Arlington Park Antique Show Finds

Roseville Falline

It’s Spring Time, and around here that means it’s time to visit the Arlington Park Antique Show. It was held this weekend, and I was very excited to get the ball rolling again. Cindy and I met to discuss our strategy before we entered the show, and while we waited for the gate to open, I talked to everyone within ear shot. The mood was upbeat, and the people were very eager to begin their shopping. Cindy and I did as we always do by following a pattern throughout the building to be sure we didn't miss anything of importance.

Whoa, were prices high! For the first four hours we drew a blank. Finally breaking for lunch we decided to retrace our steps, thinking that at the close of the sale, some dealers might be more willing to deal with us.

So after much disappointment, we approached a booth we’d looked at earlier. In fact, this was the same booth we ended up buying from last year. They seem to always be tempting us with their outstanding inventory of glass and pottery. Yesterday, they had a wonderful Weller Forest Jardinier and Pedestal we eyed earlier, along with several other pieces of really fine pottery. A huge Roseville vase in the Green Pinecone pattern was still there, as well as one of my favorites – a ten inch vase in the Falline pattern from 1933.

So, as closing time was creeping up closer, bingo! They significantly reduced the price of the Weller Forest Jardinier and Pedestal to meet our goal. It’s rather large and I’m certain they wouldn’t want to pack that up and lug it home. By closing time, we were able to come to an agreement on price for the huge Roseville Green Pinecone pattern vase as well as the Falline pattern vase.

Paul was so nice and even packed the pieces, and Jo Ann helped carry them to the car. You can be assured that we will never fail to visit their booths if they set up at a show we attend. This is what I mean by networking when I talk about networking. You should make an attempt to meet these folks. I have never had a problem with any item that I’ve purchased from them, but I feel certain if I did, they would be accommodating. Without these wonderful people, my entire day would have been wasted. You will soon see these pieces on our website, and I am sure you will appreciate them as much as Cindy and I did.

If you ever run across Joann Woodall and Paul Woolmer from Hampshire, Illinois, be sure to stop and say howdy. These folks are real home town and ready to deal. They can be reached at Wagon Wheel Antiques [ www.wagonwheelantiques.net ] Next to them you will also find some fine folks in their booth. Cindy Horvath and Mike Nickel have a store called A Nickel’s Worth out of Portland, Michigan. I’m not certain, but I think these two stores work as partners. Last year, they supplied us with some fine Lotton vases we listed on the 31 Club site. If you remember, those pieces didn’t last long.

Yesterday I promised a great story for today, and I don't want to disappoint you. However, you may get tired of hearing this name so often. Yes, it was Cecil R. again. He called me Saturday afternoon to ask if I was near my computer. It so happened that I was away from home. But, I couldn't help myself from asking what he had found. “Oh, nothing was his reply. Well I wasn't going to let him get away with that, so again I asked, “What did you find?”

He told me that it was just a small watercolor about 5x7 inches. I asked him who the artist was and when he told me, my hat almost flew off my head. I asked him if I could be his partner on that, but he wasn’t buying that one. I couldn’t wait to get home to research it, and as I expected, that small watercolor has a value of $6,000 to $8,000. Please don’t tell me there isn’t any great treasure out there to be found. Cecil asked me not to give the artist’s name yet, but hopefully I can do that at a later date.

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.

Visit our Website, here.

31 Club Antiques & Collectible Club is Growing

Through the 31 Club Associates Program, a 31 Club Member was able to participate in bidding for Carl Christian Brenner's "Birch Trees in Winter Sunset", at Kenneth W. Van Blarcom Auctioneers yesterday.

Yesterday, I bid on our first Associate’s Program Item. If you remember, the Associates Program is set up to help 31 Club Members make money on items they are not yet able to personally purchase. By partnering with us on these items, we can all come out ahead.

Our member, Jerry, came across a Carl Christian Brenner painting that looked promising, but he didn’t have the funds necessary to make this purchase alone. That’s when he called us. It was exciting being on the phone, bidding live for the painting. However, the bids on this painting went higher than our criteria for purchasing it would allow. Although I gave it a great college try, we were unsuccessful in obtaining this piece. Jerry said he would be on the lookout for more items to partner up on with the 31 Club in the future, and I hope more of you will take advantage of this program. It can be a big factor in moving forward.

Exciting things are happening at the 31 Club. Jeremy Peterson has just been accepted as our new Internet Specialist. He’ll be working alongside Chris and Cindy to bring you the best the internet offers. Having a Masters in Internet Technology certainly won’t hurt either.

