Relive an era when the kitchen was kitsch -- melamine bowls were pink and purple, cocktail shakers and party glasses sported fun themes, iced tea was served in sweaty spun aluminum of futuristic metallic shades, and wall clocks kept time in bright plastic frames shaped to evoke the jet age. This wonderful collector's guide helps to date and value items manufactured for the kitchen in the mid-20th century. items range from ever popular cocktail accessories to serving ware, pitchers and glassware, cannisters, spice racks, trivets, ashtrays, rotary wall phones, chalkware ornaments, and salt and pepper shakers. Here is a nostalgic trip back in time, to mom's eat-in kitchen where family and neighbors gathered for cards, gossip, and good eats.

This book is long overdue documentation on automatic wristwatches from countries other than Switzerland. These watches were always considered superior micro-mechanical products and posed a challenge to technicians. It was only a question of time, before the collectors' interest in these watches expanded from Swiss watches to those of other origins. A total of 123 watches are illustrated in three different views and are described in detail.

This is the first book to address the collectibility of figural animal pitchers. For many years, ceramics manufacturers have made pitchers in the shapes of animals for the family table, some as part of a cream and sugar set, others created to serve water or juice. Hundreds of pitchers from around the world are shown here in over 200 color photos with descriptions that include measurements, colors, manufacturer, date made, and current market value. Over 30 different animal types are included, from the alligator to the yak, with interesting facts about each. The pitchers represent popular American manufacturers, including American Bisque, Blue Ridge, Brayton Laguna, Fitz & Floyd, Hull, Lenox, McCoy, Rio Hondo Potteries, Shawnee, Spaulding China's Royal Copley line, Stewart Ceramics, and Vallona Starr. Others are from Bavaria, China, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Occupied Japan, and Taiwan. Whatever your interest, there probably are animal pitchers to swell your collection. And collecting them need not be expensive, just pure fun to see how many you can find in your travels.

Colorful patterns of English transferware have graced homes around the world for nearly 200 years. In the 20th century major manufacturers like Crown Ducal, Enoch Wood, Royal Staffordshire, Royal Crownford, Alfred Meakin, Spode, Johnson Brothers, and Mason's produced a large variety of patterns, styles and colors that are avidly collected today. With nearly 600 beautiful color photos of 2000 pieces illustrated, this book focuses on the most actively sought-after patterns, such as Crown Ducal's "Bristol," "Calico," "Castles," "Charlotte," "English Chippendale," "English Scenery," "Friendly Village," "Historic America," "Italian," "Liberty Blue," "Old Britain Castles," "Rose Chintz," "Tonquin," "Tower," Vista," and more. Place settings and serving pieces as well as rarer, more unusual pieces and those whose purpose was decorative are intcluded. Detailed pricing tables for major patterns and commentary of popular trends. All this and more make this an indispensible, long awaited addition to the collector's library.

The Roseville Pottery Company began in Roseville, Ohio, in 1890, and produced art pottery decorative ceramics until 1954. Their original appeal has made Roseville pottery popular antiques today. With this guide, you learn the pattern name, date first made, and description with value range for thousands of different shapes of various sizes and glaze colors. The alphabetical organization and workbook format make record keeping easy for today's collectors and dealers.

Cigar Box Labels: Portraits of Life, Mirrors of History pays tribute to cigars and the pictorial glory of Victorian-era cigar box labels, a unique form of commercial advertising that flourished in the business place a century ago and helped drive cigars to widespread prominence in American society. Those who fancy these stunningly beautiful paper images as a hobby are in the midst of the hottest area of antique tobacco advertising collecting today. Showcased here are some of the finest and most desirable examples produced by the old stone chromolithographic method between 1860 and 1910. This book also explores some of the rich historical past that surrounds cigars-their manufacture, marketing, and, most of all, their mystique. Also featured is a potpourri of contemporary anecdotes, poems, and other bits of literary whimsy designed to amuse, educate, and titillate the imagination.

