Antiques Collectibles Books

I love this book. It's colorful and informative. It was much cheaper than the book store. It arrived in excellent condition.

An excellent resource superior to their book on Oven Ware. I would highly recommend. Lots of pictures and values.

This book goes everywhere with me! I've bought a lot of reference books, and it's definitely one of the best.

I have been using Florence's books for research and pricing. What a world of help and knowledge!!!I recommend this book for those, like me, who are new and need a helping hand and guidance as well as for those who have been in the business for years. My thanks!!!

THIS BOOK IS NOT ONLY A NECESSITY TO USE TO KNOW THE VALUE OF ANTIQUE GLASSWARE, IT SO INTERESTING JUST TO BROWSE THROUGH WITH ALL THE COLORFUL GLASSWARE AND ITEMS YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS AND SOME I'VE NEVER SEEN. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED LOOKING AT THIS BOOK OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

A great reference book for those who love vintage jewelry and for those who make jewelry. I think this is the best pearl book and book on Tiffany jewelry there is.

THE most wonderful gift for that special woman in your life that loves pearls! Seduces you with breathtaking photos of collectable pieces & educates you about the history of pearls & how to care for them. Also stirs the imagination to create similar...
I consult in an exclusive jewelry boutique, (The Jewelry Doctor/Vienna, VA) and am ordering my SECOND copy as one of our clients loved the book so much that I gave her my copy; mournfully, yet happily to see her love for it...
You simply will not believe the high quality photos and the depth of the historical information provided by this author...a wonderful gift idea for the holidays! ~Shannon @ THE JEWELRY DOCTOR, Platinum & Diamond Boutique, 703.255.1330

We saw the Martha Stewart TV show when John Loring was a guest and immediately ordered his book.It is a wonderful addition to our library of precious gems. We highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in knowing more about pearls. [...]

Gorgeously illustrated, in-depth history of the spherical nacre form. It's a must read for anyone who has even entertained the idea of owning pearls, or for anyone who has inherited grandma's necklace.

Gorgeous photos! Enjoyed this beautiful survey,documentation of tiffany pearl jewelry designs very much.

Great Book. Studied it in the library and decided I just had to have a copy. Very informative.

Many of the drawings are very difficult to study. Some are faint, some are drawn with very thick ink lines, and some are so small as to be virtually useless. Don't buy this book unless you can see it in a B&M store and determine if the drawings you are interested in can even be seen

Overall I am definitely happy I bought the book, it is worth the money and everyone who has or plans to have a substantial collection of firearms or an interest in firearms should purchase this book.

There are inconsistencies in terminology that make it a bit hard to read, for example on the Japaneese Nambu diagram they call it a "frame" while on the Glock diagram they call it a "receiver." This is misleading since both parts serve the excact same purpose.

That being said, the only MAJOR gripe I have with this book - the issue that caused it to lose a star- is its lack of coverage of more modern firearms.

Here is a short list of firearms the book has no coverage of that it should:
CZ rifles
Saiga shotguns and rifles
Imbel and DSA FALs
AK-74 rifles
Century Arms Bullpup AK
Fn2000
Beretta CX4 storm carbine, RX4 rifle
Benelli M3 Super 90
Robinson XCR

The list goes on

Also it is very hard to find many military firearms even if they have listings, one has to look under "mitchel arms" to find the only ak-47 and one of the few Ar-15s even though many manufacturers make such weapons and they are far more popular then other series of guns which have far more coverage.

-Had to look under "brno" to find the CZ 75 pistol, the book should take more effort to put things under the names which they are known.


So in conclusion the book is a great resource for any gun owner and especially those with mainly older firearms in their collections, the price is right and with a few additions and better organization it could of gotten five stars.

