3 comments about Indian Baskets (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book is done very well. Many large color photographys,detailed illustrations of weave types. Would have liked to have seen more color photographys though. Overall a good guality book on baskets.



2. Completely indispensable text for the weaver, curator, researcher, student, collector or just plain curious. Not a theoretical text; rather, the intent is to enable the reader to identify any basketry work produced by Native North Americans from the Arctic to the Southeast.

   This book has scores of photos, including a preliminary section where baskets from each geographical region are reproduced in good color photos. Good but simple overview of the history of Native basketry, *great* overview of techniques with schematic drawings. Also has a thorough bibliography. A must-have reference book for any Native American or art-focused library.




3. I first learned of this book from a basket trader in Tucson who was explaining why I could never find any Pima baskets that matched a photograph in a booklet I had. He suspected the photographer used a brown filter to enhance the appearance. He pulled out a copy of "Indian Baskets" to show me the difference and told me if I was serious about baskets I needed to get this book. In it, I found along with beautiful photographs large enough to see in detail of many tribes' baskets: an encyclopedia of information including a list of tribes that still made baskets with descriptions of the designs each uses, detailed drawings and descriptions of the many different stitches used in baskets, a chart that can be used to find which tribes make baskets with your favorite stitches, and even a list of prices for baskets sold a few years ago. It was the book I longed to find on this topic. The one obvious omission was a list of sites where tribes sell baskets today, but fortunately that information is readily available from other sources.

5 comments about The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 34th Edition (Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide).

1. Getting this book is no longer important anymore. With the technology of the internet, the comic book collector can now surf the internet and check out comic book sites for current prices of old comics. With the latest of the stupid CDGing where you have to put comics into a sealable plastic shell so you can't take it out to read..............



2. Glad to see that the Guide is still correcting the overpricing that has plagued editions of this book in the past. Of course, dealers will be upset to see this downward correction (notice the anonymous reviews signed "a reader"). But for the comic buyer, this is a step away from greed and towards making comic book collecting an affordable hobby again.
   
   It's good to have the guide moving ever closer towards accuracy, and not have to judge value by the outlandish prices occasionally seen on eBay which unrealistically skew the average price upwards. These eBay buyers are either uninformed (a dealer's dream), or they have unlimited funds and are bidding aginst another person in the same situation. These sales, however, have NOTHING to do with the book's actual value, which is determined by supply and the mean demand. One or two people who are willing to pay 10 times a book's value, shouldn't have an effect on the pricing for the rest of the comic collecting community.
   
   The Overstreet Guide is an important tool for the hobbyist who wants to have an accurate guide for a comic book's worth. Unfortunately comic book collecting has become a HUGE business, and dealers used to gigantic markups don't want to lose these profit margins. They will continue to fight against the trend towards downward correction in Overstreet. Buyer Beware. The comic you want is out there somewhere at a fair price. Take your time and look around. And of course, get a copy of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide!!!



3. I have bought many of Overstreet's Price Guide issues, including every one of the first twenty years. Every year it became more and more accurate and comprehensive and I depended on it to give me details on almost every comic in existence including underground comics and limited editions.

   I got out of the comics scene for a while and then decided to start selling some of my old collection I didn't read much any more, so I bought the most recent issue.

   I was shocked! Except for the most common titles, most issues I had weren't even listed! Even issues like Mickey Mouse Album #1 from 1962 was missing. Where there had been several columns of listings per page, there were now only two, to make room for a completely unnecessary breakdown of prices by conditions so fine that it's laughable.

   I find it hard to figure out whom this book is supposed to serve. If the book you're researching is at all rare, then you would like to see it in this book, not find out that it's too rare to bother with.

   With the huge numbers of advertisements in the book, the price is outrageous!

   Sorry, I can't recommend it for ANYONE who is a serious comics fan.




4. As a previous reviewer noted, some of the pricing in this edition is ludicrous. Prices of comics that continue to spiral upward have been marked down? What is the problem with Overstreet?
   
   The truth is that historically Overstreet and other price guides have always based many comic prices in large part on educated or even uneducated guesses. But now the comic buyer or seller can go directly to the definitive authority on the subject-Ebay. When a comic is selling on Ebay for $500 in VF and Overstreet says it's worth $200 in VF, Overtreet is just plain wrong.



