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.

Welcome to the world of McDonald's Happy Meal*r collectibles. These two books(USA and Worldwide)present a thorough list and complete Price Guide for the thousands of toys and collectibles distributed with Happy Meal*r boxes and bags. Together, they are the most authoritative references. Thousands of all-color photographs show the toys, boxes, bags, advertising materials, buttons, pins, and variations given out both in the United States (one book) and in all the other countries around the world(another book). The authors have established a definitive numbering system to identify each and every item distributed with an alphabetical/numerical listing, and a cross-reference superseding numbering systems in other books. This set of books gives a time line of McDonald's Corporation history, check-off boxes to help you organize your collection, and the catalog of the items distributed with a Happy Meal*r in the USA and worldwide. Read along and enjoy the fun!

Since the 1930s and up to the present, the Fenton Art Glass Company, of Williamstown, West Virginia, has produced beautiful glass baskets in a huge variety of styles, colors, and patterns. In these two new volumes, over 880 known varieties of Fenton baskets are each carefully described, with their individual ware numbers, color, size, decoration, date, and current value, and are individually shown in beautiful color photos. The patterns are presented alphabetically. This volume has the patterns from Acanthus to Hummingbird. A companion volume has the patterns Innovation to Wisteria and the numbered patterns. Information on the talented glass workers who made the baskets, handles, and pattern decorations are identified. Special markings are described, listed, and dated for easy identification. With these complete references now available, the identification of Fenton glass baskets is possible for the first time and collecting them will be a gratifying pleasure. These two books are published to coincide with the hundredth anniversary celebration of the Fenton Art Glass company in 2005.

Monsters of all shapes and sizes stalk the pages of this entertaining and informative "creature-feature." Over 600 color photos capture the incarnations of all the ghouls, mutants, and vampires that ever sent chills up your spine at the theater or in the den, from Alien r to Z-Ton r. Monstrous banks, board games, costumes, fiendish figures, model kits, and wind-ups are included! The collectibles covered in this book range from the early 1960s, when monster toys were first introduced, through the decade of the 1980s and touch upon the recent fare of the 1990s. Whether you prefer monsters from Hollywood or Japan, the silver screen or the small screen, there is something in this book for you. Prices for every item displayed are found in the captions, often with loose and mint-in-package prices.

The Art Deco era was one of beauty, elegance, sensuality, and vivid, colorful graphics! This is the first collectibles book on Art Deco graphics, with an emphasis on the everyday, affordable items. This book is a must for lovers, collectors, and dealers of Art Deco. A wide range of ephemera and other paper collectibles is presented, such as games, playing cards, advertising brochures, tins, packaging, labels, and fans. Recipe books, household and paint brochures, and fashion and book illustrations from different countries are included along with distinctive images from the cosmetic industry, travel literature, and automobile brochures. Information on American publishers of greeting cards, bridge tallies, place cards, and other items from the 1920s and 1930s is included, including The Buzza Company, The Gibson Art Company, and The Dennison Company. Their products and the work of international companies and artists are illustrated in 535 color photos. Price guidelines are included.

Gulf Oil Collectibles by Charles Whitworth covers over one hundred different categories of Gulf collectibles, containing over 500 different pictures in full color of everything from cans, signs, promotional items, and clothing, to toys and many other Gulf related items. If it's Gulf, its probably covered in this book. The values here have been established based on the author's years of collecting Gulf Oil memorabilia.

This beautifully illustrated volume presents baskets woven from natural fibers over a long period of time and from diverse American, European and International cultures. Specialized baskets for work places, as architectural elements and for domestic and farm chores are shown in over 400 black and white and 31 color pictures. The text explores the origins of the plants which produce weavable fibres, localized preparation techniques, and a wide variety of weaving styles and forms. The extensive picture captions identify the use, origin, material and size of each basket and reflect the cultural styles. Detailed drawings of many weaves will enable craftsmen today to duplicate and experiment with a variety of materials and patterns.

