Antique Stemware Right Under Your Nose

 

Tiffany Favrile Ribbed Glass Stemware Service, circa 1901, recently sold on eBay for $4,500.

Most companies conducting a house sale or estate sale will put their better items in showcases, in the dining room hutch, or on a table in the living room close to the check out. This way, they think these items are more secure and less likely to be damaged. So, this is where I usually look first. I check for the more rare and expensive art glass items, figurines that might catch my eye, and good artwork. Often times, I’ve left empty handed. However, recently I found a way to make leaving empty handed a less likely occurrence.

You see, now I know I may have been passing up fine treasures in the area of stemware because of my lack of experience in these items. Little did I know that some stemware can command prices equal to the finest art glass. This really adds up when there is from twelve to fifty pieces of the same pattern being offered in stemware and accessories. When you figure the potential profit per piece from $20 to $100 each, for example, you can see that a nifty profit can be had. Until I realized that stemware could make the day for me, I would have passed on these treasures. I seldom attend a sale without seeing groups of fine stemware being offered and this has now opened up a new avenue for me.

One stemware winner that has appeared on eBay recently is a set of Tiffany stemware that sold for $4,500. The set included nineteen stemmed pieces, each one bringing in over $230 apiece. I have no doubt that the seller had less than 30% of that price in as his investment. If my math is right, his profit should have been almost $3,000.

Baccarat, Moser, Gorham, Waterford and Orrefors are just a few of the better names in stemware you might watch for, because they all can make you serious money when you buy them right. What I like about these items is that there is a ready market, even if you choose to use eBay to sell them. Regular auctions can be a great outlet to sell, and now you have the opportunity to use the 31 Marketplace with its extremely low fees to sell as well. The sale of stemware should almost be immediate, and your investment plus profit will be back in your account to use for your next purchases.

Look where other eyes pass over the obvious and be willing to continually learn more. By doing this, your bank account will be greatly enhanced.

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

Posted by Daryle Lambert at 1:29 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: 31 Club, Baccarat, Daryle Lambert, estate sale finds, Gorham stemware, learn about antiques, Moser, Orrefors stemware, Tiffany Stemware, Waterford

Time Spent Researching Artist’s Signature Can Pay Off

Diego Rivera

If you came across a quality painting with only the initials “CC” signed, would it be worth your while to find out if this might be something of value? On the one hand, the time researching might pay off handsomely, but on the other hand, the time spent researching might add nothing more than another layer of knowledge, possibly to be used next time around.

This is the way it is in the Fine Arts business. You’ll often find signed paintings, but can’t decipher the signature. It may take you a lot of time researching and there’s a chance you’ll come up empty handed. But, the rewards of finding something valuable are fantastic. I found a painting one time that I knew had to be painted by a talented artist, but I couldn’t read the signature. My only solution was to go through the entire set of signature books I had, so I decided to do this. About halfway through the first book, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I found a direct match. At this point, I still didn’t know the value of my piece, but once I saw this artist’s signature in the book, I knew he was a listed artist and I could track this down.

I grabbed my Davenport’s Art Price Guide and quickly look him up. I discovered that the $150 I paid for this painting had been well spent. The least expensive of this artist’s work brought $5,000 while his top sale was over $82,000. I soon sold this painting for just over $12,500. If I had paid myself $200 for the time I spent researching, my profit still would have been over $11,500. Not bad for a little work.

Remember, we are looking for things others miss, and often the point where they walk away is when there’s a signature that isn’t clear. How many people do you suppose looked at that painting and thought that it just wouldn’t be worth the effort to research it.

There are other things people walk away from in the art world. For example, many famous artists used only initials to sign their work. If you don’t have a book on these monograms, then they’ll mean nothing to you. I use the American and European set of books called “Signatures and Monograms” by John Castagno. If you can find these used on the Internet or through Abesbooks or Amazon, they could be like gold to you.

In these books, you’ll also learn that artists often painted under more than one name. A woman may have painted under her maiden name, as well as her married name. These books also contain sections on indecipherable signatures and the symbols some artists used on their paintings.

You will also find where artist often painted under more than one name. A lady for instance my have painted under her maiden name and also her married name. They also have a sections in these books on indecipherable signatures and symbols that some artist used on their paintings.

