Antiques Collectibles Books

A great book for kids and adults that are just starting in coin collecting. The topics range from the simple to the advanced. Read just the chapters that interest you and you will be ahead in the coin collecting game.

I'm still consulting it, but it's a great book. It say what your dealers don't want, or takes you a lot of time to investigate. I'm from Mexico, and mexican coins amateur collector, i have catalogs but this book has been to useful.

I landed the job of cataloging my Father-in-law's coin collection. I didn't know a thing about coins. I got this book to help point me in the right direction. It is extremely helpful in giving me the terms used and explaining the DO's and Dont's (DO NOT CLEAN THE COINS) of collecting coins.

Hello , Covers all the basics quite nicely , easy to read and understand. I would strongly suggest you read this book and at least one other on your specific interest before you spend a dime on coins.

Good information for someone like myself who is just getting started in coin collecting. Would be too general for someone who is a bit more experienced. No buyer's remorse here!

The story of the world's most expensive baseball card, the T206 Honus Wagner PSA 8 NM-MT, isn't very complicated. Unearthed in 1985, it has changed owners a handful of times, netting each one a tidy profit. Its whereabouts for its first 75 years of existence are unknown. The reasons for its rarity have been speculated on, but are ultimately unknown. Whether the card has been trimmed somewhere along the way, a big no-no in the card collecting world and, if ever determined to be true, would permanently mar the hobby, is unknown. While O'Keeffe and Thompson perform an admirable job of attempting to answer these unknowns in The Card, the reader is ultimately left unfulfilled.

What the authors do accomplish, however, is the painting of a vivid picture of the high end of sports card and memorabilia collecting. From the eccentric personalities involved to the back-room dealings to the heinous manipulation of items considered by some to be national or historic treasures, The Card lays it all out in unflinching detail. The king of the hill is Bill Mastro, the uber-dealer whose involvement has touched just about every sale of the Wagner. Surrounding him are other prominent collectors and dealers, some on his side, others attempting to dethrone him. While the authors exhibit a bias in who is "good" and "evil" in this fight, astute readers will recognize universal themes in this battle and be able to make their own judgments on motives. Like the question of whether the Wagner has been trimmed, the heroes and villains in this story are not clear-cut. What is clear, however, is that what used to be a fun hobby for boys and men with a touch of OCD has become commoditized by skyrocketing prices. Along with this commoditization comes all of its associated evils: all-encompassing greed, hubris, the destruction of national treasures. Ultimately, this unfortunate revelation will be The Card's final legacy.

Written in a light journalistic style, The Card is easy leisure time reading and can be finished in a single sitting. While a bit erratic in detail -- the sections on Wagner's life as a player seem scant, while too much time is spent on the purported Wagner card owned by Ray Edwards and John Cobb -- the narration nonetheless flows easily from one topic to the next. Longtime hobbyists will probably find very little new information in The Card, though, and may even be distracted by easily quashable errors such as Alan Ray's assertion that the red printer's mark present when he owned the Wagner is now missing. However, this book was more than likely not written for hardcore collectors; its target audience being laymen with a passing interest in the hobby and its most expensive artifact. That being said, though, The Card does provide a decent aggregation of many of the tidbits of information on the Wagner that have been scattered amongst Internet message boards and whisper-filled back rooms. Advanced hobbyists may find it useful for that reason, although the lack of an index may at the same time hinder it. All in all, The Card is a decent book for card collectors' reference shelves, and as an exciting read for everyday folks.

First, let me say that this is, by far, the single greatest book ever written about the history of collecting. Even if you're not into cards, this book is a fast read which you absolutely will not be able to put down.

THAT BEING SAID, I strongly disagree with the very premise that a card which was hand-cut from a production sheet is somehow worthless.

THE Card is supposed to be "fake" or "worthless" because it has been "altered" or "trimmed". This is because it is designated PSA 8 NM-MT when PSA normally refuses to grade hand-cut cards.

In other words, PSA violates their own rules. I submit that it's not THE Card which is fake. It's PSA's RULES. They should get over their bias against hand-cut cards from production sheets and start grading them, the way they grade strip cards from the 1920's and 1930's.

