Paul Overstreet

This week’s grin is Paul Overstreet. 

In the format of music in which I work Paul is as close to an icon as we get. With 27 top 10 songs, 2 Grammys and most impressively, 5 consecutive BMI songwriter of the year awards (no one else has even gotten close to this record), he is considered one of the top 5 most successful songwriters in the history of country music. Paul pretty much wrote the soundtrack to American country music during it’s most prosperous years, 1987-1995. With songs like “Forever and ever Amen”, “On the other Hand”, “When You Say Nothing At All”, “ Diggin’ Up Bones”, “Love Can Build A Bridge”, etc Paul helped usher in a new era of multiplatinum superstars. He was also a successful artist and had several top 5 hits in the 80s-90s and still is an in demand entertainer. He has continued to be prominent in the careers of today’s superstars as well, from Kenny Chesney to Blake Shelton.

Paul and I first wrote back in 2005 but it had been a while and this week he came out to my studio and we had a blast writing and catching up. We wrote a song, started another and talked about re-writing one of our past songs. We went to lunch (a rarity for songwriting sessions these days) and had margaritas and talked about parenting (Paul and his wife have 6 kids, one of which is the lead guitarist for Hot Chelle Rae, another who is a main character on the hit TV show “Glee”.), travel, God, the business and how blessed we both are.

I grew up on Paul Overstreet’s music. I still remember singing along with “All The Fun” in my 1^st car. I remember learning to play “Somebody’s Doing Me Right” and “Long Line of Love” on piano in college.

One of cool aspects of being a part of such a tight knit creative community here in Nashville is getting to work with people who have influenced your music and becoming collaborators with your heroes. It’s a unique gift and honor and is the essence of treasure.

Happy Hunting

Tips and Philosophy on Picking....

The forensic definition of picking in the context of shows like American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, ad nauseum, generally centers around the acquisition of items whose full retail value is either not recognized or because of some form of nuanced negotiation is not realized by the seller; the buyer then proceeding to maximize the retail value by establishing and promoting the true marketplace worth of said item.

Although my philosophy of picking still incorporates these elements, my actual practice of the art (yes, I believe picking is an art form) varies depending on several factors. Ultimately I believe that the essence of picking is understanding, finding and giving a home to under-appreciated art. The beat up ’57 Gibson J45 guitar with 3 strings in someone’s closet or the John Wood Dodge painted miniature in a Nashville antique store sold as “nice picture in neat frame”, or even the hammered gold medieval coin covered in British dirt for 1000 years. For me it’s about finding things created with time, blood, sweat, tears and ingenuity; pieces of history, sometimes obvious but many times overlooked because of size, age or amount of dirt acquired along the way. The fun for me is researching and knowing an area of collectible so well that wherever I am my eyes are always tuned to see the glint of treasure. The thrill, of course, is in the chase:)  Here are a few tips that I’ve learned over the years, some the hard way:

1.    I (almost) never buy anything I don’t know something about. Seeing an item and thinking “this just looks like it should be worth more than it costs” is a great way to lose money.

2.    Start small. When you are just beginning to learn an area of collectible buy some inexpensive examples, study them and learn from them and as you become more advanced in knowledge, sell off the lower end pieces. My experience is you can usually get your money back on them because liberally speaking “junk sells”.

3.    Learn the market segments for collectibles and rules and laws governing the buying, selling and transport of different types of items. For example, pre 1898 firearms are considered antiques by the ATF so you can send them through the US mail and need no license to buy or sell them but there are international laws restricting the ownership of even antique arms in Europe.

4.    Know the relevant dealers and collectors in all the fields you trade in. Developing a network of people that you can instantly turn to in order to buy or sell or consign is important. Also, it’s good to know which of them buy and sell on eBay and other auction sites so that you know who you’re competing against.

5.    Find a mentor. Some of my dearest friends are people that I’ve met and been generously mentored by in different fields. Someone you can call and run an item by is probably the biggest asset you can have.

6.    Be a mentor. Pay it forward. This applies to all of life. ‘Nuff said.

7.    Stay away from trendy items. Two words. Beanie Babies.

8.    Let your passion drive your knowledge base; let your knowledge base drive what you buy.

9.     I try to never buy any collectible that I’m not happy to keep long term. If I don’t like it well enough to keep it myself, then why should I expect anyone else to want it?

10. Finally, never go into debt to pick anything and keep perspective.  If you can't afford to lose it, don't buy it. I do not have a significant portion of my net worth or discretionary income in antiques and collectibles. Although in general quality A&C items appreciate in value, individual areas fluctuate based on many factors including some that are difficult to predict.

Remember above all, it’s about having fun, educating yourself and sharing your passion and knowledge with others. In my opinion, making money is the by-product of a discerning eye and not the end goal of picking.

Happy Hunting!

