I have been interested in English China ever since I started collecting Doulton. In the 1800s, there were many wonderful companies producing china in England, but many of their works have been forgotten, because most people consider them old fashion. Minton is one of these. But, true collectors of Minton China are just waiting for special pieces to show their heads, and these Minton China pieces from the 1800s will bring top dollar. It is nothing for a jardiniere, plate or vase to bring $4,000 or many times more. Some Minton has the look of majolica, which refers to enamelled stoneware with high-relief decoration, and often these pieces can be rather large and bring top dollar.

Today, the difference between the dollar and the pound makes it a great time for British collectors to be watching our markets very closely for those sought after pieces to buy here in this country and ship back to England. To the English, everything in America is selling for half price, and they assuredly want to take advantage of this buying opportunity. In several years past, the currency situation was the reverse, and many a great Minton pieces found their way into this country, while many more pieces remain stashed away in the estates of their original owners.

The early Minton pieces had many marks, and they can all be found in Kovels New Dictionary of Marks. I have recommended that everyone reading this Blog and working the 31 Club Plan own a copy of this book. It doesn’t have to be a new one. In fact, I buy many of my reference books used. Amazon has many used copies of this excellent resource available for under $7. I don’t see how it’s possible for a person in this business to do well without a good mark book. It is impossible to keep the different marks of all the companies you will run across in your head.

While Minton has many pieces collectors dream of owning, they have also produced a lot of common china. This isn't what we are looking for. The pieces we want are brightly colored and have flowers, Sea Creatures, Cherubs, Greek Goddesses, Fruit, Children and other stunning features. Do be aware that there are reproductions in the market, and if you have any doubt, be sure to have a return policy with the seller should it prove to be a reproduction. The great thing about Minton is that they made it very easy to date most of their pieces, and all Minton will have their name on it. Listings of each date with its symbol can be found in the back of the Kovels book.

Although the kind of Minton we are looking for was produced in the mid 1800s, Minton actually began production around 1793. It is still being made today by Doulton, who acquired them in 1968 and still uses the Minton name.

If you go to eBay you will not find many of the older pieces, because as I stated earlier, most people consider Minton old fashioned. But a little further research will show what the true pieces sell for, you’ll say, “Whoa!” Many of these great pieces can be seen in sales catalogs from Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

Remember, in this country, the Minton name may not carry much weight, but in England and other European countries, the Minton name is still King of the Hill.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members. Turbo charge your treasure hunting today and start building a bank account big enough to last a lifetime. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Read Up On The 31 Club Here.

Visit our website here.

Please leave a comment. If you don't want to sign in, just use the ANONYMOUS button. Chime in and participate!

Have you ever thought that by having a special interest in a certain Baseball, Football, Basketball player you could start your own business? A certain Singer, Actor or Race Car Driver might suit you better, but regardless of your taste, there is plenty of opportunity to turn this interest into dollars.

No, I don't want you to change what you are doing now, as you study with me to acquire the knowledge that will set you free, but why not take advantage of some of the knowledge you’ve already acquired?

Here’s some examples: I’ve told you about my friend Warner before, and how he has become perhaps one of the top collectors of Lotton Glass. In fact, Warner started the Lotton Glass Club only a few years ago, although Charles Lotton began making glass in the early 1970s. I can’t tell you why someone hadn’t started a club earlier, but after Warner started the club, he found that there were a great many people who already had large collections of Lotton Glass.

Warner soon became the person to contact if you were looking to buy or sell Lotton Glass. Presto! A new business was formed. Ask anyone who enjoys this beautiful glass and they will tell you how thankful they are that Warner took it upon himself to provide this service. And he has made it a very successful business. Warner still has all the knowledge that he acquired while we were partners, and when he sees a bargain in anything other than Lotton Glass, I can assure you he still can pounce on it. He has followed the 31 Club plan, while at the same time, choose to concentrate in mostly one area.

You have the same opportunity to do just as Warner has done. Find something that you like for yourself, buy it and then sell it. By doing this over and over again, people will start recognizing you as the authority on the items that you are buying and selling. You can become the focal point for that collectible. You can start with one baseball card, one company’s figurine, a record by a certain artist or a painting. Let people know you are looking for these certain items. I can give you several websites that provide free advertising and you can place ads in the wanted to buy sections. In fact, I do this all the time and just today, I had emails from people wanting to sell a Harvey Joiner painting and some Lotton Glass.