99% of the vintage trading cards in existence were cut by machine at the factory. However, there were some cards which still existed as uncut sheets when collectors started getting into old cardboard back in the 1970's and 1980's.

Some cards were distributed to the public as uncut sheets only. This was mostly in the 1920's through the 1940's. These cards are called "strip cards". You can see examples if you search eBay for "w551". Once in a while, you'll even see an intact uncut sheet from the 1920's in collector's circles.

PSA will grade a strip card which was hand cut, no problem. If the margins are fully intact, they'll give it a numeric grade. If the card has been cut into the margins, they'll give it the dreaded "authentic". Either way, PSA provides a valuable service by doing so. Either way, a strip card is not considered to be a "Fake" or "Altered" in any way.

What PSA refuses to do is this: let's say a card like a T206 or 1933 Goudey was distributed to the public in machine-cut form. If you happen to run across an uncut sheet of those cards and cut them out of the sheet, no matter how neatly, no matter how perfectly, PSA will refuse to grade your card.

Well, I'm sorry, but that's just wrong. I've seen some absolutely beautiful hand-cut cards in my time. The cards are just as old, just as rare, just as desirable. The pictures are the same. They came off the same printing press. They are REAL, genuine, authentic, historically significant, and any true collector should be proud to own one.

A good example is the 1944 American Beauties trading card set. This was a non-sports series of World War II pin-up cards by famed artist Gil Elvgren. Most were distributed in packs of 12 cards. There were only 24 cards in the set, so each pack contained 1/2 the set.

HOWEVER, they were also distributed as strips of 6. You'll sometimes run across uncut sheets on the internet, and you'll sometimes run across neatly hand-trimmed examples of the cards. Genuine cards. From 1944. Identical in every respect to the cards from the packs, except for the trimming.

Submit one of these cards to PSA, and they'll return the card. Mind you, they keep the $15 or $25 grading fee. But your card will be treated with about the same amount of respect usually reserved for those who murder puppies.

In my opinion, that's just wrong. PSA makes the rules and PSA enforces the rules. The author of this book makes a compelling case that the most famous baseball card in the world was hand-cut from a production sheet. And he says it's "artificial" because that violates PSA's rules. The card isn't artificial. The RULES are artificial. So change the rules.

A person may have never collected one baseball card, but the T206 Wagner transcends that industry. And with any item worth millions of dollars, the pop culture publicity surrounding it has been a curse and a blessing.

Authors Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson take the reader on a wild ride of the history of the Honus Wagner tobacco card through the fiction that has oftentimes shuffled the facts to the clubhouse and the legacy of "The Card," the ultimate T206 that is worth at least $2 million.

From cards as fake as the slimy smiles of a con-man to the high-stakes game in the art of the deal to obtain the ultimate collectible, the story is a home run that is hammered out of the stadium.

Wow! What a page-turner! Finished this in roughly 24 hours, something I haven't done in a long time.

I haven't been interested in baseball cards since I was about 13, and I haven't been interested in baseball too much in the past ten years, but this book brought me right back to where I was in my youth.

The book reads like a murder mystery that keeps you hooked, and tells all sorts of history about old time baseball cards, card collectors, Honus Wagner himself, and unfortunately all the card crooks found within the hobby.

Highly recommended!!

I spent most of the 1980s collecting baseball cards. I started with the complete 1977 - 1979 Topps sets, collected for me by my dad as a failed attempt at giving me an inheritance. Most of what I bought and traded for later I stored in shoeboxes (the 1980 Topps set is in the cigar box that originally heralded my sister's birth). My mother never threw my cards away; I still have them all, many creased from having been transported to summer camp in my pockets.

"The Card" is a fast, revealing read, and having lived the collector's life (in a penny-ante kind of way) I can say this is a must-read book for those of us over a certain age. It seizes on a single surviving 1909 T206 Honus Wagner card that recently re-sold at private auction for nearly $3 million, and how, through years of investigative journalism, the authors have fairly well proven that the card is not exactly what it purports to be.

