Daryle Lambert: Man on a Mission Daryle Lambert, whose fresh perspective on the Antiques & Collectible Industry appears on his daily blog at www.31corp.blogspot.com, has been featured in December's Discover Mid-America trade paper.
at the things he wishes to purchase through the eyes of his perspective buyers. Emotion has no place in this business. Cool-headed dealers always rise to the top.
Being knowledgeable and being profit minded are the two qualities that separate winners from the "also rans" in this business.
DMA: What signs should one look for in detecting a particular trend where value in an antique/collectible category will increase or decrease?
LAMBERT: There are two ways that I watch to see if the trend is up or down in a category of antiques and collectibles. But the truth is that trends whether up or down pay a very little part in whether I make money or not. We aren’t buying things to hold on to but just to turn them in the market as quickly as possible to lock in our profits. This way trends have very little effect on us but of course it is best to buy in an up trend if possible.
One thing that becomes very apparent is when a company gets so successful that their quality declines. Royal Doulton was guilty of that in my opinion. They got to thinking that if it said ‘Doulton,’ the public would buy it. Wrong, when they went to producing figurines and letting them be painted as piecework and not by the artist that took time to create a masterpiece the public said no. Also, they discontinue the quality of their molds where arms become part of the body not extending from the shoulder and the hands had no fingers, just the whole hand as one piece — the public again said, ‘I’m not interested.’ This told me that the trend would be down in this area and it did collapse.
The other part of collecting is when people try to recapture their past. They buy the toys, cars, furniture and other items they remember from their childhood. So as these groups get older, their interest in collecting wanes, putting their collectibles in a downtrend. The most collectors are created from the age of fifteen to forty-five so this give you an idea what to watch for that will appeal to these groups.
DMA: As a dealer with decades of experience, where do you see the antique and collectible trade heading? And does your plan work best in a down or up market? Or does it matter?
Records are being set in every category of the antique and collectible Industry. This market has never been better than it is today. There is more money to be made in antiques and collectibles than ever before in history.
Yes, there are people still trying to do their business like they did fifty years ago, and they are screaming. I call them the ‘Chicken Littles’ because they think the sky is falling. But, the people I know are like John Wayne who said, ‘We are burning daylight.’
There isn’t a better way in the world to accumulate money than there is in these
