Several years ago, my friend Henry in Los Angles told me to study up on Italian Glass, but I was to busy.

What a mistake that was! And looking at Maine Antique Digest this month really brought home to me what a huge mistake I had made.

Indianapolis, Indiana was the locale, back in September, for a sale of Italian Glass that was listed as the most important sale of its kind in this decade. About $700,000worth of glass was sold, and there were only 250 hand picked pieces represented. We are talking about big money here.

Henry has offered me several pieces of Italian Glass over the years, and to tell the truth, I was a little skeptical at the time. However I did venture out and purchase a couple of Lino Tagliapietra pieces. These were sold by my friends at the Cincinnati Art Gallery, and I did quite well with them. I wish that I had bought all of the pieces he offered, but I just didn’t know enough then. You see, I need to continue my education as well as you. Learning is a lifelong process.

If this interests you, then call or write the Maine Antique Digest. I feel sure they will send you a free copy of the January paper. You may also be able to email them. The title of the article in the paper is “Fifteenth Anniversary Premier Italian Glass Auction.” I would suggest that you mention me and 31 Club, and that we suggested that you contact them.

Here are some of the results of that sale: A Venini vase designed by Fulvio Bianconi, 14 inches high brought $25,300. This was only one of the many pieces that exceeded $10,000.

What really caught my eye was a figural candlestick by Venini and designed by the same artist as the vase I mentioned above. It is a double candelabra with a man sitting in the middle of the piece. This wasn’t a very large piece, standing only 9 ½ inches but the price it achieve made it a giant. I have seen this piece at a garage sale or house sale in my travels, but didn’t have the slightest idea that it had the value that was obtained at the auction: $18,400. You can bet I will be putting in some hours of study on Italian Glass in the future.

One thing to watch for are fakes. Remember, when anything becomes popular, the fake masters slither out from under their rocks. Also many of the makers didn’t sign their pieces, so you must be able to identify them or know an expert that can.

The more I write on this story the more sick I am becoming. Yes, there were these other two pieces that I saw at a house sale and they had the from of a woman’s head in clear glass with a cap upon them in colored glass. If I remember right, the asking price was a little over $1000 each, and in this Indianapolis sale two like them sold for over $14,000 each. Oh, well. Better luck for me next time. Some things we’ll just have to learn together.

Take a look at some of this fine art glass and the realized prices here.

Learn more about Italian Glass here.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art according to a real wealth-building plan.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

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Having been away in Kentucky for Christmas, I have to admit that this has been a hard week for me to stay focus on business, but I have enjoyed seeing my mother, children, and grand children. Old friends shared stories that brought back memories that had been storied away for years and they seemed to come from everywhere. We laughed and cried but that was then and this is now so it’s back to the work we have set out to do together.

If I were to start an Antique business today in Kentucky, I would have to study different items than I would in Chicago. However, with the internet, this problem isn’t as important as it was when I first started in this business.

I have seen interesting items this week I don’t normally see in Chicago. First to come to mind is UHL Pottery. This company started in Evansville, Indiana around 1846. The company later moved to Huntingburg, Indiana around 1908, though they kept their Evansville business office until 1934. Over the years, August Uhl was joined in business by his brother, Louis who stayed until 1879, and then his son, George. It remained a family business and closed around 1944 due to union strikes, rising costs and Japanese imports. From 1944-47, the company was leased to Vogue Pottery who continued to manufacture some UHL pieces until it closed in 1947.

Perhaps the most interesting things that you might run across in your search of UHL are pieces that were produced by members of the family and signed by the potter. They are usually pieces of dinnerware, such as cup and saucers and plates. But the pieces I always looked for were the Miniature Christmas Whiskey Jugs. These little jugs often have paper labels from the twenties and thirties and can sell for several hundred dollars each.

Today’s Photo: Miniature Uhl Christmas Jug sold on ebay for $143.76 12/16/07

You might not believe this, but tobacco items are in demand today. Kentucky is still one of the biggest tobacco producing states in this country, so you would expect there to be interest for these tobacco related items.

Cigar boxes with their wonderful graphics can bring some fancy money today and so can cigarette lighters and ashtrays. These items gain additional value if they are also have advertising associated with them.

