Daryle Lambert and Son

Happy New Year

Today, I received a very interesting email from one of our members in North Carolina. He had noticed that most of our inventory had been in the marketplace for quite some time and since he has an auction company wanted to know if we would like to have an auction for the Daryle Lambert's Antique and Collectibles Club members. I have to admit it sounded interesting and hopefully he will be calling me soon.

I have also been giving serious consideration about how to get our Associate Program on its feet. For the first time in my life, I have funds to spend but nothing to spend them on. The thought behind the Associate Program is to help members get started in this business without having to invest large amounts of money or have the knowledge necessary to purchase expensive items when they begin. So far, the Club must not be getting this message out very well so we will be spending more time in the future explaining this program to our members.

Here is another thought. If you have buyers for items in the marketplace, I would encourage you to make offers so that, if they are accepted, you will still be able to make the profit that we set out in our rules. Remember, our marketplace will always contain treasures that the collectors are searching for but maybe just haven't seen on our site. Items in our marketplace should be a source for you to use as if they were your own. Don't be afraid to make offers. That is one of the first rules I taught you in my book 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques and Collectibles. The worst thing that can happen if you make an offer is that it is turned down and guess what, you haven't lost a thing.

My position in the Club should be to motivate you into taking action and after the first of the year that is going to be my focus. However, it is a two way street between the members and your staff so if we don't hear from you it is difficult to know what you need from us. I so appreciate the email this morning because I know someone was thinking about how to make our club better. I am asking you to get involved and help make 2010 the best year ever.

Join us at www.darylelambert.com

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                                                      Star Wars - Thanks to Flicker.com

I have been looking for something for Joshua my son and I to collect together for a few years now. Perhaps I have found the perfect collectible for us and it only came to me when Joshua asked me to watch a movie with him. It was one of the Star Wars series. We fixed popcorn, poured drinks and sat back for a great time together. Not being particularly interested in Star Wars in the past I thought this would be primarily for us to bond. Guess what? After only a few minutes I was so engrossed in the movie that when Joshua would want to ask a question I would say, ?Just a minute?.

Later thinking about this experience, it came upon me like a ton of bricks. I had found what I was looking for. After talking to Joshua, we decided this was the perfect collectible for our father and son team. After we decided that Star Wars was going to be it for us, I decided to do a little research. I have written a little about Star Wars earlier but never seriously considered collecting this material before. To my surprise you can spend as much or as little on Star Wars items as you wish.

Since this will be our first foray into collecting these figures and other items, it is always my rule to start at the bottom and earn the right to own the more expensive items as your knowledge base expands. But in the process I will be teaching Joshua that the collection will have to support itself. What I mean by that is when we buy several pieces to sell and have made a profit and reached our goal for the ?Million Dollar Race?, then and only then can we set aside a piece for our collection.

This is going to give me a new incentive to visit more house sales and browse more garage sales. I hope to report great success as Joshua and I begin to work together. Isn?t this a great way to involve your family in this money making venture and at the same time be teaching some great principles to your family?

I don?t know if you have gone to eBay to search for Star War items lately, but I would suggest you do. Finding items from a few dollars to some that are priced at $25,000 or more got my attention and guess what, I bet some of those little figures will be dancing in my head tonight as I try to sleep. With 97,227 active listings on eBay I would have to say there are a few people besides Joshua and me interested in this material. Also I have to say I don?t think you would be hurting for a market for the treasures you find. Just think if several members of our club become interested in Star Wars? How much fun we can have sharing information and even trading among ourselves! I particularly like the large frog.

My 220 page book about how to make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles is FREE with your membership in the 31 Club. Join Us Today!

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

For more information, visit my web site at http://www.31corp.com.

For more information, visit my web site at http://www.31corp.com.

We buy quality paintings, glass, pottery & porcelain-singles or collections. Contact us at 847.784.8544 or email us here.

July 29, 2009

Using Your Head” - Daryle Lambert’s Antique and Collectible Blog – Baseball Caps

GO CUBS Have you ever thought that what was on your head might be worth more than what is in it?

There are a lot of people that might say that about me and even though I don’t want to think about it they may be right.

I havewritten about all types of baseball memorabilia but never just aboutcaps. Yes, there have been cards, uniforms, bats and even programs butnever caps. Why is this important? Because what little boy or girl has ever left the the baseball park without convincing their parents thatthey need a cap from their favorite team. How many of you have seenswarms of kids hanging over the retaining barrier to get a playersignature on their cap. I am sure this has been going on since the gamebecame popular. Well, some of those caps have become very popular.

Let’sjust say you have a Mickey Mantle cap, signed by him. If you check eBaythere are two listed: one for $2195 and the other one $1799. I canassure you there are hundreds of these in someone’s closet or dresserdrawer. Just think if you have a Joe Dimaggo or Willie Mays, what theywould be worth. Why stop there? Let’s just dream we found a Babe Ruthgame cap signed by all the Yankees. If you sold it what kind of carwould you like to buy because you could afford it. Just a simple pieceof cloth with a bill but it can make your day or year.

I havefound that the simplest things can often bring the greatest rewards andI believe that a baseball cap could easily fall into the category. Ionce went into my friend’s bedroom where he wanted to show me his capcollection. There must have been over 100 baseball caps spreadthroughout his room and he began to explain where each one was from andwhat he had to do to get them signed. I hope that he didn’t have theexperience that so many of us had when our parents threw out ourbaseball collections.

