Antique

Treasure Hunters Find Hidden Treasure at 31 Club

darylelam — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:55:00 GMT

The Power of Two – Partnering with 31 Club Nets Treasure Hunters an Easy 35%

English Artist, Graham Hedges, "Storm at Sea" is one of two Hedges Paintings located by a 31 Club Member.

Do you often find valuable antiques and art you'd like to trade but don't have the money to purchase? Are you familiar with the term "Picker"?

Members of the 31 Club understand how advantageous it is to partner up to purchase fine art and antiques and share the profits through our Associates Program. I have to pinch myself to be sure that what’s happening is real, so I’d like to share some of my excitement with you.

William, a true gentleman who had never been in this business before, was the first 31 Club Member to partner with us through the 31 Club Associates Program. We began corresponding on a regular basis with very little happening until one day, he called me about a Texas painting he saw at an upcoming sale. We agreed he should attend the sale. In the meantime, I took a look at the other items from sales leaflet over the Internet.

He arrived to the sale early and examined the painting, but it was priced extremely high and didn’t interest us anywhere near this price. However, there was another painting of interest I saw on the sales leaflet. It was by the artist, Walter Darby Bannard, so William took a look at that one.

I expected the painting to be over priced, like the last one, but it wasn’t. We were able to purchase this painting very reasonably, and this became the first Associate Program listing. When this painting that William located sells, he'll earn 35% of the net price, without ever having invested a dime of his own money.

I believe you have seen the beginning of the future for the Antique and Fine Art industry. I’m quite certain that once others catch wind of this, they’ll either join us or try to duplicate our program.

I hope I don't get these out of order, but the next purchase through the Associate Program that comes to mind was the Patrick Henry document Cecil found and put through the program, followed by another painting William located by Peter Schofield. All of a sudden, we found ourselves hustling to keep up with the calls. Vicki D. located a wonderful Rookwood lamp and a Muncie lamp we partnered on. Two nautical paintings by English Artist, Graham Hedges, presented by Marsha M. soon became part of the Associates Program.

Over the last couple of days, we’ve entered into agreements with members on 147 Civil War Confederate Letters written by a soldier to his wife, many of which were sent during battle, a 1940's Kentucky Derby glass, and have a pending deal in process for 21 vintage movie posters and several signed photographs of movie stars from the 30's.

If this sounds good to you and you've got an eye for high quality items, you can earn 35% on items you locate that fit our criteria, too. All you have do do is become a member of 31 Club.

Other Members are listing their items on the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, knowing the sales fees are the most reasonable of anywhere in the industry. That’s because we believe most of the other sales venues have simply decided to take too much of the pie. If you work hard, you should get to keep your honest rewards. That's how we work.

Anyone can join the 31 Club. We have newbies up through seasoned professionals as members. We even have members who own antique shops who are beginning to list some of their higher quality items on our Gallery and Marketplace. If you haven’t joined yet, why not?

Although we may be in the very early stages, The 31 Club is gearing up for great things. We are here to assist you however you ask, because nothing is as important to us as your success.

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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 -- You Find, We Buy & Sell, You Net 35%.
Partner up with 31 Club on high quality treasures you find.

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

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

Auction Fees and More Fees

darylelam — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:10:00 GMT

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. That’s pretty good, but let’s flash forward a few years.

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.

eBay Head in Wrong Direction, Once Again

darylelam — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:54:00 GMT

Daryle Lambert's 31 Club Blog

Do you feel the ground shaking and hear the sound of distant thunder? That’s the sound of the coming stampede of Ebay sellers making a mass exodus to other sales venues.

Ebay has, once again, presented changes in their venue, many of which I predicted months ago, that will be sending a good portion of their sellers elsewhere to do business and leaving their stockholders in a long holding pattern, or perhaps experiencing new lows.

Starting last ast year, and much to my dismay, I started predicted eBay would lose a good portion of their market share to their competitors. It looks like this will continue to occur as the company implements their most recent changes. (Links to articles I've made eBay predictions are below.)

