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

1. 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!



2. 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.



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



5. 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!

4 comments about Secrets to Collecting Jewelry: How to Buy More for Less.

1. What a fabulously comprehensive book. Perfect size to carry with you too! Being somewhat of a beginner in the true "collection" of vintage jewelry, I have of course been burned. I am forever learning and have found this book so helpful. I learned about pieces I currently have that I didn't know the names or era of and found on my first thumbing! I have all of this authors' books. I think she is so great with information. So many of the vintage jewelery books have pretty pictures and prices but no information. This is definitely an instructional book as well as a source for beautiful photographs of vintage jewelry. Write More Soon!



2. This book is THE textbook you would use if you took a course in collecting vintage jewelry. Leigh gives a definition and then shows you exactly what she is talking about, and she has made this learning interesting and easy. It is great for novice collectors, but even better for brand new collectors.



3. This is a good book for beginners. It is really an overview. The information is well organized with a table of contents and index so the reader can find the answer to most queries. This book is similar to How To Be a Jewelry Detective although, Secrets has better photography and higher production values. The title promises Secrets and How to Buy More For Less. I am not sure that these claims can be supported.
   
   There is good section on findings. For example, did I buy a fur clip or a dress clip? Secrets to Collecting Jewelry includes clear photos of findings so the curious reader can discover the difference. Another question that pops up monthly on one of the online jewelry forums I belong to is answered here with more clear photos, "What are those quirky ear findings, they can't possibly be for pierced ears!?!". Yes, there is a photo of those quirky wing back ear findings.
   
   There is a section is called Examples of Specific Types of Jewelry, Materials and Styles or what I would call an illustrated glossary. It is thorough from applejuice bakelite to watch pin. There are some really interesting and unique inclusions such as Prison Rings, Book Chains, Kum-a-Part cufflinks, Negligee Necklaces and more. But some inclusions are silly such as a photo of leather and satin and suede cord! Not really necessary even for a rank beginner.
   
   Secrets to Collecting Jewelry has a notable section on Bakelite and Plastic Jewelry the photography is compelling and the pieces selected are lovely.
   
   This review also appears on Jewelry Ring an on-line community for costume jewelry collectors



4. My husband picked this up at a discount store on a whim and what a find it was! Great information, great photos, helpful index, very well organized. Author is truly an expert.

5 comments about Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World's Finest Private Collections.

1. This beautiful book belongs in every baseball enthusiast's library, but it would be a mistake to keep it on the shelves. Author Stephen Wong has partnered with the Smithsonian to publish the most stunning book on baseball on the market. It deserves to be on your coffee table not only because of its wonderful photographs but also due to the wonderfully rich way he presents the history of the game. Wong gained remarkable access to the sport's foremost collectors, combing through hundreds of images and memorabilia items. The payoff is tremendous for anyone with an interest in baseball or, for that matter, in American history and culture. Readers will learn the essential facts about the game, and the fascinating tidbits, such as the origins of the curve ball. They then get to see remarkable shots, some most unusual - from folk art statues to Don Larsen's enshrined shoes from his perfect game to the bricks of former stadiums. In fact, this book should be placed in the Hall of Fame!



2. Stephen Wong has created a drop-dead gorgeous look at some of the game's great artifacts, and many will be surprised to learn that they are not at the Baseball Hall of Fame nor even at the Smithsonian (despite the book's title). The game's artifacts extend way beyond the cards and gimcrack collectibles sold at the ballpark, and Wong has deftly toggled his focus from collectible to collector and back again, providing a memorable prose portrait of the lively game played off the field. I cannot recommend this brilliantly conceived book highly enough.



3. As a lover of the old days of baseball (prior to the 1970's) , and with an interest in various types of artifacts pertaining to the old days, this book wonderfully broadened my horizons. The sections on baseball cards was especially fascinating for me as i do some collecting to add to some as i had as a kid (50's-60's).
   would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the old days of baseball or collects baseball memorabilia.



4. A very well done book. Big glossy pictures of some of the greatest Baseball artifacts in America. Probably the closest I will get to seeing these in person.



5. I purchased this as a gift and the recipient was thrilled with it. I did sneak a peak before giving it away and enjoyed it immencely.

5 comments about The Fantastic Inventions of Nikola Tesla (The Lost Science Series).

1. i was given this book read it and was sad telling my best friend who understands my fascenation with tesla how bad this book is do not buy this book. if you have access to a collection of patents by tesla so much the better.



2. Please do not waste your time with this book.
   
   Yes, it does have many of the "Fantastic Inventions" of Nikola Tesla in it, but there are only pictures of the patent drawings with no explanations offered.
   
