In several of my previous blogs, and in my book 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles, I’ve commented that the marketplace will always adopt to the conditions its presented. Right now, in the Antiques and Fine Art Markets, we’re presented with various venues, along with their associated fees, that today, have risen to unheard of levels. For example, today you find Auction houses collecting close to 50% of an item’s value in commissions and fees. They collect this amount by “double dipping” – collecting, what I consider, out-of-line- fees from the seller, and then charging the buyer a fee for the privilege of buying. I don’t know about this, but I have to ask myself this: When did auction houses become part owner of your inventory or your personal belongings? Last time I checked, my real estate agent was collecting 6% or less from the seller, and the buyer certainly didn’t have to pay a buyer’s fee for the privilege of buying.

This is just one example of what’s happened within industry, but the point is this: There is only so much people will take before they “revolt.” Lately, I am beginning to see the marketplace adapt to the conditions its been presented with lately, and people are beginning to rumble.

Business who have thrived on eBay in the past, are heading for the exit doors today, finding alternative sales formats due to eBay’s escalating fees. It can’t be too far down the road that people will revolt against the fees charged at auction houses, as well. I believe a shakeup is imminent, and ideas that have been germinating are now just sprouting.

31 Club and its programs for our industry is part of this shakeout and is sprouting a new venues, where both seller and buyer will benefit by lower fees and no buyers premium. A company who makes money on the back end after having provided a service, rather than on the front end.

There is no question in my mind that the Antique and Fine Art markets are going to have a shakeout, however the bigger question is this: What form will replace the existing way of doing business? I believe it will be a model similar to what we are creating at 31 Club, and a place where you can do the majority of your business on one site. 31 Club is a company you can partner up with and one that has been formed to assure your success before thinking about themselves. For these reasons and many more, I believe that the formation of the 31 Club is a glimpse into the future of this industry.

I believe companies like Blackwells Live Auction and Antique Associates at West Townsend are companies whose pages you might want to explore, among others. If you become aware of companies who are shaking off the unreasonable ways, or you might be one of these companies yourselves, please send us an email and let us know. We’ll be writing about this approaching shakeout over this coming year and want to include those who are in step with the changing times.

Jeremy has assured me he hasn’t even begun to create the most exciting site on the web for us, and we have begun discussions conducting having our own auctions. Wouldn’t that be great to have fees for services that don’t require you to declare them as half owner of your belongings.
Your ideas about how we might improve services to members are welcome and encouraged. Please e-mail us at info@31corp.com or give us a call at 847-784-8544

 I often tell Members of the 31 Club that money in the antique and collectible world can be made with items smaller than a bread box. Besides not taking up too much space in your home until you get them sold, you won’t be faced with transporting these small treasures back and forth, which eats away at your time and erodes your profit. Snuff Boxes and Snuff Bottles certainly qualify as items smaller than a bread box, and they can be quite valuable. Today, I’ll focus mainly on snuff boxes.

Snuff, used for many centuries, is a tobacco that is ground into a very fine powder. It’s sniffed through the nose, tucked behind the lip, or tucked inside the cheek. It came in either a dry form or a moist form.

In Europe, in centuries gone by, the use of snuff was a very popular social ritual, mainly with the elite. Many a high society lady or gent would never leave home without their stylish snuff box and would often have several to choose from. They even had snuff boxes for every season. In China, snuff bottles were very popular, and the bottle stopper had a little pad on the inside of it. The process for use was the same.

In 19th Century America, some women might have smoked cigars in public for its shock value, however, there were far more ladies discreetly using snuff, which was perfectly acceptable. This was Women’s Lib 19th Century style, and it caught on.

Fast forward to the 21st Century and we find that anything to do with snuff has become highly collectible. If you find one for a collector, they’ll pay you handsomely, especially for the right one.

