As a child, I waited all year for Halloween to roll around, and fondly remember those nights when I took a pillowcase and canvassed the neighborhood with my friends. Knocking on doors, saying “trick or treat” and watching the adults hand over the loot filled with homemade popcorn balls, candied apples and other special prepared treats conjure up feeling I can hardly express properly. Those were such special days. I filled my sack until I could no longer carry it, then headed home to empty it. But, once I emptied it, I wasn’t yet done. I headed out for round two, especially to those houses that were giving away whole candy bars.

My costume was always homemade, because we couldn’t afford the store bought kind. But that didn’t matter; I was having the greatest childhood in the world. What a treat it was to run through the neighborhood by ourselves past sunset. My folks didn’t worry about us encountering trouble, because all the neighbors watched out for one another’s children.

My best memories of Halloween, however, were the ones spent before the night of trick or treating. Those days spent with my mom and dad helping us kids carve pumpkins are visions in my mind that will never fade. No matter how bad a job we did on the pumpkins, they would always tell us how beautiful they were. Usually mom would have hot apple cider waiting when we finally trudged in from the porch, and the fireplace was always ablaze. Today, on this special childhood occasion, is your house like this? I hope it is. My whole neighborhood took part in this day, and people who didn’t have children, often seemed to have a better time than the ones who did. This day creates great childhood memories.

What has happened to our lives since those carefree days? I wish I knew. Today, I won’t even let my son go out early Halloween night without Vickie or me being with him. Most of the candy Joshua receives is given away or thrown away, if it’s not properly packaged. I ask God’s forgiveness for the way we have sat back and watched these special childhood times to be ruined for our children.

So why am I writing so much about Halloween? If you remember, I said that people collect what they remember from their past, and Halloween was usually a happy day for most people. This being so, then there most be collectibles that can make us money from Halloween. And, there are. A few of these collectibles would be candy containers of Hobo’s, Jack O’ Lanterns, and Roly Polys.

Witches can easily bring you $500 or more. Costumes from the past such as Boss Hogg, Fonz, Mickey Mouse, Spiderman and other creatures are always being sought out by collectors. Paper mache masks from the Mardi Gras can command prices as high as $1000. There are many more items that will come to mind as you are on the search, but don’t leave Halloween items off your list of things to search for. BOO!

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I hope you have heeded my advise over this past six months or so and have collected every item you could pertaining to this year’s election. If you have stashed away a nice collection, these items will be as good as money in the bank for you. With the election only a few days away, it’s anyone’s guess who will be declared leader of this great country. In past Blogs (linked for you below) I’ve stated that if Obama is elected, the memorabilia from this election season could be equal in value to that of Washington and Lincoln. If you haven’t collected anything yet, it’s still possible for you to participate in this bonanza.

Go to the local headquarters and pick as much material as they will allow you to take. Offer to post yard signs, because these will have value after the election. If you’ve been lucky enough to have collected early during the campaign season and have pieces signed by the candidate, these can be gold for you. Try to find photographs signed by Obama or school yearbooks from schools he’s attended and signed his name for a friend. Anything with Obama’s signature will put money into your account. Take a look at what’s currently selling on eBay under the candidates names, then look through the completed sales. You’ll get an idea of what current values are and the types of items are most sought after.

History will still be made should McCain be elected, with the Republican party electing the first woman to ever hold the office of Vice President of the United States. I’ve seen Sarah Palin autographing signs for people while she’s been campaigning. Those can be worth a lot of money. Gather everything and anything you can that’s free, and if you have a good hunch about who will win, you might want to bid on a special piece that’s currently selling.

I have been totally surprised by the attention my political memorabilia blogs have received. Two major newspapers in New York have called and interviewed me about my view of where values will go with this year’s election collectibles, and they were surprised at what I had to say. An AP reporter did a story about my view for a California paper earlier this year, and yesterday I was called by an reporter from CBS Television in Los Angeles wanting to do a TV interview, but the time and distance, unfortunately, made that impossible.

Only 5 days to go, so don’t be left out.

Here’s my other Election Memorabilia Blogs/Articles:
February 17, 2008: “Is eBay Predicting the Primary Results?”
March 20, 2008
May 20, 2008
August 30, 2008
Sept. 15, 2008
Oct. 8, 2008

Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle’s 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

Partner Up with 31 Club on High Quality Treasures You Find. We Do the Rest!!

