Although advertising has a history that goes back thousands of years, it is the Americans who have made it into an art form. Advertisements were put on everything from pocket mirrors to memo pads, the sides of barns to the sides of carriages and buses. A history of advertising printed in the 1880s even show and advertisement on a tombstone. With the advent of color lithography in the late 1800s, some of the most beautiful and highly collectible items were created. Tin signs with colorful, strong images, often embossed, were made for stores, and often found their way into homes. Paper advertising in calendars, trade cards, and posters reached new levels of artistry in the latter years of the 19th century. This new book explores advertising in all its media, tin, paper, celluloid, and enamel. In full color it portrays the creativity of its makers, while at the same time bringing to life the styles of the past 120 years. Included are signs, three dimensional designs, smalls, and novelties. With some tin signs bringing in excess of $100,000 (a Campbell Soup sign included in this book), it is clear that this is an active and exciting area for collectors. At the same time, it is a good field for the new collector, who can find many pieces of advertising for under $50. Both ends of the spectrum are nicely covered in Antique advertising: America for Sale, making it an important book for all collectors.

Kachina dolls are carved from cottonwood by Hopi artists in Arizona to represent the many spirits of their religion. Old examples are preserved at the Heard Museum in Phoenix and most of the important Indian museums nationally. Today, modern Hopi artists continue to make exquisite Kachina dolls, and they have become very sought after by a growing number of collectors world-wide. The reader of this new book is able to grasp the art of Kachina wood carvings, and enjoy knowledge behind each doll, through the carvers who make them. The book beautifully illustrates contemporary Kachina dolls with over 150 exquisite color photographs, and delves into the lives of the carvers who make them. Twenty-five of today's important Kachina carvers have been interviewed personally for a first-hand glimpse into their work. Discussions with Cecil Calnimptewa, Von Monongya, and Loren Phillips, to name just a few, bring to life the essence behind their carvings. All who are interested in Southwestern crafts and art in general will appreciate these beautiful art works carved by such interesting people.

Tape measures, those useful sewing tools in imaginative cases, are now becoming a collecting passion. Presented here are over 700 tape measures in brass, wood, celluloid and porcelain figural shapes, dating back to the 1820s and up to the present. Over 500 color photographs show tape measures in hundreds of variations from animals and birds to people and their houses, and the captions describe their particular winding mechanisms. Each measure is also given a value range

Accumulated over many years, 'Granny', the enigmatic collector behind this book, presents a selection of quirky post-war goods, advertising and kitchen items.

In Granny's Kitchen Cupboard you'll find a remarkable array of British twentieth-century ephemera. From children's toys, boil dressings and chocolate wrappers to butane fuel and TCP, this selection is an incredible collection of innovative advertising designs, odd curios that have long since been replaced by modern technologies, and recognisable old brands.

After the end of austerity in Britain in the early 1950s, consumerism boomed and these objects portray the societal change that followed. Beautifully arranged throughout, the contents of this book reflect aspects of a long life, most of it lived in a single house in the Home Counties. Nothing was thrown away - everything was recycled and reused in a way that says something about their time, in particular the thrifty mindset instilled by rationing in World War Two.

The collection features old household brands that have evolved into various iterations into the present day, such as Harrods, Johnson's, Vaseline, Vicks, Elastoplast, the AA, Strepsils, W H Smith, Boots, Hoover, Happy Shopper and Lego. But this collection also features some odd items that may evoke nostalgia or even amusement, including fascinating catalogues, vintage pastille tins, an apothecary of unusual medicines, odd household cleaners not to mention rifle cartridges. The book also includes text that divulges the history and use of each object.

Unquestionably, this is the most comprehensive study ever written on the subject of Connecticut working decoys. The author has documented and shown examples of decoys from eighty-odd carvers throughout the state. Henry C. Chitwood begins his book with a table of carvers listing them by name, date, location, carving period, number of decoys made, and a description of the types of decoys they carved. This is followed by a detailed text covering the various geographic areas in Connecticut and the decoys produced there, along with biographical notes on the gunners as well as the carvers. Finally on factory decoys, shore birds and descriptive decoy features. The hunting as well as decoy enthusiast could not ask for a more informative source on Connecticut working decoys.

