5 comments about Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain, 1850 to the Present.

1. If you collect this type of pottery, you will have to get this book sooner or later as it provides an outstanding reference to marks found on these items and so permits you to assess the age of the item. But the lack of any real advice, wisdom, guidance, explanations, etc. about the subject of collecting these pieces, knowing when marks are real or fake, and assessing the quality of the pieces is essentially nil. So you will have to learn pretty much everything you need to know from other sources. A real disappointment given that the authors are almost certainly know a lot more about the subject matter than they put into these books. M Pezim



2. This is a good resource book. It has it's limitations, but I use it almost daily. I look up alot of ceramics marks, and I find the large majority of them in this Kovels book. It is great if you are looking for a specific makers mark, or decoratoras mark. The limitation is that there is no way to comprehensively view all marks from one particular maker. If you have a few treasures that you want to accurately identify, then it is very good. Don't get me wrong, I haven't found every mark I look for. But I haven't found a Marks reference that I do. This book provides a good clean and easy format to locate the mark I need, and quickly.
   
   Also, if you are looking for back ground info on the company, this isn't the book for you. While the Kovel's do an excellent job of showing literal thousands of easy to find marks, thats all they show. All in all a highly recommended resource. Any serious ceramics collector, dealer, or dedicated flea market/yard saler should have a copy.



3. Bought this as a gift for my daughter and she has really enjoyed it's contents. Now she can see if the "Junk and/or Antiques" she has purchased has any real value!!



4. I haven't been happy with this book since I purchased it. Haven't found one mark from any of the pottery or china I have from this book. Only one or maybe two examples of the companies which made the pottery but not the marks. For example I can't even find the simple "Anchor" from Anchor Hawking Co.(There are plenty of other anchors). I have a very nice Blue "Old Fashion"/juice glass fron A.H. but I have never seen one in blue. Looked it up and could not find MARK in this book. I was very surprised. I've been thinking about purchasing the Second Edition of Kovels' book, but been holding back... Can anyone tell me if it is better or if it's just me, I hope..Mary, techmom@usamedia.tv (No Solicitors Please! Only those wanting to talk about this book please reply. NO SPAMMERS!!)



5. Marks on pottery have always been of interest to me. Some are obvious and well-known and others obscure. Couldn't find all the marks I was looking for. Still a good book to have.

1 comments about Masters: Porcelain: Major Works by Leading Ceramists (Masters).

1. I have to say,I am in love with lark 500 books,and this publication is no exception!
   Porcelain is a tricky clay body to work with.I have tried it,and managed it,but still have not the capacity or patience for shrinkage,coloration,or for the historical fact that at one time, the clay was made from ground bones of the deseased!- even though some of my own stuff is in permanent gallery collections,according to what I have seen in this book,I am still an amateur. The wide variety of styles,colorations and applications of techniques held are more than most people can absorb in a single viewing. It's a volume that will last me,for years to come.
   
   Very,very,highly recommended.If you want a library of the best of the best,to your personal tastes,this is a book to have and own.

5 comments about Pictorial Guide to Pottery & Porcelain Marks.

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



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



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

5 comments about The Official Precious Moments Collector's Guide to Figurines.

1. The 2007 Bomm Precious Moments guide is truly precious since it incorporates retail and secondary values into the same book. The cross-indexing by figurine title and model number is also wonderful. The photos are great quality, too. The guide is a must-have for all collectors!



2. Took a while to receive due to release issues, but once received, Book is great!



3. I think this book is a great way to keep track of my Precious Moments and give me a current value of each one. However, because values change from year to year, it could be a lot of work transferring them to a new book each year. I think every couple of years would be fine to keep track of what you have unless you purchase numerous figurines every year.



4. This guide is an essential reference for any serious collector or anyone buying or selling Precious Moments figurines. The lack of serious competition will make sure this sells. However, there is little improvement in this 3rd edition over the 2006 second edition. The addition of the newer figurines and an update in pricing, which seems to average about 16% increase, are the main differences. There is also a size difference. The second edition was a handy 8.5" x 5.5" but the third ed is 11' x 8.5", which I believe is too large for a soft cover book. There is no new information about each piece that is not in the earlier version. It would have been nice to include the size of each item. There is an annoying change in the index that consolidates several previous entires into entries by series. For example, instead of separately listing the sugar town skating pond there is one listing for the series 'sugar town' with 18 page numbers.
   
   Overall, I was disappointed in this guide and would recommend that anyone not needing information on the last 2 years figurines stays with the 2nd edition and awaits the 4th.



5. Just received this book in today's mail, and frankly, other than the pictures of the pieces, it is, in my opinion, not worth the paper it is printed on. There is NO secondary market except internet auctions for Precious Moments any more. This guide lists "Free Puppies," for example, as a value of $2,100 - they sell regularly on auction for $300 - $450, depending on whether or not they have a box. Last week, one with an original brown cardboard box (extremely unusual), went for just under $600 in mint condition - a beautiful piece. The rest of the "Original 21" are priced through the roof - some of them 10 times and higher prices than what reality is. There is a disclaimer in the book claiming that the prices vary from spot to spot, and they got this information from dealers and collectors around the country. I wish they would give credit to these so-called knowledgable people, and it would be nice to know who paid $2100 for "Puppies" and how many years ago that happened.
   
   For the pictures, the guide is fine, but beyond that, DO NOT rely on it for accurate price information - even many of the suggested retail prices in the book are incorrect.
   