The next person I want to tell you about is Colin, who is as close to me a son. Soon after we became acquainted, I found out that his favorite singing group was Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. You might not be familiar with them, but to a special group of followers, they are the best thing since apple pie. Believe it or not, there are probably thousands of collectors that are building a collection of this group's memorabilia. Colin tells me that he may have the largest single collection of their items in America. He in his own way, and has turned this into a business. No, he doesn't take the money out when he sells his duplicates. Instead, he reinvests it in more items for his collection. He’s following a plan just like the 31 Club Plan, only his money is always committed to his collection.

I hope that this information will get you thinking about what you can do. I will continue to share individual items for you to watch, but there is so much you can do in this business. So, stay with me, and pass the word.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members. Turbo charge your treasure hunting today and start building a bank account big enough to last a lifetime. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Read Up On The 31 Club Here.

Visit our website here.

Please leave a comment. If you don't want to sign in, just use the ANONYMOUS button. Chime in and participate!

Tuesday I watched a young man give a speech that surpassed any that I’ve heard in my 54 years of being interested in politics. My father was a very well respected Republican in Kentucky, and I was the County Chairman for the Republicans as well involved in several state and national campaigns. But, I am compelled to say that Senator Obama's speech on racism was better than any I heard from Martin Luther King or any other self proclaimed authority on the subject. You might not agree with what he said, but his message was a home run. I felt like I was looking directly into the man’s soul. Never have I heard the racial issues so well explained nor an offer to rise above it expressed quite as he did.

I have to confess that there is no way I could vote for him, because we are so different in our views of the world. However, I think that within Obama is the ability to do great things. I have heard some people say he speaks well, but do you know him? My answer to them is --did you know John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan? I think most fair minded people would say they were great leaders, even if you didn't always agree with them.

Perhaps I could take a chance on Obama if the entire Congress could be dismissed, but that isn't going to happen. With no checks and balances in our government, I don't think I could sleep at night if I voted that way.

So, what does this have to do with Antiques, Collectibles and the 31 Club? Believe it or not, everything I’ve said will help you make a lot of money. Buy everything you can that has anything to do with this election, anything that has Obama’s signature, picture or any mention of him on it. These are going to be historical documents and highly sought after by many collectors. Remember, most collectors are trying to buy back their past ,and in my entire lifetime, I have never seen so much passion in an election as I have in this one. It’s not too late, and the value of these items will escalate after the election, whether he wins or not.

I apologize in advance if I have offended any of my regular readers or anyone else, but I have to call them as I see them. While I could not vote for Obama, I would be untrue to myself if I wasn’t man enough to state that I believe he is a true man of greatness. I will never have the opportunity to see things as he does, but I give him the right to his views, like I hope he will give me mine. If I had a conversation with Senator Obama, I believe we would both leave with a respect and understanding between us. It would be a great honor to shake his hand some day.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members. Turbo charge your treasure hunting today and start building a bank account big enough to last a lifetime. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Read Up On The 31 Club Here.

Visit our website here.

Please leave a comment. If you don't want to sign in, just use the ANONYMOUS button. Chime in and participate!

Yesterday started out like any other for me, but I was in for a surprise. About two o'clock my my third son, Landon, who lives in Kentucky, called. He asked me what I was doing, and I told him I was just busy around the house, working on the 31 Club. To my surprise, he asked me if I wanted some company. It turns out he had attended a basketball tournament in Michigan and wanted to stay the night before heading back to Kentucky.

After spending about six hours together, I asked Landon if he would mind helping Joshua and me move some books. Without hesitating he said “sure.” Little did he know what was in store for him. Moving books meant the last 2500 copies of my book, 31 Steps to your Million in Antiques and Collectibles. You see, I had been storing my books at my church and they were giving up the location where I had stored these books. Joshua and I had already moved a lot books, and this was the last of them.
As we were breaking our backs with fifty pound boxes, Landon asked me what kind of books were in the boxes. Only then did I realize I had not told him what I had written.

