Portrait of Winston Churchill

Do you have any evidence that Washington slept on that bed you want to sell? What about the satin bustier? Did it give more oomph to Mae West’s figure? More curves to Madonna’s? Did that painting really hang in Winston Churchill’s study?

If the answers are “yes,” then you’ve got great provenance.

Great what? In the worlds of art, antiques and collectibles, provenance is something that gives a lithograph, French sideboard or Barbie doll more pizzazz, more interest—more money.

It’s the history of the item. It’s the Hansel-and-Gretel trail of where it began and who owned it or used it along the way.

Establishing provenance for art, antiques and collectibles

What do you need to establish provenance? It’s pretty straightforward—sales receipts, gallery stickers, exhibition catalogs, catalogues raisonnés (for those who took Spanish in high school, that’s French for “carefully thought out,” in other words an annotated catalog), ownership records, newspaper/magazine articles about the work, articles/letters by art experts describing the work and even photographs of the artist or craftsman standing next to it. Audio or video of the artist discussing his or her creation or the testimony of someone close to the artist is also acceptable.

(If you’d like to learn more about an item pictured in this story, click on the image.)

Of course, record keeping through the generations—or even from last week for some of us—can be haphazard. In addition, there are many situations that are beyond control. Some are:

• No records survive for antique works

• Neglect in keeping records or preserving sales documentation when the works have been in the family for centuries

• Dealers and auction houses from previous centuries go out of business

• Wealthy collectors who take great pains to buy and sell anonymously

• Documentation loss due to natural disasters such as earthquake, fire, flooding

• Lack of protection from weather decay or pests

• Losing documents when moving

• Undiscovered or inaccessible archives

In the absence of valid documentation, establishing provenance can be tricky. Especially as the art-market boom has led to a proliferation of forgeries and con men like John Drewe, whose phony art and documentation fooled everyone for decades.

Forged P. Pollaiuolo (1441-1496)

Looted or stolen works, from a wartime era or illegally exported, are a major concern. Be especially wary when buying art and antiques that were in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. With all the complexities of restituting the more than 250,000 Nazi-looted artworks to their former owners or their descendants, a checkered provenance might very well land you in the legal soup.

Henri Le Sidaner’s "Les Arbres Fleuris" (1933)

So it’s important to consult a reputable expert—someone with in-depth knowledge about that particular art/artist, several scholarly articles/publications to his/her name and well-respected credentials in the art, antiques and collectibles worlds.

Expert appraisal and authentication can, on occasion, lead to a startling revelation, as happened in the case of Tammy H. of Colorado. Thom Pattie, the chief Worthologist here at WorthPoint, recognized her  painting as “Coin De Paris, Rue de Meaux,” a work by the 20th-century Japanese artist, Takanori Oguiss. The painting later garnered $103,000 at Sotheby’s. Tammy tells her story in a WorthPoint video.

Tips for establishing provenance

Get certificates of authentication, warranties and guarantees from the seller.

Provenance documents must mention the work in question and must be original.

Check and cross-check previous owners, galleries and auction houses.

Find out what has gone for what at WorthPoint’s Worthopedia, http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia a vast database that contains prices, photos and descriptions of millions of antiques and collectibles. Also take a look at GoAntique’s PriceMiner, which has only a $9.95 monthly subscription fee.

A valuable source for finding out if works were lost or stolen is the London-based Art Loss Register and the International Foundation for Art Research.

Visit

The World Wide Web has opened the door for easier provenance research. No more having to trek to the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles or Harvard’s hallowed halls in Cambridge. Some clicks, and a wealth of information is available to you.

The Getty Provenance Index has more than 1 million records going back to the end of the 16th century.

The National Gallery of Art Provenance search allows you to search for information by artist, title and subject. It also provides provenance-search tips.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s site deals with Met-owned works, but can give you a better understanding of what establishing provenance is all about.

Chinese Art –Research into Provenance says its mission is to document “records relating to dealers and collectors who specialized in Chinese art during the first half of the twentieth century.”

Protect your investment in art, antiques and collectibles by spending some time researching provenance. You’ll be glad you did. And be sure to follow Jim Sturgill’s advice on inventorying your collection. You’ll be glad you did that, too.

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When collecting autographs, it is better to collect letters and documents and avoid clipped signatures (signatures that were cut from letters or documents). First, there is nothing historical about a clip, and Secondly, it is very hard to properly authenticate a clipped signature. Go for letters and documents and other “larger” items. Of course, a good number of letters and documents either have secretarial, autpen or printed/stamped signatures. A good rule of thumb is the routineness of the item, the time period and the author.

Sounds like a tall order? Not really. All fields, be it collectible, even investment vehicles (like the stock market) require either the consumer being the expert in the field (through learning) or entrusting that expertise to one who has been in the field for a long time.

I have been dealing and collecting in this field over 20 years and I still learn everyday……..find it exciting, too!!

When collecting, especially in the beginning, start small, READ (buy all the refernce books you can get your hands on!!). Also, know your dealer and his references!

John, however, is a member of Marks4Antiques.com, a unique Web-based reference service created by Worthologists Alex and Elizabeth Papalexis. Marks4Antiques.com enables subscribers to match identifying marks on antiques and to survey auction prices for comparable pieces. When the mark on the eBay figurine was checked, it turned out to be a recent reproduction. “It was a beautiful porcelain piece but probably not worth more than $150,” said Alex.

Googling doesn’t always get the answer

Some folks may try to Google for information on antiques or collectibles that have gotten their interest on eBay or RubyLane, but often that doesn’t give either sufficient or reliable information. Some collectors rely on books and catalogs—but getting them and staying current can be a chore.

“There is not as much information available out there as people think,” said Elizabeth. “There wasn’t an authoritative, easy-to-disseminate single source.”

Enter Marks4Antiques.com, which offers services for identifying ceramics, porcelain, pottery, china, silver, jewelry and decorative-arts items in general. An additional service offers a price search for antiques and collectibles sold at auction so that members can self-appraise their treasures.

Collectibles hobby becomes a business

All this began with the couple’s penchant for collecting. “It started as a hobby, became a passion and turned into a business,” Alex said. Trained as a physicist and engineer, he had a fascination for scientific instruments—old microscopes, barometers, sextants, quack medical devices and even old HP calculators.

Elizabeth began her collecting with Royal Winton Chintz cups and saucers, service sets and teapots, sterling-silver napkin rings and bonbon dishes. Often, the hunt involved getting up at the crack of dawn to buy pieces out of the back of collectors’ vehicles at what the British call a “car boot sale.” The hunt extended from English flea markets to shops and auctions across Europe and the United States. (For more about various types of porcelain, read Alex and Elizabeth’s blog.)

The couple moved from London to San Francisco’s Silicon Valley when Alex took a post as an executive with a high-tech company. At the same time, the Internet was just about beginning to enter our everyday lives, especially eBay. So, they stepped up their collecting and online sales of fine and antique tableware and decorative items. And that’s when they realized the need and opportunity for better and on-demand reference data. “With the Web, everything moves so fast,” Elizabeth said. “You often need information right away.”

Pictorial galleries

Marks4Antiques.com is an easy-to-use site with visual guides. All marks are presented in photos and are divided in pictorial galleries of shapes or letters. Each library of marks offers more than 12,000 images of identifying marks for pottery, china, ceramics, porcelain, jewelry, silver or silver plate, pewter etc, as well as extra background help. The Values4Antiques site allows subscribers to search a database for all types of antiques and collectibles sold at auction. Type in “Wedgwood plate,” and up pops pictures of recent Wedgwood chinaware sold at auction with dates and prices.

Members of the sites also have the option of sending marks for identification. “When we receive a question, it is like a jigsaw puzzle, and we won’t stop until we find the answer,” Alex said. Once they identify a mark, it is added to the online database. “Our goal is to make the sites as comprehensive and all-inclusive as possible. And, in a way, the contents are a live document that continually grows with updated information” said Elizabeth.