Snuff boxes can be made from almost any material. They were often made of antler, silver, wood, brass, gold, pewter and many others. They also can be a combination of several materials, artistically decorated. Most boxes were decorated with gold or silver, often with the owner’s initials engraved on them. Many were highly decorated, and of course, these are quite valuable. Let’s look at a few values in Kovel’s Price Guide to see if your eyebrows move a little north:

A 3” Gold Enamled Box of a Harbor Scene, c. 1830 valued at $17,250. If that’s too rich for your blood, how about a Metal, Gilt, Musical, engine-turned panels sized at four inches for $14,950. These must have been owned by a very special lady or gent.

$32,500.  That’s the price of the snuff box shown in Today’s Photo. Offered at M.S. Rau Antiques, this Swiss Enamel and Gold Snuff Box, circa 1740, looks like it contains a double ivory portrait,adding to its value. This is a real beauty. When you take a look at all their high end snuff boxes, you’ll have a better idea of the high quality, high end boxes out there.

Remember, we look for the higher end, rare items. As we work our way up the 31 Steps, our ever increasing knowledge of true quality and rarity will help us along the way. Please make every effort to attend antique shows in your area to see high quality items up close and face to face. The first goal is to be able to recognize quality when you see it.

But using snuff was not reserved for the high society folks. We regular folk used it too. I can still remember the way my Grandmother would quickly sniff a little, sneeze, and then hold her dainty handkerchief to her nose. As a child I often wondered why she would do this. Maybe to clear her nose, I thought.

One day the stock market is up 150 points, the next it’s down over 200. Over and over again. Are you beginning to grow weary of this roller coaster market? You might even be thinking about exiting the market, where do you go?

The 31 Club’s answer to the roller coaster stock market is to invest some of your money in Antiques, Fine Art and Collectibles. When things are the bleakest for other markets, the Antique, Fine Art and Collectible markets shine.

In this troubled market, it still amazes me when people are able to buy items for a small amount of money and then resell them immediately for many, many times their purchase price. I encourage all who will listen to me to maximize their efforts by investing their money in inventory that can be turned quickly today. I believe we have reached the optimum time to accelerate our efforts to follow the guidelines set out in my book 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques and Collectibles. Regardless of what other markets are doing, we can still profit quite handsomely using the tangible items being bought and sold in a sizzling high end antique, fine art and collectible market like we have today, then following the strategy to grow funds presented in my book. There isn’t a better time to be trading in items that hold their value and appreciate in all types of economic situations.

“Make Hay While the Sun is Shining” is an old saying I take to heart. And, the auctions, estate sales and garage sale markets are in full bloom now, so are you spending the proper amount of time visiting them to fully take advantage of these conditions?

This is the time to encourage people you know to purchase quality Antiques and Paintings and offer your expertise in the field to assure them of investing properly. I was able to assist one of our members in purchasing several pieces of Lotton Glass a few months ago, and today, she could double her money if she wished to sell them. This is at a time when the stock market has lost 4000 points.

I simply love this business. One reason is because it helps insure us against financial setbacks. You carry home insurance, car insurance and life insurance but what kind of insurance can we have in the business? Yes, there is insurance against breakage or other forms of damage to our items, but that doesn’t insure that what we buy will make us profit. But there is a form of insurance we control that costs us nothing: The price you pay for your inventory. When there is a cloud of fear overhanging the financial condition of most people, you just offer less for the items you wish to purchase. Yes, the percentage of items that you buy may shrink, but you will have received insurance at the lower cost to assure your profitability on the items you sell.

An example of this might be that painting that you would have offered $500 for 6 months ago. Today your offer might be $350. Or that Tiffany vase that would’ve caught your attention at a price of $1000, might cause you to want to make that offer today at only $800. This is insurance that you control, and you receive it at no cost. You can’t beat that.

My time in the Smoky Mountains is quickly coming to an end, but I have to admit, I miss all your phone calls and emails. I want to get back to work so I can enjoy all those stories of your successes. I truly do feel that we are forming a community that has the core values I wrote about two days ago: God, Family and Country.

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

Get FREE MENTORING. 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 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.