Made as toy savings banks, souvenirs, or advertising premiums, cast-iron safe banks are found in a variety of sizes, colors, and finishes and were produced from approximately 1870 until World War II. Due to their numerous parts, coupled with the locking mechanism, they have not been reproduced. This book is the most complete listing of iron safe banks known to date and includes a broad range of additional information, taken directly from primary reference resources, to engage both the casual reader and serious collector. There are nearly 500 unique casting variations identified with multiple colors and finishes represented. This catalog is augmented with chapters that include more than 20 company profiles, 175 pages reproduced from original manufacturer catalogs, over 60 ads from period mail order catalogs, and nearly 40 related US patents, as well as trade cards, postcards, calendars, posters, and other ephemera related to safe banks and the companies that made them.

Send your messages with style with Mini Office Messenger Pigeon! Kit includes everything you need to send a note with your own reliable avian. Specifications: 3" vinyl messenger pigeon figurine with a slot for notesIllustrated mini book: Includes 48-page mini book all about the messenger pigeon, along with 50 perforated pre-printed and blank message slips Great gift: A fun desk accessory gift for friends, family, and co-workers

Fast food authors extraordinaire Joyce and Terry Losonsky continue their around-the-world McDonald's odyssey with this expansive guide covering Happy Meal*r toys given out during the late 1990s in over 114 different countries. In addition to a complete listing of international Happy Meal*r toys, the book also includes the displays, pins, buttons, register toppers, banners, pogs, and assorted memorabilia distributed by the McDonald's Corporation during the same time period. Hundreds of full color photos illustrate the Happy Meal*r toys and promotional items described. Join the parade of collectors who are having world class fun exploring and collecting this vast array of merchandise. Your trip around the world continues with this delightful adventure. All aboard!

The clay and plaster statuary groups made by John Rogers (1829-1904) from 1859 until after 1888 were so appealing in late Victorian America that "scarcely a family of reasonable means and taste did not possess one." He portrayed ordinary, everyday, urban and rural people doing ordinary, everyday things. Thereby, he offered an unrivaled transcript of the manners, sports, amusements, social customs, domestic interests, costumes, and even modes of furnishing for the period. He made statues of Civil War soldiers, family groups, literary topics, theater scenes, and historical figures from eight to forty-six inches tall. This book chronicles each Rogers group with a photograph, size, patent or design date, and pertinent anecdotes. It will be useful today as a reference for interpreting life in Victorian America and today's collectors will covet the pictures, personal letters, advertising, and social commentary presented in the text. The Rogers statuary reflects the lives of our common ancestors of the late nineteenth century.

For all who love collecting and displaying salt and pepper shakers, here are hundreds of colorful and charming sets all made in the "good old USA." Featured are more than 750 sets dating from the 1930s to the 1970s, along with background information on the companies and artists that produced them. The makers include Regal China Company, Elbee Art, Sascha Brastoff, Matthew Adams, Catalina, Roselane, Shirley, and others. Also shown are a number of interesting and unique sets designed and crafted by two California pottery artists in the 1940s, Margaret Weese and Billee Vier. The authors provide helpful information on marks, labels, and other means of identification, and the captions include descriptions, heights, and values. A great reference for all shaker lovers and collectors!

For over 140 years, the Homer Laughlin Company, of East Liverpool, Ohio, made popular ceramic plate shapes, each with different decorative treatments that are identified by numbers and date codes. This book shows, in 805 color photographs, 43 dinnerware shapes as well as kitchenware, specialty items, and backmarks. With this information, you can learn to identify each shape and treatment. Today, this dinnerware is valuable in antiques markets.

This noteworthy and exceptionally comprehensive book features edged weapons dating from the Neolithic period to the early 20th century. These fascinating antiques come from all over the globe, including Europe, America, the Middle East, Asia, Japan, and Africa. Detailed descriptions and over 890 outstanding color photos help collectors identify and study the characteristics, historical uses, and current values of highly diverse swords and daggers. Among the items showcased are tribal, ceremonial, and presentation edged weapons, Indonesian krises, and Borneo "headhunter" swords. Valuable information is provided about rare artifacts, terminology, and evaluating age and authenticity of the weapons. Novice as well as advanced collectors will find this an indispensable reference.

