Members Getting Active and Making Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art & Collectibles

Robert Woods Painting 36 x30 Framed. Oil on Canvas. 1 of 2 Woods paintings available for sale at 31 Marketplace. $12,500.


Correction: Well, I did it again. In my enthusiasm over our new antique, fine art and collectible marketplace, I rushed our announcement before it was actually ready to be announced. You see, I’m not a genius in the techie world, and I misunderstood what Jeremy, our tech advisor, was telling me. Most of you probably know that I’m rather technologically challenged, so this should come as no surprise to you.

I knew I could list, but I didn’t understand that it wouldn’t be live until Sunday. So, yesterday, I spent a lot of time listing new items to our marketplace that will be viewable on Sunday. Another 50 are waiting in the wings.

31 Club Member Makes a Great Collectible Find with Huge Profit

The market aside, this was a special day in many ways. First, I received a call from an interesting young lady by the name of Laura R. She traveled over 200 miles to attend an auction because the paper stated this auction was all day long. When she arrived at the house, she was surprised to see so many oriental items she knew nothing about. She didn’t want to return empty handed, so she bought several Buddha and Hindu items. Her gasoline bill was larger than the amount she spent on these items. She figured that you can’t buy much for $35 these days, so she took her chances.

Since she wasn’t too excited about the items upon returning home, Laura waited a couple of days before she listed them on eBay. Are you setting down? As of this date, she’s received over $3,000 for this little box of goodies. Her first item sold for $1,840, the second for $450 and the third for $250. , as of this date she has received 0ver $3000 for this little box of goodies. The first one she sold brought $1840, the next $450 and the third $250.

Believe it or not, I think that she might even have a few more of these items to sell. If she had been in the Million Dollar Race she would have completed over six steps in the race on that one purchase alone. I know that some of you have stories that match this one, so please send them in so I can publish yours.

31 Club Associates Program in Action, Bidding on Fine Art Paintings

The next call I received was from William, a club member who spotted some wonderful Robert Wood paintings that will be at an upcoming house sale where he lives. Since this purchase will be out of his budget range, he’s going through the Associates Program to make a bid on these paintings. That means he’s partnering up with 31 Club in a cooperative effort to purchase these pieces. 31 Club will handle the bidding, and if we are successful in acquiring them, 31 Club will handle the re-sale. A very handsome percentage of the sale will go to William just for spotting them and calling us.

By working with the 31 Club you, too, can advance to the higher end items by simply simply taking advantage of the Associates Program.

Whether it’s pottery, glass, paintings or whatever you spot that is beyond your budget, by calling us and purchasing with the help of the Associates Program, you'll start accumulating money for your account.

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your antique & collectible 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.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!

31 Club's Expanded Marketplace Opens

American Born Artist, William Horton lived and worked primarily in Paris. Friend of Claude Monet and Edgar Degas, Horton's high auction price is $104,500 in 1991. This landscape offered through 31 Club Marketplace for $25,000

One of the goals of the 31 Club, was to present one of the largest selections of high quality Antiques, Collectibles and Fine Art, attracting both Collectors and Dealers. We’ve begun this journey today with the opening of our New Marketplace.
This marketplace is open for the public to consign their pieces with us, and to 31 Club Members, who are out there looking for valuable and prized items.

No longer will you have to wait months for Auction Houses to post their schedules or list your better items among hundreds of inferior pieces hoping someone will spot yours.

We aim to become the first place where dealers can find the pieces their customers are looking for, while still being able to turn a handsome profit, as well as the place collectors can find a below the market price on highly collectible items and valuable paintings. New items will start appearing today.

Never a Buyer's Premium and the Most Reasonable Selling Fees in the Industry.

31 Club members pay only 10% for pieces ranging between $0-$5,000, 7.5% for pieces ranging between $5,000-$25,000, and 5% for pieces $25,000 and over. Non-member selling commissions are 20% for pieces ranging between $0-$5,000, 15% for pieces ranging between $5,000-$25,000, and 10% for pieces $25,000 and over. No Buyers Premium!

I hope this will be great news for you. With the large increase in traffic our site is receiving, all items listed should have excellent exposure. By listing through us, you’ll find the lowest cost to you of anywhere in the industry, allowing you to retain more of your money.

To have your items listed, you need only send pictures, a description, details of its condition and your asking price. If you’d like help pricing it, just ask.
If you have any questions about the marketplace please email us, and we will get you the answers to you quickly.

We will continue to expand our learning resources in the Members Only Section so our members can keep ahead of the trend. All eyes are on the 31 Club, so now is the time for our members to profit as we become the industry trendsetters.

Your input is highly valued and we want to hear from you. If you have ideas or comments, let us hear from you! Send me an e-mail at info@31corp.com
If you haven’t joined our exciting and trendsetting club, what’s keeping you from joining? It’s the best deal around.