Back to my original question – if you found a painting marked “CC”, would you take the time to research it? If you did, you’d discover it was painted by the famous artist Jean Baptiste Camilla Corot, and it would be very valuable. If a painting is signed, “Picasso” most people would pay attention, but if it had the initial D with the number 32 after it and you researched it, you’d know it was by Diego Rivera and it was time to snatch that up. And what if you could buy one of these for just a few hundred dollars, because somebody didn’t know what it was. The record for one of Rivera’s works is over $1,500,000. Like I said in my book, let’s spend our time where the money is.

One of our members just emailed me about a painting she purchased for $1200. If it’s genuine, it’s worth over $28,000. I have my fingers crossed for her. And presently, I’m researching a painting that could very easily be worth $65,000 or more. I’ll share the results with you when I get them, and it wouldn’t hurt to have your fingers crossed for me, too.

There are other sources of looking up artists, such as AskArt.com, ArtNet.com and ArtPrice.com. These are subscription based services. If you’re a member of the 31 Club, rather than subscribing to these yourself, you can give us a call and we’ll check the name and prices for you. That’s just one more advantage of being a member.

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

Posted by Daryle Lambert at 12:50 PM

Labels: antique business, artists initials, Artists signatures, Davenports Art Prices, fine art business, pricing fine art, Selling Fine Art Paintings, unreadable artists signatures

Folk Art: Antique Windmill Weights

Just the other day, after I posted a blog about the Whirligigs sought after by collectors, I guess my mind started going back to the days I spent growing up on a farm. Before I knew it, I was researching Windmill Weights. Maybe windmills were on my mind because of the need for this country to find new energy resources. Maybe the windmill images from the T. Boone Pickens commercials were forward in my mind. Only the Good Lord understands the intricacies of my mind. But, boy! I’m glad I did the research. I always thought windmill weights were in the form of animals, birds, moons, or stars, but I was mistaken, and I got quite the education on these folk art collectibles.

In case you’re not as old as I am, I’ll provide a little background info to understand the historical interest in windmill weights. Yesteryear, in parts of rural America and other parts of the world, many farms used windmills to capture the power of the wind to pump water out of wells for use on their land. Windmills also provided the energy to pump well water to fuel the early locomotives. Grain, especially in Europe, was ground by the energy provided by windmills. These windmills had many moving parts, of course, and a windmill weight was one of them.

Today, these weights are very collectible, valuable, and make great folk art. And there are lots of collectors who’d be grateful if you found a real beauty for their collection.

There are four different kinds of windmill weights – the Tail Weight, the Governor Weight, the Spoke Weight and the Regulator Weight. The Tail Weights are the most decorative of all.

There are hundreds of windmill weights to find, and they are still out there in the old barns and sheds. And some are quite valuable. Many of the weights you’ll find are painted, but I learned that this was usually done after the weight had out-lived its usefulness and later became a piece of folk art.

Many times paint is used to disguise a reproduction, however there are many ways to distinguish the real thing from a new reproduction.The best way is to look for rust. When these weights were used, they picked up sand in the rust, and this is what made the finish on the older weights. Watch for holes in the weights. They shouldn’t be straight up and down on the real ones, rather tapered. Any damage can quickly reduce their value.

I was fortune enough to run across the book, Windmill Weights, by Rich Nidey and Don Lawrence. I took a look at a site with some info on their book, and boy – what a head full I got.

I know you’re waiting for some price examples, so here they are:

A Black Bull with white writing, 18X24 inches, $920. Horse standing,white paint,16 X 17 inches, $920. Rooster, writing, Power & Pump Co. , 13 inches, $1495. ARooster by the Elgin Co., 15X19 inches, could bring you over $5000 today.

Today’s Photo comes from Ames Hill Antiques and this 15 inch star weight made by the U. S. Wind Engine & Pump Co. Batavia, Ill. c, 1890. is mounted on a tiger maple stand and has provenance to a Minnesota farm. It’s priced at $2250.

I think you’ll agree that these nifty items are worth looking for.

There is an endless stream of items people collect, and if we find them for collectors (or for ourselves) our coffers will be filled. An old saying I recall says, “Go where others have feared to go.” 31 Club says, “Look where others have failed to look.”

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

Posted by Daryle Lambert at 10:21 AM

Labels: 31 Club, antiques and collectibles, antiques blog, Daryle Lambert, folk art, windmill weights

Pardon Our Dust But Expanding is Dusty

The 31 Club is on the march, and with our new listing arm on Askart.com, members who list art work in the 31 Gallery will have the backing of AskArt’s 70,000 daily viewers coming into play. If you’ve been wondering if anything is happening, our tentacle on Ask Art should assure you there’s much work going on behind the scenes.