I was a bit disappointed with this volume. Probably should have paid more attention to the description. I assumed that there would be an exploded view of each gun I own-and wanted to buy. This would then serve as "do all" reference for componentry. Not quite--lot's of drawings but not some of the more common Taurus revolvers among others. Some of the drawings are also a bit difficult to see/read numbers part shapes etc..Not a bad investment-just not a great investment. Excellent paperweight!!

This is a pretty great book, it's layout and design is very simple and straightforward, and if you're strictly into traditional handguns, and traditional rifles I.E: hunting and target shooting, then this book is probably fine for you, however there are some serious issues with what it lacks, particularly in terms of military weapons, and some newer guns. I will be right to the point and just list all of the guns which this book does not contain, but really should have, they are (in no particular order): AK74, Dragunov SVD, RPK, M60, Hi-point guns, Kel-Tec guns, Kahr guns, AR-18, Barrett guns, Saiga shotguns, Saiga rifles, Tikka rifles, Blaser rifles, HK G-36, HK MP5-K, IMI Tavor, FN Five-seveN, FN Police rifle, Makarov pistol, Springfield XD, Beretta CX4 storm, Beretta PX4 storm, Taurus 24/7, Taurus Tracker, HK UMP, and Suomi M-31. This is just some of the guns which I could not find in the book, and granted, while some of the guns are fairly new (coming out in 2004), many of these I was shocked were not in the book, like no Saiga rifles or shotguns, no AK74, no Dragunov, no HI-points, no Kel-Tecs, no Makarov. And other little things like how things are listed is sometimes frustrating, like the AK47 is listed under "Mitchell arms"??? And there aren't many diagrams for the moderns typical AR-15, just the original Colt style M16. I guess the major problem is that while it lacks many military and otherwise typical guns, at the sametime this book devotes many pages to totally useless, obscure, and obsolete guns which many people have never heard of. SO it isn't that there is not enough space for all these guns which aren't in the book, there are just several guns in the book which don't need to be there, and should be replaced with those which aren't in it. Like they have a diagram for the Wilkinson "Linda" which is a Tec-9 look-alike, I mean come on, how many people have a freakin Wilkinson "Linda", definitely far fewer than those who have Saigas, Kel Tecs, Hi Points, or even Barrett .50 cal rifles.

I can only say, if you are in the business, it's like having a larger "Gun Parts" book. I have only found one other reference better. This is a MUST HAVE. I use it all the time. If you can work from exploded views, this is for YOU!

I have 25+ titles dealing with antique furniture and Four Centuries of American Furniture is, in my opinion, in the top three...a true "text book" of American furniture study. In this revised edition, Fitzgerald covers, in great detail, American furniture styles from the earliest settlers through the mid 20th century. Each period is covered in great depth, providing detailed info on the various regional style differences,how each one evolved, which countries influenced American furniture, as well as the many social and economic changes that influenced each style. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in antique American furniture.

Great Resource for Toy Collectors. Got this as a gift for a family member who collects toys. He said it was very informative, especially for antique toys.

O'Brien's Collecting Toys covers an awful lot of ground and does it well. Whether you are a collector or a dealer you MUST have this book to be on the same page everyone else is when evaluating the values of most antique and vintage toys. While the book does cover many of the popular toys and manufacturers, it does have many ommissions, at least in the area of tin windups. In the future I'd like to see more toys added, and other manufacturers included..most notably Guntherman, Marklin, Martin, Arnold. A more intuitive listing of the toys would also help as it can sometimes be difficult to find the toy you're looking for.

10th edition, year 2001 very comprehensive collectible toys guide featuring more than 51,000 values for its 17,000 listings. There are more than 3,700 black and white pictures and a 16-page color section. A complete table of contents makes item location easy. Its items range from Action Jackson, Buck Rogers, Charlie's Angels and Evel Knievel, to Addams Family, Howdy Doody, Munsters and Pez and Matchbox, Renwal, Tootisetoy and wooden toys. Each major topic covers a nice introduction to the area. Very useful reference for toy collectors and enthusiasts.