The couple is encouraged that they are moving in the right direction as more and more subscribers from around the world—the U.S. to the U.K. to South Africa and Australia—join Marks4Antiques.com.

“Our members tell us that they feel a special connection with us, especially because we are there for them and reply to their questions when they are about to buy or sell an item. It’s like having an antiques expert on retainer,” said Elizabeth. “You can’t do that with a book!”

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There is little doubt you are familiar with Tiffany and Galle glass, but did you know these companies also produced pottery?

These are not common items, and their value is also uncommon. If a nice piece of Galle or Tiffany glass becomes available, most people will know what it is. The same can’t be said of their pottery. When you become familiar with their pottery marks, you’ll be a step ahead of the pack.

Many companies produced items aside from their main lines that are often overlooked. Very simply put, people, including dealers, are not aware of these anomalies. At the 31 Club, we are on the hunt for pieces that may not be easily recognized. As members advance through the club program,  their hunt for valuable antiques and art will soon take them into the higher end of the market. And here, it’s important to be knowledgeable about what items from a particular company are rare.

Just to give you a taste of this, Kovels Price Guide lists two items for Galle pottery, both figures. One is priced at $2415 and the other $5175. Tiffany listings include sixteen pieces ranging from $200 to a high of $8,800. And, Today’s Photo is a Tiffany Vase that, back in 2003, sold for $11,000 through Buchard Galleries in Florida.  Imagine what it might bring today.

Several years back, when I was previewing items at an auction, my eyes fixed upon an unassuming piece of pottery. When I examined it, lo and behold – there was the Tiffany mark, LCT, all hooked together. I couldn’t believe my good fortune.

As I hovered near the piece, I overheard a couple of dealers discussing the vase. “Can you believe they would let fakes like that in this sale,” one said. “Anyone would know the piece isn’t Tiffany.” I had to turn away to keep from asking them whether or not they’d ever seen Tiffany Pottery before. When the auction commenced and the vase was offered, the auctioneer announced they didn’t guarantee the piece to be authentic. (I’m sure he’d heard a complaint from those two dealers about fakes.) 

At first there was no interest in this Tiffany piece, but finally they got a $100 bid. I made sure I sat on my hands in this early stage, but I can state with no hesitation, I was extremely anxious. When the bidding slowed at $150 I put my card up at $200, and that bid was followed by one at $225. I bid $250, and finally the auctioneer said, “SOLD.” I couldn’t believe I had just purchased a real piece of Tiffany pottery for $250. You see, most people have never seen one of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s pottery pieces. This vase sold a few months later just over $5700. Not bad for a “fake.” You may be fortunate enough to find some of their “fakes” also, ha ha.

What sweet little treasures these pieces can become, especially others think you are a fool for bidding on them or buying these pieces at house sales.

Treasure Hunters — Partner Up with 31 Club on high quality treasures you find. You Find It, We Buy It, We Sell It, You Net 35%.

Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. E-mail us at info [at] 31corp [dot] com to find out more. My book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE when you join the club plus more. www.31corp.com

One of the most pervasive and longest running myths in the world of bottle dating is that the side mold seam can be read like a thermometer to determine the age of a bottle.(See image #1, which is an illustration pointing out the major “parts” of a bottle, including the side mold seam. Illustration from my Historic Bottle Website – a purely educational website.)

The concept is that the higher the side mold seam on the bottle (i.e., the closer to the lip) the later it was made – at least in the era from the early to mid 19th century until the first few decades of the 20th century. This dating tool was first devised by Grace Kendrick in her 1963 book “The Antique Bottle Collector.” This book was pioneering and reprinted many times into the 1970s and is probably the most common and widely quoted bottle book ever written, containing a wealth of generally good information.

This concept was articulated by Kendrick’s in a chapter entitled the “The Applied Lip” which contains an “Age Gauge: Mold Seams of Bottles” chart (Figure 9). Kendrick’s explains in the text (pages 45-47) that:

It is true that the mold seams can be used like a thermometer to determine the approximate age of a bottle. The closer to the top of the bottle the seams extend, the more recent was the production of the bottle.

The chart accompanying this statement notes that bottles made before 1860 have a side mold seam ending on the shoulder or low on the neck, between 1860 and 1880 the seam ends just below the finish (the glassmaker term for a bottle lip), between 1880 and 1900 the seam ends within the finish just below the finish rim (top lip surface), and those made after 1900 have mold seams ending right at the top surface of the finish, i.e., rim (Kendrick 1963).

Dating bottles is complicated

There are examples of bottles having mold seams that fit these date ranges properly. For instance the newest of bottles – those that were machine-made – do have seams ending right at the top (or on top of) the lip or finish. However, the issue of dating bottles is much more complicated than the simple reading of side mold seams. If it were indeed that simple a large chunk of my Historic Bottle Website would be unnecessary!

For example, the mouth-blown process that produces a “tooled” finish frequently erases traces of the side mold seam an inch or more below the base of the finish whereas the typical – and older – “applied” finish has the seam ending higher – right at the base of the finish (Lockhart et. al. 2005e). See image #2 which shows the side mold seam on a “malt tonic” bottle (entire bottle shown in image #3) dating from 1906 to 1916 based on information from business directories, other references, and additional manufacturing related features present on the bottle (the subject of future articles). As a side note, this bottle also has a crown cap accepting lip which was not even invented until 1892. Using the dating “thermometer,” this bottle would presumably date from the 1860 to 1880 period.

The reason I address this issue is that the concept keeps popping up in the literature of bottle dating and identification, ranging from Sellari’s books (Sellari 1970:5) published shortly after Kendrick’s book to as recent as Fike (1998:4) and Heetderk (2002:15). It is also frequently noted by sellers on websites such as eBay® when describing their offerings. For a broader discussion of this subject see the Bottles and Extras magazine article, which I co-authored, entitled Debunking the Myth of the Side Seam Thermometer (Lockhart et al. 2005e). This article is available on the Historic Bottle Website at this link: http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/Thermometer_BLockhart.pdf

The complicated issue of mold seams and dating is explored in various portions of my Historic Bottle Website (www.sha.org/bottle/index.htm), though in particular on the Bottle Body Characteristics & Mold Seams page (www.sha.org/bottle/moldseams.htm) and the Bottle Bases page (www.sha.org/bottle/bases.htm).

(For more information on the subject of bottle dating and typology – and the terminology used in the above descriptions – please consult my Historic Bottle Website at www.sha.org/bottle/index.htm. The references used in this article can be found listed on my website’s References page at: www.sha.org/bottle/References.htm)

Many old books do not include publication dates. Copyright dates, which are often incorrectly used to determine a book’s age, are usually much earlier than actual publication dates, because most classic books were eventually produced by a variety of publishers and sometimes with a variety of different illustrators. L. Frank Baum’s many Wizard of Oz books were produced in various editions, often with no publication dates.

The following guidelines, sorted by titles, can aid in identifying the age of the different editions.

- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – The first edition of the first book in Baum’s series was published in 1900 (with a copyright date of 1899). It was illustrated by W. W. Denslow and published by George M. Hill Company.

- The New Wizard of Oz – Bobbs-Merrill published this title in1903 from the original George M. Hill plates (with minor changes) and published further editions between 1920 and 1925, although the copyright date still read “1903”. (The only way to tell the true age of the Bobbs-Merrill editions is via fine textual points, illustration coloring, endpaper styles and cover styles.) Bobbs-Merrill also printed a Photoplay version in 1925 (in conjunction with the silent film The Wizard of Oz featuring Dorothy Dwan) and an MGM studio version in 1939. In 1944, the publisher again re-issued the book, but this time with new illustrations by Evelyn Copelman.

- Reprint publisher M. A. Donahue produced an edition with this title in 1913 from leased Bobbs-Merrill printing plates.

- The Wizard of Oz Waddle Book – Blue Ribbon Books used the original Bobbs-Merrill plates to create a version in 1934 with 6 die-cut “waddle” toys (which, when assembled, would waddle down a sloping yellow brick road).