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle’s 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

Some entertainers remain popular over the years, while some simply fade into the sunset. Who really knows why. The Beatles and Elvis certainly qualify as entertainers whose appeal has passed the test of time, and collectors throughout the world will always pay a good price for a rare item of theirs. This situation makes it ideal for us to make a lot of money, even though our focus might be on other items.

If you feel inclined to add these types of items to your search, there’s a few techniques that might make this easier for you. Pick out three superstars from your past and let everyone you meet know that all items about these people interest you. You might even make cards that specifically include these names on them. Cards can be easily purchased for as little as $18 for 500. In fact, you can get FREE Business Cards right here. No there’s no excuse.

Visit as many resale shops as you can and save Saturdays for flea markets, garage sales, and house sales. Make sure every shop you visit and every person you meet has your card in hand. I just heard of a woman who purchased a Beatles album for $1 or so whose value is in the thousands.

I’ve shared in a blog earlier this year about my friend, Colin, who has the largest collection in the world of items put out by his favorite group – Bones Thugs & Harmony. While this certainly isn’t my favorite, people certainly have different tastes. Over the years, by selling off duplicate items he’s acquired, his bank account has grown substantially, while his collection remains intact and has skyrocketed in value. This young man has already learned the principles we teach at 31 Club.

I’ve written a 220 page book that teaches regular people how to buy and sell antiques, collectibles, and fine art for profit. When you join the 31 Club for a one time charge, the book is FREE! As a member of 31 Club, you’ll have the opportunity to learn all about antiques, collectibles and fine art while you’re out there looking right off the bat. So, if you’ve simply been reading the blog, I’m here to tell you that you’re missing a lot. The book is a treasure chest of inside the industry secrets that will definitely save years off your life. Take the plunge here, and come out ahead of the pack.

Today’s Photo: Beatles 1st state Butcher Cover, Mono, “Yesterday & Today,” from 1966 sold on eBay through Phillip Weiss Auctions for $3,500.

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

Partner Up with 31 Club on High Quality Treasures You Find. We Do the Rest!!

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle’s 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

1930’s Dr. Pepper porcelain sign, 10″ x 24″, sold on eBay for $545

We talked about making money with doctor items yesterday, but when I ask my wife to read that blog she said, “ Why don’t you write about my favorite doctor?” This stumped me for a moment until I realized she was talking about “Dr Pepper.” Yes, Vickie is a Pepper and proud of it. So, today, I’m dedicating this blog to her.

To please her, I’ll share a brief history of Dr. Pepper: Charles Alderton was the one who discovered the formula for this popular drink, back in 1885, when he was a soda jerk for Morrison’s Old Corner Store in Waco, Texas. It soon became very popular with the local customers, so much so, that the store had a hard time keeping up with the demand. Mr. Alderton wanted to name the new soda, “Waco, ” but he was overridden by the store owner, Mr. Morrison, who named the drink after a friend by the name of Dr. Pepper. The Dr. Pepper company was formed in 1891, and its product was introduced to the world in 1904 at the Worlds Fair. It’s the oldest major manufacturing company of soft drink concentrates and syrups in the United States.

Wow! That was a mouth full, but now, how can begin to make money with this information? There millions of people around the world that now call themselves ”Peppers” and wouldn’t think of drinking any other soda. Doesn’t it make sense that some of them would be collectors? This is where you come in by finding the early and rare items produced by the Dr Pepper Company and selling them to the collectors.

The large tin signs from yesteryear are sought after and command prices in the upper hundreds to the lower thousands. Then, there are the early bottles and advertising, plus advertising glasses and calendars. The array of items that are out there to be found is almost without number, and they can help put money in your pocket.

I remember the time I saw an early Dr. Pepper advertising tin surrounding an outdoor thermometer sell for several thousand dollars, and I had seen the very same piece at a garage sale priced at $10. Boy, did I feel foolish for having passed that by.

The lesson to be learned here is that we don’t have to make this business difficult. Just look for items representing products from you past, and that you’ve seen your friends using. There are collectors for just about everything you can imagine. And you can probably check this out for yourself by doing a search on the Internet.

Treasure Hunters:

You Find It.
We Buy & Sell It.
You Net 35%.

