Showing posts with label sale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sale. Show all posts

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Alternative Investments Went On a Wild Ride During the Pandemic


Alternative Investments Went On a Wild Ride During the Pandemic


About 13 years ago, Nate Tobik was helping his parents move out of their old house. He and his wife were about to have their first kid, so he pulled some of his old Lego sets out of the attic. Over the next few years, Tobik and his family started putting those sets together.

“[We] started to look up missing pieces on eBay, and realized these things were going for a lot of money,” Tobik said.

Some of them were going for hundreds of dollars. Tobik said he saw a Lego train set with a crane on it that was going for over $1,000. He started buying up cheap Lego sets from local garage sales and thrift stores, and he’d sell them online — typically for double what he paid, at minimum.

But then, the pandemic happened, and a lot of people started selling their old Legos.

“I think it was people who were sitting around at home, started to look at what they had in the attic, and they said, ‘Wow, maybe I can do this, too,'” Tobik said.

People also realized how valuable their Legos were, and as they saw prices go up, they started selling their Legos for more, too. Suddenly, Tobik’s buy-low and sell-high investment strategy no longer worked.

“We couldn’t find anything at a deep enough discount to where we could sell it again, and lock in a profit,” Tobik said.

The same thing happened with the fantasy card game Magic: The Gathering, which has a strong secondary market for individual cards.

Seth Robertson has been playing the game for years, and he’d often buy up one or two extra boxes of cards hoping they’d appreciate in value. When the pandemic hit, card values skyrocketed.

“I remember seeing cards worth dollars going up to tens of dollars,” Robertson said. “It’s like the penny stocks of the collectible world.”

Robertson said that was great for anyone like him, who already owned lots of cards. But it wasn’t great for anyone who wanted to build up a deck to actually play the game.

“You don’t want every card you need for a 60-card deck costing tens of dollars, because people don’t have $500 to $1,000 to throw at a deck,” Robertson said. “That’s kind of crazy.”

Then, last year, Hasbro, the company that makes Magic cards, released more cards than usual. Later that year, a report from Bank of America accused Hasbro of overproducing cards, and diluting their value on the secondary market.

Robertson said he noticed.

“The cards that I bought mid to late pandemic have all come down in value,” Robertson said.

Hasbro didn’t comment for this story, but the company has denied over-printing cards. Hasbro has said it simply prints enough to meet demand.

Robertson said he’s no longer buying those extra boxes of cards as an investment.

“I’ve started to question that purchase because I know that that box is most likely not going to appreciate in value, and if anything, just decline the second I buy it,” Robertson said.

The pandemic also created some opportunities for people to pile in to other types of investments.

“If you’re interested in artwork, it’s the time to buy right now,” said Mike Kraus, an artist in Rochester, New York who’s been investing in art for around 25 years.

Kraus said galleries and art fairs basically shut down when the pandemic started, and many have struggled ever since. That’s meant that a lot of art just isn’t selling.

“There’s a glut of artwork to be had,” Kraus said. “I’ve been able to buy some pieces at very reasonable rates.”

Kraus said he typically spends between $100 to $500 on a piece of art. He said he’s bought anywhere between one and two hundred pieces over the last couple years, including drawings, paintings, jewelry and clothing.

Kraus said some of them will probably appreciate in value. But not all of them.

“If you group them up, build up a collection, it’s almost more like a mutual fund in that way,” Kraus said. “You spread the risk over all the pieces.”

But unlike a mutual fund, this is art we’re talking about. Kraus has to find a place to store it. But he said that’s a feature, not a bug.

“That’s the best part about it,” Kraus said. “I’m not looking at a ticker number. It’s on my wall. I get to see it, other people get to enjoy it.”

Kraus said he plans on holding on to most of his art for at least 10 years. If he doesn’t sell it, it’ll be a nice nest egg to pass on.


Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Summer Excitement!

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


WELCOME TO SUMMER!

It's those glorious days under the hot summer sun.  The cool breeze racing off the water as we hike to our favorite beach.  The birds diving and the fish jumping causing the water to splash.  The smell of food on the grill is the only thing preventing us from taking a nap.  It returns me to my youth.

What do you do to enjoy summer?  Is it relaxing with the AC in your home office and brisk walks at night?  Perhaps it's puttering in your garden watching your fruits and vegetables grow and flowers bloom?  Maybe it's taking a refreshing beverage to your favorite vantage point to watch the sunset?  

These are the days to remember.  


Mike Kraus
MikeKrausArt.etsy.com


PS - Looking to spoil yourself?  Try S'more cake.  It's everything you love about cooking at the fire pit, but can be kept cool and invigorating in the fridge.  Recipe at: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10226250314979982&set=gm.398884775592831


Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Children's Memorial Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.


