Starting in the early 1960s, the McDonald's*r restaurant chain has been creatively advertising their popular fast food products through the sale of collectible drinking glasses. A virtual parade of glassware fills the pages of this colorful book, which illustrates and describes McDonald's glassware promotions in the United States from 1963 to 1998. Organized chronologically and featuring convenient check-off boxes to help you organize and document your collection, the book includes glasses, cups, mugs, and steins--with tankards following closely behind. Over 250 color photos highlight glassware featuring Ronald McDonald and his McDonaldland pals; cartoon, movie, and television characters; sports themes; commemoratives; and many more. Values and a helpful index are provided. For a smashing time, don't miss out on the Losonsky team's exciting world of collectible glassware from McDonald's!

Elegance in crystal and color with an Art Deco flair is displayed in 600 photos of early 20th century barware. Cocktail shakers, decanters, pitchers, beverage dispensers, punch bowls, ice buckets, stemware, tumblers, beer mugs, coasters, swizzle sticks, bitters bottles, medicinals, juice reamers, and more appear. These are the products of well known glass companies, including Cambridge, Duncan Miller, Fenton, Fostoria, Hazel-Atlas, Heisey, Imperial, Indiana, Morgantown, New Martinsville, Paden City, and Tiffin. Essential descriptions of the wares are given, along with historical information, colorful background on the Roaring Twenties and the Prohibition era, appendices, a bibliography, an index, and values in the captions. This book is lovely to look at, interesting to read, and worthy of inclusion in all libraries devoted to collectible vintage glassware.

Fans--they are mysterious and magical, and have been elevated to an art form by the great artists and decorators. They can be viewed as a tangible extension of femininity, style, and elegance. This book tells the fascinating tale of the fan as both a charming fashion accessory and a sophisticated mirror reflecting the changes in fashion and culture over time. Covering medieval times to the twentieth century, individual chapters trace the history of fans and their relationship to the major fashion trends of each era. Over 255 images, including dramatic original photos as well as historical illustrations, showcase fans made of paper, silk, lace, wood, celluloid, feathers, and more. Different shapes and styles of fans are featured, including fixed, pleated, and brise fans, souvenir fans, even several restored fans shown in "before and after" photos. An outstanding resource for fashion historians, students, designers, collectors, and aficionados, this unique study of the fan and its relationship to fashion will be of great interest to anyone who appreciates beautiful clothing and beautiful accessories.

Strawberry Shortcake is an ideal, a philosophy of life that may be looked down upon smugly by collectors of supposedly more "sophisticated" dolls. But Strawberry's charm is in her very lack of sophistication, her refusal to be forced into the grown-up shoes of somebody else's idea of fashion and desirability. Here are hundreds of items that spread the wonderful outlook of one of the "berry" sweetest dolls ever into the hearts and homes of little girls through the 1980s. As they grow up, many girls have continued to treasure this memorabilia that celebrates friendship, kindness, and goodwill, and these items are now resurfacing on the collectors' market--arts and crafts, personal care, porcelain, kitchen items, and much more. This conveniently-sized guide with up-to-date pricing information will help you on your search to learn more about the darling philosophy of Strawberry Shortcake!

William Spratling was a U.S. educator whose artistic impact caused a successful silver jewelry industry to arise in Taxco, Mexico, in the 1940s. This book examines Spratling's Mexican work and explores how his talent attracted the attention of the U.S. Interior Department. In 1945, he was invited to create a similar program for Alaska, where it was felt that the indigenous people needed to be encouraged for their own artistic expression and economic gain. Thirty never-before-seen Alaskan models, lost for over 50 years, have been found and now are preserved at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. These and original designs for the project, made in 1949, are presented here along with Spratling's original 1945 report to the Arts and Crafts Board. Also featured are Spratling's designs that inspired a new company's formation to carry on his legacy at Taxco. Clearly, innovation in designs and inspiration for generations of new artists have risen from Spratling's work.

Over the years, various garments have become increasingly popular collectible items as they grant insight into the cultures in which they were made. Collectors who love the sand, sun, and surf will delight in this extraordinary guide to handsome Hawaiian clothing. Filled with over 460 beautiful photos, this book gives a historical account of Hawai`i's fashion industry and its effect on the Western world. Unique island designs, exotic fabrics, and traditional garments--including the holoku and mu`umu`u--are all included within this spectacular display of Hawaiian paradise. Generations of tourists to Hawai`i will enjoy the explanations of clothing designs unique to the islands, and designers will find this an invaluable and inspiring reference tool.

The beauty of traditional Zuni pottery has intrigued native as well as non-native people for generations. Zuni Pottery presents some of the finest current and all-hand-made pots and the talented young potters whose heritage has led them to this exciting art form. Recently, pottery-making at the Zuni Pueblo has been stimulated by a well-organized tribal enterprise to purchase and market Zuni arts. The Zuni Pueblo, located 150 miles west of the Rio Grande Valley on the border of Arizona and New Mexico, is the Zuni people's homeland which they feel is the center of the world, equidistant from the four oceans which surround their known world.

