1 comments about Matchbox Toys: The Tyco Years 1993-1994 (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. The fourth in a series of books, "Matchbox - The Tyco Years, 1993-1994" is mind-bogglingly exhaustive in its completeness. It delineates every single Matchbox product issued in the short two-year period since the purchase of the brand by Tyco. It's only shortcoming is that the price guide, variation list, and pictorial guide are three separate sections, meaning the reader must flip back and forth to cross-reference. The book's author Charlie Mack has arguably the largest Matchbox toy collection in the United States, perhaps in the world. Last count was over 18,000 different specimens! They can all be seen in his museum in Durham, Connecticut, by appointment only.
   Also see:
   Universal's Matchbox Toys, 1982-1992
   Lesney's Matchbox Toys, the Superfast Years, 1968-1982
   Lesney's Matchbox Toys, the Regular Wheels Years, 1947-1968

No comments about The Great American Antique Toy Bazaar 1879-1945: 5,000 Old Engravings from Original Trade Catalogs (Pictorial Archive Series).

2 comments about The Robert Tonner Story.

1. I have just recently begun collecting these dolls and their clothes. I love miniatures and the detail that goes into them when they are done to scale, quality materials, attention to detail. This doll has all that. I have Barbie dolls from my childhood and the first clothes offered for that doll had style and quality --- the later clothing line didn't come close. Mattel now makes a Silkstone line of Barbies for collectors that has that quality back.
   
   Tonner Doll Company has had the quality in the doll and clothes since it's inception. The doll and clothes are to die for. Such detail in material, buttons, zippers, lining, etc., makes for beautiful clothes for the doll. And it all goes with the doll's story line - The House of Wentworth. I now have three Tyler Wentworth dolls (blonde, brunette, and red head), Tyler's sister Marley, Tyler's boyfriend Matt O'Neill, and a Sydney Chase doll (of the Chase Modeling Agency).
   
   I enjoy collecting these dolls and displaying them in their different outfits. I highly recommend this book (and "The Tyler Wentworth Fifth Anniversary Album" book) to all Fashion Doll collectors and especially for Tonner Doll Co. doll collectors too! Enjoy!



2. Great book! wonderful pictures. I have learned alot about his dolls. I wish I could give it more stars.

No comments about More Snoopy (R) Collectibles: An Unauthorized Guide with Values.

1 comments about Toys & Prices 2004 (Toys and Prices).

1. This book was acquired just a couple of weeks ago. I look forward to various price guides each year, and this is a definite on my list. What Toys & Prices brings is a very informative and useful tool in the ways of collectible merchandise. From action figures, to board games, to toy cars. This baby has it all. And as a price guide, it is worth the money you pay.

   If you are in the collectible field as I am, you know that finding a price for various items can be difficult. This book tries to cover all relavent information. Though not perfect, I find that the listings are thorough and the prices are fair. There are many price guides on the market that try and dictate how a collectible should be selling. They raise values each year, sometimes to the extreme. Toys & Prices and the people at Krause are completely fair and do much research to determine the values of the items they list. They use many sources, from retail sales to online auctions such as Ebay.

   So if you need a reliable source to seek a true market value of your collectibles, look no further than Toys & Prices by Karen O'Brien at Krause Publications. You can find many many items inlcuding Viewmaster, Disney, models, Pez, and much more! It's well worth the money.

   My choice of 4 out of 5 stars is because I think it should even be more informative. I'm a stickler to include many things, though I know space is always a limitation. I'd rather pay $5 more and get much more info. But I was told by Karen that they will try and rotate some of the categories used year after year. Coloring books, which is rather a newer type of collectible, was removed. But possibly it will be reinserted every 2 or 3 years to keep the collector informed that there is still a market for items such as these, but is not an active one with price increases. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book.

1 comments about Teddy Bears & Stuffed Animals: Herman Teddy Original, 1913-1998 (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. I am really sorry to say, but this book was a disappointment to me. Lots of pictures, but all small, odd-coloured (orange, reddish), straight from some old selling cataloques. The teddies were a minority compared to the other stuffed animals. Furthermore, there were not many pictures of the old Hermann teddies, the vast majority of the teddies were quite new or newer. I found the information part -values etc - rather strange and difficult to use.

5 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beanie Babies (The Complete Idiot's Guide).

1. I just got started collecting, and this book has given me all the background information on what to expect. It's impossible for any book to keep up to date with the actual Beanies, but you won't find a better guide to the hobby itself.



2. Some many books on BBs are simply price lists or have a very limited period of usefulness. This one is different and will be my reference of choice. There is no way to predict what Ty will do, but this is the book that can track what has happened to date. The section on spotting counterfeits is invaluable and has saved me from making a couple of costly mistakes. I also got some chuckles from the creatively posed beanies in the nice color photos. Right after reading my own copy, I immediately sent a copy to my beanie-crazed young nieces.



3. This book is a good attempt at being different from all of the other Beanie Baby books and guides. However, it is not that easy to read because the authors grouped the Beanies according to genre, not alphabetically. Black and white pictures were not all that useful. Some background information (but not a lot) sets this book apart from the rest of the pack. However, it makes little attempt at saying what makes a particular beanie baby popular or unpopular or with whom. A good guide to starting out in the hobby but not useful if you are already immersed.