Partner Up with 31 Club on High Quality Treasures You Find. We Do the Rest!!

Sellers:

Sell Your High Quality Items for LOW FEES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.
Keep More of Your Money.

Buyers:

Buy High Quality Items for FAIR PRICES
at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Professionals
Making More Money than they Thought Possible.

Daryle’s 220 Page Book,
31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

Or E-Mail us at info@31corp.com

In past blogs I have mentioned how I thought Lotton glass would be as valuable as Tiffany’s in the future. I still believe this to be a fact, but what if I told you that today, right now, there are contemporary glass artists that command prices equal to Tiffany? A contemporary artist is one that was working after 1975. Do you believe me? Well it’s true and I will share a few of them with you today.

First, and perhaps best know, is Dale Chihuly. His work appears in museums around the world and he is a prolific producer of wonderful, whimsical pieces. He was born in 1941 and is still active today. He once made a chandelier that was more than 200 feet long. He broke away from traditional styles and produced pieces that utilize the natural flow of glass and combined that with very vivid color. His work is stunning! I found one of his pieces that sold for $48,850 at auction and I believe that he has sold several pieces privately for amounts larger than those sold at auction. His work gives new meaning to the word contemporary.

He isn’t the only artist excelling in today’s marketplace - another is William Morris. His work commands prices in excess of $30,000. I have seen some of the glass that he has formed and it is quite unusual. He had a connection to Dale Chihuly. My personal favorite, however, is Mark Peiser. You can find some of his average pieces on eBay but they don’t represent the quality he exhibits when he undertakes his landscape masterpieces.

I have a story about my first encounter with Peiser’s work. I was scanning one of the Cincinnati Art Gallery auction catalogs when I noticed a piece of glass that looked as if you could walk into it. The piece consisted of a forest with fallen trees laying on the ground with moss and flowers surrounding them. It was so real, my eyes could hardly take in what I was seeing. Knowing nothing about Mark Peiser, I decided I had to have this piece. If memory serves me correctly, the estimate was just a few thousand dollars and I was willing to bid up to the high estimate to acquire it. While waiting to bid I could feel my blood pressure rising as the number for this item approached. I didn’t have long to wait as the initial bid exceeded the high estimate and the bidding didn’t stop until it reached almost $20,000. Needless to say, I am still looking for one of those pieces for my collection.

There is a great book entitled “Masterpieces of American Glass” by Jane Shadel Spillman and Susanne K. Frantz that would be a great addition to your resource library. This book contains work by the above-mentioned artist, plus many more that you should watch for. There is contemporary and then there is “contemporary” - wouldn’t you agree?

I have always thought of Souvenirs as trinkets, but no more. There are serious collectors for items that remind people of wonderful memories of time spent family or friends.

The secret of making money with souvenirs is to find items that were made only in small amounts. For example, Olympic Torches bring huge money. A 1992 Barcelona Olympics can sell for $5000 or more, and a torch from the 1984 Los Angles event will bring over $4000. This is just one of the items you might have acquired if you have been fortune enough to attend an Olympics. Paper items such as pamphlets about certain attractions or schedules of events are eagerly sought after by collectors who are willing to pay big money for the right ones.

One of the biggest collections of souvenirs I’ve seen was one a gentleman had put together of the Statue of Liberty. It was composed of thousands of items in every shape, form, and fashion one could imagine. There were snow globes, ashtrays, spoons and figurines, and this is just a starter list. Small items ranging from key chains to large structures eight or nine feet high made up this large collection. When I asked him why he had such an interest in the Statue of Liberty, he told me that his parents came to this country as immigrants, and he never wanted to forget what this country meant to his family. Boy, do I wish more of our immigrants felt that way today.

Niagara Falls is another area of collecting to people who remember this as the most romantic place in the world. It used to be known as the honeymoon capital of the world. Many types of souvenirs were produced for the visitors of this world renowned wonder.

One of the greatest things about finding souvenirs is that they are so easy to sell. You may even find collector clubs who will notify members of items you want to sell.
Some of my personal favorites are the items made to help you remember your visit to My Old Kentucky Home. I am sure this isn’t a huge surprise to you who know me. Sometimes some of the items we think don’t have much value to us have great value to others. Fun and profit is our motto, and souvenirs fill both these.