You see, eBay forgot who got them to where they are, and it wasn’t the buyers. They’ve spent entirely too much time trying to please the buyers, when it was the sellers who helped build the company. In my opinion, it may be too late to salvage their position in the marketplace now or in the future.

Since eBay has continued to raise the percentage they take on completed sales, I predicted eBay would discontinue listing fees altogether, and I stated it was in their best interest to do so. Today, they’ve dramatically cut listing fees but have not eliminated them. Most sellers don’t mind paying a little more if their items sell, but if they don’t sell, they take a direct loss which isn’t acceptable.

While from time to time, the company has special days offering sellers no listing fees, I still predict the time when eBay permanently offers no listing fees will be just around the next bend. However, by then, it will be too late to bring back those who’ve been grazing comfortably in another company’s pasture.

In their effort to make up for lost revenue and please their stockholders, other changes the company made will prove to be a big turn off to its sellers, as well. Like the increase in fees for their PayPal services and their insistence that this is the only way to pay for fees when doing business with them. Forcing customers to use only the programs they provide will prove to be a mistake in the future. It’s cheaper for their sellers to go elsewhere and use other merchant account providers with more reasonable fees. No, the public isn’t going to let eBay make up their loss in revenue in this way.

Any reduction in fees will prove to be beneficial for those of us who use eBay to sell our wares, but the other restrictions I believe will be rejected in the market place. It may prove that eBay has, for too long, underestimated the intelligence of the customers who helped build them.

Ebay’s efforts to swing in the direction of retail sales by emphasizing fixed price selling is about four years too late. Companies like Amazon are not likely to surrender their market share to eBay without a fight.

What eBay might do next in their effort to increase revenue will be to charge for their completed sales information. I made that prediction in an earlier article and I stand by it.Only time will tell.

To re-establish their growth pattern, eBay will have to reinvigorate their seller base, and that isn’t going to be easy. In fact, they might have to reduce profits for a while to build future sales volume. This might very well put eBay stock in a long holding pattern and even cause new stock price lows.

But, as I've stated in the past, what is bad for eBay can be good for us. So, when they have specials, take advantage of them, like listing several items on free listing days. Try not to get caught in the traps they set like reserve price auctions and the other gimmicks they state will bring you greater returns but actually cost you more. “Keep it simple” is a good rule to use here. In the meantime, if you haven't looked into other sales venues, now might be a good time to do some investigating.

Keep Skip McGrath and his newsletter close to you, because I think he has the pulse of what eBay is doing down to a tee. You'll find his many great resources available on our site. Don't forget our friend the “ The Auction Rebel – Gary Hendrickson” as he demonstrates his method of being successful on eBay.

Ebay made a change in my life, and for that I am very grateful, but they’ve been very slow to change with the markets. They might have thought they were invincible. But, none of us are. I still hope it isn’t too late for them. They’ve been a tremendous help to me and my family, and I thank them for that. God protects the humble, but if we try to do all things ourselves and even go down the wrong path, He allows for that too. I believe eBay has gone down the wrong path.

LINKS to my Previous eBay Article Predictions:

10/02/07 Will eBay Remain King of the Hill?
01/30/08 eBay Serves Scrambled Eggs
02/14/08 Is Ebay Running out of Juice?
03/25/08 eBay Fighting Hard in Wrong Direction

List Your High Quality Items with 31 Gallery & Marketplace. Low Fees!

We also Buy Pottery, Art Glass, Fine Art Paintings and many other items. Contact: info@31corp.com

Antique Furniture - It's a Buy

darylelam — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:34:00 GMT

Daryle Lambert's 31 Club

Where Members to Trade in Antiques and Fine Art to Build Personal Wealth

The prices of high quality paintings, pottery and art glass are on a tear. So I got to thinking, if this is so, there’s probably something out there dragging its feet in these markets. Turns out, it’s good antique furniture.

I thought the days of me hauling around chests, tables and chairs where over at my age, but the high quality pieces are a real bargain right now, I may have to reconsider. In fact, I have told you before that if an item was larger than a bread box, I wasn't very interested, but I may have to eat my words today.