Whistles: every child's favorite noise-maker, every police officer's most trusted alarm, every girl or boy scout's most treasured souvenir. With almost 500 full-color photographs, this cheerful new book catalogs whistles from the past century, from the simple wooden penny whistle to novelty whistles with built-in compasses, 15-jewel watches, and mink fur decoration. There are many examples of tin whistles decorated with lithographs, plastic whistles made of celluloid, vinyl, and other compounds, and even a reproduction of a clay whistle made in the 1400s! While whistles could be as frivolous as the water-filled `warbling bird' variety, sliding whistles, and kiddie whistles with 1950s TV cowboy logos, there are many more serious whistles shown as well, including a Kentucky coal mine whistle(used to check for toxic gases), a New York City taxi-cab whistle, and a plastic version of traditional African "nose-flute" used in mating rituals. This book covers them all, with discussion of when and how they were made, instructions for taking care of them, and a current price guide.

With original documents discovered to build his story, Peter Blackman has eloquently explained the origins, artistic growth, and dissemination of Black Forest carved wooden furniture and fine decor now recognized worldwide. The style evolved in 1815 in Brienz, a small village in the Swiss Alps, and spread through the 19th century, with operations stretching to Paris and central Germany. Bears are the best known and prolific examples, but many other animals and human figures also comprise the style. The book presents in detail the development of the "Black Forest" woodcarving tradition, or Brienzerwares, through noteworthy carvers, schools, companies, and the Great Exhibitions worldwide. Artists, collectors, museum curators, and wood carvers will be instructed and inspired by Mr. Blackman's relentless research, fine analysis, and keen eye.

You know you're hooked when you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach. Is it a shortness of breath or a flush that comes to your face when you see it in a case at an antique mall, or on someone's arm as you stroll down the aisle shopping at an antiques show? Has someone caught you staring intently at their wrist or lapel and mistaken your focused gaze for some sign of familiarity? If any or all of the above symptoms or scenarios seem familiar to you, it's possible you may have it! Yes, it's all too true, you may indeed be suffering from...BAKELITE FEVER! The Bakelite Collection describes some of the many differing collecting preferences of some of the nation's most prolific appreciators of fine Bakelite jewelry. Men and women, doctors and lawyers, modernists and traditionalists alike have fallen prey to Bakelite fever. Their stories, experiences, lovingly assembled collections will delight every Bakelite collector. The Bakelite Collection showcases these fantastic jewelry arrays in luscious detail, using full color photography. A price guide makes it a truly valuable book for all sufferers of Bakelite Fever.

Rookwood art pottery was made in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1880 until 1967, producing forms that feature delicate colors fired at low kiln temperatures. Pieces are eagerly sought by collectors today and continue to influence contemporary art potters. In this guide 251 color and 166 black and white photographs show hundreds of vases, plaques, bowls, bookends, lamps, tea tiles, and more, with estimated price ranges to reflect the art market.

For many people the ocean is a source of relaxation and comfort, and this new self-discovery book takes that relaxation to the next level. The healing power of reiki energy combines with the magnificent forces of the ocean to encourage healing, clarity, and clearing available to everyone. Chapters address how to negotiate different aspects of daily life - compassion, fear, forgiveness, grief, faith, hope, and surrender - with deep breathing, journaling, and visualization exercises. This meditation will help you to embrace the ocean's limitless energies as you unlock the healing power that lies within you and each of us. Staring off into the ocean will take on a whole new meaning.

In the early morning hours of D-Day, 2,004 paratroopers of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment jumped into Normandy as a part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. After a widely scattered drop, the regiment then struggled in the marshes and hedgerows of the Cotentin Peninsula in battles at places with names like Chef-du-Pont, Cauquigny, La Fiere and Graignes. During the regiment's time in Normandy, the hardships were many and the casualties were high. Out of the 2,004 men that jumped on June 6th, only 700 returned to England thirty-five days later. Down To Earth tells the story of those thirty-five days. Drawing on extensive oral history interviews with veterans of the regiment, Down To Earth focuses on the experiences of those who fought for the 507th during its baptism of fire. Complimenting the text, Down To Earth also features over 350 black and white and 100 color photographs, as well as detailed maps.

