn't it amazing that just when you think you’ve covered most of the items that will present compounding opportunities, more ideas present themselves to you. I wrote in my book, 31 Steps to Your Millions In Antiques and Collectibles the fact that knowledge comes in layers and the more of these you build, the more likely you will be successful in the Antique, Collectible and Fine Art Business. I didn’t know I would be preaching to the chorus. You see, while I have been presenting you with the knowledge I’ve accumulated over 45 years in the business, it’s become apparent to me that I may have only skimmed the surface myself.

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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