2 comments about Jefferson Nickels Folder 1938-1961 (Official Whitman Coin Folder).

1. Just like the Whitman coin folders from when I was a child, good quality, fair price. Excellent option to hold a modest collection in the building stage, until you're ready to move your collection to a better quality folder such as Dansco.



2. My version of this coin book for nickels (circa 1968) was so badly worn that I couldn't open it without the coins falling out. This makes a great gift for your children. Have them look through the coins in their piggy banks and keep the best. Then take the rest to the bank and ask to exchange them for new rolls of coins. (Be sure to ask the bank for some paper coin wrappers for your next trip back.) It is exciting for the kids to get a new roll to go through each week.

No comments about Beckett Hockey Card Price Guide, 2008 Edition: An Alphabetical Checklist (Beckett Hockey Card Price Guide and Alphabetical Checklist).

5 comments about Art Nouveau Jewelry.

1. This book covers the specific influences of various European countries and the US in jewelry design during the Art Nouveau period. It covers the designers and their pieces with spectacular photographs of pieces that will knock your socks off. It is a fabulous reference book, but also one that you can curl up with on a rainy day and sip cocoa. Handy guides to identification - makers marks and signatures. Prepare to be wowed.



2. I pondered over purchasing this book for probably two years. This was due mainly to the fact that there was no way to really view the content of this publication. Frankly, the authors offering of an inside look of their book was ridiculous. Show me some pictures!!! I really hate to purchase something that I can't see! Finally, I bit the bullet and purchased Art Nouveau Jewelry. I was stunned by the volume of beautiful color pictures. This book turned out to be just what I was looking for, basically a pictorial presentation of jewelry from that era. I search constantly for any reference material that I can find on this subject (Art Nouveau era jewelry) and this book is one of the best that I have found. So if you are a jewelry designer like myself and are always looking for inspiration, this is an excellent book for your collection.



3. A very good book about this period, no other one has covered the subject as this one.



4. i wanted to know more about art nouveau jewelry and this book really helped me for that purpose.
   it has lots of pictures and info about whatever there is to know and see.
   the only dissapointment was that majority of the pics are in black and white. You miss out on all the enameling work colors..
   also i expected to see more from lalique.
   overall though its a good book for starters.



5. This book far exceeded my expectations for the price! The only minor criticism I have is that I wish ALL the photographs had been in color. A great deal......

5 comments about Build Your Dream Home for Less.

1. I bought a few books on home construction. This one is the absolute worst in my opinion. The one I like because it is full of information for a novice is Robert Irwin's "Tips & Traps When Building Your Home". As for this "Dream..." is not a nightmare either, just a few dollars waisted. I did not find any usefull information and after a while I just dumped it in the garbage.



2. While this book has some useful tips for dealing with subcontractors, the book is outdated. There are other books available that will be of better value.



3. We are planning to general contract our own home, and I found this book to be a good resource. I'm a woman and have generally left "trade" stuff to my husband, but as he is working FT and I'm not, I'll be largely managing the project and I wanted to do a lot of homework. Woodson seems very knowledgeable and shares the information in an easy to follow format. He also explains many trade terms (certain types of joints, wiring etc.) that other books assume you already know - nice for us non-handy folks. One thing that this book could use is an update to include newer construction items such as insulated concrete forms, geo-thermal energy systems, and radiant floor heating. Also beware that Woodson, like all the other authors I've read on this subject, has his opinions on certain things (like you don't need air conditioning in Maine - it doesn't get hot often, but boy does it get humid and AC is really helpful). Take the opinions with a big grain of salt and read other books/articles to cross check things that you aren't sure about...however this book was a good foundation. Would recommend.



