5 comments about Beckett Racing Collectibles Price Guide 2008 (Beckett Racing Collectibles and Die-Cast Price Guide).

1. First of all, I was expecting the one with both Dale Sr. and Dale Jr. on the cover, not just Jr. Big disappointment. And second, I don't recall racing collectibles just being limited to die cast and cards. It was very misleading because the title states "Beckett Racing Collectibles Price Guide 2008 (Beckett Racing Collectibles and Die-Cast Price Guide)", not just Beckett Card and Car Book.



2. Great information! Should split cards from die-casts and make 2 books. Print is extremely small. Too much info for 1 book.



3. Received the issue with only Dale Jr. on the cover in his new team's colors. Pleased with it, very detailed and inclusive. H ave only found one piece I have not listed. Easy to follow. Invest in a magnifying glass if you are older than 21. Diecast listing by driver in the last section is very helpful. Who needs monthly updates in this hobby. Very much worth the price, but I really wanted the one with Dale Earnhardt on the cover.



4. Very pleased with purchase. Arrived in a timely fashion and in excellent condition. Just what we were looking for.



5. First of all, I HATE the BIG UGLY picture of American Car Racer...do not know his name, on the cover of the book. Second, I hate NASCAR and Cheap political HOT WHEEL junk I do not even care for looking at. The book should focus on HIGH QUALITY COLLECTIBLE BRANDS ONLY. What a waste of paper~!!!

4 comments about Hot Wheels The Ultimate Redline Guide: Identification and Values 1968-1977 (Hot Wheels the Ultimate Redline Guide).

1. This is the very finest volume on the subject -- bar none. Each and every car has a one- or two-page listing, complete with description, history, variations, and values by color. Photos are large and lavish. Hot Wheels playsets, accessories, and collateral merchandise are covered as well. Plus, the book is published in a sturdy library binding. It's well worth the price. You will not need another book about Hot Wheels Redlines.



2. This book is huge! About 400 pages in full colour.Where do you start? Every model and every colour variation is shown in this book and it just brings your memories flooding back.I dont even remember half of these toys.Its all in here.Each model,each variation,gift sets and so much more.
   
   This has to be THE ultimate book on these series for sure!
   A huge book,superb quality and good value make this book a legend.To the authors who put this book together,you guys are champions! Thank you.



3. Finally!!! An accurate price guide for Redlines. Don't waste your money on Tomarts. This is the book you need!



4. This book is a must have for any serious Redline collector. It is a beautifully presented hardcover book of almost 400 pages; jam packed with photos, facts and figures for all Hot Wheels models from 1968 to 1977.
   
   Each model has its own page listing colours, variations and values for loose and packaged cars from Hong Kong and the USA. The book also has special sections on Gran Prix, Heavyweights, Sky Show, Spoilers, Carry Cases, Displays, Gift Sets, Playsets, Track Sets, Merchandise, Collector Buttons and more.
   
   I own the Tomart guide, the Schiffer guide and several others and none of them come close the detail and accuracy found in this book.
   
   In a word, "Indispensable!"

5 comments about American Premium Record Guide 1900-1965 (American Premium Record Guide).

1. Terribly organized, horribly incomplete and wrong about values. This is just an awful book. Checking on Ebay is a million times better. Thank heavens I sold mine.



2. I have been collecting 78 rpm records for about 38 years.
   I became aware of this book when I was given a copy (the 2nd edition) as a gift many years ago.Since then I have bought each new edition as they have come out.
   I have not come across another guide for the collector of 78 rpm records which compares with this one.
   It doesn't cover every 78 ever issued.It would have to be huge (and expensive).Left out mostly are the common 'pop' discs of the 40's and 50's.
   Great label pictorial sections.
   Another very nice feature is that all names used by one artist or group are listed at the beginning of that entry.
   My only complaint is a lack of an index.(Earlier editions had one.)This is helpful since many artists appear in more than one section.Also,sometimes you might not be sure which section an artist might be in.(Such as Blues vs Jazz)
   I highly recommend this book.
   Thank you!



3. les docks has been the sole responsible book writer for pre war blues and jazz for a long long time.
   his books are facinating.
   his prices have always been absurdly LOW which he addresses in all honesty in the prelude pages.
   his scans are fantastic! truly one of the best books you can own to start looking for rare records.
   what it lacks and there probably good reason,is information about unknown records.but you can still see them pictured and hes finally admitting robert johnsons records are worth more than 50 dollars each! keep rockin les and id love to see the shellack shack someday!