For more information or custom order, please visit:

Monday, August 12, 2019

Vision Quest XVIII

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


Vision Quest XVIII
acrylic painting on canvas
8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm) 
© copyright Mike Kraus

I have stayed here for several days.  Alone in the wilderness with only the things I can carry in my backpack.  I've been rationing my food and water to extend my time here.  There's an intensity to the evening sun that is counter-balanced by the darkness of the soil.  A delicate harmony to everything.

This piece would work in a space that is burnt orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, or a neutral beige



Michael Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Children's Memorial Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold hundreds of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.


For more information or custom order, please visit:




Jakelin was a 7-year-old fleeing gang infested Guatemala.  
Felipe Gómez Alonzo died of an infection and the flu at 8-years-old
Juan de León Gutiérrez was 16-years-old when he died from an infection.
A 2-year-old died of pneumonia.

These are just a few of the 15,000 children imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other United States Government Agencies and their for-profit contractors.  They are being kept in concrete cells, deprived of basic necessities, and starving from hunger.  The filth they are forced to live in has led to flu, lice, and respiratory outbreaks, that are purposefully being neglected.  And guards punish these children for minor offences by taking away their blankets, mats, and forcing them to sleep directly on the concrete floor (Southern Poverty Law Center)

I am extremely disturbed that a country that has shown me and my family such kindness is so cruel to others. This is not about politics. This is about justice, kindness, and truth. These children and parents are fleeing Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala because government-supported gangs are violently attacking them (United Nations). After a dangerous journey, we deny them their rights to asylum (Amnesty International), we kidnap and lose their children (American Civil Liberties Union), cage and sexually assault kids (New York Times), and deny them due process and indefinite imprisonment at detention/internment/concentration camps (Los Angeles Times).  We're allowing them to die in these terrible conditions (NBC News).  And we arrest and try to imprison good, Christians who provide food and water to those in need (The Guardian).

I don't care about politics and find involvement in them to be humiliating.  I do care about honesty, fairness, and respect.  I ask that you remember your family roots, that you search your heart, and confront cruelty in all its forms.

For ways to help, please visit:



Monday, September 4, 2017

Twilight Woods

LABOR DAY SALE!
20% OFF ONLY!
LAST DAY!!!
Twilight Woods #246
gouache on bristol paper
NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm)
201709090
© copyright Mike Kraus

This artist trading card or ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) is frameable, collectable, enjoyable and can be given as a special gift for a birthday, wedding, new baby, anniversary, thank you or other occasion.  It is a one-of-a-kind original work of art, NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION. It is signed on the back and lends itself to framing in a standard trading card frame or book.

For more information or custom order, please visit:


Want to see my work in person?  Then visit these locations:
Kettle Fest at Kettle Ridge Farm Saturday, September 16, 2017 Kettle Ridge Farm 515 Log Cabin Road, Victor, NY 14564 http://www.kettlefest.com

Whitman Works Co1826 Penfield Rd, Penfield, NY 14526 (585) 747-9999 https://www.whitmanworks.com/

Art Cats Gallery 1845 Lakeshore Dr, Muskegon, MI 49441 (231) 755-7606 http://artcatsgallery.com/

Friday, September 1, 2017

Twilight Woods

LABOR DAY SALE!
20% OFF ONLY UNTIL MONDAY!
Twilight Woods #245
Gouache on Watercolor Paper
NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm)
201709089
© copyright Mike Kraus

This artist trading card or ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) is frameable, collectable, enjoyable and can be given as a special gift for a birthday, wedding, new baby, anniversary, thank you or other occasion.  It is a one-of-a-kind original work of art, NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION. It is signed on the back and lends itself to framing in a standard trading card frame or book.

FREE SHIPPING IN THE UNITED STATES

For more information or custom order, please visit:


Want to see my work in person?  Then visit these locations:
Kettle Fest at Kettle Ridge Farm Saturday, September 16, 2017 Kettle Ridge Farm 515 Log Cabin Road, Victor, NY 14564 http://www.kettlefest.com

Whitman Works Co1826 Penfield Rd, Penfield, NY 14526 (585) 747-9999 https://www.whitmanworks.com/

Art Cats Gallery 1845 Lakeshore Dr, Muskegon, MI 49441 (231) 755-7606 http://artcatsgallery.com/

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

What An Exciting Summer!

I hope that you're enjoying your summer!  That you're spending sunny days by the pool, grilling up delicious meals, and watching fireworks.  I've been busy with painting and various new shows.  Not only that, but just finished some renovations to my house that has allowed me to expand my studio.  So, I've been moving around furniture and trying to figure out how to best use my new work space.  I'll share some pictures once I have it all figured out.  Savor the warm, radiant days of summer while they are here.  The inspiration can last a lifetime.

PS- Use coupon code JOINTHEFUN to get 10% OFF your purchase at my online shop

Visit my art gallery online:
MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Want to see my work in person? Then visit these galleries:
FINAL WEEK!
Rochester Contemporary Art Center  137 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
(585) 461-2222 http://www.rochestercontemporary.org/

Whitman Works Co.​ 1826 Penfield Rd, Penfield, NY 14526
(585) 747-9999 https://www.whitmanworks.com/

Art Cats Gallery 1845 Lakeshore Dr Muskegon, Michigan
(231) 755-7606 http://artcatsgallery.com
About Mike Kraus
Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Children's Memorial Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold hundreds of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog. 

