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Title: Matchbox Field Guide Values and Identification, Warman's

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With ever increasing values, these small metal treasures are slowly becoming treasures in the true sense of the word. Who would pay $50-100 or more for a small toy?, anyone who knows what's what or has this guide that's who.

Not only does this guide feature over 500 color photos of the various Matchbox vehicles but most picture the original box as well emphasizing the fact that boxed Matchbox command significantly more than their unboxed counterparts. Even if your not into collecting per. se., this guide is great for leafing through and provides a nice historical overview of the original Matchbox lines.

Bottom line - If you collect or sell Matchbox I'm probably preaching to the choir with this recommendation. Handy and as comprehensive as size allows, this guide is better than some of it's larger counterparts.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2006, 511 page paperback,4 1/4" x 5 1/4"
Author: Tom Larson
Price:$12.99

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Title: Antiques & Collectibles 2007 Price Guide, Antique Trader

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This guide usually takes me longer to wrap up than most since I find myself picking it up time after time and finding things I missed in the previous readings. This year sees even a further boosting of their coverage of the Collectibles market to match the shifting focus in the collecting public.

This edition features over 11,000 items with 5,000 pictures. New categories are added every year to replace some of less popular ones and this years guide has added the following categories; Eyewear (look for increased coverage of Vintage clothing and accessories in general too!), Foxy Grandpa Collectibles, Lipstick tubes (here, again note the increased interests in the vintage markets), Snowman Collectibles, Syrocowood (snap this up for a rarely covered top level category), and Harris Strong Ceramic design. I have found that certainly within the last few years, this guide has done an ever increasingly better job of staying on top of what is really going on in the markets.

Bottom line - Another year of improvements towards providing the most up to date coverage of what's hot, I'm certainly not going to bump this guide off the must have book list for Antique dealers. In fact, though the coverage is still relatively sparse, I'm confident that their coverage is only going to get better and therefore I'm placing it on my must have book list for Collectible dealers as well. Don't let me down Antique Trader!

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2007, 1007 page paperback, 6" x 9"
Editor: Kyle Husfloen
Price:$19.99

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Title: Roseville Pottery Volumes 1 & 2, Collectors Encyclopedia

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Complete coverage is one of the keys to becoming an expert in a particular field. It is also the key to catching little recognized items within a category that only an expert would know the true value of. The days of making those unbelievable finds are dwindling, you have to create those opportunities now.

This high quality duo will provide even a relative expert with knowledge of even the lesser known Roseville items. Regardless of their popularity, all lines are fully covered with large format color photos along with easy to follow details and pricing.

The front sections of these guides provide an additional wealth of information that includes company information and background illustrated signatures and trademarks, and more.

Bottom line - Don't let the value lag of volume 1 scare you away from these guides as that is easily derived, it is the coverage that you should focus on. Combined, these two volumes provide a complete overview of Roseville offerings in an easy to follow, well illustrated format. Hard bound for years of use and one smart purchase will easily pay for both volumes.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information:2003/2006 204 (Vol 1) 220 (Vol 2) page hardback, 8 3/4" x 11 1/4"
Author: Sharon & Bob Huxford & Mike Nickel
Price:$24.95

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Title: American Art Pottery Collection Identification and Values, Hansons'

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This long time collecting duo lets you into their private museum filled with some 40 different pottery lines. Rather than an intensive look at one particular pottery manufacture, this guide serves to show the wide variety of known and not so well known Art pottery on the market

This is not to say that the coverage is sparse but, rather, just enough to give you a feel for the market values of the various lines. A brief history of the company is followed by multiple pages of full color photographs of items from the line along with sizing and variations and a value for each picture.

Bottom line - This is the guide for the referenced "Jack" in Jack of all trades, master of none.." adage. Expertise for the individual pottery lines covered is not likely with this guide but you be well versed enough in all of them to spot a good deal. With so many lines of pottery available on the secondary market this guide is a welcome addition to the line-centric like guides.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information:2007 175 page hardback, 8 3/4" x 11 1/4"
Author: Bob & Jane Hanson
Price:$29.95

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Title: Flea Market Trader

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Following the latest, and possibly greatest, trend in top level guides, this 16th edition has been done in full color.

Their format is unchanged saved for the color pictures but it is a format that is successful. Each item includes a sufficient description along with a value. Sections provide and additional overview of the collecting area to give a brief background of the category along with background on the advisor/editor for that particular section.