MacKenzie Porter: Canadian Phenom

This week’s grin is fantastic new Canadian artist MacKenzie Porter. Actually she’s not really new. Although only 23 she’s already a very successful actress, an accomplished classically trained violinist and she’s coming off her debut single “I Wish I’d Known”.

Longtime collaborator and artist Carolyn Dawn Johnson introduced me to Mac a few weeks ago and the three of us wrote a really cool song that her team decided would make a great 2^nd single. The icing on the cake was this week having the privilege of co-producing the record with CDJ. We tracked at Benchmark sound (old emerald) studio with the freakishly talented Ilya Toshinsky and a host of the most in demand session players in the country. The track turned out incredible and Mac has done some phenomenal vocals. We’ll all spend another week or so on the song before mix and master and then to radio station/Video channel near you.

It’s always special when you’re involved in creating a song that is compelling enough for an artist to release as a single; getting to actually help make the record constitutes treasure indeed.

 http://www.mackenzieporter.ca/

Happy Hunting!

bc

Francis Hargreaves Portrait Miniature

This week’s pick once again centers on a portrait miniature. Artistic dynasties are fascinating and although not as dominant as say the Peale family in 18^th century America, the Hargreaves family nevertheless left an important artistic mark on the British Isles for nearly a century. Thomas Hargreaves moved from Liverpool to London in 1790 at the age of 16 to begin his training at the Royal Academy. Around 1795 he returned to Liverpool and began a 40 year career of painting the highest quality miniatures ever produced in Ireland. He had several sons who were miniaturists, George and Francis apparently being the most prolific. Both went on to successfully paint portrait miniatures and their work is represented in the V and A as well as the NPG in Dublin and Bath museum. George’s work is found less frequently than his father’s but according to Foskett examples of Francis’ work are downright scarce. 

Although not as valuable as their ivory cousins, portrait miniatures on card can be just as engaging and interesting-especially when done by an exceptional artist. Because the paint dries fast and soaks in on the card, the artist was forced to execute quickly and in greater detail to retain lifelike results. The clientele was probably young professionals who could not afford the expensive ivory and gold frame.

Such is the case with the miniature below purchased on eBay UK. It was clearly identified as being signed on the reverse: “Francis Hargreaves. Fecit. 1840. Liverpool” It was not mentioned in the listing but I also noticed some faint writing along the bottom of the painting. I ended up winning the auction with a bid of £70 ($106). When I received it I was pleased with the quality of the work which stylistically has elements that are common to father and sons. I was also pleased to find the mat to be original with marbled paper border. The frame may indeed be original but could also be later. Under microscope I also found the faint writing at the bottom to read “ Fran (or Franc) Hargreaves 1840”. Famed collector Don Shelton has a Francis Hargreaves signed with a similar abbreviated first name. Many existing Francis Hargreaves miniatures are signed on the reverse identically to this one, many with Pinxit or Fecit (Latin- “made me or created me”). Microscopic examination of the signature ink confirms that it is completely of the period and authentic. Given the scarcity of miniatures of any kind by Francis Hargreaves I would estimate the value at auction to be between $450-$600.

Kind Thanks to my pal Don Shelton. Check out his blog at 
http://www.portrait-miniature.blogspot.com/

For next week’s pick post I’ll talk about my philosophy of picking as well as some helpful hints and tips!

Happy Hunting!

bc

Celtic Gold

Pick of the week for April 15th is a full Celtic gold stater of Addedomaros, King of the Trinovantes tribe, circa 45BC. The saying is “treasure is where you find it”, suggesting you never know where you might find the good stuff. However, sometimes you know it’s there and you just have to step in the right spot. That was the case with this beautiful piece of ancient gold I found in England recently. The area we were hunting was a known hoard area meaning there had been multiple Celtic gold coins recovered in the past but the field had not produced a hoard coin in several years. This spring it was freshly deep plowed and was being rolled flat (English farmers do this to their fields and it greatly enhances detecting conditions) so we took a chance on there still being one or two in the ground. After a couple of hours and very few targets I was thinking of heading over to another field but decided to make a small grid in the area where the hoard was allegedly found. I got a shallow target and thought it was probably aluminum and as I kicked away the loose dirt the small but beefy gold stater rolled across my boot! This was my 1st Celtic gold coin and although it was reported to the British museum as an addendum hoard coin, chances are it will be disclaimed and I’ll get to keep it. It’s a fine strike with a clear Celtic horse and weighs a hefty 5.55g. It’s hard to describe the feeling of digging a gold coin that was minted during the time of Julius Caesar but suffice to say it’s a rush…sometimes treasure is elusive but sometimes it’s right where it’s supposed to be.
Find out more about the Trinovantes tribe here: http://www.roman-britain.org/tribes/trinovantes.htm

Happy Hunting