4. This book has a lot of holes and should be considered a supplemental guide to the more thorough price guides out there like Rockin' Records. What I really enjoy about this book is how it indirectly communicates to the masses how small the percentage of 78's out there have any value in the marketplace.
   
   Typical flea-market hunters will come across large assortments of 78's over years of hunting but will find very little of any value. They will open up this guide and look up their records and not find them or find that they have little to no value. It's refreshing to have a guide that will humble the amateur collector and not give them false hopes about the values of their records. Selling 78's in most markets is next to impossible. Most dealers are relegated to selling them online, which is not a profitable venture unless the records are established collectables. This book helps delineate such records.
   
   It's hardly worth looking through the 45/EP/LP section with the other guides out there. The separation by genre is kind of unnecessary in my opinion. Also, it's true this book has little to say about international records. Russian and Chinese records are collectible but they are beyond the scope of this book. I can't really evaluate the high-end prices in this guide because I'm undereducated on the subject. Use auction results to help.
   
   I would only recommend buying this guide to those who have access to either a real large quality 78 collection (hot jazz, pre-war blues, rockabilly perhaps) or a desire to understand the patterns of 78 values. You will NOT turn your grandma's collection or your garage sale find into cash using this guide (99 times out of 100). Consider this a supplemental guide for 78's only.



5. If you have discovered a pile of old 78 rpm records of your grandparents and would like to know their value this book is probably NOT the right book for you. As the author indicates, most of the 78 rpm records are without any value for serious collectors. In this book you'll find names of artists that you have never known... Yes believe me: Your Bing Crosby "White Christmas" is not a rare item. It's quite common. Enjoy such a record as a vintage item but not as a collectible record. This is what the author says at the beginning. So once again: Don't buy this book in order to learn the value of your Dinah Shore, John McCormack, Frank Sinatra records..
   
   I cannot judge the values in the blues / rockabilly / country part of the book because I don't listen to such music. The values in the jazz part are in my opinion too low. Example: A rare Gennett in E condition (the book indicates the value of records in E) is very very hard to find and therefore the value is much higher than in the book. I have always paid more for a rare record than the value indicated in the book.
   
   However, the guide gives you an idea of the value of a rare record and this makes the book a must for any serious collector.

3 comments about Creative Wedding Decorations You Can Make.

1. Each craft comes with a list of needed materials--very good. I see this as a basic 'how-to' for untrained crafters/high school wedding party on the cheap. If you think of changing some of the ideas for prom night, the real customer for this book is a high school junior



2. I'm so sorry that i didnt read the costomer review before i buy it, it is so disapointed and all what the costomer says about it is true, blus no any creative idea, this book didnt provide you with any idea that can make your wedding party special, dont waste your money on it and try to find another book.



3. The book has some neat and wonderful creations but deals primarily with silk flowers for the crafts and it doesn't fully offer explanations or detailed instructions on some of the crafts. Most arrangements or crafts are primarily traditional older ideas, nothing with a contemporary touch for the 90's.

No comments about 2009 Standard Catalog Of Firearms: The Collector's Price and Reference Guide (Standard Catalog of Firearms).

3 comments about Art Deco Jewelry: Jakob Gengel, Idar-Oberstein/Germany.

1. A first-class survey of Art Deco Galalith jewelry which focuses on the output of the German watch-chain and jewelry manufacturer Bengel. The first ninety-seven pages look at thirties fashion, jewelry and the art movements that created such a vibrant look to pendants, bracelets, earrings and brooches. Clearly Christine Weber-Stober has done a lot of research into European Art Deco jewelry and the items made by Bengel from Galalith (from the Greek 'gala', milk and 'lithos', stone)
   
   It was made from milk protein and formaldehyde and was one of the new synthetic products developed in the middle and latter part of the nineteenth century. The beauty of it was that it could be made cheaply, was heat resistant and easy to color, so makers of buttons, belt-buckles, knitting needles and similar small items were able to churn them out by the millions. It did have one drawback though: it couldn't be cast like later plastic but was made in slabs, tubes and rods then cut and worked into whatever simple shape was required.
   