Our Wish List and Inventory Pages will be tested on Friday, and provided there no bugs, you will soon be able to do your own advertising and bookkeeping right on the 31 Club Members Site. If you haven’t gone onto the Members Only site yet, you might do so now and take a look at the 31 Club Expert Resource. If you decide an auction is the best venue for your particular item(s), our Listing of Specialty Auction Houses is an invaluable resource. Here, we’ve identified the best auction houses to sell an item of a particular category.

Presently, it’s taking some time to get all your listings posted. You can speed up this process by sending us photos sized 640 x 480, including photos of the markings, if any. If you don’t know of a way to re-size your photos, try downloading GIMP. It’s free and you can do a lot of nifty things with this program.

Your listing should include as many details as possible, like they ask for on eBay. Specifically, we need size, artist’s name, the material it’s made of, date or time period if you can determine it, and any markings on the piece. It’s very important to be accurate about its condition, and any damage needs to be specifically identified.

If your items is a painting, please indicate whether or not it’s signed, as well as the location of the signature. (Lower right, lower left, etc.) Is it oil on canvas, oil on board, watercolor, or ink drawing? Make sure this is indicated. Also include the size – framed and unframed.

Include information about provenance, (origins) if there is any. This can increase the value of your item.

Website hits are growing steadily each month, and this will result in more sales and purchases. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we appreciate our charter members who’ve supported while we build an amazing site. Nothing could have been accomplished without those of you who climbed on board with us on this new adventure at a time when the media was writing the epitaph on this business. I know we are the industry leaders when I see others trying to duplicate our efforts. They”ll find that hard to do, considering they don’t have the fantastic and loyal members of the 31 Club behind them.

A 31 Club First – A painting assigned by a member to the Associates Program and purchased by 31 Club will be going to auction in at an internationally known auction house for modern design and art, Wright Auctions, here in Chicago. When it sells, this club member will make 35% of its net sales price without having to had invested a dime.

By month’s end, we should be hitting all cylinders so keep watching and participating with us in the best club in the antique business.

We warmly welcome all suggestions that you feel would benefit our members, so don’t be shy about dropping us a note during are growth and construction phase. We’d love to hear from you.

*******

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

The Green Antique Business

Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club Blog

Antique Business for Newbies & Seasoned Professionals 

Malachite and Mexican Silver Centerpiece offered at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Yes, going green is the “in” thing to do these days, but we in the Antique Business have been green all along. We don’t follow the crowd, we lead the crowd. You see, we don’t manufacture new products and contribute to the by products associated with this process, rather we recycle and buy existing items to use again and again. These “recycled” items have a life of their own, and we connect these items with those who seek them out – The Collectors. Today, there’s another way to “go green” in the Antique Business. Malachite.

Malachite is a green semi-precious stone that has irregular bands, or rings, running through it. These layers are usually darker than the predominant green of this stone, and it’s very eye appealing. Imitation malachite has very regular black or white banding. Larger deposits of malachite come from Zaire, Siberia and Australia among other places. I believe it is one of the most beautiful stones you can acquire. It is often said to have healing and mystical properties, but I’ll leave that up to you. I’ve linked a site below where you can read more, but don’t forget to research this yourself. That’s how you’ll learn best.

Often, you will find inexpensive pieces of Malachite from the Czech Republic made into small animals, flowers or other designs, but the true value is in larger pieces such as boxes or jewelery cases. I once found a jewelery case made of Malachite and bought it just because I found it to be so beautiful. I didn’t know much about it at the time, and thought my wife would really like to have it sitting on her dresser. I hate to admit this, but when I got home and began researching its value, it didn’t stay in our house very long.

My wife always says I sell everything she likes, and that’s probably true, because she’s got great taste and an eye for quality. However, in this case, an easy couple of thousand dollars quick profit was more than I could resist. I’ve done the same with toys I’ve come across, thinking I’d bring it home for my son, Josh. I guess that doesn’t make me too popular around the house, but we’ve still managed to acquire a quality collection of items, despite this habit of mine.

So why might you be paying attention to Malachite? It’s one item many people overlook, and once you’re aware of the better pieces, you might just find a treasure at that estate sale after all.

We’ve got a beautiful example of a better piece in our 31 Gallery & Marketplace. It’s a centerpiece of Malachite birds and Mexican Silver, and that’s what today’s photo is. You can get the details of this item here.

