1 comments about Miller's: Pottery: Antiques Checklist (Miller's Antiques Checklist).

1. This book is more than just a price book. It uses a series of questions to help you nail down just what you are looking at. In the BASICS section you find the different types of glazes as Lead glaze, Tin glaze, and Salt glaze. The book is small enough that I carry this with me.

   Some of the highlights are:

   Uses a unique question-and -answer approach to help you identify and date genuine antique glass

   Deals with fakes, copies, condition and other factors that may confuse even experienced collectors

   Analyses typical items that collectors can find in shops and auction houses

   Gives Guidelines to values

   Contains a wealth of background information, including an extensive glossary

   Is a thorough introductory course for the beginner and also a superb refresher for those with some collecting experience.

4 comments about Pinball Machines.

1. which is OK, if it's clearly labelled as such, which this book is not. The cover also implies that it's up to date to 1999. It's not. There are only a handful of machines from the 80's mentioned and absolutely none from the 90's (which is the peak era of pinball as far as playability goes.)



2. I was checking this book out at Borders. Its really acollection of artwork from pinball games organized by theme (cards, pool, "vacation" - which includes sports like skiing, etc). Not much info here and your not even sure if the prices are for the just the backglass or the whole game. The prices were way too low I thought compared the action Ebay's coin-op auctions. Ugly book with cheap feeling paper...



3. I was really let down by this one -- the title of the book is quite a misnomer.

   If you're expecting detailed pictures of backglasses, playfields, cabinets, and rulesheets, you're out of luck. This book contains only pictures of backglasses and partial backglasses. An occasional playfield shot is thrown in now and then, but there aren't enough to be useful.

   OH, and I should mention that more than half of the pages are in BLACK AND WHITE, making the pretty colorful backglass artwork boring to look at.

   The book gets two stars instead of one for the index in the back. It's nice to now have one place to look when I want to find out what year a particular pinball was made.

   In future editions, I would love to see the index in the back expanded to include rule cards and trivia. Maybe a current price guide also. But most importantly, I'd love to see a crisp top-down picture of the playfield for each machine as well as the backglass. All in full color, of course. This would be an invaluable tool for techies trying to piece together several old ratted out machines into one good one.

   Sorry, but as a pinball/video game collector, I can't recommend this book.




4. This book has alot of pictures and drawings of pinball machines, categorized by subject. There is also an excellent index in the back that lists pinball machines in alphabetical order by the name of the machine. Quite enjoyable.

2 comments about Tactical Knives.

1. I have started collecting tactical knives recently. I purchased this book to gain a better understanding of my subject, so that I could make well-informed purchasing decisions. I was not disappointed.
   
   I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Knives in Tactical Deloyment; if a knife is good enough for the special forces, it is good enough for me.
   
   I also enjoyed the Fixed-Blade Tactical Knives chapter, which covered a range of knives, including general purpose, maritime, survival, hatchet and concealed knives. I did not realise there are so many fixed-blade variants.
   
   The photos and the layout of the books is very good.
   
   The only downside is that I cannot import many of the knives discussed in the book into Australia because of our restrictive import regulations.



2. This books has some very good points regarding presentation and pictures of obscure knives from around the world, a good examination of german armed forces is a highlight, but unfortunately to me the book is quite regional (Germany and U.S.) when it could appeal to a greater range of professional users around the world, the book sometimes seems like a knife catalog (the author works at Boker's sales dept.), instead of a users guide that, in my opinion, would make the book a whole lot more "usable", and not only pretty a display of what is available in the aforementioned countries

5 comments about Greenberg's Guides Lionel Trains 2006 Pocket Price Guide (Greenberg's Pocket Price Guide Lionel Trains).

1. When it comes to concise and easy to use price guides to Lionel Trains I have found Greenberg's Guides to be invaluable. It breaks the catalogue numbers down into eras or distinct ranges of years of production and lists price ranges based on condition in a very orderly fashion. If you sell or buy on eBay this is a valuable tool. Greenberg's Lionel Trains Guides and publications are all first rate and come highly recommended.



2. This is an indispensable, pocket guide for identifying Lionel Trains at train shows. It's easy to use and obviously handy because it slips easily into a back pocket. I use the pricing only as a way of identifying general area of value. Any one item could be worth more or less. Guide is great for keeping track of train items you own or are looking for.



3. Excellent book! Get resource! My last one was falling apart from all the times I used it.



4. A great book for the casual buyer or serius collector. A wealth of pricing information. Wouldn't buy without it. The only thing that keeps it from a 5 star rating is lack of pictures.



5. A must have for every collector, offered at a great price.

No comments about The Official Price Guide to Antiques and Collectibles: 18th Edition (Official Price Guide to Antiques and Collectibles).

No comments about Complete Book of Antiques and Collectibles.

1 comments about A Guide to Hp Handheld Calculators and Computers.

1. This book is the definitive guide for those collecting or just interested in older HP calculators. Wlodek is considered the "grand-master" of the history of HP handheld calcs (though he's modest enough to deny that) and he has written a great reference on models from the first -- the HP-35 to models current to about 2002. He even talks about the HP-01 calculator watch. Wlodek includes complete descriptions, function details, variations, color & black & white photos, and even background history of all the models. Over 140 pages with tightly written information, charts, and photos. Great book!

No comments about One-Minute Coin Expert, Sixth Edition (One Minute Coin Expert).

3 comments about Art Nouveau and Art Deco Jewelry: An Identification and Value Guide.

1. While this book might be of some use to an antiques dealer, the photos are much to small and of to poor a quality to be of any use to a student of jewelry. I was very disappointed.



2. I think that this author had a lot of good information, but needed better help from an editor in organizing and presenting it.

   The first section is disorganized and hard to follow. It was intended to cover the "inspirational forces" for Art Nouveau and Art Deco jewelry (people, places, ideas, and events) but the way it was presented made the information not very valuable, at least to me.

   One thing I learned---while I knew that "nouveau" meant new, I learned that "deco" meant "young.

   Section 2 had some wonderful color plates of pieces of jewelry and the third section had lists of designs, motifs, and materials for "new art" jewelry.

   Section 4 had "thumbnail sketches" of jewelers, jewelry designers/makers, manufacturers and retailers.

   The last section was an interesting glossary of jewelry terms and types. I especially enjoyed the information about hallmarks, enamel, combs, hatpins, and purses (mesh and beaded).




3. Baker presents a definitive guide to Deco and Nouveau Jewelry. She outlines the historical influences on the designs, offers beautifully photographed and representative pieces and concludes with a glossary and price guide. Her format is logical and the placement of the price guide as an addendum allows periodic updates that keep the book current. Overall a helpful guide for the novice or experienced collector and a pleasurable book for simply viewing lovely jewelry pieces. The paperback format allows affordability.

1 comments about Collecting Carnival Glass.

1. This book is an excellent book to carry when your scouring for carnival glass, It's paperback, yet has hundreds of color pictures for easy identification, especially European purchases. It also has brief histories of the major manufacturers of carnival and several detailed drawings as well as suggested prices. I highly recommend it!!