In West and Central Africa,ceremonial masks are viewed as manifestations of the spirits, and the dramatic effect and visibility of masks is enhanced by use of vivid color. Accompanied by vivid color photographs of 266 masks, the largest representation of traditional polychrome masks from the Temne people of Sierra Leone and the Anang (Ibibio) people of Nigeria are documented here, as well as one of the largest published collections of articulated masks from the Ogoni people of Nigeria. Also illustrated is a wide range of traditional masks used by other peoples from West and Central Africa, including masks from the nations of Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Angola. Mask styles are discussed in relation to size, shape, materials, degree of abstraction, distinguishing characteristics, and context of usage. Other topics considered in this engaging presentation are the changing forms of masks in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the aesthetics of masks from the African perspective, and issues of "authenticity" as it relates to collecting African masks.

Rhinestones (colored glass imitation gemstones) comprise the most popular form of jewelry. High-fashion as well as costume designers produce rhinestone jewelry, which has been an important fashion accessory in the West since the late 19th century. Today, great designs are avidly collected, boldly worn, and thoroughly enjoyed by people around the world. Nearly 300 color photographs display jewelry with rhinestones of many colors, shapes, and optical styles in a variety of visual effects. Updated values in the captions reflect the current market.

Collecting autographs is a time-honored avocation that has exploded in popularity in recent years, creating a new industry with millions of autographed items for sale online. Coveted signatures include those from presidents of the United States, Civil War officers, World War II heroes, classical music composers and baseball stars. It is estimated that 90 percent of historical autographs on the market today are forgeries. This book provides a definitive guide to signature authentication for experts and beginners alike. Numerous illustrations of genuine and forged signatures are included, from Ty Cobb to Isaac Newton to Abraham Lincoln to Neil Armstrong. Detailed descriptions of common forgeries are given, enabling collectors to make direct comparisons.

Baby-boomers, this book is for YOU! Hippie artifacts are a potential goldmine today. Abundant undiscovered material still lies in attics and basements from the 1965 to 1973 era. Many of these items are scarce today because they were made in limited quantities and were not considered worth keeping. This pictorial review of a counter culture demonstrates its significant impact on society then and now. 540 color photographs show thousands of items that reflect Peace and Love, protest causes, folk art, psychedelic images, the crash pad, Flower Power, and the headshop, as well as toys and novelties, the specialized wardrobes, literature, and especially music and entertainment of the hippie genre. Nostalgic for many and eye-popping for all, this collection will recall and immortalize the "far out, progressive, activist" music, happenings, and underground movie and coffee houses of the time. Children of baby-boomers will look at this book and howl "old hippie!" Current market values are in the captions.

Take a magical mystery tour through time, following the trail of Beatles memorabilia left behind by the Fab Four from their early days in Hamburg, through the Ed Sullivan show, right up to the present day and "Anthology I." A dazzlingly wide range of collectibles parade across the pages of this colorful text in over 730 color photographs including records, posters, movie memorabilia, jewelry, books, and fan club mementos. New Beatles collectibles are fully addressed here for the first time. Included as well are a history of the Beatles and their later solo efforts, Beatles art work created by inspired artists, and newly revised values for all of the collectibles presented in the text.

Petroleum Collectibles by Rick Pease covers a wide range of gas station collectibles including salt and pepper sets, maps, license plates, cans, pumps, signs, and a large "miscellaneous" section which covers such novelty items as globes, dinnerware, and clocks. Over 550 color photographs illustrate the colorful and inventive graphics that were used on the advertising and packaging of petroleum items and make this area of collecting so unique and fun. The current market values of the items are included in the captions.

The rise and fall of American Art Deco coincide neatly with the brief, but glorious, heyday of the Chase Brass & Copper Co.'s Specialty division. Gleaming Chase housewares of chrome, brass, and copper brightened many homes during the Depression years of the 1930s, thanks to the talents of such leading industrial designers as Lurelle Guild, Walter Von Nessen, Russel Wright, and Harry Laylon. The Chase Era presents in full the company's first (1933) and final (1942) Specialties catalogs, illustrating the development of Deco design as represented by the Chase inventory. Also included are newly discovered pre-1933 Chase flyers, showing previously unseen Chase Specialties! Introductory comments focus on the whys and wherefores of Art Deco's short reign, and the place of Chase in the Deco continuum. With a current price guide and full inventory information, The Chase Era truly provides the first and last words on Chase Specialties.