So, stay “green” and don’t forget the Malachite.

*******

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

Today’s Link:

Malachite

Art Pottery: Spotting The Rare

  

There is little doubt you are familiar with Tiffany and Galle glass, but did you know these companies also produced pottery?

 These are not common items, and their value is also uncommon. If a nice piece of Galle or Tiffany glass becomes available, most people will know what it is. The same can’t be said of their pottery. When you become familiar with their pottery marks, you’ll be a step ahead of the pack.

This Tiffany Vase sold in 2003 for $11,000 at Buchard Galleries, Inc.

Many companies produced items aside from their main lines that are often overlooked. Very simply put, people, including dealers, are not aware of these anomalies. At the 31 Club, we are on the hunt for pieces that may not be easily recognized. As members advance through the club program,  their hunt for valuable antiques and art will soon take them into the higher end of the market. And here, it’s important to be knowledgeable about what items from a particular company are rare.

Just to give you a taste of this, Kovels Price Guide lists two items for Galle pottery, both figures. One is priced at $2415 and the other $5175. Tiffany listings include sixteen pieces ranging from $200 to a high of $8,800. And, Today’s Photo is a Tiffany Vase that, back in 2003, sold for $11,000 through Buchard Galleries in Florida.  Imagine what it might bring today.

Several years back, when I was previewing items at an auction, my eyes fixed upon an unassuming piece of pottery. When I examined it, lo and behold – there was the Tiffany mark, LCT, all hooked together. I couldn’t believe my good fortune.

As I hovered near the piece, I overheard a couple of dealers discussing the vase. “Can you believe they would let fakes like that in this sale,” one said. “Anyone would know the piece isn’t Tiffany.” I had to turn away to keep from asking them whether or not they’d ever seen Tiffany Pottery before. When the auction commenced and the vase was offered, the auctioneer announced they didn’t guarantee the piece to be authentic. (I’m sure he’d heard a complaint from those two dealers about fakes.) 

At first there was no interest in this Tiffany piece, but finally they got a $100 bid. I made sure I sat on my hands in this early stage, but I can state with no hesitation, I was extremely anxious. When the bidding slowed at $150 I put my card up at $200, and that bid was followed by one at $225. I bid $250, and finally the auctioneer said, “SOLD.” I couldn’t believe I had just purchased a real piece of Tiffany pottery for $250. You see, most people have never seen one of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s pottery pieces. This vase sold a few months later just over $5700. Not bad for a “fake.” You may be fortunate enough to find some of their “fakes” also, ha ha.

What sweet little treasures these pieces can become, especially others think you are a fool for bidding on them or buying these pieces at house sales.

Treasure Hunters — Partner Up with 31 Club on high quality treasures you find. You Find It, We Buy It, We Sell It, You Net 35%.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. E-mail us at info@31corp.com to find out more. My book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE when you join the club plus more. www.31corp.com

Antique Business: Historic Events and Value

To be in the Antique and Fine Arts Business, history must hold some interest for you; enough interest to search out things from the past. Perhaps this business takes you back to those times or the events when the items you’ve discovered were produced, and this is an important connection in your life at some level. When I discover a great painting, I feel as if I knew the artist, because I am holding his work in my hands. Have you ever had that feeling?

 

The news coverage of this presidential election and the current news coverage of Hurricane Gustav has made me think about other events in our history. People’s memories are often short, but to the Collector of Historical Items, these events are forward in their mind and close to their heart. Those of us in this business have a deep appreciation for history, and this appreciation can help fatten our wallets and help to provide for our families by connecting those items we’ve found with a collector who is seeking them.

So what might be the historical events collectors seek items from?

On my local front, The Chicago Fire caused many stories to be created about its source. Did Mrs. O’Leary’s cow really kick over the lantern that set the whole city ablaze? If you come across items associated with this fire, there are many collectors who’d have great interest in this. How about events in your region of the country?

The Great San Francisco Earthquake is a great part of U.S. Western history. Even today, all the stories about future quakes are compared to that one. I am sure there are great pieces from this era that can only be found by looking in every old trunk you run across.

What could be more vividly etched in our minds than 9/11 or the assassination of President Kennedy? I can’t count the times I’ve heard people reciting exactly where they were when these events happened.

Remember the Martin Luther King letters I told you about? They were found by a friend of mine in a box lot at a local auction house who holds auctions twice a month. He bought them for next to nothing. It wouldn’t surprise me, if today, these letters could bring over $10,000.