Apart from the hours I wasted cataloguing and re-cataloguing my meager collections (I once traded the 1977 Chris Chambliss for a 1983 tandem of Ed Lynch and Dave LaRoche; dumb, dumb move) I've never spent a million bucks on a card of dubious provenance. I once laid down $10 for a 1957 Topps Luis Aparicio, too big to fit into the 9-card-per-page collector sheets that housed lots of 1987 Mark McGwires and Garbage Pail Kids at the time.

"The Card" is a terrific look at the dark side of the hobby. Since many of those noted as "villains" by the author declined to be profiled, the book mostly features interviews with collectors who've left the hobby out of heartbreak, or those who run honorable and transparent businesses trying to clean it back up. It's not just about baseball cards: it also touches on the grey market for "game-used" bats, autographs, jerseys and gloves. Billy Crystal makes a poignant cameo late in the story: he spent a quarter of a million collars on an item that isn't what he thought it was.

At a card show last year I got autographs on two memorable cards: Bake McBride signed his afro on the '80s Topps card, and Alvin Dark signed for me his 1955 Bowman TV-set image. I will not be selling these items. Neither card is in near-mint to mint condition, as is the profiled T206 Wagner; neither card is particularly rare; and I got them signed for sentimental value, not for investment purposes.

Confession, however: I did once trim a baseball card. This is part of a run of dubious practices, made easier with the advent of newer technology, where dog-eared cards are made crisp, and where aging borders are pared back to their original white and pristine state. In early 1983 a Junior Scholastic-type magazine I got in the mail came with an uncut partial sheet of eight 1982 Topps cards (I do have a mis-cut, from-the-pack 1980 Topps John Candelaria that's probably worth nothing). Being nine and having never seen an uncut sheet before, I promptly grabbed my safety scissors and got to work liberating the cards from their unified tyranny. Mangled all the cards in the process. Including the Orioles Future Stars card. With Cal Ripken, Jr. on it. To be fair, at the time I couldn't have known I was cutting up a card that, thanks to the hobby's implosion, probably isn't worth more than 20 bucks today, if that.

One final note: the story of the T206 Wagner and its dubious rise to 7-figure investment property, opens in 1985 in a baseball card shop in Hicksville, New York. This is the same Long Island town that for 20 years unknowingly housed the Gospel of Judas. My mother (and all my baseball cards) currently reside in Hicksville. I'm going back to my collection one day and maybe see if I don't have a T206 Wagner myself sitting somewhere in that fated locale.

This is a very good reference book. The pictures are very clear and precise. A good addition to your reference library.

This book is a must, for all those interested in Pottery, and the manufacturers marks, obviously they cannot put every mark in the Word in it, but it has a fantastic range, and is interesting both to read, and study the photographs supplied, a great investment that I will use over, and over again.

I like this book very much. e.g. Photo of mark, dates used, and a typical item it would be marked on. It has the most popular companies, and if the company used many marks; they are here. I have yet to be disappointed in this book.

It's true, there are numerous marks, but I was truly disappointed that they were pictures taken on the object and the problem is they are not readable. The reason for having reference is to help identify a mark and year and I would have preferred an actually factory mark so it was legible and then how it might appear on product. Not all that helpful.

Excellent resource book for china & pottery marks, quality photographs of many marks, well organized. Highly recommend.

This book, to me, is really neat in that it actually shows you the measurements for simple costume projects.

It's a nice book, it covers all the areas of the medieval society... but briefly.
It has a lot of images, and some sketched patterns, but it's of no great use if you're a newcomer to both medieval clothes and sewing techniques.
Used together with some other books, it can come in handy.
With goods and bads, it worths its price.

I'm of mixed feelings on this book .
First, if you don't own a single costuming book, then get it, just for some inspiration.

The best reason for anyone to get the book is the illustrations......over 200 period illustrations to use for inspiration.
Granted, they're in black and white.......so you don't get the colors to see, but Ms Hartley often describes the colors, so that helps.
She has provided a number of pages of detailed line-drawing illustrations to help explain/show how cloth was cut and sewn to create various outfits.
As such, they are helpful, sometimes.
Ditto, other times they are off the mark.