5. Look carefully in this edition and you will see that most prices have gone DOWN, which is a joke. It states that an Amazing Spider-man #1 in VF goes for $500 less than last year, which is a joke. Try finding a good deal on EBAY. Fantastic Four #48, the 1st silver surfer, use to fly on EBAY for discount prices, now low grades sell at book prices easy and mid-to high grades above...and the price has dropped in this "price guide". If you look carefully most mid to mid-high grades have gone down in this book across the board. Last I looked the comic business was booming, when talking to all sellers and comparing ebay sales. This book is a joke and it's time for a new "definitve priceguide" Dont waste your hard earned money here. Overstreet should be ashamed.

5 comments about Antique American Frames: Indentification and Price Guide (Antique American Frames).

1. What an amazing story of the way period frames came into their own. This book is the perfect way to start an understanding of the value of frames or to enhance your knowledge tremendously. This is a must have for anyone interested in the art of framing!



2. This is the best way to begin or refine your understanding of antique American frames.



3. It struck me as odd that people were tossing these things of craftsmanship and age simply because they didn't think they could profit in a monetary sense. It was the death and destruction of antique frames that has made them rare. So many died, so so many could live. I am sure marketing was the key factor in showing the buyer with the bucks the joy and appreciation of the vintage frames beauty. And so to Mr. Eli Wilner belong the spoils. I found the book enlightening and enriching. Dealers who trade in these wares should buy numerous copies and send them out to their customers for the holidays.



4. I purchased a copy of the first edition of Antique American Frames a few years ago because of a keen interest I have in American painting and antiques. The book totally transformed my perspective on frames, and now when I am shopping for antiques or considering the purchase of a painting, I take notice of the frame. Using the knowledge gleaned from this book, I fancy myself a budding frame aficionado. I was expressing my newfound passion to my cousin and ended up giving her my copy. I often take the book with me to the store or gallery I am visiting, so I immediately orderd a replacement copy for myself. I was delighted to find that there is a currently a second edition of the price guide available, complete with the latest prices. The 2nd edition also contains a wonderful chapter on collectors, both collectors of paintings in antique frames, and, just the frames themselves. I was particularly struck by the analogy of the period frame to vase; when you think about it, vases are valued the world over just by themselves and exhibited empty. You never think about something being missing. I highly recommend the 2nd edition of Antique American Frames Identification and Price Guide as a must-have for anyone who appreciates the power and beauty of American craftsmanship and artistry. Like the final sentence in the new chapter says "at last period frames have come into their own."



5. I bought this book hoping to get some real specific information on buying and selling antique american frames. I enjoyed reading this book because it gave me a bigger picture of how the frame styles developed in America (even though I also felt like Mr. Wilner's chatty tone seemed to talk down to his audience). I agree with some of the other reviewers in that this certainly is an enthusiastic book and creates awareness for people to look at what surrounds the picture instead of just looking at the painting. Antique frames should certainly be studied and written about and noticed and matched with the right paintings.

   I do have some complaints however. I am an antiques dealer and I have some other books in the Confident Collector series. I really don't think this book fits in the same spirit as the rest of the series. I think Mr. Wilner's prices are all off base with the real world of antiques and collecting. They seem to be a self-serving guide to prices in his shop alone. I go to lots of auctions and antique markets in many states and have been in the business for many years of selling both paintings and frames and I rarely have seen frames alone sell for the kind of values he is giving them. I know that prices are going up since more awareness has made people appreciate the so-called art of the frame more. I have seen that there are many exhibits and articles on antique frames in the last few years, and I have seen that frames are starting to cost more as people become more aware that frames can be as important as a painting.I know that people like Mr. Wilner are benefiting the public by educating them on what a good frame is. I agree that some frames are very valuable, like an original Stanford White or a signed artists frame (as described in the book), but it seems that Mr. Wilner's book attempts to make all American frames seem valuable and that just can't be true. It's not true of American furniture or other antiques, they all have highs and lows, so frames must too. Like for example simple black Eastlake print frames in his book are starting at $2500, but those kinds of frames can be found at nearly every antiques mall for well under $500. There is no indication in the text about why Mr. Wilner finds Eastlake frames are suddenly so valuable other than that he says so.

