Pilkington Tile and Pottery Co. - A Hidden Value

Everyday, I search for things of interest that might just prove to be a treasure to us. I believe I have come upon an item I would add to the “What’s Hot” list. Remember trends are identified by people that have a gift that allows them to see them. Often a new trend is right there before your eyes, but by the time you see it this trend might be in mid-cycle. That’s not where you want to be. It is much better to be there at the start of a trend.

Pilkington Pottery is something you want to watch for and purchase. It has been on the market since the late1800's, up until 1937 when this division was closed. The company did survive and operates under the name Pilkington's Tiles Ltd., even today.

We are only interested in the period of manufacturing from 1903 through 1937. This is when the Royal Lancastrian line was introduced. The new opalescent glaze that was applied to the Lancastrian line became an instant hit with the buyers. These pieces where manufactured during the war years, so I would presume that there were fewer pieces made and even fewer that survived. These are some of the most beautiful pottery pieces ever produced

Pilkington, in my opinion, is of equal quality to the finest English pottery of the time, and I think much rarer than most of the others. However, if you aren't familiar with the company’s marks, you might come across a piece and think it is just a contemporary vase or bowl. The Kovels New Dictionary of Marks will provide the information for most marks out there, and I have suggested that everyone who wants to follow the 31 Club plan purchase this necessary book.

The surprising thing about Pilkington is that their pieces don't have to be extremely large to command some very healthy prices. For instance, a 7 ½ inch Lancastrian vase decorated with four Galleons at Sea, produced around 1908 might fetch $5,000 today. A Floral 9 inch vase could easily sell at auction for $3,500 or more.

Since most people will not know how to identify this company’s ware, you might be fortunate enough to pick up one of these for as little as a couple hundred dollars.

I can promise you that if one of these presents itself at a garage or estate sale, it will probably be waiting there for you. As you pick it up, don’t be surprised if the person next to you says, Oh, that’s nothing, and it’s so overpriced”

The oyster is ugly, but inside there can be a beautiful pearl. That’s what I think this business is all about. Yes, we will open many oysters to find those pearls, but how sweet it is along the way when we find them. By the way, the oyster isn’t all that bad either.

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 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.

Visit our Website, here.

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.

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: When is the Right Time to Sell

Whenever you make a great buy, how much profit should you hold out for? No one can tell you the answer to that question on every purchase, but I can give you some suggestions.

It has been over a year since I started working with a person to sell two Andy Warhol prints: a Howdy Doody and a Witch. About that time it looked like they were pretty much sold, the party wanted to raise the asking price. Since they belonged to that person, they had every right to do it, but was it wise?

Let's examine the facts. When we first offered these, the bid price was $20,000 for the Howdy and $15,000 for the Witch. I suggested that we price them at $27,000 and $22,000. You see, the market was going up, and it wasn't time to sell them at the bid. It wasn't long before I got a call saying that the prices on the prints were going up more, and we should raise the price on them. Tell me something new. So we raised them to $28,500 for the one and $35,000 for the other. The Witch traded places with the Howdy, and surpassed it in price. This price increase in prints was caused by auction prices for some of Warhol's paintings, such as the Cars that sold for $71,000,000. This had very little to do with the prints, however, and I was sure that their prices would start to decline in a short period of time..

Thinking that the market was being artificially raised, my suggestion was to sell them at the next offer. That was when I received a call from California from a gentleman that offered almost $40,000 for the Witch, which I gleefully presented to the seller. Much to my surprise the selling party now wanted to raise the price to near $60,000 for the one and $45,000 for the other. I no longer represent the selling party on the prints, but today I found out that the prices were dropping and now approaching the initial price we started at.

There are at least two reasons why the choice not to sell made no sense. First they where prints, and prints are faddish. Their value, more than likely, wouldn'tt pass the test of time. Second, what could the seller have done with the money if the prints had been sold? That money might have doubled or tripled by now had it been invested in other items. The old saying in the stock market is "Bulls make money and Bears make money, but Pigs go broke." You always sell into a rising market, and the best time to buy is when everyone else says don't buy now because everything is going to zero.

The game we are playing is buy and sell, and we do this over and over again. We are not looking for appreciation, because in our plan anything we purchase should be worth several times what was paid at the time of purchase. This means our money is active, and the risk is almost nil.

Don't get caught up in the excitement of the market place and forget the purpose of our plan.

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.

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/