Some of her interpretations are, shall I say 'creative' without adequate proof in her period sources to support her theories of construction.
With that, I have some major problems, but if her purpose is to give a resonable facsimile for stage interpretation, then her theories are adequate.
If her purpose was to provide accurate historical information, then she is often being misleading in regards to the needs of the serious historical re-inactor.
i.e. she interprets the 'modesty panel' triangular insert, in a 15th c. gown as a 'vest'. Granted, she says "a small triangular vest" so maybe her idea of a vest, and mine, are merely a difference in understanding. But her perception of a Hellsgate overgown is off the mark. Because the upper portion of the winter worn ones is often covered in, or lined with, fur, she incorrectly interprets the upper portion as a totally seperate garment, calling it a 'sleeveless jacket/coat' and both her line drawings and her text clearly indicate she genuinely believed it to have been such, stating : ".........shows a sleeveless jacket which must have been comforting in drafty halls-it may be fur-lined, or only fur trimmed- but it is definately part of the jacket. The front seems to be stiffened by light strips of wood or whalebone (I have major problems with this, as it has no sound basis, at all. Stiffening elements were used, in later times, as means of support, but were not needed for this garment, which hung loosely. Her interpretation is apparently based on the stiff appearance of the panels, but this is due to the heavy weight of the (Attached)skirts holding it vertical)..... and the jacket secured to it firmly by metal studs or clasps. The whole jacket is essentially a sturdy little affair, and though in some cases it seems to have been worn as part of the robe, we believe it was always made and put on seperately."

Her line drawings shows it as a simple fur-lined vest (with a normal sleeveless opening......which her period illustrations do not support, at all ) and a line drawing of one (vest) with a button-front panel down the center, which she has taken the creative measure of showing 'how' it was 'surely' attached to the edges of the front vest opening, by way of 4 buttons at the corners of the front insert, going through button holes, in the vest, barely concealed at the edges of the fur edging along the front edges. There is absolutely no historical evidence to support this theory; she had, clearly gotten it in her head, that this was a seperate jacket, and is attempting to demonstrate how the period variations might have been achieved, to support this silly idea. I need to add that in many of her other line drawings she seems to rule out the cut of the cloth pieces being a shaping factor, and, instead, resorts to the use of darts to show how to achieve a fitted look. Only in two incidences has she shown the use of gores to widen a skirt. In at least two cases (of men's garments) she has done something interesting with the cloth directly below where the cut goes into the body of the cloth, to isolate the sleeve for sewing the underarm seam. She has, instead of cutting it from the body of the garment, (to use as sleeves, etc.) left it, open and seamless, to wrap the front, back around the sides of the body, and the back panels, forward over those to create a double layer of cloth at either side of the torso, (for warmth ?) held in by the belt. I've never seen the first bit of period source to support this theory, nor does any of her period sources provided in the book, support it. She also shows an interesting theory on the cut of a laborer's shirt with high collar (under her chapter on 'Artisans' oddly enough) Cuts are made down either side of what is to be the high collar, and the cloth, to either side of the collar, is folded down over the shoulders in a manner like the side panels earlier mentioned, and stitched into place. Once again, she tucks in darts to shape with. She also elaborates on her 'padded shoulders' theories by showing two other drawings of "shoulder flaps" again, un-supported by any evidence in the form of period illuminations, etc.

Dispite all of this, believe it, or not, but I Still LIKE the book !!!
It's well worth the money in period pictures, if for no other reason.

I also like the fact that she's steered away from the usual emphasis on royal garments, and has concentrated her efforts on the clothes of the everyday common man, dividing her chapters to cover individual professions. Her line drawings are excellent, even if off-the-mark at times with her theories of construction......she has nicely isolated some interesting details of accessories to go with the different professions and situations, as in the clappers, etc. that the lepers were required to announce their approach,...her text in these things, elaborates more on the assorted situations, with helpful historical information.

All in all, my single largest problem with her concise little book is when it comes down to her attempts to introduce her own theories as to construction; using her line drawings to try and prove how her theories might have been achieved, while she neglects to provide period sources to give visual support to her ideas. As a quick guide to theatrical costuming, it has it's merits. As a first costuming book for Medieval Historical re-inactors, it is valuable for the period illustrations, but her interpretations often need to be taken with a grain of salt, as many will not fly if entered in an A & S costuming competition, judged by informed judges...so you be the judge of how valuable this book may be in your library. I have over 100 costuming books in my own, and I'm still glad I added this one, if for no other reason than as a sometimes bad example,....but, again, the period illustrations are well worth the cost of the book. R.D. Wertz/Shara of Meridies

Even if I am french I can use this book to realize medieval costumes. The patterns are very good and the explanations quite easy.