4. This is a great book about BEANIE BABIES! This is especialy good for beginner collectors. It teaches you special facts about the beanies and how to collect them. I think if you like beanie babies you should deffintly get this book!!!!!!!!



5. I really liked this book because it had all kinds of odd information. There is more than 5 blurbs of different facts per page. It has how to avoid counterfits,facts about each beanie, and more. It even has a checklist with pictures. This is definatly the best Beanie Baby book I own. It is perfect for begginers and experienced Beanie collectors.

4 comments about A Treasury of Scottie Dog Collectibles: Identification & Values (Treasury of Scottie Dog Collectibles).

1. Brand new, year 2001, 192 page volume is the 3rd in the series. It features 192 pages with every page loaded with large, sharp, full color photos. There's a nice introduction to the topic. A variety of Scottie collectibles are covered ranging from banks, bookends, doorstops, planters, statues, calendars and advertisements, to greeting cards, movies, and more. If you love Scotties, you'll really enjoy this book. Add it to your library.



2. This is a guide to the many items produced with the Scottie Dog (Scottish Terrier)image. The Scottie's heyday was in the 1930's when the registration with the AKC was at it's highest. Also in this same era, U.S. President, Franklin Roosevelt had a Scottish Terrier named Fala, who was world famous. Therefore a large amount of items were produced with the likeness of the Scottie in the past, and of course in the present as well. This book has a sampling of those items in various categories such as banks, bookends, paper products, figurines, smoking sets, tins, kitchen, etc. In fact almost anything you can think of, has at one time, probably been produced with a Scottie on it! This book also gives a dollar value to each item, usually in a range. The text is accompanied by good color photgraphs of the representative items. At the end of the book is a listing of books with Scotties, films with Scotties. The cover is an attractive plaid with photographs of various Scottie items. There has long been a large cult of Scottie collectors, finally there is a guide! One drawback however, is the noticeable increase in price for Scottie items since this book was published as more antique dealers now realize they can command higher prices for these items. Readers should also be advised that there is now a volume 2 in this series.



3. This book contains beautiful pictures of various Scottie Dog collectibles, some with manufacturers listed and all with values. I can not say enough wonderful things about this book. Anybody who is into dog collectibles must have this book. Anxiously awaiting the next edition! The only change I would suggest in future editions is to give more educational information about the manufacturers. Order this book, you will not be disappointed!



4. If you are a scottie lover then this is the book for you! Even though this book isn't published yet I know the care and thought that went into this book. The author is a wonderful person to know and a true lover of scotties. This is a most have book for scottie collectors. It would be money well spent on your part.

No comments about Collector's Guide to Diecast Toys & Scale Models: Identification and Values.

2 comments about Captain Action: The Original Super-Hero Action Figure.

1. CAPTAIN ACTION IS THE BEST HOBBY BOOK EVER!!! Captain Action:The Original Super-Hero Action Figure by Michael Eury is a beautiful book about Captain Action, the action figure of the 1960s that could be transformed into a variety of superhero characters through the unique use of available costumes, like Superman, Spiderman, The Green Hornet, Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and the Lone Ranger. From spectacular front cover to spectacular back cover it's one of the best written, best photographed, and best researched books I've ever seen, and that doesn't just mean for hobby books, but of all the books I've ever read!

   Michael Eury does it all with this book--he talks about his own experiences as a child when from the time he got his first Captain Action figure--with two left hands!--and then he goes through all sorts of details about the creation of Captain Action in the 1960s, the accessories, the stories behind the characters used for his costumes--like Superman, Batman, Flash Gordon, and all the rest, and the failed line of Super Queens, female action figures designed as a companion line for Captain Action--and well, there's really nothing like this I've ever seen before:a book where the writer covers everything!

   But Michael Eury keeps right on going, to the Captain Action comic book of the 1960s, and into the future with the resurrection of a smaller Captain Action in the 1990s, to the customized versions of Captain Action suits by fans to create new characters never used by the manufacturers, like Green Lantern and Dr. Doom.

   If there's a flaw in the book, it's that Eury doesn't do enough analysis about why Captain Action failed, not once, but twice, probably due to poor design the first time--despite all the great costumes and marketing, CAPTAIN ACTION HIMSELF NEVER LOOKED LIKE A SUPERHERO!!!--and probably because he was smaller and weaker looking when he was reproduced in the 1990s!!!

   But even so, MICHAEL EURY'S CAPTAIN ACTION IS THE BEST HOBBY BOOK EVER!!!

   Chari Krishnan RESEARCHKING




2. Captain Action represented an enigma to me, as I have vague memories of Batman and Superman costumes in boxes high on store shelves but never knew what they were all about. It was only much later (as an adult) that I learned the odd - but irresistable - concept behind this strange plastic hero.

   Michael Eury presents the story of Captain Action in an impeccably researched, illustration-packed book that presents the information collectors want ("silver shirt variations," etc.) without crowding out the intriguing tale detailing the toy's journey from toy shelves to comic pages (a short 5-issue run with art by Wally Wood and Gil Kane), then on to oblivion and back.

   HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for fans of pop culture.

   - JOHN MICHLIG, author of IT CAME FROM BOB'S BASEMENT, GI JOE: THE COMPLETE STORY OF AMERICA'S FAVORITE MAN OF ACTION, and creator of THE GI JOE MASTERPIECE EDITION