- The Wizard of Oz Picture Book – Whitman Publishing Company produced a small book stitched with saddle wire on textured stock with illustrations signed by “Leason” in 1939.

- The Story of the Wizard of Oz – Whitman published this title in 1939, illustrated by Henry E. Vallely.

- The Wizard of Oz – Reprint publisher Grosset and Dunlap produced a version in 1939 illustrated by Oskar Lebeck.
The Saalfield Publishing Company printed their version of this title in 1944 illustrated by Julian Wehr.
Reilly & Lee Company published this title in 1956 illustrated by Dale Ulrey.

From 1926 to 1947, London publisher Hutchinson & Company produced several versions with this title. They used a scattering of Denslow’s illustrations, movie stills and other various adaptations. A version in 1947 also included color plates by H. M. Brock.

After the success of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum produced many additional titles in the series. But he and illustrator W.W. Denslow parted ways due to creative differences and ownership issues. John R. Neill, a much more talented artist, became the illustrator for the remainder of the books. These titles were produced in chronological order as follows:

- The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) later changed to The Land of Oz

- Ozma of Oz (1907)

- Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (1908)

- The Road to Oz (1909)

- The Emerald City of Oz (1910)

- The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913)

- Tik-Tok of Oz (1914)

- The Scarecrow of Oz (1915)

- Rinkitink in Oz (1916)

- The Lost Princess of Oz (1917)

- The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918)

- The Magic of Oz (1919)

- Glinda of Oz (1920)

Most of the early versions of these books contain the original copyright dates but no publication dates. However, dating these books, for the most part, is relatively easy by following a few simple points:

1) Reilly & Britton published all the first editions between 1904 and 1918 (the last title they produced was The Tin Woodman of Oz). In some cases, Reilly & Britton published more than one edition. The true first edition of The Road to Oz has tinted internal pages in pastel colors. The true first edition of The Emerald City of Oz has a front cover of several characters in a coach traveling through the city, with distinctive metallic green highlights.

2) Reilly & Lee published reprints and subsequent editions from 1919 until the mid-1930s, when the internal color plates were replaced with black and white illustrations. Therefore, if the books do not contain internal color plates, they are newer than 1935.

3) In the 1960s, the color covers with paste-on illustrations were replaced with white covers and stamped-on illustrations. These versions are very prolific and contain only the copyright dates, although they are actually 50 years newer.

4) Dover Publications issued paperback versions of the Oz series in the 1960s and 1980s.

5) William Morrow published editions in the 1980s.

6) Coles Publishing in Canada also produced some titles in the 1980s.

Modern editions usually contain new publication dates and are easier to recognize as new.

Multitudes of offshoots have also been produced in various sizes and titles, too many to mention here. These include editions by W.W. Denslow (with no mention of Frank Baum), versions written by other authors after Baum’s death, junior condensed versions, boxed sets, small-size stories in a 1913 Little Wizard Series and 1932 Jell-O booklets, among many others.

The best guide for dating and identifying all early editions of Oz books is Bibliographia Oziana by Douglas Greene and Peter Hanff, published by the International Wizard of Oz Club. It contains all of the textual, style, illustrative, advertising and thickness points which differentiate the various versions and explains the printing history of each book. It also includes photographs of the books’ covers.

Edward Stratemeyer (1862 – 1930) created a literary syndicate in the early 1900s which was responsible for the publication of thousands of juvenile series books. These included the Rover Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Dana Girls, Honey Bunch, Bomba the Jungle Boy, X Bar X Boys, Campfire Girls, Happy Hollisters and scores of others. Stratemeyer dreamed up series ideas and characters, created the story lines and then contracted with ghostwriters who wrote under various pseudonyms to flesh out the story details. Stratemeyer edited the manuscripts and had them printed by dozens of publishers (with the most common being Grosset and Dunlap). The syndicate continued to be run by Edward’s daughter and other partners until 1979, when Simon and Schuster took over publication rights and drastically changed the style and format of the books.

During the Stratemeyer Syndicate/Grosset and Dunlap publishing control of the Nancy Drew series, from 1930 to 1979, approximately one new title was produced every year (although 6 books were created in the first two years). Throughout these 49 years, the physical formats of the books were constantly updated with numerous changes, combinations and variants. Most of the other Syndicate books in production were kept in sync and went though similar style changes at the same time. Thus, the information presented here for Nancy Drew can be associated with similar changes to other Stratemeyer series books over the same time frame.

Early Nancy Drew books

The first six Nancy Drew books began as thick editions with blue or bluish-gray slick covers, each containing four finely detailed glossy illustrations. The end papers were blank and the simple title lettering was light orange. The dust jackets had an illustration only on the front, leaving wide, white spines to display on the shelf. The six books with blank end papers were produced only in 1930 and 1931 and are now highly collectible. (End papers are the pages that are pasted onto the insides of the front and back covers.)

With volume #7 in 1932, a garish orange silhouette of Nancy was embossed on the book cover and the end papers were changed to depict vivid orange silhouettes. Due to production costs, three glossy internals were eliminated in 1937, leaving only a glossy frontispiece. And in 1941 (volume #18), a blue silhouette of Nancy was added to the white dust jacket spine. Around 1943 (volume #20), the wonderful, high-resolution glossy frontispiece was replaced with a plain and simple line drawing on regular paper. Also that year, the books gradually started to become thinner as the thread count in the paper was continually reduced.

A dramatic change occurred with volume #23 in 1946. The white spine dust jackets changed to the wraparound style, where the cover art continued onto the spine. The orange silhouette end papers changed to dark blue. The silhouette on the book cover also changed to dark blue (thus eliminating all orange). The cover stock remained slick.

The silhouette spine symbol on the dust jacket remained for only four more volumes, and then was changed to a circular color portrait, which gradually became smaller over the years. In 1947 and 1948, perhaps to advertise another popular series, random volumes contained marvelous maroon Dana Girls end papers, which were quite a big change from the previous orange and blue silhouettes. These very rare volumes are very hard to find and are also highly collectible.

Dust jacket style changes

In 1950, most of the older volumes also transformed to the wraparound dust jacket style and began to use updated dust jacket art by a new illustrator. (Volumes #12-22 continued to be produced only with white spine dust jackets – although they were issued in much thinner formats and now had new end papers and new cover art.)

Beginning with volume #30 in 1953, the book’s cover style changed from a slick blue to a blue cloth tweed (but retained the dark blue lettering and silhouette), and this format eventually became the most common. For a brief period from 1953 to 1958 (first introduced in volumes #30 – 35), the end papers depicted Nancy peering from behind a tree, watching a mysterious man digging in the night. These end papers, dubbed “digger ends” by Nancy collectors, are often sought specifically for this format. Starting in 1959, the well-known multi-scene end papers were adopted and used in various styles until 1979 (volume #56). The white oval cameo end papers were a later offshoot of the Simon and Schuster reprints.

The last volume to contain a dust jacket was volume #38, The Mystery of the Fire Dragon, and it was only produced in this format for one year in 1961 (in 3 editions). Therefore it is a rare find. In 1962, the formats changed to the cheaper, yellow spine picture covers. Also, the text was revised and updated and the page count was drastically reduced. The books were never to be the same again.

Nancy Drew reprints continue

Because of their popularity, all the old titles continue to be reprinted, over and over again, often several times a year, in the latest style. Thus, the oldest books appear in virtually every format. (Volume #1, The Secret of the Old Clock, has well over 100 separate editions by Grosset and Dunlap alone.) However, whenever a new format was introduced, the older one was usually discontinued, so the oldest formats are naturally the hardest to find.

As mentioned earlier, the changes to the Nancy Drew series happened in parallel with similar changes to other series. When Nancy Drew cover stock switched to blue tweed, for example, The Hardy Boys switched to tan tweed and Dana Girls switched to green tweed. All the major series adopted the wraparound dust jacket in about the same time period and all went to the picture cover format in the early 1960′s (at the same time that the text was reduced and revamped).