Our new look should be up very quickly and I think that you will be extremely pleased with all the new features. By Jeremy joining us, Cindy and Chris will be able to concentrate on the frame work of our site and its content. I hope to spend more time writing and acquiring items to sell for the 31 Gang. We’re committed to winning the Million Dollar Race.

Now is the time to give us your suggestion on how to make The 31 Club better and more productive for you. What can we offer you that we’re overlooking.? E-mail us your suggestions. You will find that our market place will be expanding and this will be a great place for you to list items for sale because buyers will be searching us out as Jeremy broadens our exposure on the net.
Some of you who joined 31 Club through Amazon.com may not be receiving our e-mail newsletters. If you don’t receive newsletters, sign up, here. go onto our website home page and sign up for the newsletter.

Tomorrow, I hope to put to rest the belief that there are no longer treasures to be found by people like me and you. This story will get you off the couch and searching for treasures for your own inventory.

I am so pleased to see that e-mails I receive from members and readers are containing nothing but positive news. In fact, I haven’t read many negative articles about the Antiques and Collectible Markets for quite some time now. I think we have won over some converts.

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.

Visit our Website, here.

Daryle Lambert: Run Across Any Stamp Collections? What a Gift They Can Be.

Inverted Jenny, a 1918 US Stamp,known for its error, is Valued at $525,000 at famousstamps.org

Forget about the baseball cards, I wish that I had my stamp collection back. The stamps that were given to me as a young child might have been the fortune that got away.

When I was about twelve years old, my father walked out to his car one morning and was astonished to find an older man asleep in the back seat. My father woke him and asked if he needed help. In broken English, the man told him he was hungry. My family took him in, and Mr. Michael stayed with us for several weeks. We began to form a lasting bond with him. It seemed that he was of Greek origin and from a well to do family. However, he had run out of money and needed to reconnect with his family. After a few weeks, my father set him up in a hotel and tended to some of his other needs.

Mr. Michael soon pulled himself together and shared gifts with my family, some of which were several fabulous rifles that had silver and gold inlay. On today’s market, I’m sure they would bring over $25,000 apiece. He eventually left our town, but each Christmas, he sent enough frozen lobster and shrimp to feed an army, and this was a very special treat us. We were an average family at that time, and shrimp and lobster definitely wasn’t on our usual menu.

But, the best gift of all was a collection of Greek Stamp he gave to me. Every few months I received another delivery of the most beautiful stamps I’d ever imagined from Mr. Micheal. He also encouraged me to start collecting American Stamps, and I did. I wish that I knew what happened to this collection over the years.
The reason this comes to mind is that a friend asked if I could help her with her fathers stamp collection. As I started to do some research, my eyes popped out of my head because I recognized some of the stamps as being the same that were in my collection. In today’s market, their value had risen into the thousands.
At an auction house here in Chicago I saw a stamp collection auctioned that took several months to complete. One book sold for over $10,000. I wonder what was in that book.

I suggest that you watch the sales you attend for stamp collections. If my memory serves me well, most of my collection was from the early !900's thru the 1940's. I still run across collections regularly, and I can assure you if I think that they a worthy I will be picking them up. Be sure to check that the stamps aren't glued down on the pages but are connected by hinges. Every stamp that you find might not be a treasure, but it will only take one. And if you buy them cheaply enough, I assure you that you will be well rewarded.

To this day I still wonder what happened to Mr. Michael. One day he was just gone, as if he never was. I continued to ask my father about him, but there was never an answer. It was if he had disappeared off the face of the earth. I pray he is in Heaven.

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.

Visit our Website, here.


Today's Links:

http://www.famousstamps.org/

American Philatelic Society
http://www.stamps.org/

Auction Site Dedicated to Stamps:
http://www.stamps.org/

Box Lots at Auctions, Garage Sales & Estate Sales

Do you like surprises? This is the season when you can strike some good cash by looking into every box you see at estate sales, garage sales, yard sales and auctions. Many times, I have found real treasure in boxes when others passed them by as trash.

Unless the value of something is obvious, many people at auctions, house sales, and most often, at garage sales, fail to examine things that are in these box lots. I have learned a very important lesson by understanding that many times, when auction houses or homeowners are preparing a sale, anything that they don't recognize as valuable goes in a box, along with other items perceived to be of little value.

Remember what I've told you before -- that the knowledge we need comes to us by layering knowledge of one item upon the other. By studying, researching and experiencing this for ourselves. Now, think about the average person and about how much knowledge in the Antique and Collectibles field we might expect them to have. I think you'll agree most average people will have very limited knowledge at best. So, understand this, and look under every table, inside every box, and under every item in every box at every sale.