4. The book is very good it provided me with the information that I needed and even more.



5. I DID FIND THE BOOK TO BE HELPFUL AND IT GOT ME STARTED IN CONSTRUCTING MY OWN HOUSE. I DID FIND ANOTHER BOOK CALLED "EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO ABOUT BUILDING THE CUSTOM HOME, HOW TO BE YOUR OWN CONTRACTOR" BY JOHN FOLDS AND ROY HOOPES THE PUBLISHER IS TAYLOR PUBLISHING CO. THAT BOOK
   WAS A GREAT COMPANINON TO THIS BOOK. BOTH TOGETHER WAS VERY HELPFUL.
   
   WHAT REALLY COULD HELP HOMEOWNERS BEST IS HOW TO COST ESTIMATE AND A PROCESS FOR GETTING AND COMPARING BIDS FOR EACH DISCIPLINE, AND A WAY TO RECORD IT EASILY.

3 comments about Antique Trader Royal Doulton Price Guide.

1. Antique Trader Royal Doulton Price Guide I collect Royal Doulton items and had hoped this book would be up to date, especially on their Bunnykins Series, animals, and figurines. However, most of what I look up isn't in this price guide. It is nicely illustrated. Maybe useful for beginners, but I was looking for a far more detailed price guide.



2. Good price guide for many (but not all) of Royal Doulton products (tableware not included). An improvement over Charlton in that it provides colour pictures as opposed to Charlton's mostly black/white.Antique Trader Royal Doulton Price Guide



3. This is a good resource for Royal Doulton items not found in the Charlton Standard Catalogue. The two books together will give you a pretty comprehensive resource for identifying & valuing "most" Royal Doulton pieces.
   
   This duplicates a small portion of the info in Charlton Standard, but includes most things missing from it. It is a great resource for animals, Bunnykins, Character Jugs, Flambe, Burslem, Lambert Art wares and more!
   
   To any Royal Doulton collectors, I recommend BOTH of these volumes! (Charlton Standard Catalogue & Antique Trader)

2 comments about The Official Price Guide to Collector Knives, 15th edition (Official Price Guide to Collector Knives).

1. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in starting to collect knives...It has all the necessary info to get started..Nice gimp chart too!!!
   
   To the dude who wants knife VALUES===>
   Here is a hint===>
   www.eb@y.com
   Collectibles
   Knives, Swords, and Blades
   
   The concept of a price "value" guide is humorous in today's internet era....
   I wouldn't use this book to get an EXACT value of a knife
   (that is impossible anyways)
   But..You can use the figures to roughly estimate which knives are of more collector value and which ones are run of the mill $.89 Imperial Jackmasters



2. This is a good book as a resource. Many of my knives are listed by company, but not in the price guide. I am after the prices suggested.

5 comments about Gun Digest Book of SIG-Sauer: A Complete Look at SIG-Sauer Pistols.

1. I did not know what to expect of this book as I had the Gun Digest Book on the Glock and while that book was OK, this book is much more interesting. Massad Ayoob keeps things very interesting and detailed regarding each model. If you are in the market for a Sig like I was, it pretty much answers most questions you may have about the guns.
   
   I constantly refer to it for info on cleaning or just trying to figure out what my next Sig is going to be. Very well written with nice pictures. I would highly recommend this book whether you're looking to purchase a new Sig or just into guns and want to increase your knowledge of one of the best firearms available.



2. Excellent and comprehensive review of Sig Sauer pistols. Unfortunately does not include the new Sig R-DAK models with their unique and butter smooth trigger systems, recently adopted by the Coast Guard and some other more secretive Federal agencies.
   
   Could stand an updated edition, but still well worth the money.



3. I purchased this for my husband, and he's ecstatic. Over the last month he's shown me every picture, and read me something from nearly every page. I can only assume he's pretty happy with it, since I can't pry it out of his hands!!



4. If you want to know about Sig products and how to effectively use them this is a great book. It is well written and covers basics to more advanced items. I really enjoyed it. Recommended.



5. (I'm writing this after a quick first read-through of the book, so please forgive any error I may unintentionally inject.)
   
