5 comments about McKeown's Price Guide to Antique & Classic Cameras 2001-2002 (Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras).

1. I cannot say it any better than the many other reviewers who have indicated that this is the "bible" of camera collecting references! Exhaustive references, historic information, pictures, auction selling prices, the "whole nine yards!"
   
   The only camera reference book better than this one is Jim McKeown's next edition!



2. My McKeown's price guide has been an invaluable tool in selling old camera's at online auction sites. It not only gives you a solid idea of what a camera is worth, but it many cases it gives you some history and background as well.
   
   There are pictures of almost every camera listed to help you identify your exact model, and it explains in detail the difference between similar models.
   
   I can't think of anything that could be added to make this a more complete pricing guide.



3. I use this book often, I have found that in addition to the obveous use (prise guide) there is a fair amount of history that helped with research. Contains much useful information.



4. I have had the pleasure of owning (and still own) the 1976 Guide To Antique Cameras by Mckeown. It has been many years since then and the price for a guide has really risen. As an Antique dealer I found myself getting interested in collectible cameras once again. I knew I needed a guide and reviewed a 1996 copy a friend owned my McKeowen and was convinced this is the one to own. My library consists of at least 200 books on Antiques and 50 price guides on Art, Jewelry, clothing, Orientalia to name a few. I hesitated at the price for this guide, but after reasearching the options I knew this was the concise price guide for me. I own it and am happy I chose it and it makes me MONEY just owning it. I have 30 years of Amatuer collecting and selling under my belt and I really don't need a price guide just my wits, (that's what I told myself) but it just makes it soooo easy to reinforce my experience with a reference and value basis for my risks. Leica III,a,b,c,g, Mentor Reflex, Zeiss-Ikon Miroflex, Robot 35mm, Hasselblad, Kodak Field Cameras, Sept 35mm camera projector, TDC 3d projector & Nikon Cameras are a few of the cameras I have used this informational price guide in evaluating.



5. Jim McKeown's books are the most comprehensive sources of accurate information on cameras in the world. Period. Other books may give more information on specific cameras, but if you are to have but one source to refer to,choose McKeown. He will never disappoint you.
   Another wonderful camera expert and writer (they don't always go together) is Ivor Matanle. His two books are treasures. But if you want facts, go with McKeown. You will return over and over to his book. Speaking face to face with him is most rewarding. You realize you are learning from one of the world authorities.
   Wonderful pictures, camera values (prices) rarity,etc. This book contains cameras even experts haven't heard about. But McKeown is the expert of experts, and you will keep this large,heavy, over 900 page book near just for the fun of reading it. Am I enthused? Yes! I have bought his books since the 4th edition in 1983-84, and always been pleased.
   A lengthy review? Yes, but this book deserves much praise!

5 comments about Peanuts Collectibles: Identification & Value Guide.

1. Wonderful and warm. Shows the heart and soul of Peanuts collecting. It's not just a price guide, it's a friend.



2. This book was an big disappointment, and not as advertised.It only contains an small amount of information on Peanuts Collectibles. I would not recommend it.



3. If you are looking for a single book that displays a wide variety of Peanuts Memorabilia, this is the one for you. I was surprised to see almost every item I've collected over the years presented in this book. The only downside that I found was the lack of space given for plush items, and toys. Nonetheless, you will not be disappointed.



4. A wonderful 296 page book loaded with 2,700 great photos in full color. Packed with information on the characters, copyright data, selling your collection, Peanuts Collector Club. Covers all areas, including banks, books, cosmetics, display accessories, dolls, figurines, housewares, music boxes, seasonal, stationery, toys, and more. Contains year 2000 values. Plenty of text, in addition to the listings. A real treasure you'll enjoy reading and using often.



5. Ten times better than the first, Andrea has put her true expertise into this perfect handbook for all the crazed fans of our favorite Beagle. So many beautiful pictures of Snoopy-Stuff. GOOD GRIEF I LOVED IT. Two enthusiastic paws up.

2 comments about How to Sell Music, Collectibles, and Instruments on eBay... And Make a Fortune.

1. How to Sell Music, Collectibles and Instruments on eBay
   and Make a Fortune
   A book review by Frank Dobrowolski
   May 12, 2005
   
   by Dennis L. Prince and William M. Meyer
   Published by McGraw-Hill/Osborne
   ISBN 0-07-144570-6 2005 268 pages
   List price: $14.95 On Amazon: $10.17 +S/H
   
   This book is a quick, short introduction to using eBay for buying and selling music and related collectibles and instruments, [one of the "How to Sell ..... and Make a Fortune" series]. It appears to be aimed at those who would rather learn by doing and need only a brief tutorial on the process. This objective is met quite admirably. Those who find they desire more detailed discussions or want information on the ancillary sectors of eBay can find other books that meet these needs.
   