Even cigarette packs are being collected. Can you believe it? Paper matches are collected by a large group of collectors and there are even collector clubs that have been formed for the lighter and match collectors.

You might have thought that collecting wouldn’t be as popular in rural communities as it is in the city, but this presumption would be wrong. There are collectors everywhere.

Toy farm implements can sell for thousands of dollars if the have the right name on them and are produced by the right companies. All the major implement companies have toys made of their products. You can find tractors, combines and plows, plus many other items that are eagerly sought after by the collector.

I once went into a garage here in Owensboro, and up in the rafters was a paddle car that looked as if it had been there for fifty years. I ask if it was for sale. I was told I could have it if I could get it down, which I did. After examining it, I told the woman I couldn’t take it for nothing, so I gave her $200. This little car later sold to a collector for over $2,200. Great things seem to show up in the strangest places.

Quilts, guns, knives and primitive furniture bring big money in rural areas. And there can be huge money in duck decoys. A fine Kentucky sugar chest can bring $25,000 plus today, and a painting by some of the better rural artist are beginning to sell to record heights today.

There seems to be something for everyone’s taste today, and this gives us the excellent opportunity to cash in on this insatiable demand.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art according to a real wealth-building plan.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.

I’m back from Christmas in Kentucky, and upon my return, Cindy informed me that my recent story on selling your ungraded silver coins now, extracted right here from this blog, got more than 15 times the usual amount of hits. And the news distribution companies had people calling them upset that the story was run. I had to think about this, and in the process, asked myself why? Through this I learned a very important lesson.

When I write about buying items, most of you probably say, “That’s nice.” There are a lot of things to buy on the market. Then, you thank me for sharing some of the special ones with you. No one gets upset because I suggest things to buy. But when I suggested selling something, like I did the ungraded silver coin, I opened up a hornet’s nest.

Aside from my dealing in antiques and fine arts, I have been in the investment business for over forty-five years now, and I have seen plenty of markets go up and down. But to those whose livlihood comes from promoting certain items, there is never a time for Joe Consumer to sell. One of my favorite sayings in the stock market is, “Bulls make money, Bears make money but Pigs go broke.” This is also true in the Antique business as well.

As a youngster, I could have made a pretty penny if I had owned a mint Model A Ford. In fact, it might have brought $35,000 or more then. There are still those who are holding onto their Model A’s, waiting for the time that they will bring $100,000. But if I had suggested they should sell their car at the lower price and use the funds for something else, I would have been threatened with my very life. And guess what? I can buy that same car today for less than $20,000.

Let’s take it a step further. I have seen Royal Doulton stoneware decorated buy Hannah Barlow sell for $5,000 to $15,000. Today I could buy them for $2,000 to $5,000.

Speaking to you about the things to buy is very rewardingfor me, but perhaps the best service I will offer you is suggesting when it’s time to sell.

I received many emails from people that were angry with me for writing that article and angry at the news distribution companies who posted it. There are also many people who make a lot of money when things go up, but if the prices turns down, the game is over for them. I’m talking silver here. Even if the price for silver goes a little higher, who cares? Now is the time to sell, because there is greater value to be found for your money now than presently keeping it in silver. I guess I’ve just said it again. This is just a industrial metal that has reached a level where it should be sold, and if some have a difference of opinion than me, so be it. I will never be angry with them for their views. When I find people who get so upset when their opinion is challenged, it is usually because they are trying to protect their own position, and it has nothing to do with helping others.

However, I will never shy away from sharing with you my opinions about the trends and on which side of them you I believe is wise to be on. In my humble opinion, this is the time to sell silver, and if some of the holders of this commodity metal get upset by my saying so, then it even makes me more sure that I’m on the right side of the trend. Well, I guess I’ve just gone and said to sell a third time now.

I sold my Royal Doulton collection at the top of the market, and I could buy the entire collection back today at twenty five cents on the dollar. The same with my porcelain dog collection and coin collection. Believe me, I don’t miss them, and wouldn’t even consider buying them back except perhaps the Doulton, because that market might have bottomed out, as I have written about before.