The more auctions and estate sales I attend the more I am sure that there is big money to be made in antique and collectible furniture today. I’ve seen high quality furniture selling cheaper than I can believe. At an auction I attended last week, I saw a beautiful empire chest made of tiger maple sell for a mere $200.

Why this sudden reversal? In my opinion, we live in a disposable society. The days of the ancestral home are disappearing for many people. Families move around from home to home every few years, and family members divide up moving to other states and even other countries, disposing of furniture along the way and buying new "disposable furniture" to fit their new home. But, there will always be those who will be seeking high quality antique furniture.

In the markets I’m attending, I see early chests selling for $100 to $200 when a few years ago they would have brought $1000 or more. The same with antique tables I would have loved to have purchase ten years ago for $500, now are bringing in only $150 at auction.

Over twenty years ago, I bought a wonderful Armoire for $750 and sold it almost before I got it home for $3500. It was heavily carved with burl walnut panels. I’ve purchased a lot of furniture over the years, but I mention this one today because last week when I was in Owensboro Kentucky, I saw a pieced that was almost identical to this one, priced at $650. That’s just the asking price, and I’m certain I could’ve bought it for $500. It’s still beautiful, and I know even in this disposable society, there's still someone today who would pay $3000 or more to own a high quality piece like this.

If the market for general mid to lower end antiques and furniture isn't moving, this trend doesn't necessarily hold true in the high end markets. For the highest quality antiques and art, including furniture, there's always a market.

At the 31 Club, we keep our sights on high quality and rare items. And, our job is to buy right.

Well, furniture can be bought right today. Maybe we shouldn't wait any longer to take advantage of this under priced market. I know the rest of the market will be trailing us as we look into this dramatic change. By the time they realize what we are doing, it will be too late for them to catch up.

Yes, there are disadvantages to dealing in furniture, but like any other market, if the price gets low enough, it’s time for us to step in. We need to re-inform the public that today’s furniture is still mostly plastic or made of composition materials. Most of these pieces will last about two years or three years while hand made antiques have lasted over 100 years. If you’re up to the task of handling furniture, now is the time to make some serious money with the truly high quality pieces.

If I do decide to take the plunge and tip my toe back into the pool of the furniture market, I’ll have to figure out how to transport the items and where to store these fine pieces. I can tell you this -- the storage companies are begging for tenants, so a ten foot space will cost you about $100 a month, and the first month is usually free. That gives you time to make a profit to offset the expense.

I will be more than glad to answer any questions that you may have on
furniture, and soon we will have an expert on our "31 Club Panel of Experts"
for you to call.

Today's Photo: This French period antique double "Chapeau de Gendarme" armoire made of walnut and secondary woods sold on eBay for $15,000. It had hand carved decorative motifs-signed by cabinet maker on center front: 1786 Joseph Bertin.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills.

Get FREE MENTORING.

Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan.

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.

ep 25 of The Auctionwally Show, free eBay Listings?

auctionwally — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:07:00 GMT

Hello all, I just want to let everyone know that episode 25 of the Auctionwally show will air Sunday afternoon, August 17th, 2008 at 2PM EST. Click here to get to the show or bookmark a reminder.

This week myself and co-host Mitzi Swisher from Vintagegoodness.com will be talking about the eBay free listing fee rumor, what's selling well on eBay and other news in the antique & collectibles world.

Of course if you mis the show, you can always catch any of the back episodes by accessing the back archive, click here to do that.

There's a live call in # if you'd like to call to ask a question, comment, or just plug your website or product. The # for that is 1-646-378-1561

For more info and over 500 articles & antiques appraisals all free to view without sighnup, go to www.auctionwally.com

Thanks for reading,

Secrets to Identifying Value in Art Pottery

darylelam — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:13:00 GMT

Daryle Lambert's 31 Club Blog

Louise E. Edwards Decorated Doulton Lambeth Vase is offered at 31 Gallery & Marketplace

Many people mistakenly believe that an item’s size contributes greatly to its value, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Often times, size is only one contributing factor, and we'll take a look at others here.

Many companies, in addition to their more commercial lines, had talented artists decorating their items in their “artist lines.”