This book is the culmination of over thirty years researching the history, production, and identification of hollow lead civilian toys. It carefully documents the civilian toy figures produced by over 75 companies between 1900 and 1966. A number of Britains civilian items have also been included for comparison. Easy to use, the book is organized by themes, ranging from Art Work to Zoo figures, with Christmas, farm, garden, and many more in between. Illustrated with over 1,500 full color photos, it includes current pricing, and provides a history of the toys, as well as the a social history. Examples from Argentina, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.S.A. join the many figures produced in England. The most significant book on civilian hollow cast figures since The Great Book of Hollow-Cast Figures, published by Norman Joplin in 1993, this new book, combining the knowledge and skill of two renowned experts, is sure to be the "new testament" for collectors and toy aficionados around the world.

The glassware made by Bryce, Higbee & Company of Pittsburgh is known for its beauty and quality, yet is misunderstood by even the most knowledgeable collectors. Using original sources, this definitive resource shatters many myths and corrects misconceptions that have persisted for over half a century. The history of the company and the marketing of glassware in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is discussed as well as the difference between the products of Bryce, Higbee & Company and J.B. Higbee Glass Company. Also featured is information on the intended use of the multitude of items made during the Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG) era and lists of items in tableware patterns and novelties made by Bryce, Higbee & Company. Liberally illustrated with more than 500 original catalog images and photos of glassware, this is sure to be a valuable resource for all lovers of glass.

Over 790 images display hundreds of Westclox*r "wind-up" clocks and watches produced between 1885 and 1970. An extensive history of the company and its employees is told through photographs, poems, letters, and anecdotes drawn from the Westclox magazine-Tick Talk. Westclox' pioneering marketing efforts are discussed, including its move into radio advertising with the Big Ben "Dream Dramas." The informative text also includes data on major innovations in spring clocks and watches, identifying both patents and inventors. Included are George Kern's original patents for "Big Ben." Westclox spring clocks and watches spanned many design eras, including Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mid-Century Modern. In addition to Henry Dreyfuss' well-known redesigns of Big Ben during the 1930s and 1940s, the designers of dozens of other clocks are identified. Among the designers discussed are Joseph Steinmeier, Max Schlenker, Ellworth Danz, and Roman Szalek. Endnotes, a bibliography, and indices are included, along with current market values in the captions. Clock collectors, designers, and historians will find this book fascinating. Endnotes, a bibliography, and index are included, along with current market values in the captions. Clock collectors, designers, and historians will find this book fascinating.

Vintage clothing is a part of our style history, is an acceptable way to individualize the way we dress, and is an increasingly popular way to "go green." This reference book is an easy-to-use compilation of information for dating menswear garments using label information, textiles, styles, and other available information. It is ideal for new converts to vintage and seasoned collectors of men's and women's garments. This liberally illustrated guide, featuring labels, images from catalogs and magazines, and actual garments, is equally helpful for fashion designers, costume designers, and curators. It covers the U.S. Government regulations for manufactured clothing, garment Union information, and menswear clothing by categories and decade. In addition, this unique book presents exclusive data on ACWA Union labels and a never before seen list of denim manufacturers. Anyone with an interest in collecting, dating, and caring for vintage clothing will find this book an indispensable reference.

Contained within this authoritative text is the exciting history of the manufacture of toy forts and castles in western Europe throughout the turbulent nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Lavishly illustrated with nearly 800 images, this book provides detailed information on who made these castles, palaces, and fortresses, when, where, and how, and with what materials. The author focuses especially on manufacturers in Germany and Great Britain, but covers Denmark, Belgium, and France as well-and describes the fascinating story of the industry's rise and demise. Company histories show how these manufacturers, often successive generations of families, dealt with the enormous economic and political obstacles of the times. Organized spreadsheets with serial numbers, dates, dimensions, and distinctive features of products will satisfy the curiosities of toy collectors, museum curators, archivists, antique dealers, architectural history buffs, and more.