This brilliantly assembled book explores the creative media that master designer Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) and his Tiffany Studios in New York pioneered, coupled with related masterpieces that contemporary artists have made. Nine chapters present Tiffany's original paintings and fine arts, stained glass windows and lampshades, mosaics, favrile glass objects, metalwork, enamels, and jewelry. Each method is explained and superlative examples are shown in 560 color photographs. Related artworks, by 17 contemporary artists, establish how L.C. Tiffany has influenced living artists. All the artworks were inspired by natural flowers and plant material in Art Nouveau aesthetics. This beautiful reference is a tool for designers, Tiffany collectors, and everyone who aspires to create their own masterpieces.

This book opens a door to a way of life in America that is rapidly disappearing, that of the American cowboy. It portrays items used by cowboy ancestors and presents a glimpse of what life was like in the heyday of riding the range and trailing big cattle drives. Containing over 500 photos of cowboy bits, spurs, saddles, boots, and weapons, it also displays beautiful Native American beadwork and design. These old cowboy items continue to be more valuable each year as collectors of antique cowboy equipment grow in numbers. The equipment displayed here brings the cowboy's way of life to each of us who treasure the ways of the American Wild West.

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.

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.

The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Youth was formed in early 1943 following the German disaster at Stalingrad in Russia, and was trumpeted by German propaganda as a symbol of the willingness of German youth to make the ultimate sacrifice for Fuhrer und Vaterland. Most of the divisions soldiers were born in 1926, and averaged barely eighteen years of age when they underwent their baptism of fire among the verdant fields and hedgerows of Normandy on 7 June 1944. Anchoring the eastern flank of the Normandy front, these young SS soldiers successfully defended the strategically vital town of Caen against British and Canadian forces until finally overwhelmed a month later by the Allies enormous superiority in men and materiel. Although the Hitler Youth Division was largely annihilated in the process, it won the grudging respect of Allied forces as the finest German division faced in Normandy. The authors account of its history is based largely on primary source materials, including extensive archival holdings, published memoirs, official histories, and numerous interviews with former division members.

Humanity's hunt for calculating devices probably started with the use of small pebbles to keep track of numbers. The counting inventions progressed through the abacus, early mechanical calculators, and other ingenious devices culminating in today's computers. In this new book, Thomas Russo chronicles 600 years of caculating devices, providing valuable information for historians and collectors alike. Stretching from ancient times to the earliest computers, this book provides an insight into breadth and depth of human creativity and drive. With 500 color photographs, descriptive captions, and a guide to current values, this is an essential guide in a field that is finding ever more enthusiasts.

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.

Doll artist, Helen Cohen, has created a cat fancy in Whimsical Elegance like no other! A self-taught doll maker and passionate costume and fashion aficionada for over forty years, she has made and sold numerous dolls, many of them during her twenty-two years as owner of The Doll Lady, a shop in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Bringing fresh approaches to the creation of each figure, 20 of her miniature dolls were displayed in a custom-made dollhouse at the White House in 1981. Sophisticated and adult dolls in human proportions are shown in this collection, but with a twist - CAT faces grace the pages along with a primary emphasis on historical fashion, representative of the 1500s through 1920. Each figure is unique, reflecting 31 variations on a theme. She focuses on her skill and experience in working with a wide variety of fabrics and generously imparts and shares helpful tips. The artistic color photographs by David Gehosky bring to life and into sharp focus her dazzling details, exuberant adornments, and embellishments, in concert with amazing fabrics on beautiful cat dolls. This exciting Cohen collection displays theatrical qualities, designed to offer a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration for anyone who enjoys costuming for dolls, puppets, marionettes, stuffed animals, or people.

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.

Advertising Cutlery is the first-ever publication to deal exclusively with the subject of promotional knives. Containing over 400 detailed color photographs, this book explores over one hundred years of advertisements stamped into the sides of knives. In addition to the book's elegant photographic presentation, extensive captions and text give the reader the background information necessary for evaluating collectible advertising knives. Significant examples of advertising specimens are described in detailed stories. Evaluative schemes are included, and all captions contain accurate pricing information. Future trends are also discussed. This book is a must for all who are interested in knives, advertising, and collecting in general.

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.

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.