   I'm a pretty solid "gun nut," with an excellent and diverse gun book library. I always feel ambivalent about these books that purport to give an overview of a gun company and its product line. While I'm interested in learning stuff that I don't already know (bring on the minutiae!), many of these books (those of one particular coffee table author come to mind) turn out to contain little more than a few beautiful photos with a ton of incredibly dull rah-rah copy: recitations of annual production numbers for various models are a highlight. However, Ayoob's GUN DIGEST BOOK OF SIG-SAUER is a good example of what can be done RIGHT with this type of book.
   
   Ayoob, love him or hate him, is a major gunwriter for a reason. He can write (unlike some) and he's smart. One may disagree with some of his theories (I do, personally) and one may question whether he is right or has experience on a given legal or tactical issue, but the man knows how to write interesting articles about guns.
   
   That's what he does here. The GUN DIGEST BOOK OF SIG-SAUER has a chapter for each model of Sig-Sauer's pistols, from the P-220 through the GSR 1911 (nothing on the new 250s, alas). Ayoob covers each model in detail (you'd think this would get boring with the overall similarity of the Sig-Sauer pistols, but it doesn't) offering insights as to each model's pluses and minuses, as well as intelligent commentary on the sociological niche each model fills. There are chapters on the Sig-Sauer in training, in competition, and on the various custom options available. There are chapters on SIG handguns like the P-210 and on the SIG-H?mmerli target series. There's a chapter on tactics featuring a bunch of goofy photos showing folks performing drawstroke techniques taught by Ayoob's LFI. It's an amazingly thorough book (the NH-based Ayoob's physical proximity to SIGARMS might have helped here): well-written and informative.
   
   The book serves up hundreds of well-done photos to illuminate the text. They're not always placed right next to the text they're illminating, but that's okay. (They're not always of Ayoob, and that's great, too.) Ayoob provides photos of interesting points (e.g., comparisons between the stamped steel slide of a 220 and the milled steel slide of a 220 ST, old grip styles, comparisons of the short and long trigger styles) that fulfill the reason to have a book like this one. I know that Gun Digest books are usually full of good photos, but this one is better than most.
   
   Because of the photos and the nicely delineated text, this is a book that one can read for a couple of hours or just pick up for a couple of minutes (I foresee a lot of copies camped out in the bathrooms of their new owners) to read an article or check out some different photos. Ayoob's writing on each topic is insightful and well-reasoned, and I learned a fair amount in my first run-through.
   
   If you're a "gun nut" (or if you're shopping for one), I don't think you'll be disappointed with this book. Given my aforementioned ambivalence about these "overview" books, I thought long an hard before I bought this one. Now that I've read through it, however, I'm planning to buy another copy for a friend! (By the way, Amazon is offering a great price on the GUN DIGEST BOOK OF SIG-SAUER, which runs $28 at the retail outlets where I've seen it.) Ayoob did a great job with this one!

5 comments about 2008 US / BNA Postage Stamp Catalog (Us Bna Postage Stamp Catalog) (Us Bna Postage Stamp Catalog) (Us Bna Postage Stamp Catalog).

1. I purchased this catalogue as it seemed to provide the info I wanted. However, on perusing through it I was disappointed in the information it contained. I buy up to three cats for any one country and by pooling the information can usually arrive at a very good analysis of any particular stamp or set of stamps to write up as much as possible from the reason to issue the stamp/set to it's technical details.
   2008 US / BNA Postage Stamp Catalog (Us Bna Postage Stamp Catalog) (Us Bna Postage Stamp Catalog) (Us Bna Postage Stamp Catalog) This book is very nicely designed with spiral binding in a solid and hard wearing cover BUT
   it gives little information of all the nicely presented full colour issues.
   I am disappointed with my purchase as it did not give any information
   to expand that which I have already obtained from the other cats.
   The only gain was with very clear stamp images and the colours are very close to the actual stamps. This the only part I could give a 5 star ++
   rating to. Otherwise I would not buy this book again. It is only of use to the beginner or someone who does not worry about giving a story about any particular issue. One key element I always look for is the perf. info
   most of this is non-existant. I have said enough.
   Sorry Harris & Co. it is a nicely prepared book with "A Guide For Collectors" covering about 33 pages which is excellent. The rest of the
   pages are missing a lot of data.
   I am a collector of 60+ years of experience and have used this knowledge to prepare my review.
   Regards,
   Col.