   The various new materials developed in the early years of the twentieth century were ideally suited to designers and creative folk influenced by the new 'isms' of the age: cubism, futurism, vorticism and especially modernism via the Bauhaus. The second part of the book has 253 photos of mass produced jewelry from the Bengel company. Their expertise in metalwork combined with the simple colorful shapes of Galalith makes all of these pieces look quite stunning. Strangely, despite the author's research, there seems to be no real explanation as to why this German metal working factory made such remarkable work. None of it was stamped with the company name, their Galalith jewelry output went to wholesalers who sold it on to retailers who added their brand names.
   
   The book's production is as gorgeous as the jewelry. Printed on matt art paper with a 175 screen, the elegant layout throws up the excellent photography. The text is in German and English but the designers have avoided any potential reader confusion by splitting the text pages horizontally with German occupying the top section. In comparison the books for collectors from the main American publishers in this sector look bland and visually uninspiring (expensive, too).
   
   Art Deco Jewelry is a beautiful celebration of past jewelry style that still looks fresh and lively today.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
   
   
   
   



2. An in-depth family bio on the Bengel family of jewelers through the Art Deco period. Includes lots of family photos, original art piece drawings, and beautifully photographed actual pictures of Bengel pieces. It is a nice slice of life in pictoral form for anyone who wants to see close up, the types of jewelry that was being worn during that era. A beautiful book for the art lover or the vintage lover, for reference or coffee table.



3. Probably the dawn of art deco fashion jewelry was the 16-28 May 1927 machine-age exposition in New York. This exposition showed how modern technology could be fused with the arts, bringing German bauhaus design to America's attention.
   
   The prior year, 1926, saw the release of the silent film "Metropolis," Fritz Lang's anxious vision of a world demanding conformity in which "the masses" are controlled by machines and their owners. This film's art direction makes use of many art deco design elements which find their way into mainstream costume jewelry design. Geometric shapes and simplicity dominate costume jewelry in which new, inexpensive materials, such as bakelite and corolite could be incorporated, adding translucent and opaque color.
   
   Fashion jewelry components in the 1930's were manufactured primarily in Bohemia so, when Jewish owners lost their factories in 1938, art deco costume jewelry also vanished from the fashion scene. This book gathers -- and preserves in photographs -- much of art deco jewelry's beauty within its pages.

5 comments about The Clock Repairers Handbook.

1. The book arrived quickly, and in good shape. The book has a lot of good information, with clear diagrams.



2. A very concise and detailed book, with many simple graphics but no photographs and certainly not of use to the novice who just wants to clean up and maintain a collection of old clocks.



3. Excellent book!! Very detailed. It will require study, but is easily understood. And it's ALL in there- ftom nubie to expert. I've purchased 5 books, and this is the last one. I'll never need another.



4. Very difficult book to comprehend. Just about useless as an aid to repairing clocks. I think a lot of it has to do with the language gap between American English and what the people in Britain speak. I am sorry I wasted my money on this book.



5. This book was a total waste of money for me. The UK English is nearly impossible to decipher at times. It is very difficult reading. This mihgt be a good book for experts but is worthless to the beginner. The author describes repair in detail, but assumes the reader knows all the technical terms being used without explaining them. The drawings are difficult to decipher. Photos would have been better. If you are a beginner looking for a good book to get started in clock repair, this isn't it!

3 comments about Traditional Jewelry of India.

1. Oppi's thoroughness and attention to the detail in this book is amazing. Pictures and illustrations are just magnificent. Oppi covers the jewelry of maharajas to jewelry of tribal people. The jewelry descriptions in this book include every region and every style there is in India. I bought this book when I was asked to talk about India's jewelry at an art museum. This book definitely improved my knowledge about the subject.



2. Oppi's book is magnificent. It is a culmination of over thirty years of Oppi's research. His book covers more than just Indian jewelry, but forehead marks and henna mendhi.

   Inspired by trips to New York's museums when he was young, Oppi crafts a anthropological journey through a fascinating history of human ornamentation, beginning with wood ash and mud. Oppi traveled extensively to personally research his subject in association with scholarships he won, including a Fulbright scholarship and funding from John D Rockefeller III.