I can take the heat for you if it is the right thing to do, and selling ungraded silver coins now is the right thing to do.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free simply buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.

If it’s different, then someone usually wants to add it to their collection. Even if I don’t. That’s my rule about buying. Collections will reflect the collector’s life.

No, I don’t collect barbed wire, but someone else probably does. And it might reflect their love of the old west. Another person might like to collect cookie molds, and it bings back memories of time spent in the kitchen with their mother or grandmother. If you ever wondered if someone collects something, just check to see if there’s a book or a website about it. There probably is.

To really become the treasure hunter that you want to be, you must be able to visualize and experience the emotions that others feel. Looking at a lady’s compact must make your senses quicken as the thought of adding it to a collection crosses your mind. Yes, it might even take you back to the days of make believe when you dressed up in your mother’s clothing and put on powder from one of her old compacts.

Finding a old Barlow knife in a box lot should make you tingle all over knowing that it will have great value for the person that sat endless hours with their father carving out a horse from a solid block of wood.

Collecting is like being in another dimension. And so in treasure hunting, you must be able to put yourself in this other dimension. It’s like losing your sense of time and space like you do when you watch a movie. If you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes and imagine stepping into their mind and heart, you could find all kinds of treasures that others collect. As a child, I can remember spending hours going through my baseball card collection, and with each one I would visualize a game that came back to my mind that involved the player that I was seeing on the card.

Pretty paintings on the wall or beautiful vases on the table can return a person back to fond memories even if your day is turned up side down. We all have this side to us where we want to dream and remember our past.

One time when I was at a home looking at items to possibly purchase, I came across something nestled among many boxes and old furniture in the garage. It looked like it might have been a soap box derby car, so I asked it I could uncover it. To my surprise, it was actually a miniature of an old race car with a gasoline engine.

They told me it was their son’s, and he had raced it back in the 1950’s. I had never seen anything like it before, so I knew I had to buy it for my son, Joshua. I asked the price and was told $500. That was too high for me, and I could tell they wanted it out of their garage, so I countered with $300 and they accepted. Now I had to get it home, so I borrowed a truck and stored it in my own garage. That was until my wife, Vicki kept asking me when it was leaving.

At this point, even if I had plans for Joshua and me to spend a great amount of time driving the car, it was time to find out what I had really purchased. It turned out to be a real quarter midget racer, and it was very collectible.

Making a few inquires I soon discovered that it was too valuable for Josh and me to bang around in. A man in Texas offered $2,500.00. When I told a friend of mine about the offer, he said he’d pay that, so I sold it to him. That was sure a lot easier than sending the car to Texas.

Buying something different can bring you the most unexpected rewards.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free simply buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.

As I move around from place to place and run upon what I consider noteworthy talent, I’ll write about it. This way, even if it doesn’t fit into our plans to make money today, you can keep it in your mind to watch for in the future. Some day, when others are saying, “I wish I had bought one of his paintings way back when,” you won’t be among them.

Tom Barnes, an artist from Chesapeake, Virginia is one of these noteworthy artists. He was the only other artist at Chicago’s One Of A Kind Show that reached out and grabbed me, aside from the ones I’ve already written about in previous blogs.

Self-taught, Tom Barnes works primarily in watercolors. Immediately, you notice the intensity of his watercolors, and this sets him apart from most other watercolor artists. His landscapes capture the techniques of the Fauvists, stylized with mountains, hills, plains and lush foliage. Still life subject matter usually captures a moment of repose and reflection interrupted by something unknown. There is always a sense of a passing motion in his color renderings of figures and florals.

Over the past fifteen years, his works have found their way into collections in Mexico, Bolivia, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, England, Nigeria, and Spain as well as many east coast and mountain states’ cities.

Five years ago, Tom and his wife, Gail, traveled to Abuja, Nigeria for a two-month mission trip where they taught painting techniques and interior faux finishing to twenty-four Nigerian artists as they designed and painted some 36,000 square feet of sanctuary and day care walls. They continue to travel there to work with orphans through Tattercoats, Ltd. a nonprofit, tax-exempt foundation established in 1975 to promote arts and well-being of children around the globe. They recently began work with HLIA School for the Deaf Tegucigalpa Honduras. Please contact Tom for more information on this effort.

