Daryle Lambert's 31 Club Blog
Where Members Learn to Build Up Personal Finances Trading Antiques, Collectibles, & Fine Art
19th Century Cupboard with old blue paint is offered at Hillsdale Barn Antiques for $2,250
On an episode of Antiques Road Show, a participant brought a highboy dresser to be appraised. He told the appraiser that when he purchased it, it had been covered in horrible red paint that covered the beautiful grain of the wood, so he had it restored. He gave the highest praises to the restorer.
The appraiser asked him, “Which would you like first, the good news or the bad news? The man chose the good news first, and that good news was that it was a wonderful piece with no repairs or added pieces -- and worth $35,000. “But the bad news is that you washed $100,000 of red paint off of it.”
Yes, if painted items are genuine, they can bring in some big bucks. Especially items like boxes, trunks, chests and tables.
How do you know painted items are genuine? For starters, their paint shouldn’t look like it was painted yesterday. Something that’s over a hundred years old should look its age, and have a very mellow patina.
I’ll often ask the person who owns the piece if the items has any history. I’ve often been told the whole story of where it came from and who owned it. Don’t let this be your only means for evaluating an item though, because sometimes the story doesn't match the piece you’re looking at. When you go to antique shows and antique shops, you can examine the real thing and this will prepare you for when that special piece is offered to you.
As you research the patterns that were used during certain time periods on painted items, they’ll become familiar to you. That way, when you see them, bingo! You might have just rung the cash register, and we aren’t talking small bucks here, but very possibly some extremely green money.
A recent example of what I’m talking about showed up at Cowan's Auction last March 15th. There were several nice painted pieces in the catalog, and one was a nice 19th century Bentwood box that had an estimate of $500 to $800. Another was a box painted with flowers estimated at $700 to $1000. Next came the Pennsylvania Dower chest estimated at $6000 to $9000, and what a beauty it was.
Be sure you examine all painted items, large or small, because if they are from the 18th or 19th century they have true value. While some dealers will just pass them by as being new, with your keen eye, you will pluck them right out of a pile of trash.
If you want to put a turbo charge on your Antique & Collectible treasure hunting skills and make some real money in both good and bad markets, I've shared my 40 years of industry secrets in my book, now available on Amazon or through my website at www.31corp.com. When you purchase the book, you automatically become a member of my club, the 31 Club, and are elegible to free mentoring in this industry from me, personally.
Check out the kind of items our members have been able to locate and purchase for resale in our online Gallery and Marketplace here. 