The Collector's Voice is a major four-volume project which brings together in accessible form material relevant to the history and practice of collecting in the European tradition from c. 1500 BC to the present day. The series demonstrates how attitudes to objects, the collecting of objects, and the shape of the museum institution have developed over the past 3000 years. Material presented includes translations of a wide range of original documents: letters, official reports, verse, fiction, travellers' accounts, catalogues and labels. Volume 1: Ancient Voices, edited by Susan Pearce and Alexandra Bounia Volume 2: Early Voices, edited by Susan Pearce and Kenneth Arnold Volume 3: Imperial Voices, edited by Susan Pearce and Rosemary Flanders Volume 4: Contemporary Voices, edited by Susan Pearce and Paul Martin

From G.I. Joe*t to Star Wars*t John Marshall has provided a thorough, informative, and entertaining look at the action figures produced during the 1980s. In over 430 superb color photographs, fans of the pocket-sized G.I. Joes*t, of movie and TV characters, of fantasy figures, He-Man*t, the Thunder Cats*t, super heroes, of those ever-popular quick change artists of the robot world--the Transformers*t, and even pro-wrestling fanatics will find figures here to warm their souls! Price listings are provided for every figure shown and for every known figure produced within a particular product line. Price ranges are provided both for figures that are mint-in-the-box and for those which, while running loose, have retained all of their accessories and lost none of their finish.

The image of the horse is so popular and appears in so many forms that there are literally millions of fascinating equine collectibles to seek out, accumulate, and admire. Collecting them is a passion for thousands of people; this wonderful new second edition was put together with them in mind. With over 500 examples, it covers major toy manufacturers like Breyer, Hartland Plastics, Hagen-Renaker, Marx, Hasbro-My Little Pony, and North Lights, plus a wide range of horse collectibles in a variety of materials and forms, gathered from around the world. All of these have newly revised pricing information to reflect today's market. Horse collecting is a hobby suited to any budget. It's not hard to find horses to buy, and many of them are priced very reasonably, even in antique shops. With the wonderful color photographs and its current price guide, this book will be a useful delight for horse enthusiasts.

While the importance of collections has been evident in the sciences and humanities for several centuries, the social and cultural significance of collecting practices is now receiving serious attention as well. As reflected in programs like Antiques Roadshow and American Pickers, and websites such as eBay, collecting has had a consistent and growing presence in popular culture. In tandem with popular collecting, institutions are responding to changes in the collecting environment, as library catalogs go online and museums use new technologies to help generate attendance for their exhibits. In Contemporary Collecting: Objects, Practices, and the Fate of Things, Kevin M. Moist and David Banash have assembled several essays that examine collecting practices on both a personal and professional level. These essays situate collectors and collections in a contemporary context and also show how our changing world finds new meaning in the legacy of older collections. Arranged by such themes as "Collecting in a Virtual World," "Changing Relationships with Things," "Collecting and Identity-Personal and Political," and "Collecting Practices and Cultural Hierarchies," these essays help illuminate the role of objects in our lives. Covering a breadth of interdisciplinary perspectives and subjects-from PEZ candy dispensers and trading cards to sports memorabilia and music-Contemporary Collecting will be of interest to scholars of cultural studies, anthropology, popular culture studies, sociology, art history, and more.

A fascinating insight into the strange world of collectors of the macabre, Morbid Curiosities features 18 unique collections and an extensive interview with each collector, explaining how and why they collect, and showcasing the most remarkable pieces from each collection. The collections include skulls, mummified body parts, taxidermy, occult objects and various carnival, and side-show and criminal ephemera. Detailed captions tell the curious stories behind each object, many of which are being shown outside the private world of their collections for the first time. Morbid Curiosities includes stunning, specially commissioned photography of both the individual objects and the context of how the collector exhibits their work, forming a unique showcase of the bizarre and the intriguing.