Regardless of which company’s pottery you come across, there will always be certain artists’ work that stands out, and their wares are the most sought after and will bring in top dollar. For example, Doulton had Noke, Barlow, Tinsworth, and Marshall as their premiere artists. In America’s Newcomb pottery, Bailey and Simpson lead their group of artists. Daley, Sax, Shirayamadani and Nourse are the leading names in Rookwood and are quite valuable.

Being able to recognize specific artists’ work for a particular company will set you ahead considerably, among other things.

The 31 Gallery & Marketplace has a Doulton Lambeth-Louise E. Edwards decorated vase. While Edwards wasn’t in Doulton’s top tier of artists like Hannah Barlow was, Edward’s works are more rare than Barlow’s and also quite desirable.

Any piece produced by top artists will bring big money, but this is, again, just one factor in evaluating a piece for price.

Next to which artist decorated the piece, I believe the most important factor in price evaluation is its GLAZE.

Many Doulton pieces will bring very little in this market regardless of their size, but if you add one of the top artist names to the piece, bingo! Now, to get the piece to the stratosphere in value, just add a very rare glaze to it. Double bingo!
Familiarize yourself with Doulton’s Chang, Chinese Jade, Sung, and Titaniam glazes so you’ll be able to spot these when you come across them.

Most dealers are familiar with Rookwood, but few can distinguish their different glazes. Knowledge of their glazes will give you a great advantage because this is where there can be huge price differentials. Rookwood glazes commanding top prices are Coromandel, Dip/Drip, Goldstone, Tiger Eye, Oxblood, and Rust. If you are fortune enough to find pieces of Rookwood in these glazes, you’ve found a true treasure.

Now, here comes the story: I walked into a high end antique store in Chicago and couldn't believe the prices they were asking for what I thought were quite common pieces. Still, I couldn't leave until I had looked at every item they had for sale. In the back of the store, I spotted a very small vase looking rather lonely, about 4” in height. I picked it up to examine who the artist was, but as I looked at it, I realized it was a very rare glaze by a very early artist.

The store was having a sale that day and priced the vase at $400. I quickly offered $200 and it became mine quite quickly. As I left the store, I’m sure the sales lady was shaking her head saying, “There goes a fool without his money.”

Little did she know that I consigned the vase to the Cincinnati Art Galleries and it brought in (drum roll) $2000 at auction.

My friend Cecil did the same thing recently. He bought a piece of Owens pottery for less than $100. But, because it had a special glaze he recognized it and knew it was a great buy. That piece was hammered at over $2400 at auction.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills.

Get FREE MENTORING.

Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan.

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.

LINK: 31 Club Article July, 2007

Carnival Glass: Staying on Top of the Trend

darylelam — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:21:00 GMT

Stay Current With Trends in Antiques & Collectibles: Carnival Glass

August 10th, 2008

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.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills.

Get FREE MENTORING.

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 Today

darylelam — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:07:00 GMT

Daryle Lambert's 31 Club Blog

Fenton Dragon & Lotus Carnival Glass Plate sold for $1225 on eBay.

We’ve covered many topics over the last year, and even though each day I’d like to present something new, it’s just as important to keep up to date on subjects already discussed. One of these is Carnival Glass, particularly the rare pieces. This fine glass appears to be making a comeback and headed for greater heights.

Good Carnival Glass can no longer can be purchased for hundreds of dollars; today it will likely take thousands. This is like the start of a new market for many people, and the younger collectors seem to be drawn to Carnival Glass, because as you know, it was known as the poor man's Tiffany. No more however; certain more rare pieces are being elevated to the price ranges of some Tiffany. Wouldn't you want to know which pieces have high values?

I am glad to share my knowledge about Carnival Glass but if you’re going to be truly knowledgeable, it’s important to have a book that will help educate you. I have only recommended you buy a few books, and even then, I’ve given you places that you could used books at reasonable prices. If you want to be knowledgeable about Carnival Glass, the one you need to get quickly is the Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass by Bill Edwards. It’s a must if you plan to make big money in this business. This one book will give you almost everything you need to know about this glass. It gives a very complete price guide in the back, and all you need to do is see if these prices have changed.