   I give this one a thumbs-down. There is no secondary market to amount to anything in collectibles any more, in my opinion, and this book's prices just encourage disillusionment among collectors so they keep buying (or investing?) in pieces, hoping to make good money when they sell. It ain't gonna happen - there is a ton more merchandise out there than anyone ever guessed back 30 years ago at the beginning of this.
   
   Buy what you like, like what you buy, and don't expect to put your kid through college when it's time to sell - you might not get back enough money to even pay the bookstore bill!
   
   For what it's worth - my opinion!

5 comments about Lehner's Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain and Clay.

1. The book arrived on time and the condition was as described (new). The secondary packaging could use improvement as the box had broken and opened at the bottom. The primary packaging was excellent and prevented the book from damage when the box broke.



2. This book is a definite 'must have' for anyone dealing in or buying collectible ceramics. I have just started selling glasswares and have come across a lot of different pottery marks. Without a reference book, you cannot determine an items' real worth.
   This book has thousands of different marks and artists' marks! This book is by my side when trying to determine the ceramic items' origin and age.



3. This book is about U.S. marks.
   
   .... So, if you need a piece of U.S.A pottery identified, then this book probably has the mark. (Please note that this book is not about finding markings of European pieces. As stated on the cover, this book is strictly about U.S. marks).
   
   P.S.: This book also includes all the U.S. RESTAURANT-WARE markings. Very helpful if you collect "RESTAURANT-WARE", along with other American pottery and china.



4. This book is prodigious in scope: the pottery marks (with huge varieties within each company) and historical information are both invaluable and interesting. However, the indexing is weak, which leads one to thumbing through pages trying to find an elusive mark. This is such a well-researched, vast collection of marks, however, that laborious searches are rewarded.



5. This book is jam packed with pottery marks, a great value for the price. I had no idea that there were so many. It is extremely informative, giving a brief history, manufacture dates and much more information for each company listed. I would definately recommend this to anyone with an interest in collecting or selling pottery.

No comments about Antique Trader Salt And Pepper Shaker Price Guide (Antique Trader).

3 comments about The Teapot Book.

1. Having only just received the teapot book and scanning it I definitely like what I see. It looks to me like there is some very nicely laid out step by step explanations for making different forms and great tips on putting the infamous teapot together. Cheers, Cheryl



2. I have been doing ceramics for five years, and specialize in teapots. This book has helped me immensely, including design and techniques. I highly recommend it.



3. As a potter who make lots of teapots, I bought The Teapot Book and read it with great interest. The tips, illustrations and photos are a great help to me in improving the skills needed to make teapots. This book should be an inspiration to any potter aspiring to make excellent teapots. It will also be of interest to all potters and collectors as well. The book has diagrams, and beautiful full color photos of a teapot being assembled. There are contributions of glazes and tips by various European and American potters. The photo gallery of teapots and short anecdotes about the teapot and potter exhibits a cross sections of many styles of teapots from handmade to thrown. A very well written book.

No comments about The Collectible Teapot & Tea Calendar 2009 (Wall Calendars).

5 comments about Collecting Head Vases: Identification and Value Guide.

1. Excellent book well done. Wonderful display of head vases. He has divided his ladies into catagories. He includes cleaning tips, repair tips, head vase websites and best of all and added plus he has a numerical index in the back of his book very very helpfull to finding that special lady fast when you are checking out prices on Ebay. If I could only purchase one collection book I would purchase Dave Barrons book.



2. I was a little unhappy with the book. I had inherited 2 original ladyhead
   vases from a deceased Aunt. I couldn't find either one in the book. I
   wanted more info on the collecting of the vases and the book was lacking
   there too. I should have gotten another one that went into more detail.



3. The book is in great condition and exactly what I exected and useful to me. However the process after the purchase from Amazon takes far to long. A month for a book is rediculous.



4. For the amateur to the experienced, this is a fabulous reference guide for all headvase collectors! Definite must-have !



5. Quick and excellent transaction. Nice book and well packaged.
   Thanks

4 comments about Collecting Lladro: Identification & Price Guide (Collecting Lladro).

1. The book was exatly what I was looking for, a very no hassel transaction which makes it a real pleasure. We have found Amazon to be a very honest company. Nothing else to say. Cheers Chris



2. As a Lladro collector of more than 25 years I found this book to be most informative. Even though I have read much about Lladro there were topics covered that were new to me. A new addition would be most welcome.



3. Good book to read about Lladro porcelains but it's pretty outdated and doesn't contain samples of the newer Lladro pieces. But then again, Lladro related books are so rare, this itself is a jewel. Majority of the pictures shown here are the 'official' photographs of piece by Lladro themselves. It would have been great to see pictures taken by the author or owner as it would give a different angle and view of the pieces. I'm an avid collector and was thrilled to see many of the older pieces and read a short history about them in this book. Perhaps the author would consider to publish a newer edition?? And also source out Lladro examples from a more varied selection of collectors. A view of how they are stored in display cabinets at individual homes would be great too, to give a more personal and homely touch to the pieces. This is a great book and I'm sure it took a lot of effort to come out with it.... I would recommend it to anyone and hope that new editions will be published in the near future.



4. For anyone who is interested in learning more about Lladró, the company, the history, the incredible artistry, "relatives" such as NAO and Zaphir, collecting and becoming better at collecting, and how to care for your collection, this book is fantastic and I highly recommend it! Peggy Whiteneck is truly an expert in this field, and has a passion for collecting Lladró that shows in every page. This second edition includes updates and new information as well as even more photos. Lladró collectors will not want to miss this!