We talked about the book, and he had many questions. To tell you the truth, I was ashamed I hadn’t shared this information with him before now. I could see his interest growing with every new subject discussed. I began to see all the possibilities to work with my son that this business could provide. We talked about his Baseball Card collection and the many Star Wars pieces and old coins he still has stored away at his mother’s home in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Are there people in your life who could benefit by you sharing with them what you have found in the 31 Club? It could be out-of-work friends, families that need something to bond them together, fathers and mothers that are worried about college for their children, or in my case, a child that you just want to spend more time with. How foolish I felt when I realized that there are members of my own family with whom I haven't share this program, while I am spending hundreds of hours telling others.

I realized that our families should be where we start in this program.Now I want to call my cousins, aunts and uncles, college and high school friends, and many more people that I haven't heard from for quit some time, and tell them all the great news. This program is something honest we can do to have fun together, while at the same time, make enough money to change our lives.

One of our newest members, Stephen, is one I think will be able to complete several steps in his million dollar race very quickly. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with this young man and together, I am hopeful we can add to his life and make positive changes. My feet have hardly touched the ground, and I thank God for giving me this opportunity.

Tomorrow, I will give you a list of things to share with everyone. Being successful alone can be very lonely, but if your success is shared with others, the rewards are limitless.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members. Turbo charge your treasure hunting today and start building a bank account big enough to last a lifetime. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE! Our book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Join the 31 Club and learn how to build personal wealth through the antique, collectible and fine art markets.

Read Up On The 31 Club Here.

Visit our website here.

Please leave a comment. If you don't want to sign in, just use the ANONYMOUS button. Chime in and participate!

The Numbers 84, 88, and 91. These three numbers can make it a happy day if you run across them in your hunt for treasure. But what do they mean?

They aren’t the regular numbers to identify silver and its content. While these numbers do indicate the silver content in Russian silver, they will look foreign to the American buyer. You see, in American Silver, it is customary to see 925 for sterling silver. But on Russian silver, along with the numbers 84,88, and 91, you will see letters of the Russian alphabet stamped on most Russian silver. And you don’t even have to know what the letters mean to make a smart buy.

There are very few Russian Silver items that don't command high prices, and the reason for this is the Russians were perhaps the best silversmiths of all times. . The Faberge company has had no equal. They’ve produced the finest silver ever. The Faberge Eggs, produced for the Royal Family at the time and given as gifts, now command prices in the millions of dollars when they come to market.

However, we aren't here to discuss million dollar items, rather the ones that you might find in your search at garage sales, estate sales and even possibly in the occasional shop. Pieces of Russian silver aren't something that the average person sees every day, so for this reason, it might pass under the radar screen of most people and be there waiting for you to find it. There are fakes out there, but if you recognize high quality, more than likely it is a real piece of Russian Silver. Be sure to find a silver guide book that gives you some of the marks on this silver. The discovery of just one piece of this silver could buy you a whole library of books.

Here are some price examples from Kovels price guide: A Cigar Box 1891 $14,950; Cigarette Case with two tone gold $5,750; Crucifix enameled 1900 $4,600; a pair of plates with stylized leaves and blue enameling 1910 for $14,950. I don't think that I could eat off of this one. But don't get discouraged and think that you can't find one of the items I mentioned above, even though it is possible. There are many items in the $200 to $500 range that will make it possible for you to double your money on Russian Silver.

I have seen some of the most fantastic miniatures made by the best Russian masters that were purchased for just a few dollars by dealers with a sharp eye. You should always pick up any small silver item to check to see if it might be Russian.

At the Chicago Antique Market last year a dealer showed me a picture frame that he had just bought that was one of the most beautiful things that my eyes had ever seen. I ask what he had paid and his answer was “not very much.” This piece was worth $25,000 if it was worth a penny, and I may have under valued it by five fold.
Watch for these odd numbers and also the different Russian letters. They might just sweeten your pot by thousands of dollars.

A good, but rather expensive reference book is Russian Silversmiths Hallmarks. When I checked, there were only 3 left at Amazon. You can get a better price at Abes and there are more copies available.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and turbo charge your treasure hunting today. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE! Our book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Join the 31 Club and learn how to build personal wealth through the antique, collectible and fine art markets.

Read Up On The 31 Club Here.

Visit our website here.

Please leave a comment. If you don't want to sign in, just use the ANONYMOUS button. Chime in and participate!