How about the original copy of the Declaration of Independence that was found behind a two dollar print? At one time, an auction house estimated this to be worth over $3.5 million. Since that time, this document has been sold at auction, however, I don’t remember the exact hammer price. You can be certain is was quite substantial.

In our hunt for items from history, we should always remember that most of these items aren’t discovered out in the open. Rather, they’re hidden in trunks, basements, attics, behind cheap framed prints, or in scrapbooks or shoeboxes just waiting for us to uncover them. Even if they are out in the open, most eyes can’t recognize them, because many people who see them don’t have the knowledge of history necessary to know their value.

The story of a box of several dozen love letters written by a sailor during the Second World War brought great interest to me recently. The article seemed to infer that these letters would have significant historical value, and therefore, dollar value. Why did this interest me? Because the day I saw that story, we had just purchased 147 letters from a Confederate Soldier written to his wife. If the first letters, written sixty years ago, were considered valuable, how about letters written 160 years ago during the Civil War – one of the most significant events in this country’s history?

Only so many Tiffany Glass pieces or Rookwood Pottery items were produced, but the number of items that have historical content are unlimited. This gives us a great opportunity each day to find one of these treasures, if we’ll only look.

I am sure that you can think of many more events from the past as well as the people associated with them, either nationally or local to your area. If these events mean something to you, they might also have importance to others. And they might hold some surprise value when a Collector wants to buy it from you. Who knows? A Historical Society or Museum might even be interested.

If you have found anything of historical significance, please send me an email describing it and I will share it with the rest of our members.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Art, Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills with FREE MENTORING from Daryle Lambert.

Learn Inside the Industry Secrets to help you Profit in this Business.

Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle’s Strategic Business Program.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club, today.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. Join Today!

Auction House Fees Out of Line

Fees, Fees, and More Fees. When Did Our Belongings No Longer Belong to Us?

There was a time when a person could take his belongings to an auction house and pay a 5% fee on the final sales price for the service. That left 95% for the seller. Not any more.

 

 

Auction houses today increased the sellers fees, particularly for less expensive items. I’d say the average fee is about 25% with fees up to 50% for less expensive items. But still, this wasn’t enough dough. So, the auction houses began to charge the buyers a fee to buy. These fees run 20-25%. Now they get paid on each side of the sale, so this caused buyers to reduce their bids. This reduced bid affected the sellers final price.

Wow! Sellers went from getting 95% of the sales price to under 50%. I may be an old fossil, but when did our belongings no longer belong to us? When did we gain an equal partner in our own belongings?

Next came the eBay stores, a place where the seller took their things to a public place who listed them for the seller on eBay. Their fees were up to 40% of the sales price. eBay got up to their 15% and Paypal got up to their 5%. I’d say that leaves the seller 40% of the sales price for their own stuff. That makes you an unequal partner in your own belongings. Fortunately most of these operations died a quick death, as they should have.

But, now there’s a new plan emerging.

The seller finds a company to appraise their items, then that company consigns them to the auction they think fits them best. And yes, there is a fee for this. It can be 5% or more. (This might seem fair if the customer was able to obtain a discount from the auction house. Like 10% off their regular seller fees.) Let’s do some math. 5% for the company who consigns your own belongings to auction, 20-25% to the auction house when they sell your belongings, another 2-5% in fees for insurance and advertising for your belongings, and then whoever buys your stuff gets charged 20-25%. Please tell me where else someone gets charged to buy something – other than a government sales tax?

By the time you’re done with the transaction it comes to 46-60% in fees paid to a company to sell your own stuff. You, the seller, would end up with about 48%.at best. I wonder how long the public will put up with this. You just started out wanting to sell you own belongings for a fair fee, didn’t you? I’ll let you decide what is fair.

 

Taking on the big boys like this doesn’t make me the most popular man in town. But, I”m not expecting to win any popularity contests. Just trying to protect you, the seller and the buyer and offer something better than what’s out there.

 

That’s why I ask you to take a look at the 31 Club Gallery & Marketplace when you want to sell your high quality items. We offer much lower fees than anywhere else you’ll find. And buyers, there is never a fee to buy from us. Buyer and seller will benefit most by becoming a member of the 31 Club. Look here for fee details.

If anyone has comments and opinions on the auction house fee situation, please make a comment here. I think this is a very important subject.

Buyers — buy high quality items for fair prices at 31 Gallery and Marketplace.