Perfectly detailed miniature perfume bottles have always fascinated collectors. This book, packed with full-color pictures, is the first to document these miniatures. From the demure and delicate antique bottles of the last century, dramatic and striking Art Deco bottles of the 1920s, and graceful bottles of the World War II era, to today's variety, Glinda Bowman's book covers the range. The top makers are well-represented, including Lalique, Guerlain, Coty and Lentheric, with a special section of the popular bottle produced by Avon. Bowman has also compiled a fascinating history of perfume.

Volume 3 of this comprehensive, multi-volume work includes over 1100 brilliant color photographs of Staffordshire figures portraying animals and animal entertainment, dandies, death, and murder. Among the menagerie of animals presented are cats, dogs, and a host of wild animals and farm animals. There is also valuable information about the makers and design sources, along with a values guide. This impressive series catalogs the enormous range of enamel-painted figures made predominantly in the Staffordshire Potteries between 1780 and 1840. Many of these figures are hauntingly beautiful and have long been hidden from the public eye. Fashioned in an era before photography, they give us rare glimpses of a world that has vanished. To hold one is to touch the past.

The Historicism movement in art (1830-1920) was perhaps the most democratic of all. European furniture makers sought to recapture the magic and affluence displayed in early, highly stylized and aristocratic pieces of the Gothic, Rococo, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicism periods--but at a fraction of the cost. These artists brought a great deal to their reproductions, applying a contemporary practicality that resulted in pieces of crafty pomp, opulence, and exaggerated beauty that were priced to reach the growing bourgeoisie. Historicism furniture pieces are not only art history documents of the most diverse cultures and styles of the 19th century, but they are also individual collector's items, their value not determined by objectively derived pricing factors alone. To that end, this book enlists the help of an international jury of furniture experts, from renowned art auction houses and antique dealer companies and restorers, to appraise and price over 15,000 featured pieces. Historicism is directly related to the strengthened bourgeoisie, to wealth and the newly rich, as well as to the foundation of nations. With this social and economic background, the furniture of the 19th century can be better comprehended and appreciated.

This book presents a unique selection of the most rare and collectible toy cars made in Japan and Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s. Three particular groups of toys are covered: the magnificent large-scale tinplate cars made for the American market; the smaller but equally sought-after Japanese diecasts by Model Pet, Micro Pet, and Cherryca Phenix; and plastic friction-drive cars made in Hong Kong. Some of the toys pictured are so scarce that they are believed to be among a mere handful that survive in mint condition with their original boxes. This book provides many fascinating new insights to the history of the companies that made and distributed the toys, using long-forgotten trade journals, rare catalogs, and interview with people who worked in the toy business at that time.

Vallona Starr Ceramics started in Los Angeles in the 1930s and later moved to El Monte, California where it manufactured ceramics until 1953. Known for their whimsical designs like the Winkies, the Up Family, and lower fairies, as well as Corn, Cosmos, Woodland, and Sweetheart designs, Vallona Starr pieces included salt and pepper shakers, sugar and creamers, vases, cookie jars, ornaments, and more. This new book is the first devoted to the creative work of Vallona Starr Ceramics. Its color photographs make it clear why collectors are so excited about Vallona Starr. The price guide will help those who are seeking to add to their collection make wise decisions.

The increasingly collectible categories of nursery rhymes and literary characters, including children's stories and fables, provide the focus for this fourth book of salt and pepper shakers by experts Larry Carey and Sylvia Tompkins. This very popular area of salt and pepper shakers appeals to a wide range of collectors-it's the book for collectors who love classic literary characters such as those from Dickens, fairy tales, and Aesop's fables, to modern day characters such the Cat in the Hat and Curious George. Wonderful sets, from Aladdin and His Lamp to Wizards with Dragons, and everything in between (including series) are depicted in over 700 color photographs. A comprehensive guide, this book details each set's color, size, manufacturer, design variations, and value ranges along with licensing information as marked on the sets.