2. The 2008 US/BNA Postage Stamp Catalog is a MUST have for any beginning collector. It has helped me correctly identify many of my early American stamps and takes the guess work out of were to add stamps to your album



3. I started collecting US stamps not long ago. I just bought this catalog and really like it - high-quality color pages; coil binding; useful introduction for beginners (and probably for experts too); US as well as UN and Canadian stamps; etc.
   
   Minor con: 2007 stamps are not complete. It should end at 4220 rather than 4159.
   
   For those who do not want to pay for such a catalog, there are free catalogs, for example, the 132-page (in color) soft-cover Mystic's 2008 US Stamp Catalog is pretty good ([...]).



4. It's great to finally see color reps of the stamps. It's great to still have order pages and gradient pricing depending on the condition of the stamp.
   What I could have done without is the hardback format, soft paperback would have been fine and probably cheaper. Unnfotrunately this edition doesn't have one.



5. This is an excellent catalog for North American stamps. This is the catalog with the binding that allows the pages to remain flat which helps immeasureably when trying to catalog and then place stamps in an album. I wish all catalogs came this way. I rrecommend this book to anyone, beginner to expert.
   Al

5 comments about Inside the Jewelry Box: A Collector's Guide To Costume Jewelry, Identification And Values (Inside the Jewelry Box: A Collector's Guide to Costume Jewelry).

1. Service was great. Book is new and wrapped in shrinkwraped so it was not be opened at this time as it is a gift.



2. If you are a vintage jewelry collector by hobby or by trade, this book is a great addition to your reference library. The photos are of excellent quality showing necessary detail, and the author, Ann Mitchell Pitman, has done everyone a great service by adding some additional references of websites and organizations available for continued study. If you are an eBay shopper, I highly recommend this book so you can become familiar with the products and know the approximate values when bidding.



3. I had been collecting costume jewelry for over a decade when I discovered this treasure of a book. Immediately, I was drawn in by not only the beautiful photographs and great reference material, but by the author's writing style. She's one of those rare authors that can take the same information (not that she did) as another writer and make it her own. Her great personality and warm generous spirit shine through on every page.
   
   This is truly one of my very favorite books on costume jewelry!



4. This book covers a host of costume jewelry, better than average photos of the manufacturer's signatures or maker's marks (very important if you are a collector!), along with good descriptions and some pricing information. Included in the back of the book are copies of some of the original advertisements for some of the jewelry. Good stuff! I'd recommend this book if you are a collector.



5. Wonderful pictures! I like the way she has some jewelry shown under designer headings while she also shows groups of brooches, necklaces, etc., with various designers together. I especially like the beginning that shows the backs of designer pieces; something you don't get to see a lot in these jewelry guides. It's one of those books you take out on the porch on a nice day and go through page by page from beginning to end (for me, it was like a kid in a candy store), and by the time you get to the end, you feel much more knowledgeable about costume vintage jewelry!

3 comments about Five Gold Rings: A Royal Wedding Souvenir Album from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II (Royalty).

1. A wonderful book that takes you back in time for 5 royal marriages. I had a splendid time reading and looking at the photos. I have been watching the "Royals" all my life. I remember the day Elizabeth and Phillip were married, and this little book just made those memories much more clearer than ever before! A "must" for "royal watchers"!!



