Libbey Bowl in the Ellsmere pattern recently sold on eBay for $615.

Because I and others have written about the value of Libbey Glass Company’s Kentucky Derby Glasses, a lot people may have their radar raised at the present time on these valuable treasures. However, this fine company produced a wide range of products, and some pieces can be quite valuable as well.

I seriously doubt that many people are looking for Libbey vases or bowls. These cut glass items can command prices in the thousands. For example a 20” vase made in the Harvard pattern, Amethyst cut to clear can bring $3400. A signed Amberina Perfume Bottle might fetch $2450. With these prices, it might be wise to become familiar with this company’s higher end items.

Libbey Glass Company started in 1888 in Toledo Ohio and was later purchased by Owens-Illinois in 1935. It is still in production today and makes a very wide range of products.

You may have already figured this out, but the older pieces will usually bring the most money. I am one of the people guilty of passing by cut glass pieces because I think there will be damage on them, which there usually is. Another reason for me passing these by is due to the number of new or fake pieces I run across. But, I’ve discovered that it would be well worth my while to set my assumptions aside, slow down, and spend more time looking very closely when I come face to face with cut glass items at sales. I encourage you to do the same.

Most people will not be able to distinguish the rare from the common items produced by Libbey, but with some study, you will. Marked pieces always sell at a premium in most items in the antique business, and this holds true of Libbey as well. Libbey’s marks are often very difficult to find, however. Should you come across some cut glass you’ve identified as having the quality of finer cut glass, be sure to take the time required to search for a signature, if there is one.

Damage to cut glass will reduced its value considerably, more than any other category of antique items. A flake, chip, or hairline crack will reduce its value by up to 90%. Even if a very valuable vase is ground to disguise a flake, the vase will drop in value significantly.

While finding any of Libbey’s higher end and more valuable items might not bring you as much as finding a 1940 Kentucky Derby Glass would, it could very easily add a few thousand dollars to your coffer. But don’t give up on discovering a Derby Glass. We found one a few days ago. Watch for it to be listed soon in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

I haven’t found that very special piece of Libbey cut glass yet, however I did find a small bowl once, marked for $25. Its sale for $500 was a big deal for me at that time in my life.

When you’re first starting out in the Antique & Fine Art Business, making $500 early seems like a very big deal, but later it might take making a profit of $5,000 to feel that same thrill. As you progress, it might be $50,000. This is why I have never tired of the Antique and Fine Art Business and I love it so much. My goal now is to find that special piece worth $500,000. Oh, it doesn’t matter if I find it just yet. Knowing that it’s out there waiting for me keeps me alert and ready to take on the day.

Treasure Hunters – partner up with 31 Club on high quality treasures you find. You find, we buy, we sell, you net 35%.

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

This Historical Document, a Patrick Henry signed Land Grant is available in the 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Then, there comes a day like I had yesterday, and those thoughts flee as quickly as they popped into my head, and I know why I keep myself moving forward in this business, even when I don’t feel like it.

When I answered the phone yesterday, a woman on the other end asked me, “Are you the ones with the Patrick Henry document?”

I told her yes, and she explained that she’d been trying to find someone who could help her, and that she’d called numerous places, including auction houses, with no success.

“I think you might have come to the right place. What do you have,” I asked her?

I was hardly prepared for what I heard next.

“I have at least six signed  historical land grants plus many other very well known men’s autographs. You see, my father was a surgeon in New York, and he was collecting these pieces starting back in the late 1800’s,” she told me.

I’ve got to admit, I was getting rather excited at this point, and I waited patiently for her story to unfold. We spoke for about fifteen minutes when she asked me, “Do you know who Robert Louis Stevenson was?”

While I was not the greatest scholar in my class, even this old country boy knows Robert Louis Stevenson as the author of my favorite book, Treasure Island. In my book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles,I wrote that Treasure Island was the story that first got me interested in treasure hunting as a child. I was all ears as she embellished on this question.

“My father was a friend of Robert Louis Stevenson, and they visited one day at an Inn. He gave my father a poem he had written for him, and it was passed on to me.”

This must be a one of a kind, unpublished poem by Robert Lewis Stevenson. I could hardly breathe, and as we continued talking, she dropped another bombshell on me.

“You may not have known my father, but I bet you know a baby he delivered. It was the most famous birth he performed in his long career as a surgeon.”

Okay, she had me hanging.

“He was the doctor who delivered Jacqueline Kennedy,” she said.

As in Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onasis. The First Lady. Wife of the 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. These phrases were pounding in my head.

You can probably figure out by now, I’ll soon be speaking with her again, very soon. And perhaps I’ll be traveling to the East Coast to see her.

The fun has already arrived for me again. I think my nine-year-old, Joshua, would even enjoy a day like I had yesterday. What other business can give you a story like this? I hope profit will come for both me, and the lady who called me. In her own words, she told me it was time to sell these items now. The big question is: What all does she really have? Wow! What a day!

Do you have good and bad days in this business? Share how you handle things by adding them in the comments. You just might help another 31 Club Member.

Outsider Art: Doug Odom, “Girl with Doll” is one of two Odom paintings offered at The 31 Gallery.

I have to admit, I couldn’t stay away from the Glenview art show yesterday. This urge to return to tell the two wonderful ladies at the show I had written about in the previous blog overtook me.  I’m very hopeful my readers will follow these artists, because I think their art will be searched out in the future by collectors and will survive the test of time. While I wasn’t looking for thanks, they thanked me so much, and I assured them this wasn’t going to be the last time they heard from me.