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Chicago Alley

 Chicago Alley #237, 2017
gouache paint and ink on bristol paper
NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 
201706058
© copyright Mike Kraus

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

This artist trading card or ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) is frameable, collectible, enjoyable and can be given as a special gift for a birthday, wedding, new baby, anniversary, thank you or other occasion.  It is a one-of-a-kind original work of art, NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION. It is signed on the back and lends itself to framing in a standard trading card frame or book.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

15% OFF TODAY ONLY!
Autumn Woods by Mike Kraus. This large format painting transforms any room with its warmth and vibrancy. Purchase and learn more at:

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Special Offer from The Gladiator Necklace


COUPON CODE: FriendsofKraus2016

Friends of Mike Kraus Art receive 50% off any purchase of $14 or more. FREE SHIPPING. Coupon code cannot be combined with other coupon codes or discounts. Only one coupon code per transaction. Supplies are Limited. Offer good while supplies last. Offer expires on November 15, 2016.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Sunflowers and Lavender In Provence

Sunflowers and Lavender In Provence, 2016
acrylic on canvas board
5" x 7" (12.7 cm x 17.7 cm)
© copyright Mike Kraus

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

Our bikes race up and down the gentle hills of Provence.  Everything has a distinct texture, the colors are vibrant, and the perfume in the air is intoxicating.  And every twisting road we turn down has countless rows of purple and blue lavender.  The heat of the Mediterranean sun presses against our backs as we pedal back to the village of Sault.  I'll never forget the fields of France.

This painting would look best in a space that is light red, orange, yellow, green, blue, light purple, black, white, beige, or wood

For more information or custom order, please visit:

I'll be one of the artists at KettleFest 2016 on Saturday September 17th!





Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Sunflowers and Lavender In Provence


Sunflowers and Lavender In Provence, 2016
acrylic on canvas board
8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)
© copyright Mike Kraus
To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/255403249/sunflowers-and-lavender-in-provence

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

Our bikes race up and down the gentle hills of Provence.  Everything has a distinct texture, the colors are vibrant, and the perfume in the air is intoxicating.  And every twisting road we turn down has countless rows of purple lavender and yellow sunflowers.  The heat of the Mediterranean sun presses against our backs as we pedal back to the village of Sault.  I'll never forget the fields of France.

This painting would look best in a space that is dark red, yellow, orange, blue, dark purple, black, white, beige, or wood.

For more information or custom order, please visit:
I'm happy to announce my partnership with EDGIC Fine Art, Luxury & Media Corporation. Please check out my work at:
http://mikekraus.edgic.eu/


I'll be one of the artists at KettleFest 2016 on Saturday September 17th!







Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Vision Quest XV

Vision Quest XV, 2015
acrylic painting on canvas board
8" x 10" in a frame (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm in a frame)
© copyright Mike Kraus

This painting was featured at:
BRIGHTSCAPES
Canandaigua National Bank and Trust
210 Alexander Street
Rochester, NY 14607

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

I have stayed here for several days.  Alone in the wilderness with only the things I can carry in my backpack.  I've been rationing my food and water to extend my time here.  There's an intensity to the evening sun that is counter-balanced by the darkness of the soil.  A delicate harmony to everything.

This piece would work in a space that is red, burnt orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, white, neutral beige, or wood.

For more information or custom order, please visit:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeKrausArt
I'll be one of the artists at KettleFest 2016 on Saturday September 17th!





Monday, August 8, 2016

Sunflowers and Lavender In Provence


Sunflowers and Lavender In Provence, 2015
acrylic on canvas board
8" x 10" in a frame (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm in a frame)
© copyright Mike Kraus

This painting was featured at:
BRIGHTSCAPES
Canandaigua National Bank and Trust
210 Alexander Street
Rochester, NY 14607

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

Our bikes race up and down the gentle hills of Provence.  Everything has a distinct texture, the colors are vibrant, and the perfume in the air is intoxicating.  And every twisting road we turn down has countless rows of purple lavender and yellow sunflowers.  The heat of the Mediterranean sun presses against our backs as we pedal back to the village of Sault.  I'll never forget the fields of France.

It's framed by Gianluca Moretti using yellow poplar wood, and finished with acrylic semi glossy. Gianluca is a woodworker that I partner with on Etsy. You can see more of his frames and more of his pieces at his shop located at: www.etsy.com/shop/MorettisCreations.

This painting would look best in a space that is deep red, yellow, orange, green, blue, light purple, brown, black,  white, beige or wood.

FREE SHIPPING IN THE UNITED STATES!

For more information or custom order, please visit:

I'll be one of the artists at KettleFest 2016 on Saturday September 17th!



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