   Some facts are present. Some outright fables are present also.
   
   In summary, Mr. Childress cobbled together this book and seeks only to divest you of your money. You won't learn anything of substance.
   
   Instead, purchase and treasure, "Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla" by Marc Seifer. See my review for this book.



3. This book by Nikola Tesla is a good recount of all of his inventions and an overview of them, however the detail is somewhat lacking. It has almost all of his inventions and ideas in it, but there is very little explanation and detail describing them. This can be good when trying to get a good overview of what Tesla accomplished, however if you are trying to get detailed and informative information about these I recommend going and getting a better source after this book because it is nothing more than a good introduction to the nature of his inventions and patents. If you have any background in the field of electricity than these sketches and brief overviews will be no problem to you and you will understand them, but if you have no background than understanding the nature of these will be quite difficult. Nonetheless, this book was still really fun to read and study, the relaxed nature of it allows it to be a fun book to read and learn from without reminding you that it is still a book. Overall, I would say this is a good book to have, especially for the price, the overview it provides is incomparable and it serves as a great introduction to Tesla's life.



4. The author gives a decent overview of some of the most interesting inventions made by Tesla. Sadly, it only shows patent diagrams, and no other pictures of Tesla's inventions.
   
   Chapter 9 seems pretty fanciful. In it he references about three other books for his evidence, but the books he cites are not scholarly sounding. I've come across them before in book stores and quickly skimmed them, which is why I have that impression.



5. This book is meant for the reader who himself possess some knowledge on electrical theory, mechanical ability and the desire to further his knowledge about Nikola Tesla's inventions. Even tough the book addresses some events about the scientist life the narrative is very concise with a quick overview on these occurrences which have been covered extensibly and in detail in other books about Nikola Tesla. I recommend this book to those readers interested in the classical turn of century approach to electrical devices and their applications. Diagrams, plans and the accompanying legends and information abound for those with this interest in mind.

5 comments about The Card: Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card.

1. First of all, I love baseball and baseball cards and have been collecting cards since I was in First Grade. I really thought this book would be both compelling and informative. However, what I discovered is that what is stated in 256 pages easily could be condensed into 50 pages of text. Often anecdotes and stories are far too drawn out and the authors often find the need to go back to these old stories or bits of information as filler in later chapters. There is some to be taken from this book, but on the whole, it is much longer than it should be. I would pass, and if you want to give it a chance, surely check for it at the library and do not buy it. It won't add much to your personal collection.



2. The Card was a very fun and easy read. It has great incites into the world of card collecting and collecting in general. My favorite part is the way the authors weave not only baseball history but American history as well throughout the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in baseball and especially card collecting. It made me want to rifle through my sons shoe boxes of cards in hunt for that Honus Wagner!



3. This is a great book for anyone who loves baseball and grew up collecting baseball cards. It colorfully takes us through the history of the infamous T206 Honus Wagner card, and all of its adventures. The tales of corruption and deceit along the way are fascinating, and gave me a different perspective on the hobby I once loved.
   
   This book is an extremely quick read, and a very fun one.



4. 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.



5. 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!!

No comments about Warman's Antiques & Collectibles 2009 Price Guide (Warman's Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide).

5 comments about Winchester: An American Legend : The Official History of Winchester Firearms and Ammunition from 1849 to the Present.

1. R.L. Wilson, who wrote this book, also wrote one called 'Colt, an American Legend.' Both books are exquisite, coffee table size--eight and a half inches by eleven inches (landscape)--and each are over 400 pages, almost every page filled with extremely high quality color photographs.

   R.L. Wilson, in addition to being a collector and well-known author in the firearms field, is a historical consultant to Colt's Firearms Division.

   The subtitle on the first page says, "The official history of Winchester firearms and ammunition from 1849 to the present," which pretty much covers the entire history of the Winchester Firearms Company (now known as U.S. Repeating Arms, since a bankruptcy and change of ownership.)

   If you are a Winchester aficionado, or just a Western history buff, with an interest in "The Gun That Won the West," this is a book you will want in your library.

   It is one of my favorite books. It will probably be one of yours, also.

   Joseph Pierre,
   Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity




2. Beautiful to look at. Not heavy in the way of company or technical history, but what a great coffee table book. Costly - if you can find it - but wow!



3. Just the pictures in this huge volume are enough to make it worth thumbing through, but the written information is tremendous and the author manages to cover all connections to Winchesters' Fathers, including John M Browning, my personal hero (other than my Father, Uncle, Grandfather and all other veterans of WWII and Korea). Probably not all the information on Winchester firearms and ammo history but all that I can absorb and still have a social life.