   As to the "Make a Fortune" part of the title, the recommendation essentially is the familiar mantra of retail operations - Buy low, Sell High, Generate High Sales Volumes, Know the Product and Understand the Customer. The difference here is that eBay is the base of operations rather than a store and operating on eBay opens the operation to a potential audience of million. While few make a fortune in retail at this level, the book does offer much information and lists a wealth of reference sources.
   
   The potential market is very large. According to this book 54% of U.S. households have at least one musical instrument player. And, retail music is a stable product category with staying power and sales potential.
   * Over 745 million audio CDs were sold in 2003 for $11 billion
   * Over 35 million concert tickets were sold in 2002 grossing $2.2 billion
   * Music products [instruments, performance gear, etc.] sales in 2002 exceeded $6.9 billion
   * Vintage music products and memorabilia generates tens of billions of dollars every year
   
   Those selling in this field can be either: experts in a narrow, low volume market with high profit margins; or broadly interested in a wide, high volume market with low profit margins. Whichever part of this field one chooses to follow there are many sources of information provided in this book.
   
   Memorabilia refers to items like t-shirts, ticket stubs, programs, etc. Once these items were considered to be disposable. However, their presence on eBay has created an expanded, eager collector base. So more items are being valued and the values are increasing.
   
   According to this book there usually are over 650,000 music-related items listed in eBay's categories and over 500 sub-categories for Music, Musical instruments [grossing $500 million a year] and Music Memorabilia [ with 75,000 Rock-n-Roll listings every day] categories. This book claims to be the only one focused on these three areas. Some data the book presents on eBay's sales in the music categories:
   
   * Music - 500 categories
   * 700,000 listings each day
   * 150,000 records listed
   * Musical instruments - $500 million/ year
   o 50,000 guitars listed - $1.1 B in 2002
   * Musical Products - $350 million/year
   * Rock-n-roll memorabilia - 70,000 listings
   
   Chapter 2 is entitled "The History of Selling Music". This information helps one start to develop a background in the field to better understand the items being sold and to prepare for updates and changes. The chapter points to two areas of concern: Fraud and Competition.
   
   The book states that fraud and misrepresentation are widespread, especially with Memorabilia. It is estimated that 99% of the Beatles signature items and 75% of Rock-n-Roll autographs are fake. The book recommends that such items have rock-solid appraisals from recognized specialist appraisers and a written, lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
   
   Competition relates to the various levels of marketing, particularly of musical instruments and related equipment, The mass marketers [Wal-Mart] lower prices and make business difficult for music stores. The Internet also competes with the music stores. Fraud is rife and prices are lowered mercilessly [in the eyes of store-based merchants] In fact some instrument manufacturers forbid the sale of their instruments on the Internet and impose pricing protection for the stores.
   
   The book discusses each sector in the music categories, addressing source information, market, current pricing and the more popular items. Pages 45 to 63 lists many information sources, sub-dvided as by instrument or type of memorabilia.
   Chapter 5 discusses the necessary Business Plan focusing on marketing and sales strategies and on the financial aspects.
   Chapter 6 covers building and maintaining an inventory. Chapter 7 discusses acquiring and holding on to customers and keeping them happy to generate return business. The book addresses the tasks to use eBay for selling - Listing, Payment, Shipping, etc. Chapters 10 to 12 cover the elements of becoming a music specialist in one of the categories and sub-categories. It outlines the knowledge needed and the means to keep the customers happy, and advised of one's available inventory.
   
   The book is well-written, easy to read and has enough illustrations to convey the needed message. I would recommend this book for beginners or novices in using eBay for buying and selling music-related items on eBay.



2. This in-depth book covers the topic of selling music products on eBay, using a lot of practical examples plus a dash of humor. It's a great resource for anyone who wants to start selling CDs or instruments on eBay, giving real specifics on how to position your music merchandise effectively. It's a solid guide that's bound to generate real sales. Also, it includes excellent first-hand testimony from some of eBay's best music sellers. Highly recommended.

1 comments about Personal Antique and Collectible Inventory.

1. An important book that has a place for photos, descriptions ( such as markings, history, when and where acquired, cost, etc. ) for your own reference and/or insurance purposes. Unfortunately, it is now out of print and hard to find !!

No comments about Beckett Baseball Almanac #12 (Beckett Almanac of Baseball Cards and Collectibles).

2 comments about A Passion for Collecting: Decorating with Your Favorite Objects.