Tiffin was one of the giants of American glassmaking. The colorful decorative glassware from the first half of this century is quite popular today, and this is the first book to present all color photographs of hundreds of Tiffin's products. Vases, bowls, and candlesticks in a wide variety of colors and styles, from common to rare, are all in this book, with large sections devoted to Tiffin's pressed satin glass, lamps, and baskets. This useful reference will be used by glass dealers, collectors and scholars alike. It is a great tribute to the many workers who made Tiffin glass so popular and so well.

More than 570 Pairpoint lamps with their distinctive glass shades are shown in this and the companion volume that comprise the catalog. They represent a broad sample of the production of Pairpoint lamps from 1900 to the early 1930s. The most remarkable feature of the catalog is that so many of the pages are hand-colored with watercolors, having been painted by the original factory decorators. This practice occurred at the factory when orders for the lamps were slow.

In this richly illustrated book, Richard Osterberg provides a thorough look at the sterling silver utensils which have entranced collectors throughout the years. The perfect complement to the crisp linen, fine china, and elegant crystal of a well-set dining table, sterling silver flatware by many of the most renowned makers and in the loveliest of patterns is pictured here. While sterling silver patterns can be simple or elaborate, this book clearly states their beauty.From delicate berry spoons to poultry shears, bouillon ladles, and carving sets, individual place settings and serving pieces, each is organized in chapters to make matching your pieces an easy task. This is the essential guide to all of the flatware shapes and forms, from common to obscure, used during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. A newly updated price guide and helpful research charts are included for use with your own collection.

1950s vintage clothing, from formal to classic, from party clothes and sports attire to underwear and sleepwear, is shown and described. Over 450 color photographs of American clothing for the whole family, adults and children. These styles hold a strong place in the Fifties Look that became popular around the world.

One Hundred Years of Valentines is a photographic essay. This book, a must for the collector or dealer, showcases over 450 valentine's cards from the late 1800s up until 1998. This comprehensive book includes: the Depression, dimensional, Art Deco, transportation, artist signed, honey comb paper puff, novelty, etc., along with an extensive glossary of valentine terms, the "Second Top 10 Most Asked Questions," and a Usage Guide. Valuable information helps collectors/dealers identify and evaluate their cards.

Narrating Objects, Collecting Stories is a wide-ranging collection of essays exploring the stories that can be told by and about objects and those who choose to collect them. Examining objects and collecting in different historical, social and institutional contexts, an international, interdisciplinary group of authors consider the meanings and values with which objects are imputed and the processes and implications of collecting. This includes considering the entanglement of objects and collectors in webs of social relations, value and change, object biographies and the sometimes conflicting stories that things come to represent, and the strategies used to reconstruct and retell the narratives of objects. The book includes considerations of individual and groups of objects, such as domestic interiors, novelty tea-pots, Scottish stone monuments, African ironworking, a postcolonial painting and memorials to those killed on the roads in Australia. It also contains chapters dealing with particular collectors - including Charles Bell and Beatrix Potter - and representational techniques.

This volume in the Hagen-Renaker series of books continues where the first two left off, featuring models or colors not covered in the other books and catching up with more recently released figurines and a multitude of interesting pottery items in between. The chapters feature numerous horses, cats, dogs, other animals, Disney characters, and dealer special runs. The Albert Staehle Saturday Evening Post dog, Butch, has a special feature, as do some of the Zany Zoo critters and the popular Little Horribles. There are also many unique, rare treasures not commonly seen, and a section on imitations. Finally, the book features a tribute to several of the talented artists and craftspeople who were with Hagen-Renaker pottery since the early 1950s. Nearly 500 images fill this book, along with detailed, informative text and suggested prices to enhance the value of this reference.

Over 440 vivid color images display the wide range of ceramics produced by the English pottery firm, established by Josiah Spode in the 1760s and continuing today. From historic blue and white transfer printed wares of the early 1800s to popular dinnerware patterns of the 1900s, this book includes sprig decorated wares, delicate bone china table and tea sets, graceful figurines, and sturdy stoneware candlesticks and loving cups. The famous and much coveted patterns represented include Willow, Rosebud Chintz, Patricia, and Tower. \nOrganized by periods of production, the fascinating text provides a history of the Spode firm through the centuries and its various name changes. Included are techniques for dating Spode ceramics, makers marks, a bibliography, and index. Values are found in the captions. This book is a must for everyone who appreciates fine English ceramics.

