The desire to travel into space is as old as mankind itself. But it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the idea became anything more than fiction. Although hot air balloons large enough to carry a person lifted off the ground in the late 1700s, it was the invention of powered flight-the airplane-that gave man hope of controlling his ascent into the skies and beyond. Once man was headed up, he could never again be satisfied being tied down to the earth's surface. The space age gave man hopes and dreams of a future in the exploration of the universe. These dreams were translated into souvenirs, toys, games, entertainment, and every-day items with the space theme. They are the artifacts of the space age. Collecting the Space Race explores these artifacts, beginning with the start of the 20th century. Included are first man on the moon items, the original Mercury astronaut items, Sputniks and satellites, fantasy items (Buck Rogers, Captain Video, Flash Gordon, Star Trek, etc.), UFOs, Ray Guns, space-theme postage stamps, mission patches, autographs, and space toys and robots. This book will inspire and answer some of the questions about the items that have been saved or collected as it exposes a broad field of things to collect.

This wonderful book has become the standard pocket guide in the field. It is just what collectors need for quick and easy reference...and its newly updated prices make it invaluable. Both handy and beautiful, it shows over 500 pens and pencils in nearly full-size color photos and provides short histories of nineteen main manufacturing companies. Concise, helpful information with each photo includes a guide to the price of each pen and pencil.

Seeing fluorescent minerals up close for the first time is an exciting experience. The colors are so pure and the glow is so seemingly unnatural, that it is hard to believe they are natural rocks. Hundreds of glowing minerals are shown, including Aragonite, Celestine, Feldspar, Microcline, Picropharmacolite, Quartz, Spinel, Smithsonite, plus many more. But don't let the hard-to-pronounce names keep you away. Over 870 beautiful color photographs illustrate how fluorescent minerals look under UV light and in daylight, making this an invaluable field guide. Here are minerals from the United States, including mines in New Jersey, New York, Arizona, and California, as well as beautiful and unusual minerals from Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Italy, Sweden, and other places. Included are values, a comprehensive resources section, plus helpful advice on caring for, collecting, and displaying minerals. The field of collecting fluorescent minerals is relatively new and this is one of the most complete references available.

The rich and diverse world of fluorescent minerals is explored in this sweeping survey. Breathtakingly pure colors, with their ethereal glow, immediately capture your attention. Did you know that color television is a result of the study of fluorescing minerals? Fresh finds of fluorescent minerals are showing up regularly around the globe, and their collection is an entertaining and popular pasttime. To help the collector, over 825 photos display the minerals both as they might be found in daylight and in under the effects of ultraviolet light. Written for the collector and the merely curious, this pictorial reference will enrich your collecting experience with its informative text. It is an essential source for enjoying and identifying fluorescent minerals.

Ronson's place as a leader and pioneer in the manufacture of fine decorative metal wares from the 1900s to the mid-1930s is documented here. In addition to cigarette lighters, for which Ronson is most readily known, the company, then known as Art Metal Works, also produced a diverse selection of metal bookends, hood ornaments, statuary, aquarium and plant stands, clocks, pipe holders, desk sets and accessories, figurines, novelty items, lamps, boxes, toys, incense burners, and much more. With descriptive captions and information from original company catalogs and advertisements, alongside full-color, detailed photographs, this book is like no other on the market today. Whether you are a collector of art metal or a student of art and design, you are guaranteed insight into the style, beauty, and value of some of the finest metal wares manufactured.

Extraordinary cigarette lighters can be found in the strangest of places--in a garage sale, at a swap meet, perhaps even in your own basement. This convenient, revised and updated handheld guide introduces a history of lighters through a comprehensive, alphabetical presentation of styles, organized according to company name and dating from the late 1800s through the 1980s.Well-known makers such as Dunhill, Ronson, Evans, Scripto, and Zippo are included, as well as unusual lighters from lesser known companies. Never before has a book shown such variety of lighters with this much detail and color: over 800 lighters are illustrated along with current updated market values, along with over 35 new images. Whether you are a collector of lighters or interested in design, this book will give you insight into the style, beauty, and value of cigarette lighters. And once you start collecting, it may be hard to break the habit!

"Let There Be Light." Borrowing from the bible, the Eveready Co. used this phrase on the cover of its 1899 catalog, along with a hand from the heavens pointing a flashlight at the earth. Those were the beginning years of the flashlight, originally promoted to help sell batteries and growing to become an essential safety product in every American household and automobile. Never before has there been an extensive treatment of the flashlight from an historical and collectible point of view. In this beautifully illustrated full color volume, Stuart Schneider brings a fascinating world to "light." With flashlights ranging from the purely practical to the elegantly stylish, to the playthings of children, the reader will begin to appreciate the beauty of their design and their inventiveness. 458 color photographs illustrate the book, each accompanied by an informative caption and the value of the model in today's market. Histories of many companies and important information for collectors is also included.