The Daguerreotype Camera of 1839 is a photographic landmark. It introduced the first practical method for taking a photograph, although what is generally acknowledged as the first photograph was actually taken thirteen years before with a different type of camera by Nicephore Niepce. The Leica was the first camera to make the 35mm format popular, but it was by no means the first camera to use 35mm film. Likewise, Polaroid wasn't the first to produce an instant picture camera, but was, surprisingly, the first company to introduce an autofocus single lens reflex. The history of the camera is flush with similar anomalies. This lavishly illustrated book with over 460 pictures looks at the cameras that became landmarks and analyzes how and why they influenced future design - sometimes in a big, important manner, other times in a lesser but still significant way.

Historic postcards take you on an eye-candy tour of Cape May's past. Hand-colored images portray bonneted ladies in long dresses treading the boardwalk, and the great Victorian hotels where they stayed. Hand-tinted photography dating back one hundred years opens an keyhole to the past, when the streets were still paved with sand and traversed by horse and carriage. An extensive collection of images portrays the U.S. Naval Training Station. Photo chromes further trace the development of the Washington Street Mall, the restoration of the Emlen Mansion, the sinking of the Atlantus off the point, and the transformation of the Convention Center. Imagery and text trace this wonderful town's story, from nostalgic, sepia-toned past through its renaissance as one of East Coast's most popular, and distinctive historic resort towns.

Artwork created to sell flower and vegetable seeds to the public is bright, eye-catching, and tempting. It reflects the fantasy that any novice gardener can grow beautiful plants just by buying the seeds. This is not a new phenomenon. Over 475 boldly colorful flower and vegetable seed artwork, catalog, packet, and publication illustrations are arranged here chronologically (l1869 to 1997) and alphabetically (acroclinium to zinnia) for easy reference in this fun visual delight. Many images are from the vast and superb collection of the Landis Valley Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where the author was Director of the Heirloom Seed Project. See unusual plant varieties from both small independent and large seed producers, like the W. Atlee Burpee Company. A mid-20th century watercolor illustrator's work is featured as an impressive record of plants grown from seeds; see how many you can recognize.\nThe stunning images will stimulate artists, gardeners, naturalists, and interior decorators to find these and additional seed art examples to add beauty to their lives.

Whether you realize it or not, you are probably already a collector of plastic cups. Just look in your kitchen cabinets and you'll find those plastic cups you didn't realize you were even collecting. The popularity of collecting plastic cups is rapidly increasing due to the latest collaborated marketing efforts between the fast food restaurant and movie industries in promoting a blockbuster movie while selling soft drinks. Plastic cup collecting is no longer just a hobby. The increasing interest and rapid growth of this newest market clearly demands that information and prices be made available to the expanding group of knowledgeable and novice collectors. In over 150 full color photographs, Bryan Meccareillo provides a complete guide to these new collectibles.

Discover information about the first American naval battle, great escapes in the middle of the night, and many historic tidbits that don't often appear in textbooks. These and many other curiosities occurred within Massachusetts's North Shore. Step back in time and learn about hidden histories in the Bay State. Discover who flew the first planes in Massachusetts, why the Puritans didn't establish a city in the region, and how a lighthouse lost its battle with the sea. The North Shore has these and other historic sites, pristine beaches, and hallowed halls. Explore the little-known history that makes it great.

The fine quality of Heisey glass, made in Newark, Ohio, from 1896 to 1958, prompted many decorating companies to buy Heisey blanks on which to apply their own decorations. Heisey made both clear crystal and some of the finest colors available for Bonita Art, Central Glass, Lotus Glass, Oriental Glass, Rainbow Glass, Wheeling Decorating and many others. Cut and etched patterns were applied to Heisey glass by Eagle Cut Glass, Hawkes, Monogram, Pairpoint, Sinclair, and Susquehanna. Even silver overlay and applied metal ormolu were added to Heisey pieces by Apollo, National Silver, Poole, Reed and Barton, and Tuttle silver companies. This new and carefully constructed book fully explores Heisey's 16 beautiful regular production colors, from Alexandrite to Zircon, along with several experimental colors, in 541 clear color photographs. Each color is defined with its production dates and illustrated with a broad sampling of pieces in many shapes and patterns. The picture captions include the color, pattern name, pattern number, measurements, and value of each piece shown. Both advanced and beginning collectors will find this book a necessary and convenient reference to stimulate their enjoyment of beautiful Heisey glass.