Don't be surprised if you’re looking through a house sale or auction sale and see a Carnival Ice Cream Bowl by Northfield in the Peacock at the Urn pattern. It’s only 10” wide but carries a hefty price if it’s found in the Aqua opalescent glass. Are you ready for this? From the old Bill Edward’s book, the Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass, this piece is priced at $31,000. What might that price be today?

Most people who still have Carnival Glass and aren't collectors have no idea it could be as valuable as it is. This glass used to be a give-away piece at grocery stores or gas stations. Someone who owns these pieces today could have received it from their mother or aunt and it’s been tucked away ever since. A bowl could easily be found for under $25.00 at house sales.

It’s one of my greatest pleasures to receive an auction list or a list of items selling at an estate or house sale from a member and to be able to tell them there are real treasures on that list. This happened yesterday when a member sent me a list from an auction he was planning to attend, and lo and behold – a very special piece of Carnival Glass was on that list. I was stunned to see it had an estimate of only $100. This piece, in the right selling venue, could easily bring $1,200 or more. Hopefully, our member will be the lucky buyer of this fine piece.

I previously wrote about a collection of Carnival Glass our member, Cecil, purchased and he called the other day and shared his results. He informed me that his entire investment has been recouped with the sale of only three or four pieces. He still has most of the better pieces and when he sells them, he should be able to put several thousand dollars in his pocket.

Carnival Glass is truly one of the real treasures we should keep our eye out for as we continue our journey together.

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 Profitin 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!

Breakthrough Program for Antique and Fine Art Traders Announced by 31 Club

darylelam — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:52:00 GMT

Daryle Lambert's 31 Club Blog

I'd like to share this news story recently released about our breakthrough program for antique and art dealers or anyone trading in this market.

Breakthrough Program for Antique Traders Announced by 31 Club.

Chicago, Illinois--August 3, 2008 --Daryle Lambert, founder of the antique and fine art industry’s only club whose members learn about antiques and art, learn savvy skills in buying and selling, and then learn to exponentially build up their personal finances from profits, has begun another break through program, and another first in the industry. 31 Club’s new Associate Program pays members 35% of the net profit when they partner with the club on high quality treasures they simply locate. In other words, the member finds it, 31 Club pays for it, markets and sells it, and the member earns 35% of the net profit without spending a penny of their own money.

“There isn’t another program in the Antique & Collectible or Fine Art Market that compares with 31 Club’s Associate Program,” says Lambert. “We’ve already had several members use this program to acquire fine art paintings they’ve found while out looking for other types of items.”

Lambert, author of 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles, founded the 31 Club after being urged to do so by many of his readers. Club members utilize the strategic investment plan Lambert writes about in his book and is revolutionizing the industry by offering its members a free education and free mentoring in the antiques & collectible industry, a gallery and marketplace for them to merchandise their items for a very small fee, and free advertising on the club’s website for items they’re interested in purchasing. Transactions between the member and the customer remain between them.

Charter club member, Cecil, who’s been dealing antiques for many years, speaks often to Lambert and recently used the Associate Program to purchase a historical document he stumbled upon, as well as a fine art painting. “This is the most exciting new program around,” he said of the Associates Program. “And I never miss one of Daryle’s Blogs.” Lambert writes a daily Blog, posted on the company.s website.(www.31corp.com) Having originated on Blogger, yesterday marked Lambert’s 365th day of consecutive blogs.

Lambert does much of his teaching through his blogs, and even seasoned professionals will pick up industry secrets or gain additional knowledge by reading them. We’ve got members who are new to the industry all they way to seasoned dealers,” says Lambert. “And I talk with all members who call me.”

Shared knowledge, a marketplace and a shared profit program sets 31 Club in a category by itself. www.31corp.com

I hope you'll consider joining us. -- Daryle

Organizing your home office

auctionwally — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:32:00 GMT

There is no doubt that it's crucial to keep your home office organized if you sell on eBay or anywhere else. This issue is such a challenge to so many that I've decided to cover it here but it will also be the upcoming theme of episode 24 of my online radio show.

Since my office actually looks like the one on the right ----->, I've decided to get help with this one!