Keep a eye out for news on Tom Barnes and you may be well advised to add one of his paintings to your personal collection, after turning a extremely successful transaction. If you can’t wait, Tom has prints of some of his paintings available on his gallery website.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free simply buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.

In my forty-five years in the antique business, I have had friends that have made life-changing discoveries because they had the knowledge required to identify valuable pieces. Luck usually plays no part in discovering a valuable piece, rather it is having had a strong knowledge base built up that will lead to the discovery of valuable items.

In my book, I spoke of a Frederich Morgan painting I found that I purchased for $16,000 and then sold for $115,000. I assure you, it was not luck that enabled me to find that painting, but hard work, knowledge and research. I think you will agree that the $99,000 profit I made was worth the effort. I also wrote about a man in Florida who restored paintings. When he purchased an old canvas for $25 to use as a practice canvas, he discovered that underneath the dirt and grime, he had a real jewel on his hands. He later sold it for $675,000. This was not luck. He had enough knowledge to recognize, that this canvas was an extremely valuable painting.

The longer I am in this business, the more certain I am that knowledge will trump any thing else you can do to be successful in the Antique and Collectible business. You can work yourself to the bone trying to search for treasures that you hear about people finding, but if you aren’t educated to the rarer and more valuable paintings and other fantastic antiques out there, your chances of finding them are limited.

Going to sales and auctions or visiting antique shows by itself will not prepare you for the hunt. Yes, this helps, but you can’t stop there. Once you have returned from one of these events, this is the time to hit the books and set to memory what you’ve seen and add it to your references. Remember, they say something has to be put in our mind seven times for it to be permanently lodged there.

Starting out with more common, less expensive items is the training ground, but when you stick with it and work the plan I wrote of in my book, in time you will find you have the ability to recognize, locate, and purchase the rare and desired items that are in high demand at a good price. Also an excellent profit can be made when you resell right away. Remember, we are not buying and holding.

I have offered to help you achieve your goals through the 31 Club. Members can call me, e-mail me and use some of the company resources I keep if you need information on an establishing a purchase price for a particular item, information on current values, negotiating with the seller, and finding the best venue to sell your item once you’ve purchased it. Members can call to find out about restoration, insuring items, caring for your antique items, and transporting items. Through our Associates Program, members can get assistance purchasing an item should they come across something very valuable but are not yet able to purchase it on their own.

Most Antique Dealers keep their knowledge to themselves. I don’t believe you’ll find many who are willing to share their insider secrets with others. But, I am. I am willing to share all I know with members of the 31 Club — my 45 years in the business. It’s like getting an entire education for $20. I don’t know where else you can find that. If someone could show you how you can turn $100 into a million dollars or more without every borrowing a dime from a bank or anyone else, wouldn’t you want to know how that’s possible?

Why not join us today and learn to turbo charge your efforts while learning to build a personal fortune — not on stocks and bonds, not on real estate — but right here in the Antiques and Fine Arts Industry.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free simply buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.

When I started on this journey just six months ago with Cindy, Chris, and Clarke, I had no idea where this adventure would lead us. The book was finished, but now what? Where was I going with this? It was in God’s hands, and thankfully, he surrounded me with people of compassion, understanding and insight.

I had been a long time subscriber to the Antique Trader when I called up Eric Bradley and said, “help”. I told him our story, and without hesitation he began to give me good advice. He even linked from our website and gave us an ad in the Antique Trader for that link when he knew that there would be very few visitors to our site at that time. What a great guy he is, and I am indebted to him .

Next came Emily Myers at AntiqueWeek and she said, yes, they would help us, too. I find these people genuinely have the best interest of all the Antique and Collectible dealers at heart. Emily never forgot to return my phone calls and I know that we will continue to work together for the betterment of this industry.

No way can I leave out Dale Flagg with the Maine Antique Digest. When I first called them and said my name was Daryle Lambert I heard “Daryle who?” I will never forget the help I got from this company from Sarah when we were launching the book back in May when I needed help the most.