Cigarette lighter collecting has quickly become a very popular hobby throughout the world. Here, at last, is accessible information for the collector. Over 500 lighters are illustrated in full color. They are shown in alphabetical order of their makers and by date within each company. The available historical data is presented clearly and concisely. The lighters are unusual and interesting. They include examples from well-known companies like Dunhill, Ronson, and Zippo as well as companies whose names are lost in smoke. The reader receives an "across the board" look at what is available today and what we think will be sought in the future. A guide to prices is included.

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 book chronicles the history of Halloween in the 20th century through the evolution of related costumes, Jack-O'-Lanterns, decorations, candy containers, and other treats. One could easily view 20th-century Halloween costumes as being a road map through popular cultural history-they reflect fads, television, space exploration, movies, comics, and personalities that shaped the past hundred years. Historians, collectors of Halloween items, and students of popular culture will find this book offers delightful insight into the styles, variety, and current values of ever-popular Halloween gear.

Collecting Picture and Photo Frames introduces the reader to the history of frames and an across-the-board sampling of framing styles from the early 1800s through the 1940s. Beautifully illustrated in over 400 color photographs, this book is the first of its kind to show such variety and magnitude of both wall frames and table top frames in detail and full color. Whether you are an amateur or novice collector of frames, someone who simply appreciates good frames for your pictures, or a student of art and design history, this book will give you insight into the style, beauty, and value of antique frames. Different frame materials are described, along with information on identifying and dating your pieces. A price guide is also given for each item.

This book is for all people using, owning, or collecting fountain pens and their matching pencils. It introduces the beginning pen collector to the hobby and answers questions asked by advanced pen collectors about the earliest and rarest pens. With over 1,000 fountain pens illustrated in full color, it will identify pens and provide the opportunity to examine many rare pens that were produced.\nThe examples represent the whole range of the history and production of fountain pens, from the earliest to the present, and from the most common to the rarest.\nL.E. Waterman, Parker, Swan, Sheaffer, Wahl-Eversharp, Mont Blanc, Crocker, Chilton, Moore, A.A. Waterman and many other companies are included. A large representation of company advertising has been gathered. A must for collectors, dealers, and all those who appreciate the ingenuity and creativity of industry.

Seeing fluorescent minerals up close for the first time is an exciting experience. The colours are so pure and the glow is so seemingly unnatural, that it is hard to believe they are natural rocks. Hundreds of glowing minerals are shown, including Aragonite, Celestine, Feldspar, Microcline, Picropharmacolite, Quartz, Spinel, Smithsonite, plus many more. But don't let the hard-to-pronounce names keep you away. Over 800 beautiful colour photographs illustrate how fluorescent minerals look under the UV light and in daylight, making this an invaluable field guide. Here are minerals from the United States, including mines in New Jersey, New York, Arizona, and California, as well as beautiful and unusual minerals from Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Italy, Sweden, and other places. Included are values, a comprehensive resources section, plus helpful advice on caring for, collecting, and displaying minerals. The field of collecting fluorescent minerals is relatively new and this is one of the most complete references available.

Travel to ancient cemeteries of the U.S. and France to meet night spirits. Captured on color film at sundown, sun up, and by the light of the full moon, their beauty and eeriness is astounding. Shown are full vaporous apparitions with ghost stories connected with each of the featured cemeteries helping to explain who the ghosts are and why they appear hundreds of years after they were buried. You will be drawn into each photograph as though you were standing there seeing what the photographer saw and was feeling when the photograph was taken. Thousands of ghost hunters go out looking for ghosts. Now see them through photographs and discover the secrets they hold.

Look at Abraham Lincoln through others' eyes, seeing history in an entirely different light. While historical text details what Lincoln thought or did and how he planned his actions, the collector of Lincoln holds tangible items, revealing how society saw or portrayed the president. Through collectibles, Lincoln is revealed not only as politician, but also as the subject of painters and sculptors. His influence on society and politics is brought to life in a way which can't be produced in a purely historical or biographical text. The first president to be photographed and have his photographs distributed to hundreds of thousands of citizens, Lincoln's image appears on medals, coins, stamps, and currency, and his story is told in books and pamphlets. Lincoln relics elevate him to an almost saint-like figure in society, and his assassination brought the nation to its knees in mourning. Over 950 photographs illustrate this multi-faceted look at Lincoln and how society still reveres him more than one hundred years after his death.

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.