I would rate this comprehensive guide to collecting toys as a basic necessity for the beginning toy collector as well as the veteran toy collector. Not only is this new reference exciting, but the information is extremely helpful, reader friendly, accurate, and up-to-date with contributions by many leading authorities in the toy-collecting field. If you are seriously interested in toy collecting, then this fine book is a MUST for your toy-reference library!

Elizabeth Stephan's O'Brien's Collecting Toys, 10th Edition is a weighty price guide which could well be used as a price 'bible' for toy collectibles. Anticipate only a handful of color photos mid-book: the meat of the title lies in its black and white photos throughout and more particularly its over 50,000 items categorized for quick reference and provided with the latest values.

Being big disney fans, my son really enjoyed receiving this as a Christmas gift. It comes beautifully packaged and is a great addition to his collection. Playing the cd's brings fond memories of the rides and attractions at Disneyland Park and makes you wish you were there.

You must be a Disney fan for truly appreciate this book. If that is your case, you'll love it!!. The "pockets" where some of the "souvenirs" are located are a little tight, and can tear with ease. Other than that, it is a nice idea.

I absolutely love this book! I love seeing replicas of letters, stories, pamphlets, early drawings, etc. When people come to visit they pick it up and are as fascinated as we are. It's one of the coolest books we own.

These books are like a pop up book on steroids...They are FULL of interesting little pieces that you can take out and look at, like letters from Walt to Lillian, ride tickets from the early days and all sorts of other things...These 2 books are worth every penny!!!

This book is a timeless classic, an absolute gem. For anyone wishing to get a real glimpse into the magic that is Disney this is the book.It offers historical insight and hands on replica memorabilia. I found this book full of information and fun.Beautifully presented.

I was looking forward to buying and reading this book because I purchased the first two editions and thoroughly enjoyed them. Even my wife, who does not totally share my interest in sewing machines, enjoyed this book. I really liked the more detailed photographs of these early sewing machines and the abundance of color photographs were right on. Everything about this carefully researched book is first class and a great deal for the money. I would have enjoyed seeing more photographs of early trade literature, but I am not complaining. So, to Mr. Bays I say, "CONGRADULATIONS for writing another informative, collectable book about antique sewing machines." James W. Slaten

This book was laid out in a way that you could follow and understand. Very informative.

This was a good book except there were no real ideas except to break out your coins from the already sealed and graded plastic cartridges and resend them back to have them graded again hoping they will upgrade their already graded grade. Hopefully, in breaking the protective case, you don't scratch them getting them out. To me, that was expensive and taking a chance on their judgement. There were no real hints that I could use other than what I was already doing.

I bought this book with the idea of picking up some investment coins, salting them away for a few years, and cashing out. While that may indeed work, it's not the essential theme of this book. After reading and thinking through some of the strategies, I became fascinated with the grading arbitrage game that is covered in great detail. Despite Travers' warnings about doing this online (and ebay specifically) I was able to parlay $600 into $1200 in about two months using ebay coin auctions. There is some risk involved and you absolutely must do your homework, but pretty much everything you need is discussed in this book. You can make your own price guide by using the resources on ebay; you will also need the self-discipline to not over-bid!

While well-written, this book comprises of one theme throughout: cracking older PCGS graded coins and re-submitting them in the hope of a higher rating and a higher value. The book is very well detailed in this respect, but many of the older holders have long ago been cracked and re-submitted. Very little in other advice as far as making a profit.

When you buy these kinds of books, you tend to expect some secret techniques of making money. Many books even manage to create the impression of telling you something previously undisclosed, until you try it and realise that it does not work.

This book is written by the professional in this field. Making money in coins is a business, and not such an exciting one, after all. There are a few ways of making a profit honestly (or almost honestly) in numismatics. And there is no guarantee of being succesful. Very sobering message, and this book gets it across well.

I learned a lot from this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in this business.