Next to Christmas, more money is spent on Halloween decorations and novelties than on any other holiday. This wonderful book has been credited with inspiring the Halloween collecting craze, giving its devotees a chance to celebrate the holiday all year round! In addition to color photography and a brand new price guide, there are also many fascinating insights into Halloween. Most people are familiar with the symbols-ghosts, Jack-O'-Lanterns, witches, bats, skeletons, and black cats-but few know about Halloween's past. Why does it exist? What is the origin of trick-or-treating? Why does it fall on October 31st? Through these pages you will experience Halloween celebrations of the past and take a look at Halloween today. For collectors, this is one of the largest collections of Halloween memorabilia.

This encyclopedic study is the fruit of twenty years of collecting, research, and study of the most significant American costume jewelry from 1930-1950. It offers readers a meticulous, reliable instrument to knowing these gems, which are often true and proper little works of art. In the two volumes, over 966 photographs show hundreds of jewelry items in full color, with an additional 729 illustrations of patents, advertisements, and historic photos. Thirty-seven companies are included, with addtional chapters on "jelly belly" jewelry and patriotic jewelry in the second volume. In-depth research of the companies makes this the best source on the American costume jewelry industry. The first volume, A-M, covers the companies from Accessocraft to Mosell, and includes Boucher, Coro, Eisenberg, Miriam Haskell, Hobe and others. The second volume N-Z, continues with Norma Jewelry Corp., through Rebajes, RA (c)ja, Trifari, to Uncas Manufacturing, with chapters on jelly belly jewelry and American patriotic jewelry.

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.

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.

Forty colorful postcards detail the architectural Art Deco splendor of Miami Beach. Keep it as a souvenir book, detach and mail them, or show them off in any standard 5" x 7" frame. At $14.95, it's the best deal on the Beach.

The first photographic investigation of the history, companies, people, places, uses, prices, and the kerosene lanterns themselves. Some of these lanterns are so rare they have never been photographed before. Each lantern is described in detail, over 200 photos and illustrations, over 30 color photos. Detailed restoration information, American and foreign lanterns, railroad lanterns, and lots of barn lanterns. Collecting tips, newly revised quick reference prices, and the Universal Value Calculator. The author is an antiques restorer with over 25 years of lantern collecting experience.

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.

Whether you're searching for something special to add to your home decor, a treasured item from your childhood, or just out looking for the fun of it, antiquing can be a relaxing and rewarding experience. Take the guesswork out of those weekend excursions with Antiquing in North Texas. In this thorough guide to antique shops, malls, and flea markets in the North Texas area, each establishment is rated by stars and dollar signs, based on quality, quantity, and price, by longtime expert antiquers. With convenient maps and concise overviews, this book is a must-read for the dedicated collector as well as the beginning antiquer.

Once seen, never forgotten: that's a Moss lamp! Plexiglas bodies, spun glass shades, and spinning figurines were radiantly combined to transform humdrum 1950s home decor into something extraordinary. Today, these marvels of modern design continue to spark the interest of collectors. This book offers the first-ever, in-depth look at the Moss company and its shining array of lighting products. It traces the Moss success story through exclusive interviews with family members and employees, 750 current and vintage product photos, and never-before-seen materials from the Moss archives. Also included are a product index, price guide, and detailed information on the many collectible figurines that graced Moss lamps, from such noted design houses as Ceramic Arts Studio, deLee Art, Hedi Schoop, and Lefton. An illuminating and lighthearted look at the lamps, it's ideal for anyone attracted to the fresh, fun side of brilliant '50s design!

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 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.

Paper doll artist Tom Tierney turns his attention to his home state, dishing up a dose of history along with his fashionably accurate dolls. Texas is loaded with women who\ve achieved stardom, including Mary Martin, Ann Sheridan, Jayne Mansfield, Carol Burnett, Renee Zellweger, Salina, and Beyonce Knowles, as well as powerhouse politicoes, including Ima Hogg, "Ma" Ferguson, Ann Richards, and Barbara Jordan. In all, eleven Texas women are represented in full color, each with three carefully researched costumes.

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.

455 beautiful color photographs and engaging text showcase men's belt buckles from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Military, police, fire service, western, and youth group buckles are well represented, along with intriguing multi-function buckles containing cigarette lighters, knives, and guns. Masculine lifestyles are reflected through these personalized buckles, ranging from buckles used by scouting organizations worldwide and bronc riding champions to those employed by the Highway Patrol and Secret Service. Collecting tips and values are included. This is an excellent reference for the dealer and collector, and an inspirational guide for clothing and jewelry designers and fashion historians.

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.

With more than 2300 marks illustrated and brief histories and cross-references of more than 1600 manufacturers, this is the most comprehensive reference source on the subject. To compile the information presented here, the authors devoted much time researching numerous sources. These include various editions of Trademarks of the Jewelry & Kindred Trades, U.S. Patent Office records, silver and jewelry catalogs of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, records of companies still in business, and pieces examined in antiques shops all over the country. This fifth edition includes new trademarks, additional companies, and brings to date the many changes in company ownership during the last decade.

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.