Grosset and Dunlap did not put a publishing date in their books, retaining only an outdated copyright date. Therefore, understanding the style changes can help date the books. As another reference point, paper quality was poor for brief periods in the 1940s, causing darkened and more brittle pages. (This is sometimes called “war paper”, as its poor quality was tied to the rationing of better goods during World War II.)

Because each Grosset and Dunlap book listed all the books in that series, it is often assumed that a first edition can be identified if the book list goes only to the current subject title (often described as “lists to self”), and not beyond. However, Grosset and Dunlap sometimes produced as many as five different editions of a book in a single year (before the next title was printed). Furthermore, the listings inside the book lagged well behind the listings on the dust jacket flaps, so it is very risky to make a first edition assumption with a book lacking a dust jacket. The only sure way to identify a first is by the changes in advertising on the dust jacket (particularly when listing other series) and by comparing points using reputable guides.

A very good source for identifying the various editions of Nancy Drew books is Farah’s Guide by David Farah.

Let’s start with the absolute basics: all serious collectors desire items that are as near perfect as possible, and the closer to perfect an item is, the higher the price it can command.

On the other hand, movie paper in all conditions sells. Internet auctions of movie paper routinely sell (clearly labeled) lesser condition items with fading, tears, foxing, water stains, pin holes and a variety of other defects. Many of the worst defects on movie posters, lobby cards, inserts, and stills are along the edges where they can be hidden by mats or frames if desired primarily as a display item.Some dealers even note in their ads that they buy movie paper in “any condition.”

Factors affecting movie paper prices

It is important to note that factors other than condition affect movie paper prices. Many films were reissued with new art over the years. A serious collector checks to make sure whether the art is from the first run or a reissue.

Reissue movie paper may still bring considerable prices for very popular films. The easiest way to tell a reissue from an original is by comparing the copyright date of the paper to the initial release date. We’ll cover that in more detail in another paper.

Reproductions are usually worthless as collector’s items, although they may dress up a wall display of movie art.

The older movie paper is, the more you should expect some defects, particularly with photographs.

Common movie paper defects

Here’s a list of common movie paper defects:

Bleed-throughs – Writing, stamps, tape, stains or other marks on the back of the paper visible on the front. Such marks on borders do not affect value so much as those on prominent parts of the item.

Creases – Lines from folding, crumpling, or crimping the item. Their affect on value depends on how many creases exist and where they are. Creases, which may be deep enough to damage the item enough to crack through the color, leaving a white space, should not be confused with wrinkles, which are surface defects.

Fading – Loss of color and detail caused by exposure to sunlight or age leades to considerable loss of value in movie paper. It is less of a problem on the edges than on principal artwork.

Pin holes, drill holes, staple holes – All holes in movie paper affect its value, but those on edges and not torn generally won’t lower value nearly as much as those more visible. Drill holes were used to “mark” posters once used on building walls by placing them on a stack and drilling a hole top center.

Writing marks – Many exhibitors marked up movie paper for a variety of reasons, but not a few bored movie staffers handling the art occasionally doodled mustaches on stars, among other defacements. Obviously, the extent and type of marking will seriously affect a poster’s value. Actual marks off the art by exhibitors (With Bugs Bunny Cartoon Saturday!) bother some collectors less.

Movie paper refers to cinema promotional material printed on paper. Movie display art also appeared on more durable card stock (LobX cards, half sheets, and insert cards, for instance).

Common popular sizes (in inches) include the following:

One sheet:

27” X 41” before the 1980s, thereafter, 27” X 40”

This is one of the most popular sizes of movie paper collected. They were stored folded before the 1980s, sometimes rolled thereafter.

Half sheets:

22” X 27” or 22” X 28”

Half sheets, no longer made, were a staple of movie advertising through the 1950s. They are popular with collectors because they’re easy to frame and display. Their card stock means they’re frequently in better condition than their one-sheet counterparts and they were generally stored flat, so they’re in better condition than many items from the same film printed on paper. They often appeared in one display window above several lobby cards.

LobX cards:

11” X 14” for the standard size, they also come in mini (8” X 10” or 8” X 11”) or Jumbo sized, 14” X 17”

Lobby cards are among the most collectible of movie posters. Their card stock means they’re better preserved than most paper items. Title cards, often with the same art that is also on a half sheet or one-sheet, are the most popular.

Lobby cards are easy to frame and display. The Standard size came in sets of eight. Sometimes a title card will sell for more than all the other cards in a set. Sets frequently show up in auctions. Many single cards are offered on eBay.

Insert Cards:

14” X 36” insert cards, easy to frame and sharing the better-preserved quality of card stock, remain popular, even though they have not been made for many years.

Insert cards fit those long, thin display windows common to movie theatres in the pre-measles era.

Glossy still photographs:

8” X 10” glossy still photographs—originals—come in black and white and color, but most, until very recently, came in black and whites (as many as 25 per movie) and were aimed at daily newspapers, weekly entertainment paper, and other media primarily printed in black and white.

Color slides frequently accompanied movie press kits more recently, along with black and white stills and the press information packets.

Window Cards:

22” X 28” vertical

14” X 28” standard

10” X 18” mini

Window cards sat in store display windows everywhere from barbershops to five and dimes at one time.

Frequently, those actually used, show fading from such window display.

They are on card stock and condition plays a role in their value, but they usually sell for much less than other movie display items.

Heralds:

5” X 7”
6” X 9”

Heralds often appeared two to a page in newspapers. Today, newspaper-page sized ads appear in special sections of major papers such as the New York Times, but heralds as such have mostly disappeared.

Heralds were produced in huge numbers. Some people actually focus on them, but they are on paper, often newsprint. They are not as valuable as other movie display art, but popular movie titles sell regularly in auctions.

Other sizes:

Subway:

45” X 59” horizontal; 30” X 45” vertical

Tough to display and not offered that often, these are the large posters often displayed in subways, transit malls and other highly trafficked areas.

Three sheets:

41” X 81”

Three sheets, first used in vaudeville and by circuses, usually came in two or three pieces cut horizontally. Their size makes them tougher to display. They’re printed on paper. They were originally three times the size of one-sheets, hence the name. There are other three-sheet sizes. Disney issued some at 41” X 78” for instance. Three sheets were common until the 1980s. Some collectors like the fact that these posters were printed in fewer numbers than more standard sizes, and are thus more rare.

Six sheet:

81” X 81”

The six-sheet is quite a poster, dominating if you display them. Fewer of them were made, which increases their attractiveness to some. Stored folded, they sometimes came in four pieces.

Other common movie paper collectibles include press kits, which usually include photos in various forms and the press information. These come in many forms, from a folder to a CD.

Press books were exhibitor’s manuals that included background information and feature stories about a film with stills, usually black and white, that newspapers or magazines could cut out and paste directly into a page layout.

They also include posters available, other promotional items and ideas. These remain relatively inexpensive. I bought one from the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers for $20.

Popular foreign sizes:

British Quad:

30” X 40”

The British Quad poster’s dramatic size appeals to many collectors and they generally draw good prices for desirable titles. Quads are the most popular British poster size.

Australian Daybill

13”X30” Australian Daybills were produced in low numbers and are fairly rare. They frequently have better art work than other movie paper. They’re a good buy if you can find them.

Italian one-sheet, or Foglio

28”X39” Always issued folded.

Italian Photobusta

14” X 20” through the 1950s, then 20” X 28”

These are similar to lobby card sets, often using the same artwork as lobby card and stills.

We’ll cover less popular, odd sizes, other foreign sizes, and unusual items such as standees and billboard sizes in another article.

As an Appraiser one here’s some pretty amazing stories about items from their owners, like great- great-great Uncle Jack’s sword from Bunker Hill, meat platters that were taken into Kentucky by Daniel Boone and copies of the Constitution found in an old trunk.

Sad to say though, 99 times out of a 100 the “Bunker Hil” sword is from Portugal, the meat platter was made 90 years after Boone shot his last bear, and the long lost copy of Constitution came in a soap box. This might seem discouraging to most, seeing all these relics debunked, but every now and again the real thing shows up.