Over 330 clear color photos display the wide array of equipment once used to log high timber that are now eminently collectible, including axes, saws, filing tools, springboards, oil bottles, undercutters, wedges, marlin spikes, drag saws, and venerable chainsaws. Historical photos display towering giants of old growth forests where loggers toiled decades ago. An informative text provides useful information on cleaning and preserving the antique logging tools, descriptions of them, values, and a bibliography. This book will be treasured by all who share a fascination for logging as it was done by the lumberjack, bucker, and high climber.

An analysis and study of Caroline script from 200 years of ecclesiastical and secular records reveals important historical detail relating to late Anglo-Saxon England. Caroline minuscule script was adopted in England in the mid-tenth century in imitation of Continental usage. A badge of ecclesiastical reform, it was practised in Benedictine scriptoria but was also taken up by members of the royal writing office; the chancery occupied an important place in the pioneering of calligraphic fashions. During its approximately two-century history in England, Caroline script developed a number of forms, in part reflecting different tendencies within the Reform-cause. The Rule of St Benedict was focal for this movement. In the aftermath of the final Scandinavian conquest of England [AD1016] a Canterbury master-scribe created the form ofCaroline writing which was to become a mark of Englishness and outlive the Norman Conquest. In the closing chapter its inventor's career is discussed and his achievement assessed. This volume offers analysis of manuscript evidenceas a basis for the cultural and ecclesiastical history of late Anglo-Saxon England. David N. Dumville is professor of History and Palaeography at the University of Aberdeen

James L. Dundas provides his readers with a sweeping survey of the shooting toys that gladdened the hearts of children from near the turn of the twentieth century to the 1990s. Concentrating heavily on the decades from the 1920s to the 1960s, over 420 color photographs display a dazzling array of BB guns, cap shooters, marble shooters, squirt guns, and more. Reminding us all of the long car rides and rainy days of our youth, when shooting was impossible, are a selection of colorful key chain puzzles that round out the presentation. Included in the text is a brief history of the Daisy BB Gun--complete with a Daisy BB gun chronology, instructions for determining whether a BB gun is functional or broken, and valuable advice for dating shooting toys with patent numbers, area codes, and zip codes. Price ranges are also provided for the toys shown.

Cats were illustrated in medieval manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages, often in exquisite detail and frequently accompanied by their natural prey, mice. Medieval cats were viewed as treasured pets, as fearsome mousers, as canny characters in fables, as associates of the Devil and as magical creatures. Featuring an array of fascinating illustrations from the British Library's rich medieval collection, Cats in Medieval Manuscripts includes anecdotes about cats - both real and imaginary - to provide a fascinating picture of the life of the cat and its relationship with humans in the medieval world.

A wonderful collection of fine decoys and calls from the Great Lakes region, shown in over 1100 color photographs, along with original vintage black and white photos, extensive related literature, and a price guide. For centuries the massive watershed system of lakes and rivers in the Great Lakes region has beckoned hunters and fishermen to its teeming waters and forests. To aid them in their hunt they have produced a wealth of fowl and fish decoys and calls. Over the years these practical tools have come to be appreciated as beautiful examples of folk art. They now sit on display in museums and private collections around the country. Here is a great selection of these fine decoys and calls, accompanied by the stories of those who created and used them. The pieces illustrated range from the finest museum-quality artifacts to collectibles that are more likely to turn up at a local auction, garage sale, flea market, or antique mall. The seasoned collector will appreciate viewing quality pieces from private collections that are rarely available to the public. An extensive bibliography and appendix provide valuable sources for information, organizations, periodicals, and auction companies to add to one's collecting experience.