Though now in full color, the pictures are more limited than most other top level guides so it's not a guide well suited to those who are new and need constant visual cues to get up and running. Descriptions are fine but a little background in the various categories of interest will be helpful when purchasing this guide.

Bottom line - Though this guide is as welcome and most other top level guides on your shelf, it could do with a few more pictures. This is an issue if you picking and choosing among the top level guides currently on the market but my assertion regarding top level guides always holds true, if you can afford them all then you should have them all.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information: 2007, 416 page paperback, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"
Author: Editors
Price:$15.95

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Title: Carnival Glass, Warman's Companion

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Krause continues their trend in creating guides that are both compact and portable while providing a large amount of reference information at the same time. First with their ultra small field guides and now with their slightly larger counterparts, both by Warman's. Slightly larger than a standard paperback book, these guides are great for that flea market trip of to keep in your car for when the collecting bug hits you without notice.

Though this guide may not replace the larger complete guides on Carnival glass it certain does a great job of providing a wealth of information. With 5,000+ items and 650+ full color photos, most collectors will find this guide more than satisfactory for most of their needs both on the road as well as in their home library.

Though it is alphabetically listed with often less than obvious pattern names, it doesn't take much to find a pattern based on a real world piece with their close-up color pictures and listings of known colors and characteristics of the pattern itself. Once you've found your pattern you'll find a few examples of each pattern along with descriptive text and values to give you an idea of worth or what to pay. The back of the guide provides further examples of values in the form of a text listing by pattern for a total of 5000+ items.

Be prepared!, some of this stuff isn't cheap.

Bottom line - it is getting harder and harder to find good buys these days with the boom in collecting in general so it pays to be prepared. Even if you own all of the full guides on Carnival glass you can't possibly take them with you so unless you've reached the top of the game this guide has to find a place in your trunk or glove compartment.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2006, 272 page paperback, 5" x 8"
Author: Ellen T. Schroy
Price:$17.99

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Title: Housekeeping Toys from Metal to Plastic Identification and Values, Collector's Guide to 1870-1970

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Trying somewhat unsuccessfully to run my household, I'm not sure why kids would want to play house but there you go. Kids have been emulating their parents experiences for decades and the toys they use has created a market unto itself.

This guide is very nicely done in full color and includes everything from tea sets to full stoves and other kitchen appliances. In between the lines is a historical overview of housekeeping since the 1870's to the Mod 1970's.

Interspersed in each section are many insights into manufactures, history and even personal comments from the author regarding her personal collection. Many guides of this specialized type tend to just focus on taking pictures of a large specialized collection with simple descriptions and rough values but this guide appears to be a labor of love and goes well beyond the dumping of a collection into a "guide".

Individual descriptive text is very complete and, more often than not, includes much more than enough information to identify the piece itself. Values are included in a brief range to cover good to near mint conditions.

If it's involved in this category your likely to find it but here are just a few areas covered; Stoves, Kitchenware, Baking, Cleaning, Washing, Tableware.

Bottom line - Specialized guides are very subject to only getting published once so collectors and dealers in these areas are encouraged to buy these specialized guides when they are available or risk not having reference in their libraries. I'm unaware of any other guide covering this subject and would be surprised if there is another available and, if so, if the coverage is done as well.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information: 2007, 265 page paperback, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"
Author: Margaret Wright
Price:$15.95

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Title: Comics Values Annual 2006

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Few other collecting categories provide as many choices with regards to guides as Comic Books do. The choice (if you have to make one that is) is very much subjective as the format utilized is very similar among all the available guides. The concentration, or lack thereof, that the guide takes (e.g.. the various collecting eras) and the number of comics covered can be factors in making your decision. It's never a bad thing to buy more than one guide on the same subject as it provides all that much information for you to determine value. Always remember, these are, as the names denote, simply guides.

With it's unique organization, this guide takes a slightly different look at comics than many other guides and includes full sections on the relatively recent Dark Horse and Image comics along with a couple of large sections on other publishers. Though it also includes a section on DC, Marvel and Golden Age era comics, it is probably the concentration on more recent issues that will attract the potential buyer of this guide.

The guide covers over 90,000 comics and provides brief collector highlights along values.

Bottom line - If your into the "Indie" aspect of comic collecting than you'll probably want this guide as it's coverage is specifically tailored to provided easy, organized, access to values of these more recent issues.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2006, 864 page paperback, 6" x 9"
Author: Alex G. Malloy
Price:$19.99

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Title: Comic Book Checklist & Price Guide 1961 - Present

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Here is another guide to help you make what is more often than not a subjective choice as to what to put on you reference library shelves.