Roseville Falline 9″ Vase in mint condition is offered at 31 Gallery.

I got up this morning to news that the world was coming to an end. Collapse of the markets as we know them and world recession news was everywhere. But, don’t you believe what you read, because America is where it’s at, and the rest of the world will rush to our shores in these rough times. If the doomsdayers are right, America might be the only safe haven in the world.

Despite all this, there couldn’t be a better time to pick up fabulous pieces of Rookwood, Grueby, or Newcomb pottery at bargain prices. Watch the up coming auctions and I believe you’ll see there will be bargains to be found there. In fact, your wait time for making huge profits on pieces found now may be shorter than most think. Once the election is out of the way, people will begin to realize the sun has come up and the sky hasn’t fallen. They’ll still be able to make money, and it’ll be going further. Gas prices will fall and food prices will follow.

Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of thinking that nothing will ever be the same again. This can become paralyzing, causing a person to stop functioning. Get busy and keep your mind active in a good way now, and it will pay huge profits in the future.

Gold, silver and other commodities have had their day, and now it will be the Antiques and Fine Art market that will shine. While the stock market is off 50% the Antique and Fine Art markets have hardly flinched. So, take advantage of this by searching even harder for the treasures that will serve you well.

If you want to learn about collector quality antiques and fine art, and learn how to buy and sell these for profit, I wrote a book about it last year called, “31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles.”

Yesterday, I spoke to Gene, who is listed on our Expert Resource list. He said that at the lower end of the art market may be a little lower, but for the better painting, he had people waiting to buy, if he could find what they wanted. This is just what I’ve been telling you for months.

Visit those thrift shops and antique malls and attend more of the garage and house sales. You may find that people are throwing the baby out with the bath water. Several blogs ago, I said I was using Craiglist.org more, and wow, did I get a favorable response. Every item I listed I was contacted about. People are just now beginning to be aware that the better items might come on the market, so they are being more aggressive in their search. This just means that we now have to be sure to take what we find to them. Heads up and eyes straight ahead. That’s where we want to be because the cash is out there to be had.

Jacob Greenleaf, painting (1887-1968) Painting is offered at 31 Gallery.

Before I left on my trip earlier this month, a friend called to tell me about an auction in Massachusetts. I agreed to take a look at what they were offering. I honestly wasn’t that excited to so this; I had packing on my mind. I took a look at the offerings on their site anyway, mostly out of courtesy to my friend. But, surprise surprise. There were at least 12 paintings that caught my interest. I ended up leaving bids on 6 of them.

While I was away, I became the owner of 2, one of which is by Jacob Greenleaf, whose work we already own. I have since talked to the owner of Blackwood-March Auction in MA, and we have agreed to keep in touch.

I have found that Local auctions seem to be the most profitable place for me to buy good art. They have every bit in quality that the major houses have, and this is where we can profit.

First, there’s less competition. Maybe it’s because the advertising might not equal that of the major houses. Or, perhaps people just don’t pay as much for items because they figure the quality is less than they might find at one of the major houses. I don’t truly know the motivation behind each person placing great items in local auction houses, but consider this my very educated guess. I do know this, however: High quality items very often turn up at local auction houses because, the truth is, people would rather deal with people they know, not to mention the cost to them is usually less. There is also the intimidation factor many people feel when dealing with Christie’s or Sotheby’s. I’ve experienced it firsthand.

The best way to take advantage of this phenomenon, is to make a listing of all the auction houses within 75 miles of your home. Call each one of them and ask to be put in their database. This will allow these houses to contact you whenever they have an auction. Doing this will give you plenty of time to prepare for your visit to preview, or to decide upon which of their offerings you might want to leave absentee bids after you view their fliers or catalogs.

When you view the auction houses’ offerings, don’t limit yourself to just one type of item. I often find the best items in the sale weren’t the ones I thought I’d be buying. My intentions might have been to buy a painting, but after I studied the offerings, I discovered a Meissen figurine, for example. If this is an auction where most of the people in attendance would rather have stoneware instead of a Meissen, I might just pick up that bargain I was looking for.

I’m telling you, aside from having entree into private homes, these local houses could end up being your greatest asset.

You might be seeing and hearing all bad news on TV and radio, but don’t believe it all. The antique and fine art business is well and healthy!