Here’s an Example of How the 31 Club Membership can Benefit You.

Yesterday, I bid on an advertised painting at an auction house. However, I wasn’t bidding for myself. A 31 Club member spotted the painting, and its estimate was only a few hundred dollars. Because she was new to the business and wasn’t certain she’d found a treasure, she called me and went through our Associates Program. I took a look at the offering and did some research. It was indeed a good offering. Partnering with 31 Club, I handled the bidding. I bid up to $5,000, a good offering based on research. However, the bidding ran up to $14,900 plus buyer’s premium.

31 Members Make Money Spotting Good Buys Without Ever Having to Invest a Cent.

While we didn’t win this piece, I can assure you, when we keep working this way, everyone will come out a winner. And here’s how. Let’s say I had the winning bid at $5,000. 31 Club would pay for the item, then we’d handle the sale of it. If we were successful selling it at, say, $10,000 the club member would have made $1,750 just for having spotted it and called us. No investment on the member’s part, except for the phone call. I think you’d have to agree that is a pretty good benefit to being a member, maybe even great.

We’ll soon be celebrating our first year anniversary, and I am truly grateful to all who have helped keep us growing. Thanks a million.

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your antique & collectible 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.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!

Antiques & Collectibles - 31 Club Memorial Day Blog

I have never been as proud to be an American in all my life as I was this weekend. I attended a small church service in Calhoun, Kentucky where they honored our Veterans this Memorial Day Weekend.

Slacks with sharp creases and starched shirts decorated with ribbons and medals was the dress of the day. Flags were held proudly as they were presented, and America The Beautiful and the National Anthem were sung by people who had tears streaming down their cheek. Great love of their country was the unifying thread that bound together men and women in their eighties with others in their twenties. Not one asked for a single thing for themselves, rather prayed that under God, this Country would return to what God intended for it to be. This image will be etched in my mind and heart for the rest of my days.

I remember those times when people were proud of our Country and had the love of God in their hearts. Where have these days gone? How have we strayed so far? Our political leaders seem more interested in party affiliation than the good of the county.

To see and know what has made this country great, you must return to rural America. I am saddened to have returned home and turn on the television, only to see the disharmony that is prevailing in this country that so many have given their lives for.

My hope is that this little community we are in the process of creating through the 31 Club, will stand proud for what our forefathers held so dear. Yes, we are going to learn together about how to provide for ourselves, but I'm hopeful we won't forget our fellowman.

I am asking you to start looking for items that show our Country in a different light. Let’s see if we can find posters that show the pride that all citizens of this Country had at one time. How about books and paintings showing people helping others in times of need. You will probably have more ideas than I about what these items can be. I know you are asking if there be a market for them. The answer to that is yes, because we will create a market in our market place.

Remember, just one year ago everyone was saying that there would never be another collector, but we said they were wrong. They said this business was of the past, and we said it’s the greatest business in the world today.

We’ve shared with you that in every category of this business, records are being set at auction. I no longer see all the negative articles written nor hear the doom and gloom that prevailed just one year ago. Yes, the message of the 31 Club is being heard loud and clear, so now I’m asking you to extend this positive attitude even a step further. Let’s include our pride in America into our plan.

GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your antique & collectible 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.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!

Boch Freres Pottery

Boch Freres Crackled Enamel vase, 10 1/4 inches, offered at Cincinnati Art Galleries' June 7, 2008 auction. Its estimate is $1,000-$1,500.

Some pottery can bring in great prices at auction, and one of these is the collectible Belguim pottery, Boch Freres. Several pieces will go to auction June 7, 2008 at the Cincinnati Art Galleries as part of their summer offering. These vibrantly decorated pieces can be a real prize, and pre-1940’s pieces are sought after by collectors worldwide. The mark is a wolf or dog over the wording “Boch Freres Keramis made in Belguim.”

Their leading craftsman, Charles Catteau, was very active in the 1920’s and he produced some real beauties decorated with various animals, like birds, deer or antelope.

Many of this company’s pieces are still very affordable, and you’ll see prices at the Cincinnati Art Galleries auction estimated from a few hundred dollars to several thousands. These are great pieces for new collectors because of their affordability and beauty. When you find a great piece of Boch Freres, rest assured there will be a collector you can turn it to for a nice profit, if you buy it right. You shouldn’t have any problem finding a European collector for these pieces. The weak dollar has brought European buyers out in droves and they are very actively buying up our collectibles at bargain prices.