The format of the guide is not unlike most in this field. Organized by tittle, descriptions include dating information and notes for such things as a characters first appearance which usually spells extra value.

Over 125,000 comics are valued along with dating and occasional important artist or other specific title information.

Produced by the publishers of Comic Buyer's Guide monthly comic book publication so they know of what they speak!.

Bottom line - Your decision of what/which guides to buy can be based on subtle differences. With the sheer number of comic guides available the best I can do is present as much pertinent information, such as the author/editors background and coverage focus. Certainly this guide would be a welcome addition to most reference libraries.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2007, 832 page paperback, 6 1/2" x 9 3/4"
Author: Various
Price:$19.99

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Title: Records Identification & Value Guide, The Complete Guide to Vintage Children's

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This category of collecting has a good number of "tie-in" categories as well so it is not just for the generic children's record collector but also touches on Celebrity collectibles, cartoon tie-ins including Disney and other major studios, toys and Holidays.

It's hard for me to determine where to start with this guide, it's coverage is so complete it would probably be easier to tell you what's not in it though I'm hard pressed to do that too!

Written out of his frustration in finding almost no information on the category included anywhere else, the author has really done many collectible areas a big service with documenting what I could easily believe to be every vintage children's record issued in the included 10 record labels. Full color pictures are there all right but the bulk of the guide is filled with single line descriptions including the contents, artist and values for each record.

Cut out the 300+ pages of price guide and you have a free standing guide to itself but the author has added an additional 100+ pages with incredible details on the various company labels (not just the 10 companies previously mentioned). By the time you finish with this section you will literally know everything the author, or anyone else!, knows about these specific labels.

Bottom line - This guide is a hard core one! About as complete as anyone could expect. If you collect children's records than this is a must have. If your a Pop Culture collector in general you'll want this one too as will many other collectors for the various tie-in records not covered anywhere else. A unique and welcome guide where previously one did not exist.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information: 2007, 429 page paperback, 8 1/2" x 11"
Author: Peter Muldavin
Price:$24.95

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Title: Baseball Cards, 2007 Standard Catalog of

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They say they're the biggest guide and you simply have to believe it. With 1,000,000 (no I haven't mistyped any zeros!) cards valued you shouldn't have difficulty finding your card(s) even when they are not traditionally issued gum pack style cards.

Cards are presented by number/identification along with the player/team and values either for a single near mint/mint point or spanning ranges from very good to near mint for some of the older cards where lesser conditions are more acceptable.

Set values are also included and you'll find listing for various premium cards from tobacco, ice cream and the like.

Bottom line - Huge and complete in its coverage, this guide is a must have for all sport card collectors and dealers at any level.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2007, 1848 page paperback, 8 1/2" x 11"
Editor: Bob Lemke
Price:$39.99

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Title: Kitchen & Home Collectibles Identification & Values, Hot 30's, 40's and 50's

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Collecting is fun but often times it easily gets out of control. You set you mind on one collectible but that has the way of taking a detour to related or semi-related items and, all of a sudden, you've gone well past collecting single items and, instead, you own a category....or two! The common thread between these two seemingly distinct categories is their utility in everyday life. Their decorative value is a bonus. Regardless of your interest, their appeal is undeniable.

You'll find lots of individual areas of interest within this guide that include: canister sets, Fire-King, cookbooks, cookware, coffee pots, salt and pepper sets, aprons, advertising and a lot more. It's contents are sure to cause the expansion "problem" I've mentioned so you've been warned.

It could be my personal slant but this guide is just great fun to look at and provides a glimpse into the named decades and the home life of those who lived in them, certainly LOOKS carefree!

Each section includes a brief historical introduction which is followed mostly by large full color pictures. Descriptions accompany items, all of which appear to be pictured, but you probably wont need them. Values include brief ranges to account for condition and venue or area of the country where the items are found. Well discussed in the front of the guide the author herself notes the basis for the pricing as well as the usual caveats to prices in any guide.

Bottom line - Despite it being somewhat of a "catch all" guide, the cross collectibles are purposeful and meant to provide as complete a picture as possible in a short span of pages rather than doing so simply to fill those pages. Values appear well thought out which does not usually occur with guides that simply act as entertaining overviews of large collections. Of course, this guide does that equally well. Good guide for general Collectible dealers and collectors alike.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information: 2007, 286 page paperback, 8 1/2" x 11"
Author: C. Dianne Zweig
Price:$24.95

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Title: Pez, Warman's Companion

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Pez is an area that is really heating up and having a field guide is really the way to go given that the majority of finds are going to be found in the Flea Market or general show arenas.