Sellers — sell your high quality items for low fees at 31 Marketplace and Gallery.

Treasure Hunters — partner up with 31 Club on high quality treasures you find. You find, we buy, we sell, you net 35%.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club, today.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. Join Today!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Carnival Glass: Stay Current with Trends

Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club

Building Personal Wealth Trading Antiques, Fine Art, & Collectibles

For some time, I’ve told you how very important it is to stay current with the trends so you won’t make mistakes. Well, I guess I will have to take some of my own medicine, because I am surprised how far off I was on the trend in rare Carnival Glass.

Some of the Carnival Glass I sold only two or three years ago have tripled or more in value since then. I was talking to Cecil about the Carnival Glass Blue People’s Vase that brought in over $31,000 and he began to laugh. At first I wanted to punch him because I thought he didn’t believe me. But, that wasn’t the case. He showed me that in the latest Mordini Records on Carnival Glass, this piece sold for over $100,000. If Carnival Glass in of interest to you, you can get the Mordini Records for a very reasonable amount each year.

At this point, I have to admit my curiosity got the best of me, and I had to know what some other pieces I sold were worth today. According to the records, a plate I sold for $5000 sold for over $17,000 and a punch set that brought me $4500 listed near $20,000. I wanted to quit looking.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sorry I sold these pieces. After all, the profits were quickly reinvested and I’ve kept my money moving and compounding. I was more upset I haven’t kept current on their prices. You see, if I passed a great piece because I wasn’t prepared by staying current on prices, this could have been my misfortune.

You can be assured that Rare Carnival Glass will be added to the What’s Hot List, and I’ve learned a lesson. But remember, not all Carnival Glass is desirable. Look for pastel colors and unusual pieces. Vintage pieces in red will definitely make you a happy camper if you come across them.

Today’s Photo: A rare Fenton 3-Toed Bowl in Grape & Cable Pattern. This bowl is in the Showroom and Museum of Replacement’s, Ltd.

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Vienna Bronze: Secrets & Values

Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club

Learning to Trade in Antiques & Collectibles to Grow Personal Wealth 

You may be familiar with Vienna bronzes, but today I might surprise you with a real secret. When you talk to people about bronzes, they usually envision large 2′ or more figurines that may sell for over $100,000. But, they often miss the smaller pieces that can be special in their own right.

I’ve been buying, what are called “cold painted bronzes” for many years, most of them being dogs. These little treasures are bronze figures that are painted to look life like, and most of these pieces will have a foundry mark.

Since I was a canine collector, these very life-like Vienna bronze sculptures appealed to me, and they were also easy to sell for better than average profits. These were small pieces that were less than 4 inches long, and I’d buy them for $2 to $10.

I attended a sale and found five of these on a table, and if my memory serves me right, I think it cost me under $30. Once I was out of hearing range, I let out a huge howl. You see, I may have just bought 5 of these pieces knowing each one would return me at least $500.

Here’s a few examples of the prices of these special treasures: Braye Bull 11 ¾ inches $3450, Bergman Arabs 8 inches $1540. Fredericks bronzes can sell for over $50,000. Mene 13 inch dog $$3500 and Wien animals from $500 up. The prices for these bronzes are usually very friendly when you find them at garage sales or estate sales.

Figurines marked by Bergman bring in thousands of dollars in today’s market, and are a real find. If you find one of these, and it’s real, you can be assured you have found treasure. But, all of this is not the real secret I had in mind for you today.

What do you do with a piece you find marked NAM GREB? You grab it and don’t let it go. Why?

 

The secret of NAM GREB:

Most of us who do something that is a little naughty want to hide it. Often times, this hold true in art as well. You see the Bergman Company was a well established company who made quality bronzes, but they also wanted to step out and make some erotic pieces for their customers. So, not to smear their image, they marked these erotic pieces with the name of Bergman spelled backwards: NAM GREB.

Often these erotic pieces were hinged, but when you looked at them they looked very conventional. However, when you opened them up, there was usually a nude woman standing there in front of you. One is a mummy opening to a nude lady. This little beauty is worth close to $5,000. I once found one of these priced at about $800. I purchased it and then sold it for close to $5,000. Now you know the secret, and may good fortune smile upon you.

Learn Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills and Put a Turbo Charge on your money making skills. Join Me at the 31 Club and get FREE Mentoring.

You’ll Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially, Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with the Strategic Plan 31 Club Members follow. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join today.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. Join Today!

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