Don’t fail to take a look at Cincinnati Art Galleries’ Art Glass offerings, as well. Karen Singleton has assembled, perhaps, the best Art Glass collection I’ve seen them sell yet. Over 30 pieces of Lotton Art Glass are included in the offerings plus many other outstanding examples by the better Art Glass companies.
An excellent array of Rookwood pottery will be offered at this sale, and that’s why they currently hold almost every record price paid for Rookwood Pottery. If you want to truly get a good education, study the items on their site. Then, when there is an antiques show in your area, attend it and get a close up look at what high quality pottery and glass looks like.

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your antique & collectible 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.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!

LINK:

Cincinnati Art Galleries - Boch Freres Keramics offerings

Antiques & Collectibles Road Trip Means Fun and Profit

Going to my grandsons’ college graduation party in Kentucky this weekend won’t stop me from hitting all the antique malls or shops along the way. It might take me a little bit longer to get to the party, but I’ll sure have fun along the way. I’ll be making this trip alone, so stopping won’t be an issue brought up for vote. I love it! Wouldn’t it be something if I found a treasure even before I arrived in Kentucky?

Antiques Out of Place for the Region Can Prove to Be Very Well Priced.

So what will I be looking for? Something out of place, of course. Paintings are first on my list. Unless they are regional and from the area, paintings don’t do to well in this area of the country. Maybe I’ll find a California or New York Painting at a bargain price. Pottery? Well, the Mid-West is pottery heaven so I’m not pinning my hopes on a great piece of pottery. Political Memorabilia is a good possibility. Killary was just in Kentucky and I believe Bill Clinton was recently in my hometown, Owensboro.

Are you beginning to get the jest of how I think? This process will save you a lot of time once you've begun your trip.

I missed a great auction there last week, but I’ll be looking in on old friends to see how they’re doing. While I’m there, I’ll ask if they have anything I might buy from them that might do well in Chicago.

Cecil is the first person I hope to find because he always has some of he better things set back. I’ve been able to persuade him to let a few of them go to me, in the past. I’ll also be looking in my friend Owen’s “Spend-a-Buck“ Antique shop for some goodies.

In Kentucky, the expensive items seem to be more reasonably priced than what I’ve come to expect in Chicago. There seems to be an order to the way Antiques, Collectibles and Fine Art sell.

The Same Item in Different Regions of The Country Can Have Different Values

I used to set up at the O'Hare Antique Show with some of my friends, and it amazed me that the New York and European dealers would buy most of what I had brought to the show before the public had a chance to see it. I wondered how they could pay my prices and still think they had a bargain. But I learned that the same item can have a different value depending on where it’s being offered.

My friends, Doris & Mike, who sell a lot of vintage bakelite jewelry, have buyers from New York gobbling up their pieces, because they believe the prices are incredibly reasonable compared to the New York prices.

If you’ve read my book, you’ll remember the painting I drove all the way to Christies in New York to auction, because I’d get a better price for it in New York than in Chicago. The painting was estimated to bring three times as much in New York as it would in Chicago, and that’s exactly what happened. Primitives sell very well in New York, and as I was driving, I recall wishing I had some great primitives I could have brought with me. Had I had these items, I knew they wouldn’t be making the return trip with me.

Qualify Your Family Vacation or Trip as a Business Trip

Hunting for Antiques & Collectibles along the way to my grandsons’ party enables me to do business along the way, and is in essence, a business trip I can expense. Fun and Profit – the two greatest words I know besides the one I use to pray.

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your antique & collectible 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.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!

Are you Prepared for Success in the Antique, Fine Art & Collectible Market?

Some of us have been working together for almost a year now, but are you prepared for success?

Yes, we have studied antiques & collectibles, listened to stories of success, but have we assembled the tools needed to master this market?

These questions came to me as I was working with one of our members yesterday. She’s one of the best students I have run across and never fails to do her best to meet the assignments I give her. Her eye for quality is impeccable, and the knowledge she has acquired through her international travels serves her well in the antiques & collectibles arena. But, as we visited, it became apparent there were some basic tools still missing. Like a current computer!

You see, we tried to upload her new digital camera, but couldn’t. Her computer was too old to handle it. Without a computer and digital camera, I don’t know how you can compete in the Antique, Collectible and Fine Arts Markets today.

To Compete in the Antique, Collectible and Fine Art Markets Today, a Digital Camera and a Computer That Can Handle it are Two Necessary Tools for Success.

A fairly new computer and a digital camera is a requirement. Most of you already have one that is sufficient, but if there are members who need to upgrade, this might be a good time. The prices have dropped at an unbelievable rate for desktop models, and you can probably get all you need for $400. A reconditioned computer will be even less. If you’re not able to do this, I’ve seen the “buddy system” work well. One person has the camera already, the other has the computer, and they work together.