2. There's something irrepressible about a wedding of royalty. Even the most jaded of us is capable of maybe an 'awww' or two as we get to see a bit of a fairy tale come to life. There is pomp everywhere, from the fabulous gown and jewels that the bride is wearing, the wedding cakes and favours, to public displays of the wedding gifts.
   
   This handsome little souvenir album is to commemorate an upcoming wedding anniversary -- that of England's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who will have been married for sixty years, in November 2007. It is also a look at how Royal weddings have changed and evolved from fairly private ceremonies that were witnessed by close family members and courtiers, to now what is a spectacle watched by millions on the television and launching a flurry of books, magazines and various souvenirs from the pleasant to the grossly tacky.
   
   The five weddings themselves occur in a period of time that spans just over a century, from 1840 to 1947, with the criteria that either the bride or groom would be a monarch of the United Kingdom.
   
   The first wedding is that between Queen Victoria and her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in 1840. Victoria had been Queen of Great Britain for two years when her wedding was celebrated, and public curiosity was intense as to who she would choose to be her consort. With the rise of new printing techniques, there were now ways that the public could observe, albeit from a distance -- there were special prints and panoramas that were printed to feed the curiosity about the event.
   
   About twenty years later, the next royal wedding occured, this time between Victoria and Albert's eldest son, Bertie, the Prince of Wales and the future Edward VII, and his fiancee, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, 1863. Now there was the art of photography to add to the documents; some of these were hand-tinted to create a nearly painting like quality. The gifts were also more opulent, and this time, were described in a special magazine that supplied all of the details from what the guests were wearing to engravings that showed various aspects of the wedding service itself.
   
   Thirty years later, another wedding occured, this time between Bertie's son, George, Duke of York, and his cousin, Princess Mary of Teck, in 1894. This time, celebrations and public notice were high, with various royalties from around Europe visiting to pay their respects. The gifts were put on public display this time, and admission was charged, with the proceeds going to a charity. The bride's trousseau was described in various ladies magazines in lavish detail and illustrations.
   
   The fourth wedding was that of George VI and Queen Mary's second son, Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923. No one really expected them to become sovereigns of Great Britain, and so the celebrations were not quite as extravagant as might be expected. But one notable addition was that this was the first royal wedding to be filmed, and soon there would be opportunity for anyone to see it, all for the price of a ticket to the cinema, and sitting through a newsreel.
   
   The fifth wedding was in 1947, with that of two of Queen Victoria's great-great-grandchildren -- Princess Elizabeth, and Prince Philip of Greece. After the dreary years of WWII, and the troubles of rebuilding, London was ready for a celebration. The outpouring from the public was immense, and it seems that all of England took the day off for a holiday. The marriage proved to be one of the most successful in the royal family, and appears to be still quite solid after nearly sixty years.
   
   Each wedding goes into some detail about the clothing, providing pictures and closeups of the brides' gowns, showing some of the intricate sewing and decoration that went into the making. As was traditional, all of the clothing worn were made from British materials and designers. What I found especially beautiful were the samples of lace and embroidery, often with monograms and special designs incorporated into the designs. A very brief history of the couple is also included, talking a little about their childhoods, and what happened after the weddings. At the end of the book, there is also a listing of what music was performed at each wedding, with a few surprises tucked in.
   
   What may surprise you is what you will not find in this book. There isn't any mention of Lady Diana, or of the notorious wedding of Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson.
   
   For anyone interested in royalty, and how what started as a private celebration soon became an opportunity for public celebration, this is a lovely, well-made and designed book. The photographs and pictures are unusual, many of which I had not seen before, and gave a sense of intimacy.
   
   The author, Jane Roberts, is the Royal Librarian, and has compiled a beautiful little volume on the lore of royal weddings. For anyone interested in the English monarchy, it would be a nice addition to their collection.
   
   Five stars. Recommended.



3. A wonderful display of that special wedding. It was like the Queen was showing these momentos to me herself.