I have known people who found books worth thousands of dollars in boxes stuffed in a corner. They've found Indian Artifacts they've been able to sell for up to $10,000 that they purchased along with a box of miscellaneous items. The best I've seen was a purchase made by a friend of mine at a local auction I also attended. He came to me, shaking all over, after he had purchased a box lot of letters. We went to a corner of the room and he began to thumb through the letters, showing me the signatures. Each one was a personal letter written by Martin Luther King. Can you imagine what they are worth today? After a box lot is sold at an auction, it amuses me when I hear someone say, "Can you believe that brought $75? It was a bunch of junk." All the time the purchaser can barely contain their excitement over this find.

Cindy and I attended a sale last week and bought a few box lots. In one lot, there were several Mercury Candles plus a host of other things. When I got home, I checked the candles and realized that they should bring from $50 to $100. The whole box cost us $10, so there is a very good chance that the contents of the box could approach $200 to $300. I have said that we want to be buying the better things, but if you can accumulate enough items at one place to take you closer to the next step in your race to the one million dollars, don't hesitate to do it. Just don't make buying a host of small items your priority. However, money is money, and in some cases, it might take several items to get you to your next step.

Let's say your account is up to $50,000. You might have to spend $25,000 for one item, two items at $10,000 and then $1,000 on five more items to have spent it all. That is perfectly okay. You see, if you aren't successful at selling these items at retail or near retail and have to wholesale them at twice what you paid, the total will still be $100,000. And that will be another step toward your goal accomplished. But, what if there is a special piece among your purchases? The final total could take you past several steps. This is what I experienced when I purchased the Frederick Morgan painting for $16,000 and sold it for $115,000.

I'm eager to hear from more of our participants about their progress. Have you saddled up? Then, I want to hear from you, as do our other members.

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.

Visit our Website, here.

Early's Spring Art Glass Auction Might Prove The True Test For Lotton Glass

Next weekend will be a true test of the Lotton Art Glass secondary market. Early's Spring Art Glass Auction, in Cincinnati, will conduct a two day glass auction containing up to 40 pieces of Lotton Glass. I believe this is the largest consignment of the Lotton's glass that has come to auction since I’ve been following its market. Early’s catalog shows that a good cross section of the artists’ work will be represented.

Charles Lotton’s Art Glass could become the most expensive contemporary pieces being produced today. If it does, you will have a chance to profit from its rise. This auction might well indicate the market direction for the next five years for this glass. It’s my personal opinion that no other glass on the market compares with the Lottons’ work, and each piece is fashioned by the artist that signed the piece.

From Tiffany to Daum, Early’s Glass Auction will feature a wide range of fabulous pieces. In years past, this auction been a glass lover’s paradise and attended by the most important people in the Art Glass Industry today. Lot numbers 575 and 585 will be items I’ve personally entered into the sale. The first is a Daum Nancy French Cameo Lamp and the second is a very old Vase with some very slight damage. These have been a part of my personal collection for many years, and I am certain they will meet the buying criteria set forth in my book, “31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles.”

In conjuction with Early’s Auction, The Lotton Glass Club Annual Meeting will be held in Cincinnati Thursday, April 10th, prior to the auction and will once again, have the honor of Charles Lotton appearing to speak before the club. If it’s possible to attend this event, be sure to make your reservations. Warner Smith, President of Lotton Glass Club will make introductions and present some Lotton Glass from his own personal collection.

I am sure Charles will show some of his new works, and these can be purchased before your neighbor finds out about them. Don't forget. while your there you can examine all the different glasses and perhaps buy a bargain. If you have a question about a piece you own be sure to bring it with you because some of the most important people in the Art Glass industry will be in attendance to help with any question.

The auction season is just beginning, so be sure to check the Antique Trader and Antique Weekly for auctions in your area. There are bargains to be had at almost every auction. Several of the 31 Club members have sent me auction listings and I’ve given my opinion of what to watch for from these lists. Members who would like assistance can contact me with their list, so take advantage of the help offered. Going to the auction with the proper knowledge will assure that when no one else is finding treasures, you will.

And be sure to get a copy of the auction results from Early's even if you have to copy it from the Internet.

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.

Visit our Website, here.

Stoneware Jugs Can Pad Your Pockets

31 Club member, Cecil, attended a very small flea market in Greenville Kentucky, when a gentleman approached him inquiring about one of the exhibitors. Cecil informed him that the person would be back to his booth very shortly. As he was passing on this information, Cecil noticed a stoneware jug the man was carrying. This jug didn't hold great interest for Cecil, but he asked if there was anything else he wanted to sell. This gentleman said he had several jugs in the car. Cecil hadn't noticed another man listening to their conversation and as they headed toward the car, the other man followed closely behind.