I havetold you this before but today it is as vivid in my mind as when ithappened. In 1952, Mickey Mantle’s rookie card was produced and at thattime I was 11 years old and an avid baseball fan. I remember tradingwith all the kids at school until I had maybe 12 of Mickey’s rookiecards. I had one that had a small corner crease that most people wouldhave still graded as very good but because it wasn’t perfect I took awooden clothes pin and put it on the wheel of my bike so that it wouldsound like a motorcycle. If I had maintained those cards in thecondition that they were in I could be slurping coconut milk on thebeach in Hawaii today. Oh well, just another story to tell my kids

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My220 page book about how to make money buying and selling antiques &collectibles is FREE with your membership in the 31 Club. Join Us Today!

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

For more information, visit my web site at http://www.31corp.com.

For more information, visit my web site at http://www.31corp.com.

We buy quality paintings, glass, pottery & porcelain-singles or collections.. Contact us at 847.784.8544

ThePresident is having a rather tough time with his Health Care and Cap & Trade legislation but if you remember I stated that hismemorabilia would be prized by the collectors. We now are trulybeginning to see what he has in mind for the country and it should beto no one's surprise that some like it and others say he is going todestroy the country. I personally don't agree with his direction forthe country because my whole life I have prospered by being acapitalist.

Thisreally has nothing to do, however, with what is going to be a wild ridefor anything that bears his name especially if it is signed. In thepast I have stated that items pertaining to Barack Obama would betreasured right alongside of Lincoln's and Washington's and I wish torestate this again in this blog. The real money has yet to be made inObama memorabilia and even though he is having a rough start in hisfirst term, this should only delay for a short time the appreciationthat I foresee for his items.

Hereare just a few items that I gleaned from eBay: White Sox Jersey signed $3495, Campaign poster $1995, many items from 4-5 hundred dollars,Obama State Senator 1996 Celluloid pinback $2738.88, The book "Dreamsof our Fathers" advance reader's copy $2000, the book " The Audacity ofHope" $1075 and last but not least Obama's etopps card $787. Withfigures like this already, can you imagine what we will be seeing in a few years?

LikeI said this is just beginning and each of you should be souring thesecond hands shops, flea markets and garage sales for any itemfeaturing Obama. Remember there are ways to get items signed. If youare fortunate enough to be at an event where he appears, try to getsomething with his signature or in the special circumstance that youget to meet him, have something signed even if it is just a flier fromthe event. This will be an opportunity that only comes around maybeonce every fifty years so be sure that you take advantage of it.

Pleaselet me know if any of you were able to pick up items that featuredObama before he was elected. I will share your good fortune with therest of our readers.

My220 page book about how to make money buying and selling antiques &collectibles is FREE with your membership in the 31 Club. Join Us Today!

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

For more information, visit my web site at http://www.31corp.com.

I was riding around looking at all the cars that gather in Gatlinburg for the car show on the 4th of July and what did appear to my wandering eyes but a 1953 Olds Super 88. Why do I mention this in a blog I am sure you're asking? This was the first car my parents owned and I was twelve years old at the time. This could have been a Rolls Royce as far as I was concerned. You see I was brought up in a poor neighborhood where few owned cars and if they did own one it would have been used. I would give anything to own that car again, robin's egg blue and fast as a bullet. You see my parents didn't know it but as soon as I received my license I raced everything in sight.

Here we go again you are saying to yourself not know where this blog will go. Well, just think of a car that has meant something to you through the years. What would you pay to own it again? With the prices as they are today, it may be out of most people's reach to purchase the cars of their dreams but this is where models and toy cars come in to play. There are models that can be purchased for a few dollars or ones that command prices in the thousands. I know there is a market willing to pay whatever it takes to recapture the excitement of their old cars even if it is only by buying a model. Yes, if you find a '53 Olds model please call me.

I just received an auction flier from one of our members that contained perhaps 50 automobile models and my recommendation was for him to buy them all if the price was right. Most of these models were still in the original boxes which even made them more desirable. Whether you find the 24 inch models or the hot wheels, there is money to be make dealing in them. Yes the VW bus with a surf board on top did sell for over $18,000 dollars while I have seen large models approach the $100,000 mark. Whether it is plastic, tin or cast iron makes little difference if it is the right model.

I have shared with you how I missed out on owning a Edsel Convertible so that is definitely a car that holds interest for me and if I ran across the model of this car I am sure that I would pay a premium for it. However, when I was in high school I attended the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg car sale in Auburn, Indiana and a gentleman from St. Louis offered me a Cord with the rumble seat for $1800. I just wonder what it would be worth today?

I may, like most people, never have a car collection like Jay Leno's but I still can have a collection of models that I can set around and look at while dreaming of how things could have been. You can make yourself a lot of money with models of cars from the past.

My 220 page book about how to make money buying and selling antiques & collectibles is FREE with your membership in the 31 Club. Join Us Today!

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

For more information, visit my web site at http://www.31corp.com.

We buy quality paintings, glass, pottery & porcelain-singles or collections. Contact us at 847.784.8544 or email us here.