4. the next best thing to owning a winchester rifle itself.
   
   excellent in every respect and well recommended.



5. This book is an eye opener for sure! Okay it is a coffee table book rather than a serious reference work, but hey, you cannot deny the shear luminous beauty of the photography and the well thought out layout and design. There is good info to be had as well, this book is a 'faster' reference than Madis' work and leaves you hungry for more. Well done Mr Wilson, I will be buying more of your work!

5 comments about Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains 1945-1969.

1. The best or one of the best Lionel guides to postwar Lionel trains. The only guide that authoritatively lists all production variations over the years covered.



2. Excellent amount of information on post Lionel trains. The catalog contains the highest amount of information on Lionel trains, the value and rarity for each model. Plenty of photos to provide visual reference for your research.



3. Now in a newly expanded and updated second edition, David Doylle's "Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains' showcases Lionel toy trains made from 1945 through 1969. Surveyed in an authoritative collector's reference this new edition packs over a thousand color photos with its expanded catalog , which includes variations on Lionel cars and accessories. Many collectors of Lionels will find come to consider this a major 'must have' bible of information, packing in color photos and charts of values for Lionel trains in all conditions.



4. this is the only book you will ever need if you collect older lionel trains it covers all the bases and lets me remember everything I forgot many years ago when I got my first train set extremely informative thanks I only wish there was a book to cover later years



5. This is an excellent reference work. The layout of the book is easy to use and the pictures are first class. This book surpasses many of the standard reference works available. Makes a great addition to a reference library on Lionel Trains.

1 comments about Kennedy Half Dollars Folder 1964-1985 (Official Whitman Coin Folder).

1. This book offers housing for all half dollars from the year 1964 - 1985. Overall, a good holder for the average collector, but does not offer protection from dust and elements in the air.

4 comments about Standard Catalog of German Military Vehicles (Standard Catalog Of...).

1. I've always wondered about the heavy German use of motorcycles with side cars. And I've been fascinated with the German use of the half track configuration.
   
   This book answered all of my questions. The German half tracks, which came in a wide range of sizes had much better tracks than did the American M2/M3 (It was said that the American machines had rubber bands for tracks), but the German units were not four wheel drive. The little motorcycle looking halftrack was not a tracked motorcycle, but a small prime mover used to do things like haul aircraft around the field. And I've decided that what I really want is a Volkswagon Schwimmwagon, the four wheel drive amphibious vehicle (You can see of these at the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles just off I-80 at Lexington, Nebraska.)
   
   This book has more photographos of German military vehicles than I would have thought existed. Of course it covers all their tanks, but you find these in lots of books. Here are the rest of the vehicles - trucks, motorcycles, prime movers, everything that the Germans produced during World War II.
   
   If these kinds of vehicles are your thing, this is a book you can't do without.



2. This book has every vehicle the German Army used during the war.
   A must for every modeler.Execellent pictures!!!



3. This book is a must for anyone interested in weaponry of WWII. A great source for the vehicles at the Kabinka Tank Museum outside of Moscow and the Munster Tank Museum in Germany. I was amazed that there was a listing of the 12.8 cm Selbstfahriafeete L/61, of which only two were made, the only one in existence in the Kubinka museum. Thanks to the book I could figure out what was in the museums. Oft times they were not labeled correctly.
   
   I highly recommend this book!



4. What a fantastic book, what a labour of love by David Doyle. However it's ruined by the terrible treatment of the photographs. Any one who uses a digial camera or has done some scanning will know what I mean. Basically a picture consists of a white point at one end and a black point at the other. Older photos often have no information at the start or end and the black and white point start a little way in. Left like that you get a muddy unclear picture. But if you draw the white and black points into the point at the start of the information then you end up with a clear picture with detail all throug the range. A black and white picture. Any old photo will look twice as good if this is done to it. Clearly no one could be bothered to do that here. Which mean we end up with grey to grey pictures with no white points and no clear black points. So on page 114 we are asked to notice the use of all-steel and rubber-tired return rollars,...well all you can see is a shape of a tank with very little detail. On page 80 we are told to notice the jack at the back of the tank,...I'm sure it's there but I can discern no details on the back at all, just a dark grey back of a tank with faint shadows.
   
   Sadly all the photos are like this, ever stuff from museums is lacking in detail and is just plain muddy looking. What a difference could have been made with just a little more care.
   
   David you book is a classic and is fantastic, but please find a publisher who can take the care to get the photogaphy side right, until then it's like listening to the best group ever through the phone, or looking at a masterpiece painting through a a piece of tracing paper.