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First off a small piece of my background before I start. I am a former Antique Store owner that closed up shop after making much more money selling on-line with only fees and Internet service, which I had anyway. We had a great reputation and I was known as having a great eye for unique items. So after the internet sales explosion became real life, I closed the retail store and saved a bundle of overhead and was able to sell at even better prices. Antiques and collectibles were a hobby since I was a child collecting WW 2 items and eventually my enterprising spirit took over. My career was as a successful financial consultant for a major firm.I held 6 licenses when the average is 2. Investing and planning peoples retirement accounts, and also for a time trading aggressive stock investments during the computer/internet bubble. After a couple years I told clients to get away from the risk and go into cash, the bubble burst after a few months, and my clients finally said man were you right. So I have a strong background in both investing and collecting.After the internet stock market burst, many people caught the tail end of real estate. only to find that timing is everything and be smart, don’t jump on the money making Idea of the day as you most likely will be too late and the person holding the bag. ONLY think when investing that you may have to be there a while, but the rewards will be handsome, if they ever occur. With that in mind lets jump to Antiques and Collectibles.

My first rule when I buy an item to sell is to really like it as if I was going to keep it. Some items may not sell so I better enjoy the beauty and maybe be able to break even if there is not much room left to display. An item in a box gets lost and forgotten. So my second rule is buy right, so I can make a profit and still give my clients or customers a fair good deal. The third rule is besides what maybe hot today, such as the current rising of Asian Antiquities which still have room to grow in value, look for the out of favor items. Almost everything that has to do with money runs in cycles, in favor, hot, stable, and not being paid any attention. In favor is usually what you hear about at the water cooler, hot is what everyone knows about and most of the time is being chased, stable is something of value that is a dependable money holder, and not being paid attention might just be where you want to look for items you love that may increase in value and turn into wonderful investments. Caution, make sure you love it no rise in wealth is ever a sure bet.

Let’s look at 2 recent examples of items that have lost some ground and fallen in popularity, bringing prices down drastically in my humble opinion.

First on my list is vintage art pottery such as Roseville, Hull. McCoy, and Royal Copley along with many other names. As recent as a few years back dealers couldn’t find enough of these items! At estate auctions the prices always ran high, and the retail market commanded hefty prices. On line bidding wars were frequent and the pieces went for hundreds of dollars or more if rare, and more common items still ran a nice course. This is beautiful pottery from a time when we actually made pottery in the United States. Almost all has ceased. These beautiful items also take us back in time as we saw them at Grand Parents houses and around our own growing up. They were easy to buy at 5&10 stores, remember them, and better pieces in department. Even the early pottery prior Mid Century is selling for pennies compared to prices in the recent past. I have seen at auction with mostly dealers present, Roseville one of the most popular of the group, go for 15 to 20 dollars! UNHEARD of 5 years back. You couldn’t find a Roseville vase in very good condition for that price unless you were at an auction that nobody knew anything about the pottery attended, which was usually not the case. Most sold at auction for close to a hundred and the better pieces much more, there was active bidding at live auctions. Now there are few bidders and the prices are again in my opinion cheap. The on line auction prices have dropped as well, which is now the major retail market for antiques and collectibles. A good value? Something that will be a good investment? Only time will tell but conventional wisdom would say yes and the pottery is beautiful too. I recently sold a Hull Vase for 15.00 that would have easily fetched 60 to 75 in recent years. If you believe valuable items and investments fall in and out of favor then it’s most likely a great time to buy. QUESTION: How many people bought real estate at the top with money they didn’t have that are in trouble today? We were always told a house was a safe investment. Folks with money and investors are buying real estate now while it is still a fraction of the bubble price, intending to have it for a while and flipping is for the most part a word rarely heard.

Second area I feel is under value is good vintage jewelry. When money was every where and social events an almost daily business networking event, professional ladies sought this jewelry out. Prices are very good right now and the items are still very beautiful to wear. I am not suggesting that a 15.00 1950’s bracelet will become a 100.00 piece, not at all. I am saying that prices on some very unique items are very very reasonable.

I also feel that Murano and other art glass is very much like the pottery mentioned above and the story can be repeated by putting art glass or Murano in place of Roseville. In both cases BEWARE and make sure the dealer is reputable has good feedback on eBay as there are alot of fakes. I have refused to sell certain items to China just for that reason. There are good customers in China, but when 2 different Chinese companies are fighting over the same communist Russian marked binoculars and they have purchases and feedback in the 30,000 area being registered a little less than a year. it means something and it does not matter to me if the bid is 275.00 on a 20.00 cost. I am doing my part to prevent the collector community from experiencing fake Chinese made Communist Russian Binoculars. This was not the case with Roseville and Murano in paticular. Fake Roseville is out there by the ton along with Murano. The fake pottery is usually upon inspection NOT up to par at all. The Roseville hallmark on the bottom is not crisp, and other areas will appear to be a bit sloppy. REMEMBER the pride that we had in workmanship when we put U.S.A. on something, and then think of the masses of made in China items you have seen in dollar stores and collecting dust in thrift stores where a good collectible may not be found as often as before. Murano fakes are so blatantly available you can find them right here on eBay! Murano jewelry starting bid .99. will receive in 3 weeks item located in China! First off there is no Murano in China. Murano is part of the Italian art glass in Venice Italy and has been for a long time. It is hard to believe that these sellers are not having listings removed, when you can’t list a beautiful piece of 100 year old Ivory Asian Antique Art piece as the Ivory comes from an endangered species. TRUE for new Ivory and I am all for the Animal, BUT Ivory from 100 years ago? It is actually sad to think that an Elephant was poached for tusks 100 years ago and the art they died for can’t even be sold therefore hurting the value and ability to appreciate what that poor animal died for 100 years ago. Can’t help them BUT if Antique Ivory was allowed to be sold it could help current animals that ARE alive and avoid cheap copies of antique art from popping up. Is it right that the name Murano can be from China an Italian art glass area? No so avoid those bargains they do not belong in any collection and in my opinion do not belong being sold as such. Real Murano while down in price is never 99 cents whether it is a ring, bracelet, pendant, clown figure or vase.

Stick with the real deal undervalue pieces, make sure you love them and enjoy collecting and buying Antiques as the fun of finding something that maybe scarce or at the very least a bargain is what is most important!