In over 725 color photographs, this comprehensive new volume illustrates the colorful and diverse dinnerware produced over a sixty year period by Universal Potteries, Inc. of Cambridge, Ohio, and its predecessor companies. Starting in 1900 with the Cambridge Art Pottery, the text outlines the "family tree" of potteries leading up to Universal itself, including The Guernsey Earthenware Co., the Oxford Pottery Co., and the Atlas-Globe China Co. Examples of wares from each of these early companies are shown, along with a broad array of items dating from Universal's actual incorporation in the 1930s to the phasing out of its dinnerware line in 1960. Plates, platters, bowls, teapots, pitchers, jugs, cups, casseroles, and more are all shown in Universal's classic shapes, including Ballerina, Camwood Ivory, Upico, Fascination, and Vogue. Decorations highlighted in the photos include Cherrytone, Poppy, Moss Rose, Bittersweet, Cattail, American Beauty Rose, Old Curiosity Shop, Southern Garden, and many more. Universal enthusiasts are sure to find their favorites here! Values for all items are included in the captions.

Paperweight collectors are usually familiar with the histories and products of the French manufacturers Clichy, Baccarat, and Saint Louis, but many know little about English makers from early times to the present day. This book, dedicated solely to the English paperweight makers and containing paperweight examples from the early nineteenth century to 1980, will fill that gap. Gathered together for the first time in one book are the world's largest collections of Bacchus paperweights, as well as many previously unknown and never before photographed paperweights from English glasshouses, all rivaling the best from the French makers. By comparing canes, colors, and styles with one of the hundreds of examples shown in this book, collectors should now be able to identify their own previously unknown weights, and the fake "1848" dated paperweights and inkwells can now be attributed to the right factories and time periods. With over 400 beautiful color photographs, detailed, fascinating descriptions of the weights, and a value guide, this book is a must for paperweight enthusiasts and collectors everywhere.

Elegant and utilitarian glasswares have been made for over thirty centuries. The manufacture of cut glass in America stems from a history that reaches back to ancient Egypt, while engraved glass was known in classical Rome. In this excellent new edition of a classic work, the author traces the American phases of this fascinating history by describing the products of major and minor manufacturers. See the American industry evolve from its early days of imitative work, through highly imaginative products in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to a declining mediocrity in the 1920s and '30s. This book has been established as the "bible" in this field, and the addition of 150 new photos and fully updated text and pricing information make this edition the best yet. Glass collectors will treasure this unequalled reference.

Since 1958 the Smurfs have captivated the hearts and minds of children and adults alike. They were born in Brussels and came to the American market in 1979. From their mushroom houses in the medieval forest, they made their way into millions of homes worldwide through television and a myriad of products that bore their image. These objects instantly became collectible, and this new book by Jan Lindenberger, one of America's most prolific authors about twentieth century collectibles, catalogs many of them with color photographs, useful information, and current market values. It follows her much-praised earlier book, Smurf Collectibles. This new book includes jewelry, books, figurines, toys, games, puzzles, clothing, paper products, and many other Smurf items. They are all illustrated in wonderful color, with helpful descriptions and current market values. This book is a must for all serious Smurf collectors.

This new edition covers all the standards, procedures, and ethics of appraising gems, jewelry, and other valuables. Each step involved in conducting an appraisal is fully explained, with photos, case studies, key documents, worksheets and pricing data included. Registered Master Valuer Anna M Miller gives professional guidance and step-by-step instructions on how to: Build a clientele; Set fees; Get publicity; Handle insurance replacement claims; Photograph gems and jewellery; Research and write reports; Test metals; Research provenance; Master the different approaches to valuation; Use price guides; Understand legal and ethical aspects of appraising. This resource offers all the information that practising or aspiring appraisal professionals will need to establish an appraisal business, handle various kinds of appraisals, and provide an accurate, verifiable estimate of value.