Below is an outline that my friend and co-host Mitzi Swisher has put together on the subject. You can find her at Vintagegoodness.com

Organizing Your Home Business

One of the most difficult parts of running a business selling antiques and vintage collectibles from your home is, well, your home! You are given a finite amount of space to work with that is already full of your personal things, and somehow you are supposed to fit a business in there?!?

It can be done, if you have a plan. There are several factors to consider:

Inventory Space

What are you going to be selling? This is the single most important question, because the amount of space you are able to create in your home for storing inventory really dictates the answer. How much of your personal space are you able - and willing - to give up for your business?

Zones

Dividing your home into zones is the easiest way to tackle the problem. You will need to create 6 different work related areas:

Office Space - Desk, Filing Cabinets, Bookshelves, etc. - Command central, where you will spend a lot of your time!

Shipping - Storage for Supplies, Work Table - Having a permanent shipping area will save you so much time and headache! Think assembly line, with everything you need on a regular basis nearby - envelopes, boxes, packing materials, tape, etc.

Photography - Storage for Supplies, Work Table - Again, having a permanent photo area is a real time saver. Setting up and tearing down for taking photos or shipping packages is really worst case scenario. Sometimes it is unavoidable, if you just don't have the room, but it is something that you should really strive for - you'll thank me later, really!

Incoming Inventory - Shelves, Tables or other Storage - all the great stuff that is coming into your house has to land somewhere - preferably not all over your personal space!

Auction Inventory - Shelves, Tables or other Storage - If you are running online auctions, you need an area for holding those items that are currently listed. If they don't sell, then you will move them to your store inventory space while they wait for the right buyer.

Store Inventory - Shelves, Tables or other Storage - Usually a basement or garage, an area farther away from your main work area for long term storage. Shelves and storage bins or boxes will work for most things, except maybe paper items.

I know, it seems like a lot, and it is - but with creativity and a bit of sacrifice you can make it work!

Inventory Management

Once you have created space for your business, your next task is to establish the "flow". You need to be able to keep track of every item from the moment it enters your house to the moment it is on the way to its happy new owner!

Inventory Sheet - I know, paper is so 20th century... but really it is still the easiest way to organize your items. Each listing will have its own sheet and its own inventory number. On the sheet will be all the info you need to know - what the item is, size and weight, when you bought it, how much you paid for it, etc. You can also label each item with its item number.

Shelf Numbers / Box Numbers - Each shelf and box you use to store inventory will also have a number. When you move an item, the shelf or box number gets written on the inventory sheet. No more losing items!

Filing Cabinets - Of course over time you will build up hundreds - or thousands! - of inventory sheets, and they need to be organized so that you can find them when you need them. Filing cabinets are ideal - but binders or folders are an option if you are short on space.

--
Mitzi

Thanks for reading AW.

If you've found this info useful, keep it at your fingertips by clicking on the button below.

You can find Mitz at:
http://vintagegoodness.blogspot.com
http://stores.ebay.com/vintage-goodness-flea-market
http://vintagegoodness.etsy.com

Listen to any episode of The Auctionwally Show at any time. The Auctionwally Show archive.

Original Antoine-Louis Bronze Monument Offered for Sale $300,000

auctionwally — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:19:00 GMT

I'm happy to announce that I've been contracted to sell one of the most important bronze collectibles to come on the market in quite some time. It's an original work by French Romantic Artist Antoine-Louis Barye (1796–1875), the foremost animal sculptor or animalier of the 19th century.
This magnificent work of art stands 9ft tall, 13ft long, it weighs approximately 4,700lbs. It's dated 1856 with a cold stamp which Barye was known to use during this period.

This was inherited by my client whose father had purchased this from the estate collection of the well known art collector William T. Walters. Documentation of provenance is available for inspection.

As you would imagine, original works of Barye have found their way into the most prominent bronze sculpture collections in the world including those of the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay & the Flagler Museum as well as important private collections.

That said, you would have to travel far and wide to find a Barye monument of this size anywhere, be it the Louvre or any other display. So far, my extensive research has not revealed a Barye bronze any larger than this and it could be the largest in existence.