This book is the first volume about Artillery Regiment 1 of the 1st Waffen-SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH). The artillery batteries of the LAH during the whole of World War II faced some of the hardest combat, and probably no other artillery unit was used as often at critical spots on all fronts. While it had only three batteries of light field howitzers during the French campaign, when the full artillery regiment was set up in August 1940, it later received heavier guns and 88mm flak. In April 1941, at Lake Kastoria in Macedonia during a tremendous artillery battle, the full regiment fired as a unit for the first time. During the battles on the Russian Front the regiment's artillery equipment was constantly upgraded. One of the artillery batteries was equipped from 1943 with Wespe and Hummel self-propelled guns and later with Nebelwerfer rocket launchers that gave the regiment its tremendous firepower. Especially during the difficult defensive battles in the winter of 1943-1944 in the Ukraine, every artillery piece - whether a heavy field howitzer, or 15cm rocket launcher - was often used at such close range that it was fired with barrels in a horizontal position. The battery was later attached to the reconnaissance unit in the vanguard of the LAH and experienced the hardest battles while using Panzermeyer tactics that required rapid marches and lightning fast deployment into firing positions. Nearly 300 photos, most never before published, document the bitter battles of the LAH artillery regiment.

Revealed here are children's and women's clothing, including undergarments, leisurewear, and street apparel from 1860 to 1900. Over 270 photographs combine with text to enable accurate dating of clothing to within a three- to seven-year time frame. Nineteenth century photographs are supplemented by surviving examples of period clothing, many picturing both the outside and inner construction. The text is based on Victorian fashion, medical, etiquette, and advice literature and reveals the often-surprising reasons females were willing to become such devoted slaves to dress, as well as the impact dress had upon their lives and health. This well-researched book also explores the constraints of childhood during this era, which lends valuable insight into women's acceptance of nonsensical fashions as adults. Endnotes are included.

Identifying Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Lighting. Do you own an old lamp? Would you like to learn its approximate age, value, and history? Antique Lamp Buyers Guide is the reference book used by professionals and collectors alike. Dealers and appraisers often carry this paperback with them to quickly identify antique and collectible late 19th century and early 20th century lighting. Now in its third edition, with updated prices and additional photography, this book is a must-have for any antique or decorative arts reference library. Beautiful photographs plus catalogue illustrations in an easy-to-read format, make

This specialized portion of the fifth volume of The Glass Industry in Sandwich features four complete chapters on cut, engraved, and etched glass; an assortment of household and commercial ware; bottles; and a supplement to the seven previously published guides.

The Napoleonic era has been called the age of the military tailor because of the colorful and ornate uniforms of this period. Using a clearly photographed and captioned step-by-step approach, Mike Davidson guides the reader through the process of assembly, painting and display of a commercially produced figure. Mike brings these highly detailed miniatures to life using a combination of hobby paints and oils. He also provides formulas for mixing a variety of Napoleonic uniform colors. While applied to a particular figure, the lessons and techniques learned from this book will enhance any Napoleonic figure the reader may choose to paint.

Rene Lalique was one of the giants of twentieth-century decorative arts. Born in 1860, early artistic talent led to an apprenticeship with Paris goldsmith Louis Aucoc. By 1885, Rene had established his own workshop and for the next twenty years he designed and made jewelry of great originality and beauty. He became famous across the world for his jewelry, but before the turn of the century he began experimenting with glass. It is for his glass that Lalique is most famous today.
In 1907, Lalique met the perfume manufacturer Francois Coty, and this led to the design and production of fine art perfume bottles on a grand scale. But Lalique's glass would not be confined to ladies' dressing tables, his repertoire including vases, lighting, clocks, car mascots, several architectural commissions and more, much of it in the Art Deco idiom, of which Lalique was one of the masters. Rene Lalique died in 1945, but the firm he founded was continued by his son Marc, and then his daughter Marie-Claude who heads the firm today.
This highly illustrated history of Lalique celebrates the extraordinary jewelry and glass of Rene Lalique, and the glass of the Lalique company up to the present day.