No comments about Ancient Britons and the Antiquarian Imagination: Ideas from the Renaissance to the Regency.

1 comments about Knowles, Taylor and Knowles: American Bone China : With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book is an excellent adjunct to the more commonly seenMary Frank Gaston's Encyclopedia. Kearn's book contains over 150photos of Knowles, Taylor, Knowles pottery, with a strong focus on the famous Lotus Ware (sometimes referred to as American Belleek), and Meredith and other jugs.

   Kearns went straight to the source, the Ohio Ceramics Museum in East Liverpool, Ohio, for information about this pottery's wares. He gives us a history of the company and the different types of pottery it created when it ran, and tonnes of photos of the various pieces still available to the collector today. His prices do not reflect the impact that online auctions have had on the collectables market, but that is a common problem with reference works today, and should not deter you from buying this book.

1 comments about Garage Sale & Flea Market Annual: current Values on : Today's Collectibles, Tomorrow's Antiques (Garage Sale and Flea Market Annual).

1. I'm no avid garage saler or flea marketer, but I picked this book up from the library to see what some of my stuff might be worth.
   
   The author first gives some tips on how to buy and sell goods, what to look for condition-wise, and how to learn more about a certain type of goods. Then the book lists types of collectibles in alphabetical order, giving a short history of the company or collectible, with values of some of the more valuable examples of each type listed.
   
   Of course, such a book can't be completely comprehensive, but this one does give lots of resources (both books and individuals) for further study in each type of collectible. It seemed very heavy on pottery and dinnerware companies, but did have a good mix of other items (toys, Coca-Cola items, political buttons...). It's not really the type of book you should browse through from front to back, as I did, because it's just so overwhelming! But I did learn a little that probably stuck with me.
   
   The word nerd in me had to smile at all the misspellings and bad grammar throughout the book, but it's a minor point.
   
   If you're into the collectible scene, but just starting out, this would be a good starting point for you.

2 comments about Antique Trader Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2005 (Antique Trader Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide).

1. This book is as good a general reference as one could hope to find. It covers many different areas and gives good examples with decent photos in each category.I strongly recommend this tome for all-from beginners to experts alike! and as usual Amazon's pricing,selection and service is the best!!



2. If only one affordable but definitive price guide were to be chosen for a gift for collectors and garage salers, it should be the 20th anniversary edition of Antique Trader's standard reference. Here are all the major categories of glass, ceramics, and furniture under one cover, packing in small color photos, values, and coverage of the latest collecting trends. There are literally hundreds of categories to Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2005 - and enough in-depth reference detail for any level of collector or dealer.

1 comments about Miniature Mannequins: Identification & Price Guide.

1. I've been collecting dolls for a few years and just recently started to collect the miniature sewing mannequins. I found this book to be extremely helpful with pricing and what to look for. Great pictures too.

No comments about Krause-Minkus Standard Catalog of Canadian & United Nations Stamps: Includes Canadian Provincials and UN Offices in Geneva and Vienna (Krause Minkus Standard ... Catalog of Canadian & United Nations Stamps).

1 comments about How to Profit from Flower and Herb Crafts (How to).

1. I truly liked this book!I do floral crafts as a hobby, but always have a hard time tring to market them. This book gives clear ideas and tips that really were helpful. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to market their talent>

5 comments about The Complete Lincoln Cent Encyclopedia.

1. This reference is a nice piece, although to me, it falls a bit short of Sol Taylor's Complete Guide to the Lincoln Cent. The book has very good photographic reproduction, and has some interesting information on die varieties and RPMs. It also reveals a lot about some key issues such as the 1909S VDB and 1922 Plain!

   So where does it fall short? To me, it reads a little too much like a reference. Aside from a few key dates, many of the date listings give very little information on the quality of the coins produced for that issue. This is where Taylor's book seems better suited, as it very often describes the colors, die states, and strikes of virtually every issue.

   If this is addressed in later editions, than I think this title holds the potential to really achieve a legacy among Lincoln Cent collectors!




2. This is an interesting book for Lincoln cent collectors. Overall, the book appears to contain a lot of information about varieties. This is no doubt the result of a great deal of background research. There are, however, at least two areas that I puzzled over.

   The first area is related to the description of blistering. On page 18 in the second paragraph of "Wrong or improperly mixed alloys", it is stated that blistering is caused by residual chemicals left on the planchet after plating. I'm a little puzzled as to how blistering can be caused in this manner, unless the copper is compromised and a contaminant attacks the zinc. A majority of blisters that I've observed using a 30x stereoscope appear to be between the zinc material and the copper plating with no apparent penetration or compromising of the copper plating. The conclusion that I've arrived at after examining the later type of blisters is as follows: 1) The zinc material is not being cleaned properly before the plating process. 2) The plating process traps a contaminant between the zinc material and the copper plating. 3) The contaminant reacts with the zinc, thereby resulting in a blistering effect of the copper. The blistering phenomenon should have been explained in greater detail.

   The second area has to do with the descriptions and pictures of the 1909S VDB die varieties. Specifically, the description of the Die No 2 variety (page 40) would tend to indicate that the mintmark, while being level with the bottoms of the 9s, would have the same relative position between the 9 and 0 as the Die No 1 variety. The description for the Die No 2 variety seems to be vague on this point. In addition, the picture that is provided for the Die No 2 variety seems to match the description and the picture for the Die No 3 variety. It's obvious that these two pictures are of different coins, but the variety appears to be the same. This leads me to question the picture representation of the Die No 2 variety, a better description would have helped (or maybe the correct picture).

   I would have liked to ask the author about these to points rather than writing a review, but no e-mail address was provided at Amzazon.com.

   One more point of frustration - The grading section could have easily included pictures and did not.




3. This is an excellent book for anyone collecting Lincoln cents - It lists EVERY known variety of the entire series from 1909! It's great for finding valuable coins you didn't know you had.



4. This is a Collector of Lincoln Cents a must have BOOK. I didn't know there were so many diffrent varities of each date. This book has all the information anyone would need to properly collect Lincoln Cents.



5. This is the most complete book every written on the subject of Lincoln Cents. With information from all three leading grading services (ANACS, PCGS & NGC) you can tell exactly how rare is rare.

2 comments about The Foremost Guide to Uncle Sam Collectibles.

1. The most comprehensive guide of its kind I have been able to find.
   Good information on the origination and evolution of the Uncle Sam character.
   Well researched and easy to browse.



2. With a better than average knowledge of Uncle Sam collectibles, I searched for specific information in this book and was able to easily locate what I needed. Very good photography. A prized addition to my collection of art books.

2 comments about Art Nouveau the French Aesthetic.

1. Perhaps the best study yet on French nouveau artistry. It is a pure delight to find so much information about the leading protagonists and their contribution to the movement all under one cover. Victor Arwas certainly knows what he is writing about and knows where the masterpieces are. Excellently illustrated, but beware, it is heavy.



2. Very Impressive compilation of images which are hard to find plus a large amount of the Robert Zehil and Victor Arwas' collections. One of the largest books to be in my library.