The most popular 1940s styles, from couture to everyday workclothes, ensembles, sportswear, lingerie, and evening dresses, plus toys, needlework, and gifts, are presented here in 550 color photographs of pattern envelopes from companies like Advance, Butterick, Hollywood, McCall, Simplicity, Vogue, and others. A wide array of pattern-related items is presented, including publications and advertising, display dolls, tools, and various forms of packaging. The pattern envelope illustrations are wonderful period drawings of '40s fashions. All who enjoy these great styles will find Blueprints of Fashion to be a refreshing approach and an important first book on this growing field of interest.

Enter the fascinating and beautiful world of antique phonographs. Brimming with visual delights, this volume boldly goes into the priceless collections of dedicated enthusiasts from around the globe, documenting the amazing rarities and charming curiosities of the phonograph. In this, their eighth collaboration for Schiffer Publishing, the award-winning authors have assembled over 400 full-color images of historic music machines, many never before photographed. The substantive text and captions add much previously unpublished information. Vibrant wood, shining brass, and fanciful decals are only the beginning. Wicker, glass, leather, gold leaf, and even seashells are to be found on some of the amazing antique phonographs within these pages. For those new to this field, a price guide, glossary, and bibliography are included. Advanced collectors will appreciate the wealth of newly-revealed details.

This second book by Nick Snider presents the popular collectible military sweetheart jewelry and collectibles that were so important to the home front during World War I and II. Over 200 color photographs, most of full-page size, display thousands of items of jewelry, banners, pillow covers, paper items and compacts, as well as special sections on the Seabee(Construction Batallion) and WASP(Women's Airforce Service Pilot) items. Experience the human side of warfare through appreciation of the patriotic items displayed herein.

The televised Star Trek adventures have taken millions where no man has gone before. Perhaps this helps explain why collectibles from thirty years of "space fever" are so sought after, from the Enterprise's initial takeoff right up to the adventures of the spaceship Voyager. This unique price catalogue contains more than 1,000 collectibles, many of which sold-out long ago on the retail market and assesses their skyrocketing prices in today's collectibles universe. What's more, this unique price catalogue for old and new "space" articles presents more than 1,000 collector's pieces in gorgeous color and black and white illustrations, including highly topical Voyager collectibles from the newest Star Trek series.

Over 750 color photographs illustrate this long-awaited guide for collectors of vintage Native American basketry. Decades of basketry research inform the text, guiding basket lovers to a better understanding of these woven treasures. Clear images and concise descriptions, presented in an extended gallery showcasing hundreds of baskets, delineate specific tribal styles within Native North America's nine basketry regions: Southwest, Great Basin, California, Plateau, Northwest Coast, Arctic and Subarctic, Plains, Southeast, and Northeast. Unique to this book is an in-depth comparison of imported baskets being passed off as American Indian work. The cultural and historical background as well as the influence of the "Indian basket craze" are also examined. Valuable guidance on buying, selling, and caring for baskets includes a frank discussion of legal issues impacting basket collectors. Rounding out this essential reference are comprehensive regional bibliographies, Internet resource listings, and a directory of American museums exhibiting Native American baskets.

Emmons Fashion Magic was the first jewelry to be sold at home parties, between 1949 and 1981, preceding its sister company, Sarah Coventry. Known for its versatility and quality, Emmons jewelry is highly collectible today and deserves a place in all costume jewelry collections. 580 stunning, full-color photographs show, for the first time, the wide range of over 1,300 named designs in various materials and colors that has made Emmons fashion jewelry so popular. Here, over 1,700 jewelry items appear in groups arranged by their materials and colors, for easy identification. The markings and dating clues are discussed. Captions identify the design names, pertinent construction details, and values. Packed with details about the C. H. Stuart companies, their "showcases" (sales catalogs), and marketing via home fashion shows, this is the ultimate Emmons sourcebook and a must-have reference for all jewelry collectors.