   Also Mr. Wilner's book seems to be the only one in the series that he is the only dealer listed. Other books list other experts and sources to buy or find out more about the specific antique. Overall, I think that for people who know nothing about frames and want some idea of what they are about and to learn some general history, the chapter text is quite informative but the dates of the frames shown are not in chronological order which is somewhat confusing. Unfortunately the black and white pictures are so small and fuzzy and such bad quality that it is very difficult to see the detail in the frames, so how can you tell if you have one of the valuable ones or not?

   The photo captions themselves don't really give much extra information I wish they talked more about the decorative motifs or described the frames better since the photos are so bad. As generalist antique guides go it's a decent overview. I would just tell anyone to take the Price Guide part of this with a very large grain of salt, since the frame prices seem to be on the moon instead of in the real world of american antiques.

5 comments about Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues, 1961-Date (11th Edition).

1. Brilliant, could not do without it- the best on the market without a doubt.



2. This book is the third volume in a line series dedicated to paper money collecting. This one particularly concentrates on the banknotes issued by central banks all over the World from 1961 onwards. The book is "The reference" used by all collectors and dealers alike. Thus, it is a must in order to keep uptodate with market prices and with the current issues. Unfortunately, it has mistakes and sometimes it lacks continuity with its counterpart (vol. 2) which is not issued annualy like this one. Nevertheless, if you are involved in paper money collecting, owning this book is imperative in order to be able to refer properly to any moder banknote.
   The book can be bought from many sources, starting with its Publisher (Krause), however, my advice is to get it from Amazon.com, since its discunts are unbeatable.



3. As always, the work and research to get the latest information available to the collector is presented to us in the catalog as best as possible. I would like to see a section that list countries whose names have changed. While the catalog is a tremedous effort to 'keep current' with the many changes going on while it is in the making, I long for the day when the CD comes out and changes are added electronically. Stamp collectors now have this and a virtual stamp collection. Thanks to all that work to get the latest information for a great hobby!



4. Most useful - but - there seem to be several errors in this catalogue. One of the most glaring is the complete omission of SOMALIA, despite the index refering the reader to page 772. These are, in fact, the entries for SOMALILAND from 1994. All entries for SOMALIA from 1962 to 1990 have disappeared.



5. I would say, - there is no other, better book, so we have to use this one. I have looked through some pages of it and I already found quite a few blunders. First of all there are quite a few misleading price valuations, I would even say many price manipulations. I haven't gone through every single page of it yet, but a quick look at the book reveals the following:
   
   - Overall image quality got worse (much worse) in this year 2005 edition. Some photos have some white spots and cuts.
   
   - Signature tables have disappeared in quite a few country listings. Instead of signature tables Krause website is advertised all across the pages. Question: why remove what already has been added over years?
   
   - Most of the country letter code explanations and country names are gone from West African States listings.
   
   - Signatures are numbered but not always displayed in signature tables.
   
   - Catalogue numbers are changed and moved around to frequently confusing the collectors and especially addong tons of extra work for dealers.
   
   - Many banknotes are valued way below market value. Some are valued below anytime exchange rate. Example: Latvian 100 Latu exchange rate always was over $160 but Krause values it in Uncirculated condition at $150.
   
   - No ERRATA is being printed. Any self-respecting publisher prints errata pages and puts them in a book, or even sends Errata (corrections) pages to all their customers and book owners. The book was published carelessly. Some colourful images (not so important to a professional) were added, but what's most important is the text info and price valuations. This book is important to a beginner and as well to a professional. We still have to use it, cause there is no other catalogue for All World's Paper Money, but making so many errors and blunders shows that the publisher of this book does not care much about what the reader gets from it.
   
   Good-bye Pick... hello Krause.

No comments about Conservation of Leather and Related Materials (Conservation and Museology).

1 comments about Collectible Vernon Kilns: Identification and Value Guide (Collectible Vernon Kilns).

1. This book is a must have for anyone interested in collecting any of the numerous shapes and/or patterns of pottery made by Vernon Kilns. I won't repeat what's said above in the book description or product details, but I will add that many years of obvious painstaking research has culminated in Maxine Nelson's 4th book on the subject.
   