When the trunk was opened, Cecil found it filled with jugs of all descriptions. The first one Cecil eyed was a Louisville Kentucky gallon jug worth a couple of hundred dollars, but while he was examining it, the gentleman behind him picked up something from the wheel well, wrapped in newspaper. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see it was a quart jug from Hartford, Kentucky. The man asked the price and was told $100. He said, “Sold," and the piece had a new owner.

The size of the jug is important. Whiskey jugs basically come in three sizes: Gallon, ½ Gallon, and Quart. The general rule for jugs is the smaller the jug, the more expensive it is. Next in importance is the town it's from. The smaller the town, the higher the price. This is because fewer were produced in very small towns. Cecil was well aware of this, so when the other man walked off with a jug Cecil thought he should've had first dibbs on, he was not very pleased.

After Cecil was done looking through the trunk, he met up with the man who had just purchased the jug out from under him and ask if the jug was for sale, knowing that he had just purchased it for $100. “It really isn't for sale, but if you want, I'll will keep you in mind,” was the answer. Cecil confessed to me that he should have bought it right then and there at any price up to $1,500, but he just couldn't pull the trigger knowing that it should already be his at a $100. You see that jug will bring at least $2,000 on a bad day.

I learned that there are a few jugs even more valuable than this one. Keep your eye out for The Beaver Dam Kentucky Jug, because Cecil said if you find one, it will bring whatever price you ask. Watch for those whiskey advertising jugs. They bring good money as well. Uhl Pottery also put out a line of jugs at one time, and they bring a pretty penny, too.

A good book to learn more about these jugs and crocks is Antique Trader Stoneware and Blue & White Pottery Price Guide. It's available used on both Abesbooks and Amazon, however it's priced better today on Amazon.

Another fine bookAmerican Stoneware Wallace-Homestead Price Guide It's also priced better on Amazon than on Abesbooks.

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 that last a lifetime with your profits. 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.

See the fine paintings we have listed in our gallery like the Texas Bluebonnet painting by William A. Slaughter. Works from Robert Woods, William Horton, Tom Darro and more. Our Hannah Barlow decorated Doulton Lambeth Vase is superb. Take a look here.

Please Visit our Website.

Ironstone Can Be Easy Money

Antique Johnson Bros. Royal Ironstone China Chamber Pot available at Sea Witch Antiques for $179

Have you seen any stark white pitchers, plates, or platters at almost every sale you attend? We might even pass them by without a second thought. Some of us have poured buttermilk from these pitchers at out grandmother’s house. I know I did, so how valuable can they be? These items were used by farm families, and certainly not the upper class. But, you might be surprised at what the fetch in price today.

These common items were meant to be used daily back then. But, if you see any of these at the next sale you attend, it might be worth you while to take a look at them before you walk on by. Jug, Pitchers, Chamber Pots, (I doubt many people under the age of 30 know what one of these is] and Pitcher and Bowl sets are bringing fair money in today’s market. As I researched for this blog, I was amazed to find many pieces bringing $200 to $400. Some Ironstone is unmarked, but a lot of the pieces do have the word “Ironstone” on them. But, you won't have to worry about what it is. You’ll know it when you see it.

In England and America, starting about 1813, is where these pieces were made. A great number of companies produced ironstone in the early days, because these wares were needed for everday living. Companies such as Johnson Bros., Mason's, and Meaken Bros. were common household names to most people back then. Back when I was a youngster, broken pieces of ironstone were thrown into the gully, used to help stop erosion.

What’s interesting to note about Ironstone, is that somewhere along the line, a decision was made to decorate it to help fancy up the average household. When this happened, transferware was created to imitate the expensive painted pieces that most people couldn’t afford. Soon, these companies were making Chinese reproduction patterns in the famous Blue Willow and Flow Blue decorations.

If you think back, I said I would offer you examples that would help you in the early stages of your million dollar race. These are items that you can be used to buy, sell, and build up you cash account. The white pieces are still fairly and reasonably priced, so you can still turn them for the percentage profit we want to maintain. But, let me assure you, there are decorated items in the Ironstone that will bring well in excess of a $1,000. I've seen sets of plates in the Chinese patterns sell for as much as $125 a plate. When you buy 12 plates for $20 each, you’ll feel like you’re walking on air as you walk out the door of that house sale.

There are still items to purchase that will propel us along the way in our own individual race. Just remember that it isn’t a sprint. The first one out of the gate usually doesn’t win the race. I can see that old turtle now.

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 that last a lifetime with your profits. 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.

See the fine paintings we have listed in our gallery like the Texas Bluebonnet painting by William A. Slaughter. Works from Robert Woods, William Horton, Tom Darro and more. Our Hannah Barlow decorated Doulton Lambeth Vase is superb. Take a look here.

Please Visit our Website.