The funny thing is that it’s not the family relic that turns out to be the most valuable item when doing a house call, in fact it is nearly always some item laying about unnoticed. This is the fun part of it all, is explaining to the home owner that the bowl the dog is eating out of is 19th Century Lambeth Art Pottery or the couch throw the cat is sleeping on is a Indian saddle blanket.

Grading condition for military collectibles is not a simple process. Militaria is different from many other collectibles, where flawless examples are ideal and items with condition issues have less value.

The two most important variables that complicate grading militaria are scarcity and provenance. Scarcity is self-explanatory. Provenance is the historical link between object and owner. Items that are not rare and lack provenance can simply be graded using a scale that ranges from “relic” (meaning ground dug and rough) to “Unissued” (out of the crate and barely touched).

Provenance is interesting in collecting militaria because it often provides clemency to the rules of condition. I will explain why. Many military objects collected were intended for use in combat. These items include helmets and headgear, field uniforms, field gear, firearms, and edged weapons. If the item shows use but has provenance to support the claim that it was used in combat, desirability for that item increases greatly.

For example, in WWII prior to D-Day, most US 101st and 82nd Airborne personnel were issued two sets of reinforced jump jackets and pants. Typically one set was impregnated with a chemical called CC-2 to protect the wearer from exposure to gas. The impregnated set was worn on the Normandy jump while the untreated set remained in England. While non-impregnated jump uniforms are rare, finding an impregnated set that was worn in combat is extremely rare. Few documented examples survive today and most show wear and tear from combat. Documented combat used sets are worth many times more than the clean sets.

Another example is a Civil War “shell jacket” recently sold at auction. It had excellent provenance of being worn at Gettysburg. In fact, the jacket had a repaired hole where the wearer being shot in it! This jacket brought over $55,000 while one in comparable condition without provenance would bring less than $2,000.

With the exception of Civil War collectibles, provenance for US militaria did not gain importance until recent years. Prior to this shift, a majority of collectors were “type collectors”, where their focus was on single facets of militaria like helmets, daggers, medals, or patches. When a veteran grouping was acquired from an estate, the items were broken up and scattered in the wind, making their provenance very difficult to verify or maintain afterward.

The hobby is changing and more collectors are expanded their interest in military objects to include the history of the individuals that used them. Many militaria collectors tolerate honest wear if it’s caused by normal use. Bad wear is often the result of improper storage and can seriously diminish the value of an item. Examples of bad wear include dry rot, mildew, mothing, mold, paint spots, pitting, rust, and corrosion. Once bad wear sets in, it is very difficult to reverse the process and it detracts from the presentation and desirability of a piece.

Bad wear is particularly frowned upon among items not used in the field like dress uniforms, presentation swords, medals, paperwork, photos, plaques, and awards.

There are instances when an item is rare enough that bad wear is tolerated. An example would be Civil War garments that have mothing. Today, many of these pieces look like Swiss cheese, yet their scarcity makes them a coveted item and a centerpiece in any collection.

In summary, if a militaria item is not considered scarce and does not have provenance, it can be graded on a condition scale much like a coin or a stamp. If the item is truly rare and/or has verified, significant provenance other factors apply when assessing value. The rule of thumb for militaria (and any collectible) is strive to buy the best. Time and money is wasted when you buy items you intend on upgrading in the future.

Chris Hughes is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in 20th century militaria and the owner of Rally Point Militaria and Vietnam Uniform – Military Collectibles sites.

The Comic Speculator is a blog by Worthpoint Comic Book Worthologist Matt Baum that discusses back issue comics and the back issue market.

For the most part the small-independent comics press is vastly overlooked when it comes to back issue comics. Because of the extremely limited print-runs and cult nature of the small press indy-comic back issues are grossly undervalued and with the economy on it’s current downturn comic values are bottoming out. Comics and other collectibles are often the first thing to go as food and gas prices rise but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The whole idea for this blog came to me the other day when I spotted a 1st printing of Milk and Cheese #1 on Ebay. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 1st print Milk and Cheese #1, in fact I remember being impressed when I found the 3rd printing that I currently own. Bad economy = prime comic shopping. I guess we can thank “W” for something. As the stock market gets uglier and housing prices bottom out people start selling their comics and suddenly back issues of Milk and Cheese, Cerebus and Strangers in Paradise, all of which are really hard to find small press comic, are popping up for sale.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not waving an upside-down flag and cheering for the death of the U.S. Economy, I’m just pointing out a rare chance for comic collectors. For once I’m calling the glass half-full.

There’s plenty of indy-comic-back-issue gold for the collector out there but today I’m going to focus on a few titles that I loved as a lad.

Milk and Cheese; Written and drawn by Evan Dorkin.
By the time I discovered Milk and Cheese the series had already hit cult status and been reprinted several times over. I think the 1st #1 issue I purchased was a 5th printing back in 1993. The comic centered around an anthropomorphic carton of milk and a wedge of cheese that would go on short, often one-page, alcohol fueled rampages for any number of reasons. One strip that sticks in my memory is the duo destroying a generic American city after finding out that Hereve Villachaize, (the little person from Fantasy Island) was dead. The comic was ridiculous in premise and perfect in it’s biting satire and violent simplicity. I still laugh out loud while reading Milk and Cheese strips I’ve read hundreds of times. Dorkin went on to write another series called Dork and work on animated projects like Cartoon Network’s Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Warner Bros’ Superman.

Milk and Cheese #1 was published by Slave Labor Graphics in 1991 and had to have had a print run of less than 5000 issues. Issue #1 1st print currently guides for $50.00 but has sold for more than $100.00 on line. As I stated earlier I have never seen a 1st print of Milk and Cheese #1 and would probably pay way too much for one given the chance.

Here’s a brief checklist of the rarest Milk and Cheese comics and listings of what they guide for in Near Mint Condition:

#2 (titled “Other Number 1”), $30.00
#3 (titled “Third #1), $20.00
#4 (titled “Fourth #1), $10.00
#5 (titled “First 2nd issue”) $10.00

Multiple reprints exist for each of these issues and are only worth cover price.

Scud: The Disposable Assassin; Fireman Press; Written and drawn by Rob Shrab.
Scud was the tale of a robotic assassin that could be purchased from a vending machine that self destructs after killing it’s target. The hero of the book, a Scud Heart-Breaker model has been programmed with an almost human AI in order to allow the robot to be as creative as the client wishes when killing it’s target. Upon reading the warning label on his back detailing his self destruction upon killing his target, Scud decides to let his target live and instead maims his target, a genetically altered monster that spouts music lyrics, and is forced to carry out hits for money in order to pay for his original target’s hospital bills. If this premise sounds insane it’s because it is. Scud was a hyper-violent-pop-culture-comedy in the vein of a Quentin Tarentino film. If Tarentino was on psychedelic drugs that were smuggled from the future. Most recently the complete Scud was reprinted in one giant edition called “The Whole Shebang” by image comics and is available in both hard and soft cover.

Scud creator Rob Shrab has also worked as a writer for Comedy Central’s Sarah
Silverman Show and co-wrote the 2006 animated film Monster House. Shrab’s art is only matched by his bizarre sense of humor and encyclopedic-pop-culture refrences. Scud is not for everyone but those who do love it love the hell out of it. The current reprinting of the series has brought Scud to a whole new audience and rekindling interest in Scud back issues.

Currently Scud issue #1 1st printing guides for $6.00 in Near Mint condition but I challenge you to find one. Fireman Press was another extremely small, now defunct, company that printed very low runs of the early Scud issues which, in my opinion, are grossly under-valued. Runs of Scud are already starting to see higher prices on Ebay and if the rumors of an animated film version are true, could be going for premium prices soon.