Several months ago, I wrote about the person that wanted to find a 50 gallon Red Wing Crock for her parents. Well, one of our members found one and contacted me with this great news. If you are just following our Blog and haven’t become a member of the 31 Club yet, I encourage you to join and use the resources being offered by the Club to your advantage. Networking with us can produce great results.

The Associate Program is offered to 31 Club Members and will enable the member to work in conjunction with the 31 Club to higher end items they come across. When the member finds an item and it is out of their price range, the club will buy it, handle the sale and split the profit between them on a fair arrangement. We make this a win-win situation for all, so call or send me an e-mail for further details and information at info@31corp.com

The Associates Program is extremely valuable if the member is able to locate multiple pieces and the purchase is substantial. This way the company, as well as the member locating the items, can benefit. You may remember the Blog about the sale of several comic books by one of our members. She used this principle with a man who asked her to post several lots of comic books on eBay for him. These comic books brought nearly $13,000. Even after the expense of purchasing and selling these comic books, I figure the man walked away with perhaps $6,000. By working together, almost anything is possible in the these markets, and we are here to help you finish the race you’ve begun.

Personal Mentoring: It is so hard today for a person to get a live body on the other end of the phone, but not so at The 31 Club. I am willing and waiting to help you in identify items, negotiate, guide, give you a pep talk if you’re feeling a little defeated, or any other service that I can provide for you to help you succeed. We can talk over the phone and through e-mails. You’ll find I answer E-mails in a timely manner.

I could go on tooting our horn, but I think that you get the picture. But what the staff and I are offering is only as good as its usage. If you don't take advantage of our service, I can promise that you will not benefit from them. When you do, then your bank account will see the results.

Wish List: Let the world know what you’re looking for! We have a wish list where you can post items that you look for, and it can be found in the Buy/Sell section of the website. If you think it’s too hard to find, let me know, and we’ll post it somewhere else. We’re planning on setting the wish list up in a way that will enable someone to contact you by e-mail, should they have an item you are looking for. Just another way of networking with other dealers and collectors. Make your postings today!

31 Gallery: Show off your Paintings or Collectibles to the world and get them sold. Our Gallery Pages are very popular pages on our site. When you put your item in our Gallery, you’ll have no advertising fees, and we’ll help you secure a buyer.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and turbo charge your treasure hunting today. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE! Our book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Join the 31 Club and learn how to build personal wealth through the antique, collectible and fine art markets.

Read Up On The 31 Club Here.

Visit our website here.

Please leave a comment. If you don't want to sign in, just use the ANONYMOUS button. Chime in and participate!

I don't know about you but all my friends here in Chicago can't wait to get back onto the Golf Course. But, for me, it’s about this time each year that I start thinking about the money to be made in Golf items.

I visited a home a few weeks ago, and there on the wall were flags from Pebble Beach and Augusta, sign by the most famous men ever to ever hit a golf ball. My mind just went wild thinking about the value of these pieces. Golf is for sure one of the most watched individual sports of our time. Names like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nickolas, Gary Player and perhaps the greatest of all times Tiger Woods are recognized by people that have never been on a golf course. Why is this sport so popular? I think it is for several reasons, one of them being that anyone can play it, and I suppose through their frustrations with the game, they will appreciate how great these pro players are. Second, it is a sport where the best man or woman of the day wins.

Because of Golf’s popularity, it is only fitting that collectors want something from the great player of their day or from the tournaments that they have watch on television or attended in person. Can you imagine the wide variety of items to be collected by dedicated fans? Clubs, Bags, Shoes, Hats, Gloves, Shirts, balls, tees. If any of these are signed by the owner, such as Tiger Woods, watch out. These were personal items, but now let’s look at the famous coursesYou might want a flag from a certain hole where your favorite golfer hit a spectacular shot or they had a hole in one. Advertising for the tournament signed by several of the top pros playing in the tournament might bring you more than a fair return on your investment. I am sure that I could think of many more but you get the idea.

Many collectors want to find items that were used in the game fifty or more years ago, as a token of how these items have developed over the years, like clubs, balls, bags and shoes. But in my opinion, the real value to be found today is in things that are as modern as yesterday. You don't have to find a feather ball or a wooden shafted club to claim a treasure. Just give me something signed by Palmer, Nicholas or Woods. I promise you, the longer you hold these items, the more precious they will become. And what I mean by holding it is waiting long enough for one of the pros to win the Masters, or unfortunately, the death of one of the Champions for these collectibles will shoot through the roof in value.