Like many great toys of the past, penny banks are considered abstracts from real life. Here are still banks, those with no moving parts, and mechanical banks that flip coins into a receptor, chosen to illustrate the history of penny banks. There are banks made of cast iron, tin, pottery, wood, and pot metal in forms that include folk art, political events, and special places such as a World's Fair. The book presents over 250 color photographs of intriguing American banks arranged from the 18th century through the present. They are treasured toys to some and fascinating mechanical devices to others who cherish the advances made possible by new technologies and subjects. While toy collectors and dealers will enjoy the variety, bankers-and we all know a few of them-will appreciate the thrift these banks convey.

This photographic record of Provincetown, Massachusetts captures some of New England's best seascapes and architecture. Here is where the Pilgrim exiles landed in 1620. Provincetown became a whaling port and center for cod fishing and thus, by the late nineteenth century, the richest town in Massachusetts. Many charming eighteenth century Cape Cod houses and splendid Greek Revival homes of the boom years from the 1850's to 1900 remain and are presented here in excellent detailed pictures. Churches, commercial buildings and farm related structures are carefully documented. Sand dunes and dramatic coastal vistas are famous in Provincetown. Author/photographer Ed Gillon found many marvelous scenes at this point of land which caught his artistic eye. Sweeping shorelines and powerful seas are shown as portraits and as a part of the scenery. Provincetown Discovered is an inviting look at this historic place for the stranger, and a nostalgic visual record for those familiar with its special charms.

In the late 1890s, Caleb Davis Bradham, a North Carolina drug-store owner and pharmacist, mixed a concoction at the soda fountain for his customers that was a hit. They called it "Brad's Drink"; Bradham named the mixture Pepsi Cola. Pepsi became a national success and engendered an array of commercial, advertising, and promotional objects that are much sought after by collectors today. Many of those objects are included in this book, presented with beautiful, full-color photographs. The items come from one of the largest collections of Pepsi memorabilia in the nation, that of Everette Lloyd.

After the tremendous reception their first book received, Stuart Schneider and George Fischler went to work on this, their second volume. To their delight, despite their comprehensive study of fountain pens and pencils, there were hundreds that had not been included in Fountain Pens and Pencils: The Golden Age of Writing Instruments. This completely new collection will fill you with delight, as well. The colors, designs, and general creativity of the pens illustrated make it easy to understand why this is one of the fastest growing areas of collecting. As the authors say, "The hobby of pen collecting has mushroomed beyond expectations. We are witness to a hobby with incredible appeal throughout the world". While the first book illustrated over 1000 pens mostly made by companies like Scheaffer, Waterman, and Parker, whose reputation for high quality was known to collectors of writing instruments, there were many small pen companies that exhibited quality workmanship and individuality. While the familiar companies are included, this book will introduce more pens and pen makers, many of which will be unfamiliar to pen collectors. A value guide is included, which offers the pen collector or trader a reference to determine comparative values of pens. We hope you enjoy this new volume, and find it a useful, valued tool in your collecting life.

The wonderful folk art quality of hand-made hooked rugs endears them to all who encounter them. Over the hundred and fifty year history of their popularity in rural North America, thousands of diverse rugs have been made by cottage industries and individual craftspersons alike. Today older rugs are collected and cherished and new rugs are continually being made. This book will be a guide for antiques dealers and novice collectors alike. This handsome new book preserves, for a new generation of interest in hooked rugs, the historical background of the often whimsical designs and instructions for starting a rug of your own. The sections present over 300 color photographs of different rugs in lively geometric, abstract, floral, animal, Oriental and original designs, and factual discussions of the interesting people who motivated the designs. The author takes a look at the prolific rug producers at the House of Burnham, and gives the complete story of the Grenfell mats of Newfoundland and Labrador. The contributions of rug making promoters such as Philena Moxley, Pearl McGown and Joan Moshimer are heralded with examples of their original designs and hand work. After inspiring them with old designs, the author encourages the readers to pick up some burlap, wool rags and a rug hook and follow her step-by-step illustrated instructions to make their own rugs. Then she explains how to preserve the rugs for the future.