Next time in The Comic Speculator I’ll be taking a look two other Indy cult classics, Dave Sim’s Cerebus and Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise. For info on new comics check out my other blog, ”This Week in Geek” where I discuss the new comics of the week that could be tomorrow’s hot collectibles. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

Establishing provenance for art, antiques and collectibles

For provenance, you need sales receipts, gallery stickers, exhibition catalogs, catalogs raisonnés, ownership records, newspaper/magazine articles about the work, articles/letters by art experts describing the work and photographs of the work with the artist. Audio or video of the artist discussing the work or the testimony of someone close to the artist is also acceptable.

Provenance, however, is not always well documented, and there may be plenty gaps for various reasons.

• No records survive for antique works
• Neglect in keeping records or preserving sales documentation when the works have been in the family for centuries
• Business closure in the case of many dealers and auction houses from previous centuries
• Anonymous buying and selling by many rich collectors
• Documentation loss due to natural disasters such as earthquake, fire, flooding
• Lack of protection from weather decay or pests
• Losing documents when moving
• Archives lying simply undiscovered or, due to political reasons, inaccessible

In the absence of valid documentation, establishing provenance can be tricky. Especially as the art-market boom has led to a proliferation of forgeries and con men like John Drewe, whose phony art and documentation fooled everyone for ages.

Fakes apart, looted or stolen works, of wartime era or illegally exported, are a major concern. Be especially wary when buying art and antiques that were in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. With all the complexities of restituting the more than 250,000 Nazi-looted artworks to their former owners or their descendants, a checkered provenance might very well land you in the legal soup.

It is important therefore to consult a reputed expert—someone with in-depth knowledge about that particular art/artist, several scholarly articles/publications to his/her name and well-respected art-world credentials.

Expert appraisal and authentication can, on occasion, lead to a startling revelation, as happened in the case of Tammy H. of Colorado. Thom Pattie, the chief Worthologist here at WorthPoint, recognized her rescued-from-a-dump painting as “Coin De Paris, Rue de Meaux,” a work by the 20th-century Japanese artist Takanori Oguiss. The painting later garnered $103,000 at Sotheby’s.

Here is a video of Thom Pattie talking about his work.

Tips for collectors

Get certificates of authentication, warranties and guarantees from the seller.

Provenance documents must mention the work in question and must be original.

Check and cross-check previous owners, galleries and auction houses.

Research auctions at ArtPrice.com and ArtNet.com.

Check the lost or stolen works database at the London-based Art Loss Register and at the International Foundation for Art Research.

Visit

The Getty Provenance Index

The National Gallery of Art Provenance Search

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Chinese Art – Research into Provenance

OK, your ready to answer your first call to go look at a house full of items for sale. Mrs. Jones has found your add in the paper, and said she needs to liquidate her mother’s estate. As the excitement builds and dreams of treasures fill your head with magic, you might realize that you don’t know where to start, after all this is your first time.

* What do you do first?
* How will you be expected to pay?
* Will she accept a check and if so, how do you make an offer?
* Gulp, how do you dare offer a price low enough to guarantee that you can make a profit?
* What if you buy the contents and you can’t take it all then?

These questions and more are all legitimate concerns. You could fill a book on how to handle this and I do have plans to include this information in an upcoming book, but let’s look at just a few of the most important quick, easy to remember things that will help you land your first purchase.
table full of antiques

* ALWAYS wipe your feet upon entering any dwelling, I don’t care if it looks like a goat barn. This simple show of respect puts you in good standing right away.
* Have a business card and hand it to the prospect upon introducing yourself. You may be new at this, but they don’t have to know that.
* Find something to remark about their dwelling in a a positive way, then thank them for the opportunity to look at the items.
* Ask them what their goals are, and find out if there is a deadline. (Many estate purchases have a real estate closing pending.) Don’t forget to listen here.
* Ask if you can take pictures with your digital camera for reference and mark some of these references on your clipboard. These two tools are relatively inexpensive and a must for anyone going into a home to make purchases.
* After a few minutes of looking around, you should know whether or not your interested at any price. The first question I like to ask myself is: “If this lot was given to me free of charge, would I be interested in it?” If after getting a good look, the answer to that question is no, your wasting their time and yours, thank them graciously and leave. There is always another deal around the corner. If the answer to the question is yes, now the game begins.
* Start planning an offer strategy.
* Resist the urge to knock items that have flaws to get the lot at a cheaper price, this puts the prospect on the defense, not to mention that it’s an old worn out tactic. Be different, find good things to say about what you like. If you need to knock something down a peg to bring the lot price down, knock the current market prices, or the cost of hauling and re-sale overhead, but NEVER their merchandise.
* If at all possible, make an offer based on the entire lot, this is the best way to buy low enough to make a profit, of course, you’ll have to find a market for all of the mediocre and low end items.
* When you make an offer, SHUT UP! Look for signs as to what they think of your offer. So many people will make an offer to buy, then keep talking out of nervousness. This is perhaps the biggest mistake in negotiating.
* If they’ve accepted the offer, make sure the terms are clear, such as: How long do you have to remove the items? If you have to leave things behind until a later date, I like to put a deposit with the remainder due upon removal of the rest. A check should be fine in most situations, you should be a little suspicious of anyone that doesn’t want to take a check, although there are sometimes legitimate reasons for doing so.
* Get a receipt for your purchases. While it’s often not practical to list every item in a big buy, put as much detail on your receipt to avoid confusion. Your digital pictures also help to avoid any mix-ups as to what was and wasn’t included in the purchase.
* Make arrangements for the removal of your items, the quicker you take them the better off you are.

If you stay in the business, you’ll undoubtedly come across lots that are out of your league. Why pass them up? If you’ve got a good eye, and know there’s great deal but just don’t have the time, money or other resources to deal with it, why not network with an auctioneer or fellow dealer. Some of the pie is better than none and the relationship you build could be more beneficial than the contents. A good auctioneer or dealer will always pay a respectable finders fee for quality purchases, I do.

Also, if your not sure what exactly your looking at, it may pay to consult with a professional, I’m available for phone consultation and plan to have chat consultation on my web site soon.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, there are many things to learn about purchasing large collections. I’ve been doing it for more than 25 years and I’m still learning. If you care to learn more about this aspect of the auction world, then you’ll want to stay in touch here and at www.auctionwally.com as well.

Other resources that may be helpful. How to Liquidate an Estate.
My online radio show ep.5 Buying Lots and Collections.

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments or ask questions, you may also email me at wkolenda [at] gmail [dot] com

AW

A gold aureus of Severus Alexander showing the colosseum realized $800,000 in the Mellennia sale auctioned by Ira and Larry Goldberg May 26. The auction realized $23,024,765.00. The firm said this might be the highest single-day world coin auction total ever.

A gold aureus of Brutus realized $575,000.00. The coin was graded Choice AU by NGC.

The appreciation of world coins is finally realized in the above example.

Taking some of the mystery out of recognizing value in Fine Art Paintings is a topic I get many e-mails on. 31 Club Members call and e-mail me about wonderful paintings they’d like to buy, but the artist can’t be identified. Maybe there are only initials, a signature that can’t be read, or just simply a monogram with a figure on the painting. Perhaps the signature can be read, but the artist is not in the guides on paintings. People have often said to me, “I liked the painting, but I didn’t purchase it because I couldn’t identify it.” This could be a huge mistake.

If you judge a painting to be worth $400 because of the frame, the content, and quality of the work, and you can purchase it for about $100, then your decision is made. Even if the painting is not signed, you might not want to hesitate to purchase it. I have seen paintings in beautiful frames sell for $100, and after a little research, it was discovered that the frame was a Newcomb-Macklin frame worth up to $1,000. And this might be a real shocker: Some vintage frames have been known to bring over $100,000. And, unsigned paintings can still sell for thousands, as William shared with me when he saw an unsigned painting sell for over $5,000.

I have seen signatures appear after the painting had been cleaned and have found signatures hidden behind a frame. So, if you buy a painting for a few dollars and know that it’s worth more than four times what you paid for it, then it has met our rule for buying. Anything from there that enhances its value is only a plus.