And just the other day, I spoke with Phil Davies of News-Antique.com, one of our first and earliest supporters. We appeared on his news wire when I’m sure people were asking, “Who is Daryle Lambert, and what is this 31 Club all about?” But he stuck to his guns and never gave me the brush off no matter how many times I called. In fact he was always offering to help both me and Cindy whenever we asked. He’s always willing to talk with us and has such insightful ideas.

I am amazed that Michael Hudson of Antiques-Collectibles-Auction-News.com would take an upstart like us and have the confidence to feature both Cindy and me as featured writers on his news site. He has listed so many of our articles there, and in doing so, has greatly help us grow. Michael is someone who has always been eager to share information and jump in there to help. Who can ask for better qualities than these in the people you’re doing business with? The best way we can thank Michael is to produce a fantastic success story to justify his faith that we were worth the risk.

Bruce Rodgers of the Discover Mid-America helped greatly expose us when he published a full page story and Q&A section for us in their December issue. He has been a great mentor to me, and I don’t know quite where we’d be without his help.

This is truly a wonderful business, especially when we are all in it together. I can assure you that if you aren’t taking a look at all of these news resources, you are missing out. Where else can you find so much information on auctions and auction results, informative articles and indexes of up coming shows and events? I don’t think you’ll find better resources than these.

We thank all of our supporters, and especially our club members, who help make us better every day. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year of peace and prosperity.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free simply buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.

Will your stockings be filled with goodies this year? I certainly hope so. I hope you, like me, will feel that by joining the 31 Club, some of these goodies are sure to come your way.

Through the book and the club, I have met hundreds of fantastic people, and I know that it is just the beginning.

When I was first thinking of this book and club, I prayed that if this plan was truly to help other people, it would succeed beyond my wildest expectations. But if it was just of me, I prayed it would fail. I wasn’t sure what the answer would be. But I no longer doubt. I have seen the blessings that have come from us cross paths, and I know those early prayers have been answered.

This year is coming to a close on a very high note for me. The book got published thanks to Cindy keeping me on task, and the 31 Club is adding new members each day. The national press is beginning to recognize what we hope to accomplish together, and our website ranking is advancing. We are becoming the community that I envisioned and prayed for.

I am so thankful for all of you that have asked for prayers, and to others, like Andrew, who have allowed us to enter their world. Your stories of beginning success have been inspiring to many and have given others the vision and courage to step out and join in this process of securing funds for our family’s future while we share our lives. We are definitely in this together.

This holiday time is a time to rest a little, enjoy family and friends and be thankful to God for all his blessings. I will keep one eye open for those treasures, but my heart will really be filled with the satisfaction that we have accomplished much together. For that I to say thank you.

Be sure to check the in the Members Only section for my Top Ten Picks for this year, because after January 1st, I’ll be posting a new list.

Enjoy the Season and let’s make next year even better. –Daryle

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free simply buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.

I have outlined several different pottery companies for you to watch for throughout these blogs. I hope that you are beginning to see what an advantage having knowledge of multiple companies in your head is, as you are looking around. You are becoming the expert, and these will be your secrets to success.

Today we’re adding Marblehead Pottery to our ever-growing knowledge base. This very simple small studio was started in 1904 to help teach ceramics to sanitarium patients but it became something entirely different. Arthur Baggs, founder of Marblehead, was a master potter at that time, and Marblehead produced some of the best Arts and Crafts pottery of the period. The factory was closed in 1936.

The carved Marblehead pieces are the most valuable, and many have as many as six colors included in the design. If you run across one that is heavily carved with five to six colors, the value may be well in the five figure range or more. The favorite colors are dark green, blue, light green, pink, yellow, brown, gray and orange. The more common the piece the less desirable it is, but just having the Marblehead mark on it means that it will bring several hundred dollars.

The subject matter for most of these pieces included simple nautical designs on matte pebbled backgrounds. Also used were many geomectic designs, and these are much in demand today, bringing very high dollars. Marblehead also made tiles, so watch for those as well.

Damage on Marblehead pottery pieces will be a real problem for collectors and might reduce the price as much as fifty percent. This is because Marblehead pottery was hard and durable, so you will find less damage to these pieces than most of the other pottery pieces.