While it's not for everyone, this monument would set the tone for entry into the finest estate, Equestrian establishment, European Castle, and other such grand venues.

If there's something that comes as close to being as stunning, then perhaps it's the fact that the consignors are asking a very fair $300,000 for this bold work. In my honest opinion that leaves room for some incredible investment potential. If you think this work is a good match for you, lets discuss it further, please reach me at Barye@auctionwally.com or phone me at 978-355-2094.
I'm a licensed, bonded auctioneer in the state of Massachusetts, auction license #2621. Of course, all monies collected may, and should be placed in escrow until you have inspected the bronze and it's provenance. I use only one escrow service, www.escrow.com, it is the most known escrow service on the Internet and the only one recognised by eBay and PayPal.
Form of payment accepted are certified funds, wire transfer, Paypal, a credit card processed through PayPal, personal check. All funds must clear before release of the item.

Although the asking price is $300,000, all serious offers will be considered. Should there be more than one interested party at the asking price, the bronze will be auctioned via a private auction process. I am the exclusive seller of this bronze.
The current location of the item is in Miami Fl, and you will have to arrange for shipping.

Links to other famous Barye works:

The Louvre

Musee d'Orsay

http://www.flaglermuseum.us/assets/pdf/UntamedPressRelease.pdf

http://www.flaglermuseum.us/html/untamed.html

Please contact me with any questions you may have at 978-355-2094

or email me: Barye@Auctionwally.com

Vienna Bronze Secret Revealed

darylelam — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:11:00 GMT

Daryle Lambert's 31 Club

Learning Antique Treasure Hunting Skills to Build Personal Finances

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!

View the 31 Gallery & Marketplace here.

Daum Nancy. I Love It!

darylelam — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:46:00 GMT

Learn to Buy and Sell Fine Art, Antiques & Collectibles and Build Personal Cash Reserves

Daryle Lambert's 31 Club

Rare Daum Nancy Roulot signed 9" Vase available at 31 Gallery & Marketplace

What is your passion? In the Antique & Fine Art Business, this is very important to know if you want to be successful. Over time, my passions have changed along with my collections. As a child, I started collecting coins and when I sold the collection, it paid for my college education. This was a true blessing because I already had a wife and child at the time. I later developed a passion for Griswold cast iron, and when it came time to buy a house, the sale of my Griswold collection provided for the down payment. Since then, I have collected, if you want to call it collecting, many things. In reality, I’ve been able to keep beautiful things until I sold them at a price I was satisfied with.

My latest passion is for Fine Art, because it is the most difficult to master. I spend several hours a week just studying in the direction I want my passion in art to go. For example, I'm most interested in Kentucky artists and regional art. But don't misunderstand me, everything in my house, with the exception of my wife and son, are for sale for the right price. For example, my two Patty Thum paintings, that happen to be the only paintings I’ve brought home that my wife likes, could cost you a pretty penny, but they are for sale for the right price.

But, there’s been one passion that’s stayed with me for many years and that is Daum Nancy Glass. I fell in love with this art glass the first time I saw it. I particularly like the enameled acid etched pieces, and I look for these. Over the years, I have always kept a few pieces of this glass in my home, even though I have owned many that have been sold. I prefer Daum Nancy Glass to Galle, and I think the artistry of Daum is much better than Galle.

Financially speaking, Daum Nancy has been fantastic for me, and it can be for you too, once you become knowledgeable about it. One Daum vase I owned made the cover of the Cincinnati At Galleries sales catalog one year. It was a large piece of a winter scene depicting snow blanketing the ground with leafless birch trees filled with blackbirds. If I remember correctly, this vase brought over $15,000.

Today, however, we have to be careful about reproductions or outright fakes, but with Daum Nancy this is fairly easy. First look at as many pieces of the real thing as you can. This is easily done by visiting good Antique Shows. One of the greatest pieces to keep your eye out for are the Daum Nancy 1 inch to 2 inch range Miniatures, decorated with winter scenes and some flowers. I have sold these little beauties for over $2,500 and usually never pay more than $500 for them.