Welcome to the kitchen of yesteryear. This comprehensive guide covers the wide variety of tools and services which have graced kitchens of the past. Hundreds of beautiful color photographs illustrate the text. Cooking utensils, coffee and tea pots, graters, grinders, and roasters are among the implements shown. Serving wares, including graniteware, chafing dishes, egg cups, and tea sets are discussed. Even the tools for Monday's laundry and Tuesday's ironing find their place in this detailed text.

Raggedy Ann and Andy continue to be among the most treasured of all dolls. Children everywhere have fallen in love with these rag dolls and cherished them through adulthood. And avid collectors are found around the world. With 525 color photographs, this newly revised guide to Raggedy Ann and Andy collectibles documents the dolls themselves, as well as the books and other products that Johnny Gruelle's lovable creatures have inspired. For collectors this is a delightful and useful addition to their libraries. This guide includes historical and pricing information for the collector, and plenty of photographs for those who simply enjoy the doll's timeless appeal. Raggedy Ann and Andy will be a welcome addition to those who cherish their Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls...young and old, children and collectors alike.

The Book of Griswold & Wagner, referred to as the "blue book" by collectors, is the most complete, accurate, and widely used reference guide and is coveted by collectors. This revised 5th edition features more pictures, updated values for cast iron cookware and kitchen collecting enthusiasts, and expanded charts. This definitive, encyclopedic guide details durable cast-iron antiques, including cornstick pans, griddles, Dutch ovens, gem pans, coffee grinders and roasters, trivets, molds, broilers, teapots, and much more. Over 1,000 photographs document variations of shape, size, dates, moldings, finishes, hardware types, catalog numbers, and markings. There are comprehensive histories of the manufacturers Griswold, Wagner, Sidney Hollow Ware, Favorite, and Wapak, as well as patent lists for meticulous researchers. This is an essential reference for anyone wishing to invest in these timeless treasures.

The years between World Wars I and II were a golden age of invention and emerging lifestyles that is vividly reflected in the colorful, stylish, and vibrant material culture known as Art Deco. This style captivated the collective imagination of the world's designers and artists, whose body of work has left an indelible impression that continues to fascinate and influence generation after generation. Collecting Art Deco covers the entire range of decorative accessories made during the 1920s and 1930s through hundreds of color photos and succinct, informative text.

Scenic relief carving is the art of bringing life and depth to a carving that is essentially two dimensional. In the traditional carving of Germany this is an exquisite and beautiful technique, and now Georg Keilhofer, a master woodcarver, shares it with his readers and students. Step-by-step he takes the reader through the carving of a plaque depicting a deer running through the forest. The difficulties and challenges of relief carving and techniques for handling them are explained. Everything is illustrated with full color photographs. This is Georg's second book. His first, Basic Relief Carving, has met with critical and popular success. This new book will take the reader further into the art of traditional wood-carving.

Hollywood Collectibles: The Sequel features beautiful, full-color photographs of memorabilia from 29 of the greatest Hollywood stars, including Lucille Ball, Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Roy Rogers and Elizabeth Taylor. This book also pays special attention to the most famous child stars from 1920 through the 1940s - Judy Garland, Jackie Cooper, Jackie Coogan, Roddy McDowall, Mickey Rooney, Our Gang and Natalie Wood - with a large section on that most famous of all child stars, Shirley Temple. Dolls, paper dolls, coloring books, puzzles, comics, still photos, magazines, books, toys, ads and other items are all pictured in 600 vivid color photographs, all for the collector's delight. Informative passages accompany each section, outlining lives and careers.