   I had no idea what a challenge it would be to complete a collection of dinnerware in just ONE of the patterns ("Gingham", a green and yellow plaid design) that was made. Even with this book in hand you will never be 100% sure of all the pieces that exist in whatever pattern you're attempting to collect. In my opinion, the "not knowing" is part of the challenge that only serves to make collecting this truly versatile line of wares that much more fun, interesting, and rewarding.
   
   By the way, this book has 320 pages, not 192 as listed above. Sadly, this book is already out of print. However, at the time of this writing quite a few copies are still available.
   
   If you're a fanatic, you'll want to find copies of the newsletter "Vernon Views" printed from 1981 through 2003 by Pat Faux and Nancy Scadeberg, but we'll save that for another time...

1 comments about Antique & Contemporary Advertising Memorabilia (Antique and Contemporary Advertising Memorabilia).

1. A brand new 2002, 416 page beautiful plastic laminated hardbound library book advertising memorabilia lovers will appreciate. There are more than 1,200 large, full color sharp photos included. Current values are shown. Listings are in alphabetical order throughout the book, making item location easy. Useful for beginners and advanced collectors, and everyone interested in ad memorabilia. Add it to your library. It's a beautiful book.

2 comments about Purse Masterpieces: Identification & Value Guide.

1. Purse Masterpieces is a wonderful addition to the literature on antique and vintage purses. Many examples pictured in this book have never been seen before, some of them dating to the 18th century. Seven other individual collectors contributed to this book. The sections on beaded, mesh and dance purses has some lovely examples, which any collector would be proud to add to her collection. Another section on frames shows some beautiful jeweled pieces that have not been seen in the exisitng literature. In her first chapter, Ms. Schwartz discusses the relationship of purse designs with the more traditional art form of painting, archeology (Egyptian) and literature. She makes a connection that has not been made in the past in other books on purses, which adds to the literature and makes for a very interesting read. Her value guide is just that, a guide. As all purse collectors know, prices vary from one end of the country to the other, from venue to venue, and year to year. I highly recommend this book to all antique and vintage purse collectors.



2. This is quite possibly the most self-serving book I have ever seen published. The misleading title, Purse Masterpieces, suggests that it will feature the very best extant examples of vintage and antique purses. Disappointingly, what we are given instead is a virtual catalog of the author's own collection, regardless of rarity, condition, noteworthiness or "masterpiece" status. Commonplace and unremarkable purses are included alongside finer examples. There are important categories of purses poorly represented or ignored entirely, presumably because the author either had none in her personal collection or had no interest in the type. The overwhelming majority of the purses included in the book are listed as being from the author's retail store or the author's personal collection. While the author did scatter here and there a limited number of purses from a few select other sources, the book reads like a photographic documentation of the author's retail store. To add insult to injury, the values placed by the author on her own purses appear much inflated, thereby rendering the book's worth as a price guide suspect at best and a disservice to the collectible purse market at worst. The text breaks no new ground and reveals little that hasn't been published elsewhere in other more comprehensive and more fairly written collector books on purses.
   
   The end result is that a book ostensibly purporting to document and value only the finest "masterpiece" examples of purses instead comes off like a means for the author to market all of her own purses by establishing "book" prices and published status of her collection.
   
   The author describes herself as "collecting, researching and writing about vintage purses for over a decade," and while she appears reasonably knowledgeable on the subject commensurate with her limited time in the field, I would humbly suggest a more accurate title for her book. She has a lovely collection deserving of cataloging, and my colleagues and I would certainly help her value them more accurately.
   
   There are many well-researched books and price-guides available on vintage, antique and collectible purses written by professionals with a wealth of time and experience in the field. In my opinion, this book does not add to the fund of knowledge or documentation on the subject previously published. The premise of a book solely focusing on masterpieces is a good one, and I will await the publication. ... This just isn't that book.
   
   A real disappointment.

No comments about Early American Antique Country Furnishing.

1 comments about Boys' & Girls' Book Series Real World Adventures: Identification & Values.

1. Brand new, year 2002 volume dedicated to these series collectibles. It contains 176 pages, filled with more than 325 excellent full color photos. Prices are 2002. There's sufficient text to answer many collector questions. Major chapters include: pricing, intro, publishers, identifying first editions, glossary, abbreviations, resources, and more. Descriptions are complete. This is an exciting collectible, that brings back many childhood memories for collectors. A very nice collector's reference.