I’ve accumulated many secrets over the past 45 years in this business and I’ve shared many of them them in my book. Today, I’ll share one of those secrets with you.

Did you know that, like authors who’ve written under pen names, artists also painted under alternate names? Did you know Leon Gaspard also painted under the name Leon Schulman and John Edward Castagno used the name Czako? Artists painted under alternate names, and they are listed in the back of American Signatures and Monograms by John Castagno. In the back of this book on signatures and monograms, you will also find the initials used by some of the greatest artists to ever decorate a canvas. If you find a painting signed with only initials, the identity of that artist might be discovered right here in this book. If you’re serious about finding valuable paintings, there might be a true treasure waiting for you because others didn’t have this information, but you did. Castagno’s books are very expensive, but if your interest lies in this area, his books will prove to be key tools for you. The link to the book is at then end of my Blog.

At a house I was called to about several items, I stumbled across a painting of an Indian Chief that looked to be unsigned. I asked what they were asking for it. The answer came quickly: $250. I thought that was a good price, but I asked if I could take it out of the frame. They agreed, and lo and behold, there was a signature behind the frame I didn’t recognize. I had just made a very serious mistake.

You see, the owner quickly asked if I would mind if they waited another day before they sold the painting. We had already settled on several other items I was purchasing, and I didn’t want to miss out on those items as well, but I said, “Sure” anyway.

That evening I quickly researched the painting and found that it was worth about $10,000. I called back the next day but they told me that their daughter really liked the painting, so they’ve decided it should stay in the family. You see, they had done their research after I left, also. So, remember this story, and keep this in mind: If you come to the conclusion that something should be purchased, stop trying to convince yourself further and simply buy it.

You may find that this approach will produce several paintings that will only return you a small profit, but by taking a risk, you might end up with a piece that will make your whole year or even more.

Join Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club, today. Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Get FREE MENTORING. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets that help you increase your profits. Continue to Grow Your Money Buying and Selling Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle’s Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers who are making more money than they thought possible.

My 220 page book is FREE when you join.

http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/21incantiqueandcollectibles/Detail?no=1

LINK:

American Signatures & Monograms

http://www.amazon.com/American-Artists-II-Signatures-Monograms/dp/0810858959/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213354832&sr=

When people see varied terms listed behind a valuation, most aren’t sure what they mean, and why each ultimately has a different dollar value placed on it. So let me help you through the process with these basic definitions.

Auction Value: This is the price that an appraiser feels that a given object could/would/should bring at auction. It is based on comparison of like items and recent past history of sales. And frankly has NOTHING to do with the actual value of the item.

Retail Value: We get this, usually. A competitive price is applied to a single item; the item is expected to be sold for that marked price. The retailer has purchased the product from one source at one price, adds his mark-up and sells the item at a profit. Appraisers never, or hardly ever, express values in this manner.

Insurance Replacement Value: A value is placed on any given item based on this definition which is universally known; “the amount of money it would take to replace a given item if it were lost, extensively damaged or stolen.” The dollar value applied to this item would be what an individual or agency would be expected to pay to replace from a retail source in the appropriate venue within a limited time frame.

Appropriate Marketplace For Replacement: Appraisers use this term in the valuation/insurance replacement process and in written documents to say, in essence, if you have a 1948 Rolex Oyster wrist watch purchased at Aspreys in London the insurance replacement value would be for a value for it to be replaced at the appropriate marketplace, not, for example, Happy Pappies Watch Shop.

Fair Market Value: Thank goodness our friends at the IRS have a definition of this term; “ the price that property would sell for on the open market between willing buyer and a willing seller, with neither being required to act, and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.” Now, lets’ break down the meaning even further. This above definition is important because it defines/forms the basis for charitable contributions, estate, resale, and equal distribution appraisals.

Cash Value: Sometimes appraisers use the term cash value to be used synonymously as fair market value. THIS IS NOT ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! The correct term for cash value should be called the marketable cash value (Or resale value). It is fair market value minus the expenses of selling the item. The expense might include the commission, which may run as high as 40 to 50 percent, advertising of the item and or moving expenses.

When discussing comic books you often will see certain terms thrown around to describe book’s condition; like “Very Good+”, “Near Mint” and “Fine”. When represented properly, they can be very helpful, especially when buying comics on-line and you can’t directly see what you’re getting. But without knowing the state of the comic they describe or the boundaries of each term, a word like “Good” is meaningless.
Let’s define the terms, so you can properly judge the comics you hope to buy.

Comics are assigned conditions that range from “Mint” to “Poor. I’ll start with Mint and work my way down to Poor. There are sub-categories, but I will limit myself to the major conditions. All the condition definitions in this article are taken from the Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide 2008, the most respected and widely used comic book price guide. (You should get a copy.)

Mint – This is the best, museum quality, perfect condition. This describes a comic that not only has never been handed, but was rescued directly from the presses and preserved. Overstreet describes near mint condition as:
Nearly perfect in every way. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. No bindery tears. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity.

The comic should not have any folds, impressions or dents. It should be bound securely, square and centered. Mint condition is an extremely rare, even in new comics, and is not a term that is liberally used by reputable collectors.
Generally, it’s wise to avoid comic sellers that say their item is in mint condition unless the book carries a professional grading stamp. Grading stamps can come from both grading companies and well known comic dealers.

Near Mint – Because mint condition comics are so rare, this is the more common and generally preferred condition of collectible comics for back issue collectors. Near Mint is described by the Overstreet guide as:
Nearly perfect in every way with only minor imperfections. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. No bindery tears.

Near Mint comics should not have the appearance of ever being handled. A large percentage, if not all, the back issue comics that are listed in Mint condition by on-line auctioneers are actually closer to Near Mint (or even lower.) Near Mint shows only very minor defects. Again, no folds, tears, dents, depressions or printing errors are allowed. Near Mint comics are also very rare. It’s safe to say that most people claiming their back issues are in Near Mint condition may be mistaken, or even misrepresenting, their comics. Some collectors feel that Near Mint is the best condition in which a comic can exist as no issue will ever be perfect.

Very Fine – The bulk of the comics that I have seen offered in Near Mint condition have actually been closer to Very Fine. Overstreet defines Very Fine condition as:
An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. Sharp, bright and clean with with supple pages. A comic book in this grade has the appearance of being carefully handled.

The key with every condition below Near Mint is that the comic appears to have been handled or read. As stated in the definition, a comic book in Very Fine condition has been handled with care. For example, the bulk of my collection is probably in Very Fine condition because I read my comics carefully and then store them appropriately. A comic in Very Fine condition can have a limited accumulation of minor bindery defects and only minimal surface wear on the cover and corners. Also, small creases of less than ¼ inch are allowed as long as the crease does not break the color of the cover. Most new comics on the stands are generally in Very Fine condition.

Fine – Fine condition is described by the Overstreet guide as:
An above average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Eye appeal is somewhat reduced because of slight surface ware and the accumulation of small defects.

A comic in fine condition probably was read and then stored in a pile of other comics where it was not disturbed or damaged, but also was not protected from the elements or the weight of other comics. The ink and color is not as bright and reflective due to fading and slight browning or yellowing of the paper. There might be a slight spine roll, rounding of the spine, and slight spine splits. With spine roll generally comes small tears from the staples and blunted corners. Discolored or slightly rusty staples can be replaced on a comic in Fine condition without lowering the issues grade.
Note: Only vintage staples can be use to replace those on Very Fine to Near Mint comics. Mint comics must have their original staples.

Very Good – The average old comic book that is sold in back issue bins in every comic shop is in Very Good condition. Overstreet defines a Very good comic as having:
Some significant moderate wear but still has not accumulated enough total defects to reduce eye appeal point that it is not a desirable copy. The cover shows moderate to significant wear and can be loose but not detached.

Comics in Very Good condition are sometimes referred to as “Reader Copies” by collectors because of their many flaws and low price. Comics in this condition have not been stored correctly or handled with care and have cover tears, dimples, creases, minor water damage and even clear tape repairing small tears. Spine rolls, loose staples and corners that are blunted or even have small pieces missing are common in Very Good comics. The paper is brown but not brittle and their can even be a slight acidic smell present in these comics.

