This pocket-sized guide to identifying and interpreting metal and ceramic marks has been improved with the addition of the most recent hallmarks, along with details of the new hallmarking system. Do you attend car boot sales or browse in antique shops in search of bargains? Have you ever wished you knew more about grandma's silver spoon? Do you envy the experts' ability to identify and date old hand-me-downs? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, Collins Gem Antique Marks is for you. Packed with thousands of clear illustrations, the book shows hallmarks on silver, gold and platinum, as well as those on Old Sheffield Plate, pewter, pottery and porcelain. Complete with a history of hallmarks and how to read them, Collins Gem Antique Marks is absolutely indispensable. The book provides: Full hallmarks for silver from London, Edinburgh, York, Norwich, Exeter, Dublin, Newcastle, Chester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Sheffield, along with maker's marks from these cities. Up-to-date hallmarks for gold and platinum. Old Sheffield plate marks, showing the variety of maker's marks. Pewter marks and a selection of pewter touch marks. Pottery and porcelain marks showing both letter and name marks, and symbol marks. Redesigned in new Gem style.

"Weapons" is one of the bestselling books on armament ever published. This definitive guide covers the entire history of weapons, from the earliest, most primitive instruments up to remarkable advances in modern defense and warfare. The new edition includes weapons used in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Israel-Lebanon conflict, such as:
- Improvised Explosive Devices
- Blackout bombs
- Unmanned aerial vehicles
- TV guided bombs
- Current Small Arms
- Electric Stun Guns
- And more!
Comprehensively illustrated, with hundreds of color diagrams, charts, photographs and much more, "Weapons" is the encyclopedia of virtually every arsenal ever invented. This guide will appeal to warfare fans, military and history buffs and any reader interested in the invention, development and use of weapons over the course of human history.