Variations are key and many of the popular designs have been done as many as half a dozen subtly different ways. Values for these variations range from the new $1/2 level to $25, $50, $100 or more.

With full color illustrations and descriptive text for the important variables you will easily be able to differentiate between the just cool looking dispensers and the truly valuable collectibles.

The introductory section of the guide provides some insight into the construction and terminology involved with Pez dispensers so you can talk the talk.

Bottom line - Compact and complete, any Pez collector or enthusiast will benefit from throwing this guide into your Flea Market or show survival bag.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2007, 270 page paperback, 5" x 8"
Author: Shawn Peterson
Price:$17.99

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Title: Baseball Card Price Guide, Official

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375,000 listings. 375,000 listings!?, I'll have to wait for the big print edition!

With so many listings it's impressive especially when you realize that this guide only covers cards from 1981 to the present day. I say only in reference to the sheer number of course, the coverage is actually a smart breakdown.

Baseball cards are showing renewed interest and it has always been a collecting area that has attracted everyone from the very young. It is the latter group that will really benefit from this guide as it starts at a time when many cards are still very affordable for the beginning collector Sometimes only a nickel!

Of course, that's not to say that this is a beginners guide, far from it. The coverage is as complete as most other guides and includes regular issues along with unopened packs and boxes and special insert values along with other nonstandard card values.

Cards are listed in detail within custom chapters and include a single retail value point for reference.

Bottom line - This guide is a must have for that budding Baseball collector you know but it's coverage of many very affordable and speculative future value cards makes it just as welcome on any collector's shelves.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2007, 1391 page paperback, 6" x 9"
Author: Joe Clemens
Price:$21.99

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Title: Advertisements 1890-1950 Identification & Value Guide, Old Magazine

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Often referred to as "tear sheets", old magazine advertisements and their values are often the reason that full magazines fail to survive to the present day. Generally speaking, however, this is a widely accepted practice and more often than not the value of the included advertisements far eclipses the value of the magazine itself.

Just a word from a long time collector however, it is important to research the historical significance and value of a magazine itself prior to searching for great ads and often the cover artist or photograph and/or included articles will set the overall value and/or significance above the value of the total found sellable ads. Even if the value is near equal, it is better to maintain the whole magazine from a collecting standpoint. Damaged magazines are usually the best candidates for tear sheets.

O.K., enough pubic service announcements, on to the guide!

Done in full color, this may very well be the only source to see some of these advertisements unless you have unlimited searching time. Advertisements appeal to many collectors for just as many reasons. The coverage includes known artists, fashions and trends of the day and, of course, product advertisements that run the gamut of products and services.

The guide is organized alphabetically by product or company and includes color examples of advertisements along with dates, sizes, artists when applicable and even the magazine along with the page number of the advertisement. Generally you'll get four ads per page with stand out full page examples from time to time.

Bottom line - The coverage of this guide will touch many collecting areas and the cross collectiblity of tear sheets is broader than any other category of collecting so this guide is well suited for almost any collector. This guide is another example of a guide that functions equally as well as a coffee table book that will appeal even to the non-collector.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information: 2007, 316 page paperback, 8 1/2" x 11"
Author: Richard E. Clear
Price:$24.95

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Title: Children's Books Identification & Price Guide, Warman's

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Like many collector's, author Steve Santi realizes that there is much more to the children's book collecting world than Little Golden books (which provided enough material for another guide of its own, also by Steve).

Though no guide on kid's books would be complete without listings for Little Golden books, which this guide has, it goes into all the other similar format and size children's books as well including; Whitman books, Rand McNally, Wonder books, Treasure books, Jolly books, Little Owl books, Pied Piper books and Star-bright books. Your unlikely to find coverage on many of these publishers anywhere else.

Books are often difficult to grade properly as many peoples ideas of "mint" or "excellent" vary. Steve utilizes pictures of the same title in the front of the book to illustrate along with detailed descriptions of the "faults" so there is a meeting of the minds in terms of his grading. As grading very much effects the differences between his noted "fine" or better condition noted values, this comes in handy for the collector.

Most of the pages include 9 color pictures of the titles along with very complete information including the illustrator, author and edition number, among other things.