When I first became interested in Marblehead Pottery, I found a small vase that I didn’t think looked like anything special, so I offered under $100 for it. When the seller accepted my offer, I began to wonder if I had paid too much for this 4″ tall vase with a few small carved flowers with three colors.

I put the vase up on eBay, hoping to make a few dollar. Then, the questions started to roll in. “Is there any damage?” and “Are you sure it’s got three colors?” From the responses, I knew that this piece must be something special, but what were they willing to pay? After seven days I had my answer. It sold for $3,500.00. Today it would probably be even more.

Marblehead’s main mark is a circle with a ship between an M on one side and a P on the other.

Today’s Photo: Marblehead vase sold through Craftsman Auctions for $33,600 in 2006

Make sure your friends and loved ones have a copy of our book. You can sign them up for our 31 Club, and they’ll get the book for free. Or order them the book, and get the membership for free. Either way, this makes a great Christmas gift for the special people in your life.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free simply buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.

You never know where the next surprise will surface, and this one surfaced at the One of a Kind Show at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart.

When Cindy and I ventured out to the One of a Kind Show, it was mostly to see Doug Odom’s outsider art exhibit. We weren’t expecting to find much that would meet our criteria, because everything there was new, and of course, we primarily work with antiques. We were thrilled to run into glass artist, Charles Lotton, whose booth was kitty corner to Doug’s, and a real surprise and treat for us. After visiting with Doug and Charles, we venture out and examined the more that 400 booths to see what was offered.

With a large rush of people moving between booths and down aisles, I suddenly realized Cindy had disappeared on me, so I back tracked a bit and found her mesmerized by a young 18-year-old glass artist as he worked on his new creation.

I stopped for a moment, to be courteous, and believe it or not, I couldn’t get my eyes off of this young man as he worked that piece of glass. His name is Caleb Noble, and Cindy and I examined his case of dazzling glass jewelry pendants in awe. And not only is he talented, but his passion and enthusiasm for his work is so refreshing and a reminder to not give up on our youth today. There are ones out there that God has gifted and Caleb is definitely one of those.

Caleb spent some time with us and explained each step of his process. He doesn’t use a kiln, but shapes and works his pieces by torch. These were some of the most outstanding glass works my eyes have had the pleasure to gaze upon in a long time.

Believe it or not, after looking at over 400 booths there were only two, other than Doug and Charles, that got my attention, The other one is a painter who I will write about in a later blog. You might think that by finding only two new artists at this show that I am rather choosy, but that’s all right. Remember, we only want the best.

Today’s Photos are of Caleb Noble and his glass jewelry pieces. I encourage you to take a look at some of his work, and I am certain that a little gift to yourself now might pay off big for you in the future. I’m willing to bet that anyone who wears one of his creations will have people asking about it.

You can see some of Caleb Noble’s work here.

Club Member Update: I got a report on our club member, Andrew, and it breaks my heart to have to say it wasn’t too good. His mother, Anne, asked us to continue to pray for him. Several of our members sent donations to the FD NOW fund, and Anne is extremely grateful to those who donated. For those who don’t know Andrew, he is a young member of our 31 Club who is suffering from a very serious ailment, and If you would like to know more about him, please read my December 12th and October 15th Blogs.

Make sure your friends and loved ones have a copy of our book. You can sign them up for our 31 Club, and they’ll get the book for free. Or order them the book, and get the membership for free. Either way, this makes a great Christmas gift for the special people in your life.

Discover how our book can be the tool that helps you become financially free simply buying and selling antiques, collectibles and fine art.

Be sure to visit our web site for more information about how you can join the 31 Club Wealth Building and start your own race to your millions! Read more about The Million Dollar Challenge.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what we’ve got listed in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace, click on over and take a look. You might even find a real bargain. We’ve got many high quality items priced reasonably. If you have a high quality piece you’d like us to find a buyer for, why not consign your item to us. No high fees when you sell with us. Contact us here.

If you wish to leave comments use the ANONYMOUS button and then you don’t have to sign in to leave your message. Chime in and participate with us.