“Glass Art Nouveau to Art Deco” by Victor Arwas is a great book you might want to have. I’m sure there are many other books out there, but I have this one. Books on Glass, Antiques and Art are a must if you want to expand your knowledge in this field. It’s not necessary to purchase new books. I buy used, and it enables me to buy many books. Whatever older book you’re looking for, chances are you can find it used on Amazon.com.

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!

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

Daum Nancy LINKS:

Passage Arts has some fine examples of Daum Nancy
http://www.arts1900.nl/Fransglasindexpagina.html

Google Images: Daum Nancy

Money in Antique Coffee Grinders

darylelam — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:12:00 GMT

Daryle Lambert's 31 Club

Building Up Personal Cash Reserves Trading in Antiques, Collectibles & Fine Art

The 1870 Enterprise No. 3 antique coffee grinder sold on eBay for $870

If you have a flair for the extravagant, why are you using an inexpensive coffee grinder on that very expensive gourmet coffee you just purchased? With a Starbucks on every corner, and their top of the line coffee beans available in several supermarkets, don’t you think your house should be equipped with the most expensive grinder you could find? You won’t find these grinders in stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom’s or Neiman Marcus, however. You’ll find them in Antique Shops and at Farm Sales.

The home grinders rolled out around 1894, and even though they lasted for just a short time, they had a pronounced impact on daily living. Grinders were all but forgotten by the 1940’s, but the love for coffee has since then been renewed, and most people can’t get through a day without a cup. Since Starbucks came around, I believe in the 1980’s, coffee connoisseurs are no longer satisfied with making their daily brew from coffee already ground in a can.

So how expensive can antique coffee grinders run?

If you have a flair for the extravagant, why are you using an inexpensive coffee grinder on that very expensive gourmet coffee you just purchased? With a Starbucks on every corner, and their top of the line coffee beans available in several supermarkets, don’t you think your house should be equipped with the most expensive grinder you could find? You won’t find these grinders in stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom’s or Neiman Marcus, however. You’ll find them in Antique Shops and at Farm Sales.

The home grinders rolled out around 1894, and even though they lasted for just a short time, they had a pronounced impact on daily living. Grinders were all but forgotten by the 1940’s, but the love for coffee has since then been renewed, and most people can’t get through a day without a cup. Since Starbucks came around, I believe in the 1980’s, coffee connoisseurs are no longer satisfied with making their daily brew from coffee already ground in a can.

So how expensive can antique coffee grinders run?

These simple items have become very collectible, and people are paying top dollar for the rare ones.

The Enterprise No. 12, with an eagle finial and a painted decal may bring over $5,000 today. Now, that should grind some serious coffee. And, there are others to watch for as well. I’ve talked about Griswold cast iron in past blogs, but did you know Griswold made a coffee grinder that is one of their most rare pieces? At one time, I had one of the largest collections of Griswold in the South, but I never found the coffee grinder.

The most popular grinders are the Enterprise grinders. The no. 9 will bring over $1,500 while the Enterprise Mfg. Co. Philadelphia grinder should net you a hefty $1,750 or more. You might have seen coffee grinders at sales you attended but never gave them a second thought. Even the small wooden ones can bring in a fair amount of money, if they have writing on them. Grinders with advertising written on them will be another plus for any grinder.

You just woke up and smelled the coffee. These grinders are real treasures. Keep your eyes open for these special items when you attend garage sales, estate sales and auctions. A collector will be glad you found one.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert's 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle's Strategic Business Plan. 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.

pipe tray

little.crown1966 — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:13:00 GMT

Hello to all

Recently we had to place a very dear friend of ours in the Nursing Home, and was left in charge of his residence and belongings, sale of his property etc. This man's home was chuck full of antiques and collectables. One Item in particular I would apprectiate any information on. This piece I am not sure if it is lead or silver, but is what I believe to be a tray for a Pipe or tobacco. It has an oblong shape kind of like a kidney bean, and has a raised picture of a man smoking a long pipe with smoke swirling around him. On the bottom of the tray is a raised marking of a four leaf clover. If anyone is familiar with this item and has any information about an item as such I would greatly appreciate it!