Bottom line - Well organized and complete with wide coverage, any collector or dealer interested in children's books will want this guide. Additionally, this guide makes a nice companion guide to Steve's Little Golden guide.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2007, 256 page paperback, 8 1/4" x 11"
Author: Steve Santi
Price:$24.99

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Title: Head Vases Identification & Values

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It's been a number of years since this guide has seen a revision but you'll be happy to know that it is clearly not just a reprint with new values. This edition includes nearly twice as many pages as the last revised 1st edition.

Fortunately for collectors, the layout is unchanged and comprised mostly of full color pictures with brief information including size, mold number and a single value point reference. This guide covers the gamut of vases from Clowns to religious figures.

Bottom line - If you have the first edition of this guide then it's time to replace it. If you don't and you do collect or sell head vases then the choice is obvious as I think it's the only game in town. Don't let this fool you though, the author hasn't taken advantage of the lack of competition and, instead, has put together a robust guide.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information: 2007, 255 page paperback, 8 1/2" x 11"
Author: Kathleen Cole
Price:$24.95

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Title: Duck Decoys Identification & Price Guide, Warman's

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Your stance on hunting doesn't change the fact that many duck decoys are near works of art, certainly folk art. More often than not they are hand crafted and signed just as a fine piece of art would be. Values, too, can mirror a piece of art!

By the time you finish with this guide you will have the entire history of the sport and art behind the decoys under your belt. Of course it doesn't stop there, the price guide provides large format color pictures of various examples of decoys from various periods from the "vintage period" to current day and all areas of the country where the creator / artists reside.

Each individual decoy has its own mini history along with detailed information and range of values.

This guide essentially provides two guides in one with its coverage of duck calls which spans a full 50 pages. Equally detailed history and accompanies these items along with market values.

Bottom line - With values that start in the hundreds and easily reaching into thousands, a guide becomes a necessity. Whether your attraction is the sport, decoy collecting or simple appreciation of the art behind these pieces, you'll enjoy this guide.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2007, 253 page paperback, 8 1/4" x 11"
Author: Russell E. Lewis
Price:$24.99

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Title: Garage Sale & Flea Market Annual

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This type of guide, often called a "top level", guide more often than not provides the reader with an overview of the state of the current Antique and Collectible markets. That is to say, what's really being sold and collected. With limited (but not that limited with a guide of this size!) space, editors review the current trends and markets and add some categories for new entries while removing others that have hit a collecting valley.

Certainly the story is good for the Collectibles market at this guide follows suit with the others released for 2007 with its inclusion of many Collectible categories overlooked for years with generalized guides. I say follows suit but truthfully this guide has always had a slant towards Collectibles even before it was fashionable to do so.

It's one of the few top level guides that is produced in hard cover so its built to last and still only $20 so it is tough to argue against adding it to a good library. The layout is standard with mostly text descriptions and values along with some accompanying pictures to make it fun to look at when the new one is published (or is it just me who gets excited when they come out?)

Bottom line - Collectible dealers who got a jump on the splitting of Antiques and Collectibles markets into their own fields are well aware of my recommendation on this one, its been on my collectibles dealer must have list for a number of years and will remain so for yet another!

Those collectors and dealers who don't know better pick up on the trend and this guide quick before your priced out of many of the still affordable Collectibles markets.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah , KY 42002-3009
Orders: (800) 626-5420

Book information: 2007, 510 page hardback, 8 3/4" x 11 1/4"
Editor: not credited
Price:$19.95

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Title: Civil War Collectibles Identification & Price Guide, Warman's

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When I first recieved this guide I wasn't sure if it waas a historical overview or a price guide.

Many, in fact probably most, of the item descriptions alone can easily be a full paragraph and combined with the historical introductions you might be fooled too.

This edition is the first to include all color pictures and it really makes the difference with items of this nature, bringing out the detail, colors and patina. The items covered run the gamut of every Civil War item collected from flags, weapons and uniforms to personal items carried by soldiers and photographs. It is a very complete overview with lots of rich details for every item.

Bottom line - Civil war enthusiasts and collectors alike will benefit from this guide as it provides a depth and breadth of coverage of this collecting field that your unlikely to find elsewhere.

Publisher/Book info.:
Publisher: Krause Publications
700 East State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
(800)-258-0929 (consumers), (888)-457-2873 ext. 880 (retailers)

Book information: 2007, 413 page paperback, 8 1/4" x 11"
Author: John F. Graf
Price:$29.99

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