1. Perhaps I'm too much of an American, but the preponderance of human(?) skulls, animal skeletons, and taxidermied animals freaked me out. Still I have to give the author points for not just including the usual collected suspects. There are small knitted sweaters, used paint palettes, and brightly colored Tin Tin posters. Some of the interiors look quite ugly to me (turquoise paint with gilded trim), but entertaining nonetheless.
   
   I hated the organization of the book or rather the lack thereof. The same collections can appear in three different chapters. The repetition made me nuts. The redundancy really annoyed me.



2. If you've ever wanted to start collecting anything, as a hobby or as an investment or for any other reason, and you weren't sure of just what to collect, the amazing number of color photographs of collections from around the world will surely whet your appetite.

   The author of this book has broken down the subject of collecting into 9 loose categories of collectors: The Antiquarians (descendants of Renaissance and 18th century collectors), The Explorers (those interested in ethnic and curious pieces from all over the world), The Perfectionists (those who only want the best in its field), The Naturalists (those who collect natural objects of minerals, flora or fauna), The Utilitarians (who collect practical things), The Inheritors (those who receive existing collections from other people), The Enthusiasts (those who collect anything that pleases them), The Decorators (those who collect for the purpose of decorating) and The Miniaturists (those who are fascinated with things that are tiny).

   Just browsing through this book and looking at the great collections people have put together is a breathtaking experience and shows how wide the variety and how personal the tastes. There's plenty of descriptive explanation that goes with each of the nine categories and the photographs are grouped accordingly to make it easy to skip to the styles that most interest you.

   My only major problem with the book is that, while the photographs are absolutely beautiful, and the collections are phenomenal, the photos makes one think that these collections are well arranged and displayed. The majority are not! The displaying of these collections often appears to have been thrown together without much regard to how to display them in such a way so they will attract attention and enhance the room as well.

   It's one thing to create a great collection. It's quite another thing to feel compelled to display every single piece all at the same time. When you get into that, it's just overkill and the collection ceases to be that interesting and becomes a burden to try to absorb. Better to put out a few pieces here and a few there and store the rest and exchange what's out for what's stored periodically, rather than put everything out at the same time. Doing so is more a matter of the ego of the collector and less of a desire to enhance the collection with an attractive display.

   I recognize that a sizeable portion of these collections are from all over the world and displayed in homes where their owners reside, still there are display concepts that should be universally used if you really want other people to appreciate your collection. In this case, less would definitely be more!

3 comments about Collectibles Price Guide 2007 (Collectibles Price Guide).

1. This book is fantastic! It has many, many pictures and has become a wonderful asset to me. I highly recommend it!



2. Outstanding from page one! This book is expertly researched, photographed, designed and provides the reader with the most current vaulations of some of today's most sought after collectibles. Judith Miller and her entire team have taken the "art" of antiques and collectibles quite seriously and it shows with each and every book.



3. it had most of the info i like . I am getting a lot of enjoyment out of it I found all her books give plenty of scope to want to find out more

4 comments about Antique Purses: A History, Identification and Value Guide.

1. The photography is excellent and the purses shown in this book are beautiful, but it is utterly useless for anyone who wants any information beyond price range and the dimensions of the bags. There is no information whatsoever on dates, what the different types of bags are called, where they're from, etc. There's a short introduction, but it doesn't compensate for the lack of information throughout the rest of the book. This might be fun for a collector to look through, but has little educational value.



2. I don't know much about the value part but the pictures are very beautiful. Of course to me a beaded bag is priceless !!!



3. The pictures are very good if that's all you want. The history is minimal and primarily on Whiting-Davis bags. I was very disappointed in the content as there is no information on why some bags are valued higher, what to look for in purchasing antique bags, and how to identify the era. I guess I just expected more text than was given.



4. The book is primarily pictorial with values given for the individual bags shown. Two pages of history in general were included. Expansion of the background information would make the book more enjoyable. Obviously the values are outdated for 1999 but a wide range of bags are included.

1 comments about Comics Values Annual 2005: The Comic Book Price Guide (Comics Values Annual).

1. Every year, when this time comes around I'm happy for two reasons. First it is Spring, and we can stop wearing all those heavy winter clothes, and second because the new CVA is in (or is it the other way around?)
   
   CVA is easily the bestest, most organized, and fully realized comicbook price guide on the market. It is assembled by a crack team of professionals dedicated to the project, and thoroughly respected in the field of comics and collectibles.
   
   This one far and away beats the competition. Always with great articles and/or interviews, as well as easily organized into "company" chapters, which makes finding specific titles much simpler.
   
   Yes boys and girls, this one is - most definitely - the cat's meow!

No comments about Early Twentieth Century Lighting Fixtures: Featuring Gas & Electric, Ceiling, Wall, Table & Art Glass Fixtures.