Without these two items, your connection with the markets will be very limited. Each day, people send me photos to look at. With those, I can help the sender decide whether or not to purchase the item, or what price to ask for it when they sell it. I also have people who offer me certain items, and e-mail me a photo to look at first, before deciding if I’m interested enough to consider buying it. Once people know you buy antiques, collectibles and fine art, they’ll want to e-mail photos to you, as well.

The computer can help you access auction sites, such as eBay, Rago Arts & Auction, Treadway and others, to do price research, as well as general research on just about everything imaginable. With the use of a good computer and digital camera, you can create limitless results.

I see so many trying to make it in the Antique field who don't take time to research and learn. The computer can help you research like never before, and if you’ve joined the 31 Club you have these tools already aiding you on your success in this trade through many of our professional subscriptions that are costly to subscribe to individually. Access to a wide network of professionals and collectors can also be at your fingertips when you join us. If you haven’t joined, why not do so today? My 220 page paperback book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is free with your membership, and the complete list of trade tools is listed in the book. Join Today!

Our community is growing everyday and I think you will agree that our site is becoming the standard for the industry. Cindy, Chris and Jeremy have done an outstanding job and the best is still to come. Clarke is waiting in the wings for his next assignment, and I can guarantee it isn't far a way.

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your antique & collectible 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.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!

Collectible Calendars and Paper Advertising Pieces

Example of Maxfield Parrish's Work

Sometimes we try too hard searching for antique and collectible vintage treasures when they might actually be right under our noses. At sales I attend, I watch people running to and fro, their eyes focused only on the pieces prominently exhibited to draw attention. The truth is, the items displayed in the most prominent places are the ones most likely to be overpriced. I have found more treasures tucked away in closets or left in the basement than I can shake a stick at.

$25,000 Worth of Collectible Paper Items Found in Dumpster After the Sale.

At a house or estate sale, very few of the buyers go searching for paper items. Usually, paper items are found in boxes or spread on the floor of the basement or garage. Often, this is where I’ll spend most time at a sale. Remember the dumpster diving story where I found $25,000 worth of paper items in a dumpster after everything in the house had been picked over? Among the valuable items I pulled out of the dumpster, after having been given permission to do so, were Winchester Rifle and Ammunition Posters. Right there in the dumpster!

If you know what’s a valuable paper collectible, you can cash in while others are fighting for overpriced items.

I found a Maxfield Parrish Calendar priced at $350 at a house sale. The owners agreed to sell it to me for $250, and even back then, I was able to sell it for over $1,500. Maxfield Parrish was a popular illustrator from the early 1900’s, during the Golden Age of Illustration. This period of time is noted as having excellence in book and magazine illustration, and Parrish was tops. Parrish had been a student of Howard Pyle, along with other top illustrators of the day; N.C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover and Edwin Austin Abbey.

Parrish was commissioned to do work for popular magazines in the 1910’s and 1920’s such as “Life” and Heart’s Collier’s. His illustrations were made into posters and calendars, so it’s wise to become familiar with his work. Do a little research and capture his style in your mind, so when you see something that looks like one of his works, you’ll know to check it out.

Many of Parrish’s original prints, calendars and posters can still be found for very little money, in mint condition, and in their original shipping tubes, if the seller hasn’t taken the time to look into the tubes. They often don't. Kovel’s Price Guide lists several Maxfield Parrish Calendars, some approaching $5,000.

The Right Advertising Calendars Can Be Valuable, So Know What to Look For

Other types of Calendars are also quite valuable, and they don’t have to be large for you to return a fantastic profit. Small calendars with the right advertising can fetch over $2,500, even if they are as small as 4x8 inches, as did the Coca Cola calendar I found many years ago.

As a general rule, the most valuable pieces are dated before 1950, but there are exceptions. A Dr. Pepper piece from 1953 is listed at $412, but in today’s market I truly believe it can command a higher price. Age alone shouldn’t be the basis for valuing these items. There are many other calendars out there from the 1800’s still selling for under $100.

Sporting Calendars and Hunting Calendars are advertising pieces also highly sought after. Examples of these are hunting equipment calendars with guns and dogs in the scene, fishing equipment calendars or prints of fishing scenes will help fatten your wallet. Calendars with pictures by well known artists, like Parrish, will command top prices. Many of these will be from the 1920’s – 1950’s.

Soft Drink or Soap Calendars with beautiful graphics are a cinch to bring big bucks. So can Calendars advertising Ice Cream Shops or Drug Stores, Men’s Clothing Stores or Women’s Dress Shops. When I’m looking through boxes or closets, I’m looking for big dollars, while to most others, it appears I'm wasting my time.

Our 31 Club Member, Cecil, taught me the value of paper collectibles when he showed me Travel Posters worth up to $5,000. These, along with a Maxfield Parrish Calendar, were practically given to him. Thank you Cecil. I have now passed your knowledge on to others so it will help them, as you helped me.


Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your antique & collectible 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.