   He shows the use of natural items in jewelry, such as leaves, flowers, seeds, vines and wood. Unusual jewelry materials like anteater claws are pictured. Of course, gemstones and precious metals are included. There are photos of elegant gold filigree and fist-sized gemstones.

   My favorite part of the book is called "Typology from Head to Toe" in which Oppi takes you on a journey in pictures of people wearing ornaments in their hair to those worn on the toes. The book includes an extensive index and bibliography. It is a very human book, showing how ornaments are worn by people, not just showing photos of the ornaments alone as many other ethnic jewelry books do.

   Although you might think the subject of Indian jewelry is narrow before you see the book, a glance through the book will make you want to own it even though the sticker price is high.




3. An excellent and well researched study with extraordinary photographs by a well known scholar of Indian art. 430 interesting pages that are very well presented to the reader. You'll find possibly more detail than you may need, but you can return later for the items you missed.

3 comments about Barbie Doll Around the World 1964-2007: Identification & Values.

1. Barbie Doll Around the World: Identification & Values 1964-2007 is a top pick for any specialty Barbie collection or for lending libraries seeking to go beyond the general antiques and collectibles guides to get specific about the most collectible items. Barbie dolls are among the most highly collected types of dolls, so if you're a public lending library seeking a popular collectible guide, make it BARBIE DOLL AROUND THE WORLD: it covers all kinds of Barbie collectibles, not just USA issues.



2. Good job indeed! I always like Augustyniak's works as he's very accurate in his descriptions and shares also lovely pictures of dolls which are important to guide collectors within the huge world of Barbie dolls. I especially appreciated this book about international versions of dolls as I'm Italian and recognized many of them as sold in my country alone. It was also useful to know about special editions from other countries such as Japan or Philippines. Thanks Michael, as I said: a good job indeed! :-)



3. Once again, Michael Augustyniak gives us another wonderfully informative book, but this time on those very hard to find Barbie dolls from the foreign markets. Michael breaks the book down by country, and those include, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Europe, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Venezuela.
   
   As in his other books, Michael gives a picture of the doll and a close up on the face. Barbie, Ken, Skipper and Kelly, among others, are featured. The years range from 1964 to 2007 with over 350 pages and a break down of Barbie's foreign family tree and celebrity friends. With this overwhelming task of finding these obscure dolls, some lines are not complete, but this book is well worth the price for any Barbie collector.
   
   This is a useful and fun book about Barbie dolls around the world.

5 comments about Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins: Half Dimes Through Dollars, Gold, and Commemoratives (Official Whitman Guidebook).

1. This book appears to be a very helpful source for determining hot prospects to watch for when searching coin shops and shows. It gives details needed to learn what to look for when hunting for great deals. My main focus is Morgan Silver Dollars and this book should be a valuable source for my 'cherry picking' ventures.



2. Error and variety collecting is a relatively new form of collecting. Since the discovery of the 1955 Lincoln Cent Double Die Obverse, collectors have been looking at coins differently. From double dies, repunched mint marks, and off-center strikes to difference in die varieties for the same series--even within the same year--the hobby of error collecting can be as satisfying and profitable.
   
   While other books can discuss the profitability, the Cherrypickers' Guide teaches what to look for. With fantastic illustrations and a solid, usable binding, experts Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton show collectors what to look for while looking for errors and varieties. The book covers nearly every series of coins including dollars, commemorative, gold.
   
   One caveat I will give is that those who are interested in varieties of Morgan and Peace Dollars, you may want to also buy Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars. This book is out of print, but some Amazon Marketplace sellers do have copies.
   
   Happy Hunting!



3. I have had this about a month, and have used it extensively for 20th century silver issues. Just learning the angles of identifying doubles, recut dies, repunched mint marks, etc. makes this book worth it. I found some sections of no use - such as the extremely rare coins (gold, seated dollars) but the 20th century silver (Dimes, Quarters and Halves) very interesting and enlightening as well as the section on Morgan dollars. If you have a few rolls of Washington Quarters or Mercury Dimes (even circulated) you can probably pay for this book by just going through them for varieties.



4. It's a nice book for prices and such (I'm no expert on coin books) does have some great photos (in color) and some information that's helpfull. But i find myself all ways turing to "Strike it Rich With Pocket Change".
   
   "TR"



5. I gave this book to my Dad and he loved it. Great info and pictures.