Good – Comics that are considered to be in Good condition are generally found in the 25 cent bin in most comic shops. That is not to say that all comics in Good condition are worthless. Very old key issues of comics like Captain America and Superman can still sell for upwards of $20.00 in good condition. Overstreet defines Good condition as:
[Showing] substantial wear. Cover may even be detached. Book length creases and dimples may be present. Rounded corners are present. Moderate soiling, staining, discoloration and foxing may be present.

The key to a comic in Good Condition is that it is not missing any pages and is still readable. Overstreet states that the comic can be missing up to a ½” triangle or a 1/4”square.

Fair – This is considered the lowest grade for a collectible comic because in lesser condition the book is incomplete or on the verge of falling apart. Overstreet defines Fair condition saying:
A copy in this grade shows heavy wear. Some collectors consider this the lowest collectible grade because comic books in lesser condition are usually incomplete and/or brittle. Soiled, faded, ragged and possibly unattractive. This is the last grade in which a comic remains generally readable.

Comics in Fair condition generally have very little or no collectible value. If you are an aspiring artist, comics in Fair condition are excellent for reference and character study. They are also great for younger kids.

Poor – This is the final grade and bottom of the scale. A comic in Poor condition is destroyed. The cover can be missing, pages loose or even unattached, holes, tears, water damage, rodent gnawed pages, all these imperfections, are the marks of a comic in Poor condition. These comics are the ones that sat in water during the flood or lined the canary’s cage for more than a month. Overstreet defines Poor condition as:
Most comics in this grade have been sufficiently degraded to the point where there is little or no collector value; they are easily identifiable by a complete absence of eye appeal.

During my tenure at the comic shop, I had to tell many a person that their books had been sufficiently degraded to the point where there was little or no collector value. That’s nicer than saying, “What you have here is garbage. “ Nobody wants to hear that their comics are worthless, but if not properly stored your comics will end up being easily identifiable by their complete absence of eye appeal.

However, just because your whupped-up comics are in Poor condition doesn’t mean they should get pitched. Comics in Poor condition can be recycled or used to start a compost pile. According to www.howtocompost.org worms love newsprint. Don’t trash those old comics; use them to grow a beautiful vegetable garden!

Now that you know a little more about the definitions used by collectors and professionals to grade comics you can buy and sell own your comics with a little more confidence. Keep in mind that grading comics takes a lot more than a good understanding of the Overstreet definitions. These conditions I discussed are merely guidelines used to determine a comics condition. Ultimately comic condition is a matter of perspective. Ask three different store owners the condition of a comic and you may get three different answers. Often, when people are trying to sell a comic, the condition can be greatly over exaggerated. This could be due to the fact that the seller is a criminal or they could just be really bad at grading comics. I learned to grade books by one of the sternest graders in the business and, after a decade, I’m still learning.

At the end of the day its best to let find someone whose grading abilities you trust and have them help you in determine the condition of your comics. And remember, if someone tells you their comics are in Mint condition, they probably don’t know what they’re talking about.

In the world of collecting, like in anything else, there’s a language used by insiders. From video gamers to traders in the stock market, talking the talk can be half the battle.

Knowing the vocabulary and applying it can be a way to feel like you’re “in the know.” Last week I wrote about the term “antique.” In the interest of moving you into “the know,” the second blog of the series defines the term “rare.”

When a collectible is rare, its price goes up. “Rare” is a word used to denote scarcity. A rare item is uncommon or unusual.

The antique market works like any other market where price is determined by supply and demand. If an item is popular and there aren’t many of them to be found, the price rises. People want the item and there aren’t many of them, so, those who are able, are willing to pay more to get a hold of the thing. A limited-addition doll or watch or video game console, that is popular, can be sold on eBay for a higher price than the original retail price. Demand is high, supply is low, and the price favors the seller.

But just because you or your friends have not seen something before, or have only seen one or two of them, does not mean the item is rare.

Rarity is determined on an item-by-item basis:

A car made this year may be rare because there were only 500 of that model made.

A Roman coin used from the middle of the third century BC until the middle of the third century AD was in use for a remarkably long time. Even though it is extremely old – an item from antiquity – that coin may not be rare. It may be of little value because there are plenty of them around.

An item is rare if few exist in the world today. A one-of-a-kind item is the rarest and can bring the highest price on the market, given there’s a demand for it. If you have a one-of-a-kind molded sandwich, the likes of which no one has ever laid eyes upon, you have a rare molded sandwich but, since no one wants your sandwich, that rarity doesn’t guarantee any kind of value.

So rarity implies that something is difficult to get a hold of, or scarce. Rarity can add to the value of an already sought-after collectible, like a vintage car, well-known fine art, or a popular book. A rare book from the turn of the century, that was never popular in its own right, isn’t valuable. A rare painting by an unknown artist from the 19th century isn’t valuable. A lithograph of a Van Gogh, printed in limited number and well received by the public, would bring a high price. A first edition of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer is rare and valuable.

Rarity can add to value, but it isn’t a measure of value in itself. Rarity implies scarcity and can raise the price of an already valued item.

Click here for “Terminology !: What is Antique?” article

Knowledge is King and will enable you to spot the value of paintings, antiques and collectibles. Whether you are attending garage sales, estate sales, auction, participating in online auctions or paying a visit to someone’s home to view their items, your ability to spot value will depend on your ever increasing knowledge about items you encounter.

I wrote the book, “31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles” and am leader of its spin-off wealth accumulation club, the 31 Club. We use a strategic plan for buying and selling antiques, collectibles and art and reinvesting for maximum growth. One of the 31 Club’s main function is to help you grow in your knowledge, so you will have the advantage over your competition. We do this in several ways. Our book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is the core of our program, and an essential tool our members use. It serves as our springboard into working this market.

Second, our daily Blog serves as an educational component to our members. This daily Blog is currently open to public view and discusses various topics such as economic trends that shape the marketplace, what’s currently in demand, what’s fading out, as well as information on the various items one might focus their attention upon and how to identify them. It’s jam packed full of negotiating techniques and how one might best operate in order to grow profits into lasting wealth.

Third, in order to grow in knowledge, study and research is essential. Anyone working in this business will find it necessary to begin a library of reference books and build it up over time. Having access and exposure to the information in these books will make all the difference in your level of success.

The books you will need as reference don’t need to be new. They can be several years old because they will still give the information that is needed for whatever item you are researching. Online Bookstores that sell used books are a great way to accumulate a substantial library inexpensively. My partner, Cindy, recently purchased a copy of David Rago’s American Art Pottery for about $7.50 on Abesbooks. David Rago operates Rago Arts and Auction Center, one of the country’s top drawer Auction Houses for 20th Century Pottery, Furnishings, and Post-War and Contemporary Art. (And, by the way, it’s an excellent place to further educate yourself by looking around.) Today, there’s several of American Art Pottery books on Abe’s, starting at $6.95 plus shipping.

Your Personal Library should contain these Basics:

Kovel’s Price Guide 2008

Kovel’s Dictionary of Marks: 1850-Present

Davenports Art Reference & Price Guide. (This will be one of the more expensive books, but an old one still does the job.)

These are just a few of the books you could start with. These books help tremendously. In fact, I received an E-mail from a member who saved herself from buying a fake at auction because she had a book:

“… I just returned from an auction. For the first time I took your
kit with me. There was a Nippon dish that I was going to bid on. When I
look it up in one of my books I found it was a fake. You just saved me the
price of the book and the kit. Thanks ever so much…”

With the information from these books, you’ll start feeling like a wiz. You’ll soon be upon your path to financial freedom when you combine this with our plan for accumulating a lifetime of funds with antiques, collectibles, and art.

I hate to keep repeating myself, but Knowledge IS King. You will be crowned when you combine that growing knowledge with action and the solid wealth building plan from the 31 Club.

My company website is www.31corp.com