Medieval Costume - yes. Sorta. I guess. She doesn't give much in the way of proof for her costuming conjectures. Lots of drawings and narrative, but really no citations worth mention.

How to Recreate it? Not at all. not a bit. Not even so much as a cutting diagram or a single discussion of how to cut, sew, assemble or reproduce the garments.

Very disappointing.

IF TRYING TO TEACH YOURSELF DOLLMAKING A TOOL WITH MANY TIPS OF
DIFFERENT METHODS.I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM IT.ALTHOUGH I HAVE HAD FAILURES IT IS MAKING MY SKILLS GROW.ANOTHER MUST HAVE.

Talk about INSPIRATION! This is a wonderful book for all doll makers, beginners and experts alike. There are clear directions for many different techniques, and so much variety in the techniques that you will NEVER come out of your sewing room! This book is a must have for all doll makers and sculptures.

I am a cloth doll maker and never fail to find inspiration when I read this book. I look through it frequently for ideas and for technique - and never fail to find something I can use. This is a basic book for any cloth doll maker and I can't recommend it highly enough. I belong to a cloth doll club and everyone owns one of these books and wouldn't be without it.

Anyone who cannot understand and follow this book's instructions and illustrations should not attempt to make art dolls. They do not have the necessary creativity and would be better served by a major pattern company. This is the most informative and inspirational books I've read on art dolls. All of Susanna Oroyan's books are informative, inspirational, and food for the soul of the dollmaker.

The book follows no particular sequence and leaves much unanswered in basic steps. For example, page 35 which instructs on making a fully sculptural head is initially clear, basically 3 circles are needed and you'll come out with a fully sculpted head with no nose. But, then there is a drawing of a fully sculptured head with a nose. This head appears to have 4 pieces. The increase caused by splitting the face with the nose in half...but, is this nose appliqued or glued on? Is it then covered with another cloth? This is never answered. And what order is easiest in sewing this face together. If you sew parts 1 and 2, the face, then part 3, the piece which hold in the padding to the face should be smaller (remember, you sewed the face together) and now you need a smaller circumference for part 3, or should it be pleated. According to the author, "learning will be quicker and more enjoyable if you allow yourself to have ideas, to play with them, and to experiment with the techniques." She continues and it becomes condescending. I spent more time than necessary trying to determine exactly what steps to take and when.. she never tells the full story and jumps from one subject to another without warning or explanation. I have plenty of ideas but needed help with the basics in order to apply my ideas. You won't get that here. There are many beautiful figures made by the author and other artists and a brief statement of the technique used. The book is a waste of time and money.. I closed the book and started from "Scratch". I will list the book here on Amazon if any of you want to buy it.

Marble identification is complicated. This book has excellent photos to assist in identification. The narrative pertaining to each type of marble is informative, quick, and to the point. This is a book to be used.

I know Martha Stewart has had bad press lately but her ideas are still pretty cool (plus this book was from a few years ago). I'm having a blast with this book because I love to go antiquing and looking for stuff to make things with. Granted, you may not find the extact items she uses but you can certainly find the same general items (e.g. egg cups, button covers, vintage fabrics). I really like how the book is laid out in terms of glass, textiles, etc. Also, she has tips for caring and cleaning different types of items which is great since you generally need to clean things that you find at flea markets etc. The ideas are all really neat and really they are easy to do. Five stars all around from me. The ideas I've gotten from this book have really spawned my creativity to make other sorts of things too. Lots of fun!

I have never seen some of those things available when I've done some scrounging, but the ideas to use them are pretty interesting. My favorite is the linen cabinet made from the shutter doors; you'd have to see it to understand what I mean. Having met a man who is into collecting, I thought we could use it, but so far, not. Thumb through it, see if it's for you.

Try Second-Hand Style: Finding and Renewing Antique Treasures or Decorating With Flea Market Finds or Flea Market Decorating (Better Homes and Gardens Books). I love these three books.