Most anything owned by the big three that I mentioned will bring a thousand or more. I am confident that if you were to find the right item, you could be talking in the $50,000 range or more. There will never be a shortage of collectors in the golf market.

I once attended a sale in the older part of Chicago, and from the look of the ad, I thought there might be some good stuff there. However, after spending 30 minutes in the house, I was ready to go away empty handed. Staying this long showed that I was desperate to find something to buy, because seldom do I stay at a sale this long. The exit was through the garage, and as I was leaving, I spotted a golf bag crammed full of clubs. I tell you the truth, there must have been over thirty clubs in that bag. I asked the price and was told $25. Not hesitating, I bought them without even looking at what there was in the whole lot.

When I got home, I discovered an old black and white pair of shoes that were just my size. I still have them. The pockets were filled with balls and tees plus several gloves. But the best discovery was a set of five woods made of persimmon wood and five putters. I showed a very good friend of mine these items because he is a real golf nut. He pulled out the strangest looking putter from the bag, and almost breathless said to me, “Do you know what you have here?” I told him I didn’t have any idea, and asked if he knew if that putter was worth anything. “Probably about $1,000 and maybe even more to the right person,” he told me. I wanted to ask him if he was the right person but didn’t. Later, I learned that the woods were also worth from $500-$1,000.

Yes, this could be a great season for you to increase your bank account by finding the right golf items.

If this might be an area of interest for you, start by learning the history of golf, and getting reference information and price guides. Learn which clubs are valuable, as well as what other golf items are valuable. A good reference book is Antique Golf Collectibles: A Reference Guide by Chuck Furjanic.

Go to Golf.com to view the clubs sold from the Jeffrey B. Ellis Golf Collection.

Join the 31 Club and learn how to build personal wealth through the antique, collectible and fine art markets. You'll receive my book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles FREE!

Read Up On The 31 Club Here.

Visit our website here.

Please leave a comment. If you don't want to sign in, just use the ANONYMOUS button. Chime in and participate!

No matter what we accomplish with the 31 Club, it isn't even close in importance to the plan that God has for us, and this includes our mate and children. He is always there to provide a new Spring in our lives, and I am asking all who read this Blog to pray for that new Spring in the lives of our member, Stephen, and his wife.

I'll share this e-mail I received from him yesterday:


Daryle,

I know I've just become a member of your club, but I can sense from you a man with a heart filled with God's love.

I'd like to ask you to keep my wife and I in your prayers. We are going through some difficult marital times and our marriage is in serious danger. I love my wife deeply and the thought of that destroys me!! I've never been much of a church going person, so prayer doesn't come very easy to me.

Thanks in advance for your prayers, and I look forward to building my knowledge and bank accounts too!

I'd also like to get involved partnering with the club on some purchases, how does that work?

Again, thanks!
Stephen


I am sitting here with tears in my eyes, because I can sense the Holy Spirit as he prepares to accept the prays for this couple that will be rising up from so many of you. When I think back on times when I was crying out and the Lord never failed to comfort me. I know he is here with us today.

Here was my response to Stephen.


Hi Stephen

My family and I will be praying tonight for you and for your wife. Making a living is hard work, but nothing like having a good marriage. The way to win this battle is to take it to God. At this time in your lives, it must be you, your wife and God. This threesome can work out any problems that you are encountering. MAKE THE REST OF THE WORLD WAIT UNTIL THE THREE OF YOU HAVE COME TO A SUCCESSFUL ANSWER TO YOUR DIFFICULTIES.

I am going to send you the book "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman, because it gave me the most important information I have ever received outside the Bible for the relationship between a man and woman.

I would like to wait and give you the other answers you ask for later.

God Bless,

Daryle

I was going to conclude this Blog by giving each of you a talk on beginning your race to the million by the start of Spring, but I think I will hold that for tomorrow.

As you can probably see, the 31 Club is more than just a club that uses a wealth building plan that can help you accumulate enough funds to last a lifetime, buying and selling antiques, collectibles, and fine art. Join the 31 Club. When you join today, you'll receive my 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles, FREE.