While my opinions from the previous day remain the same, there were a few of the artist who caught my eye again once I returned, but they were the same ones as before. And, while this is just one man’s opinion, this is all I can write about from the show. However, I did meet up with an old friend who was exhibiting, and I can once again say he was the hit of the show. I mentioned in yesterday’s blog I would write about this special artist today.

He is perhaps the best known outsider artist around. His paintings are unique, and I knew I wasn’t alone in my opinion when I stood in his booth, crowded with people commenting in awe and with excitement in their voices as they viewed his work for the first time. Once you see one of his paintings, you can’t help but comment on it. His name is Doug Odom, and one of the things I like best about his work is that it appeals to both children and adults.

Doug had became a friend of mine almost a year ago. In fact, he was a guest in my home and I got to spend some quality time with him. However, our friendship doesn’t reflect in my judgment of his talent, which is huge. I never tire of his good old boy demeanor as he tells his audience about life in lower Alabama. Whether you wear a suit or blue jeans, you’ll stop and listen to what Doug is saying. I overheard a conversation between Doug and a gentleman in his booth that made me, as well as everyone else roar with laughter. The man asked Doug if he had an e-mail address, and Doug replied, “Not in Alabama.”

“How about a phone number?”

“Not one you could reach me on,” Doug replied.

By this time, I could see from the gentleman’s face he was getting frustrated, but it was then Doug told him, “I can tell you where I live.”

“Are you sure,” the man asked tongue in cheek, and the crowed gave out a huge laugh.

If you know me, I’m sure you’ll know by know that one of my stories is coming about this point, so here goes: As I was making my way toward Doug’s booth, I noticed a man carrying a very large painting, but it was facing away from me. I walked around the man because I thought I recognized it. Sure enough, it was one of Doug’s works I’ll call “The Yellow School Bus.” You see, I had seen him working on this piece the day before. At that time, it was just this large yellow bus with children riding on it. While I hung around his booth, I noticed that as children approached this painting he would ask them if they’d like to ride on the bus. If their answer was yes, he’d ask where they wanted to sit. You might have guessed, but when they told Doug where they wanted to sit, he’d paint them into the piece right where they chose to sit and added their name to the piece.

So, when I arrived at Doug’s booth, I thought I’d have a little fun with him. He saw me and I started looking around at the paintings. “Where’s my painting,” I asked Doug?

“Which one,” he asked?

“The Yellow School Bus.”

He thought for a moment, then pointed up the aisle and said, “It went that away.”

I couldn’t help but tell him I’d seen the man carrying it, and Doug told me it was going into a museum. Keep a keen eye out for Doug’s work because people haven’t yet fully recognized how unique it is. Our gallery has two of his pieces available and you can view them here.

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.

Louise E. Edwards-Doulton Lambeth 19″ Vase, circa 1882, is offered at 31 Gallery & Marketplace.

Because of the high quality of items being presented in our Gallery & Marketplace, many serious collectors are returning to see what new items have been added. The Gallery & Marketplace is available for 31 Club Members to list their high quality items, and if you’re not a member yet, why not?

I believe our 19” Louisa E. Edwards vase by Doulton will soon sell. It was made in 1882 and incorporated at least two other assistants in its production. At $3750, I believe it’s a bargain for anyone looking for something very special to add to their collection.

What will set the 31 Marketplace above most other places offering Antiques and Fine Art is that our members can make substantial money without using a single penny of their own money. This is accomplished by using the club’s Associates Program when you find high quality art and antiques that may be out of your budget to purchase. When you call and tell us about the item, the 31 Club partners with its member to acquire the item and though this partnership, we are able to bring great treasures to the market together.

With the dollar so beaten up in our country, this might be a great time to concentrate on items made out of this country. You see, the Hannah Barlow vase was sent back to its country of origin – England. With the difference in currency, this English buyer bought the item at near half price.
A few of the companies that can pay you great dividends if you are knowledgeable enough to spot them are Meissen, Rosenthal, Nymphenburg, Doulton, Royal Worchester, Dahl Jensen and Hutschenreuther. If you find a treasure of this sort and list it with us, either yourself or through the Associates Program, it will get a good look from our foreign collectors.

While these are just a few of the companies, a little research into more companies will increase your knowledge. It’s in researching that you learn best. There are several books that you can find used that will give more detail on these companies. I would high suggest that you either buy or read books at your local bookstore or library on these companies

Here’s a 31 Club Update of our development progress:

* An Online Inventory Sheet so you can keep track of your items and your progress is in the final stages of testing. I think it will be a great asset to you.

*The 31 Gangs Race to A Million Progress Sheet has been up dated and will be posted soon. I think that you will be surprised by the gangs progress.

*The 31 Club Panel of Experts is coming together and I think there are going to be many experts who will be there for you.

*Free Advertising for your Wish List is the next major item for Jeremy to complete.

*The Associates Program is up and running well. There have been several members who have already taken advantage of this program.

*New Items Coming. There are approximately 100 new items in the process of are being listed on the Marketplace.

*Video. The club is now the proud owner of a video camera and all the accessories necessary to do video for the site. If you have video you’d like to share with the Club please, send it to us. It is all right to advertise your site or store.

Our membership is growing every day, and I personally thank you for your support by telling your friends and enrolling your family and for staying with us while we build our site from scratch. These are, indeed, exciting times we live in.

*****

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.