The era of the self-playing or automatic piano embraced the first three decades of the 20th century. Piano-playing cabinets were followed by the pneumatic player-piano, soon to be known the world over by the name of the leading American make - Pianola. There were many other makes, of course, with names like Kastonome, Triumph, Pistonola, Claviola, Autoplayer and Apollo. Invented almost simultaneously in Germany and America, player pianos became the most sought-after addition to the family home and the huge industry that built them and made their perforated paper music rolls became both important and wealthy. This book, written by a world-renowned authority on mechanical music and its instruments, relates the development of the automatic piano from the spring-powered dulcimer-playing musical clocks of the 16th century through the once-popular barrel-playing pianos and street pianos to the great era of the Reproducing Piano that could bring a famous artist's interpretation of a musical classic into your own drawing-room. The inventors, their perpetual quest for perfection, and their successes and failures are related in this new and fully-illustrated history. Just how the automatic piano works is described in both words and the author's own clear line-drawings, together with 603 b/w and 43 full colour photos. Also, a guide to servicing, maintaining, and playing player pianos and the magnificent Aeolian Orchestrelle roll-playing reed organ is included. Illustrated appendices include a list of makers, brand-names, and a modern-day valuation guide.

Here is the first book written about collectibles from the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, including Esso, Humble, and affiliate companies. To complete this authoritative guide, the author enlisted help from other collectors and included photographs of their prized collections. The result contains photographs and comments about some items so rare that the only ones known are reproduced here for the first time-this may be the only time you will ever see them. Also photographs of common items are here with comments on their origins. Globes, pumps, cans, signs, map racks, banners, lighters, ashtrays, buttons, toys, knives, and credit cards all will bring back memories. Gas and oil memorabilia collectors and all those with an affection for Esso and Standard Oil Company of New Jersey memorabilia will want this valuable reference work.

During the past decade a number of individual museums have found imaginative ways of using their collections and of making them accessible. However, museum collections as a whole are enormous in size and quantity and the question of how can they can be put to best use is ever present. When conventional exhibitions can only ever utilise a tiny proportion of them, what other uses of the collections are possible? Will their exploitation and use now destroy their value for future generations? Should they simply be kept safely and as economically as possible as a resource for the future? Fragments of the World examines these questions, first reviewing the history of collecting and of collections, then discussing the ways in which the collections themselves are being used today. Case studies of leading examples from around the world illustrate the discussion. Bringing together the thinking about museum collections with case studies of the ways in which different types of collection are used, the book provides a roadmap for museums to make better use of this wonderful resource.

World travelers can find glass bells in many countries, making them fun to search for and recall their adventures. Over 400 bells are shown in hundreds of color photographs to whet the interest of newcomers to the field. Seasoned bell collectors will also enjoy the carefully researched history, identification, and text about glass manufacturers and regional characteristics. Dating bells will be easier with this guide. The book will be handled often to compare details and identify glass patterns.

Including 183 color and black-and-white images of vintage photos and packaging, plus values for American firecracker collectibles, this is the first book to focus on US firecrackers. Many pyrobilia guides cover Chinese firecrackers, but the US's history is just as colorful, from fireworks' inception into American celebrations as a replacement for dangerous celebratory gun and cannon fire, until the final federal ban with the Child Protection Act of 1966. Fireworks made the 4th of July the best holiday ever, for generations of boys especially. Beginning with a brief history of the firecracker and how it came to America, the book details the types the US produced-a wide array, from Cherry Bombs and Silver Salutes to Ash Cans and Torpedoes. Also covered are how the US Industrial Revolution impacted fireworks, as well as the innovations throughout the American industry, from its successes to the factory disasters.

Some of the earliest college and professional sports gear is presented in an easy-to-find, chronological format and 600 beautiful color photos. Chosen from the best collections in America, these fantastic relics tell the true story of the sports developing over 100 years to their present passionate status among fans of all ages. See survivors of the earliest games, including a baseball jersey from the 1870s, a football from 1885, and a basketball rim from 1910. Together with many balls, gloves, shoes, safety equipment, pennants, trophies, and other equipment from many teams, this comprehensive record will fascinate fans of all sports categories and inspire today's designers.

Popular in the 1930s and 1940s, Bakelite has again become a material of choice for many collectors, and this is the informative guide that Bakelite enthusiasts have been waiting for! Barbara E. Mauzy provides a definitive look at Bakelite with almost 600 full-color photographs of thousands of pieces, including their descriptions and values. More than 40 categories of kitchenware are presented in this appealing volume that covers gadgets, flatware, napkin rings, children's utensils, and even some non-kitchen examples too colorful and fun to miss. This is the one, indispensable source of information on dating, manufacturers, and designs that is an absolute must for the dealer, the collector, even the non-collector. This bigger, better second edition includes a fascinating new chapter on Bakelite restoration that will make your pieces look brand new!