This is a very useful, if not indispensable, reference work on United
States currency, including much colonial and Continental currency.

THIS IS A NEEDED BOOK FOR ANY LARGE SIZE CURRENCY POTENTATE, BUT THE BOOK BY GEORGE CUHAJ "STANDARD CATALOG OF UNITED STATES PAPER MONEY,26 ed." IS MUCH MORE ACCURATE WITH BOTH LARGE AND SMALL VALUES AND NUMBERS PRINTED.

The Friedberg book continues to be a classic reference for U.S. Paper Money. However, its strength is still pre-1928, large size notes. There are far better references for small size paper money, notably the Standard Guide to Small Size U.S. Paper Money by Schwartz and Lindquist. For example, that book catalogs blocks, mules and other variations, something that friedberg doesn't even mention. However, having said that, Friedberg is still an important book for anyone interested in U.S. paper money to have in their library.

Being a coin collector, I purchased this book to give me a guide on Gold Certificates as they caught my eye recently at the Carson City Coin Show. The book flows through the different eras of US paper money to the National Bank notes, Federal Reserve notes, fractionals, etc. My only issue with the book was that I would have liked to have seen more color pictures of the bank notes, especially the 1905 $20 "Technicolor" Gold Certificates.

Now my only problem, as a coin collector, is that I have a list of Federal Reserve bank notes and Gold Certificates I just have to have in my collection. HA!

A must have for any collector of Collectible Paper Currency !!! This reference book is yearly updated (which is a must to stay on top of the ever changing pricing of these collectible notes) and goes into great detail of each and every U.S. Note ever printed with the current market value of the notes. Black and white pictures of each note as well as breathe taking colored photos of each U.S. Note. I find I use this reference book everyday along with my other U.S. Paper Currency reference books in my private library.

Great book at a great price. Very informative. A must for any collector or hobbiest.

For many years (35) I have relied on this book as a guide to firearms values. It is the most complete gun guide published.
Robert Caselnova, FFL, owner Cas Firearms

This is the standard for gun values. It is the one I see used by the dealers at all the gunshows. While it is not perfect, it is a the most information I have ever seen about gun values in one place. Some information may be in error, but given the sheer volume of entries, the errors are minor. I have been studying guns for over thirty-five years, and was amazed at how many guns and makers were listed that I had never heard of. Buy this one if you want to get fair value in your gun deals.

I guess they were in a time crunch. This book doesn't have all guns in their value. I have three gun not in the book how many more are missing? I say do your job!

Updated and informative reference on gun values. Extensive listings. With many changes in the firearms industry nothing can be completely current; however, this book is as close as you will get.

I must admit, I'm not as crazy about this book like everyone else seems to be. I gave it four stars for the beautiful photos, and descriptions.
But I think some things could be improved. The index lists everything by page number, which is fine if you're just leisurely looking through the book. But if you're looking for one particular outfit, it would be much more convenient to have an alphebetical listing. I wouldn't mind seeing the price guide broken down to include each individual accessory, since many people put together a complete set, piece by piece. But the thing that REALLY bugs me is that she almost always adds the word 'doll' after their names. For example, 'On weekends, Ken doll liked to take Barbie doll for a drive...', or 'Francie doll was excited about...'. Very annoying, to me, anyway. But, overall, it's a very good book to have.

To say something about this book is so so easy - this is THE Barbie collection book. Great photos, great describtions of all the outfits year by year.
You don't need any other book besides this

Great book - a must for any Barbie collector-great pictures with accessories that originally went with each outfit- easy to look up values-great fun to wander through!!

A great reference book with great photos and descriptions to keep track of your dolls clothes and your investment.

For any serious collector of vintage Barbie doll, this book is the best resource available. I have many other books on early Barbie and her fashions, but this volume is the one that I consistently use. It is an accurate, comprehensive chronology of Barbie doll, her family and friends from 1959 through 1967. The photographs alone are worth purchasing the book. The colors are vibrant and crisp. Each fashion is pictured with all of its original components. This is of great value to the collector in putting together an outfit. I keep this book by my computer for reference when making vintage Barbie doll purchases or bidding on online auctions. I cannot imagine collecting Barbie doll items without it!