Customer Reviews

Antiques Roadshow Collectibles: The Complete Guide to Collecting 20th Century Glassware, Costume Jewelry, Memorabila, Toys and More From the Most-Watched Show on PBS

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This work covers practically every important aspect of
antique collection and evaluation. For instance, the authors
point toward important evaluative criteria for antiques
including overall appearance, condition, finish, color,
functionality, attribution, history of ownership and many
other important aspects which indicate value. In addition,
the author quantifies value in terms of sentiment,
historical significance, aesthetic value, intrinsic value,
celebrity status value and market value. The author
provides examples of collectible items; such as,
- Advertising (cigar bands, liquor bottles, ale, bottle caps...)
- Sports (signed baseballs, autographs, bats, gloves, cards...)
- Toys (Tonka, cast iron, trains, boats, robots i.e. Mr.Machine)
- Dolls (mix of saw dust and glue and composite dolls
- Watches (movement, jewels, incabloc shields, caliber,
hands, crystal and grades from factory new to average
- Movie memorabilia
This book is excellent for a potential collector getting into
the antiques business for the first time.

I am a bit of a novice in this area and have been trying to determine what my collection is worth..as well as what to buy...this is a terrific book...I have found a number of areas that can help me do a better job of deciding what to buy...and what not.

Highly recommend

The scope of the book is too broad and the depth of the topics considered is too shallow. Complex collectibles such as costume jewelry or art glass are given a few pages of attention, but the book tries to cover too many areas at the expense of giving adequate attention to any area. If you want a very, very basic overview, history, and details about popular collectibles, you may find this book of some use. However, your money would probably be more wisely spent on books that deal with your specific topics of interest. It's fun reading, but definitely not a "complete guide to collecting...".

Nice book and provides considerable information. The author does cover alot of territory in one book. Should consider a series and provide more photos.

Most of the pages in this book are a drab black & white print, with a few (emphasis on few) pages in the middle that are glossy, full-color. I was thinking "coffee table book" when I bought it, but it's definitely not that fancy. I sent it back.

If you are just getting into collecting, this is a fun book to review. Lots of overall ideas of varieties of collectibles...for more serious colletors, I would suggest books oriented to the subject matter of interest.

If you are into collecting this is the book for you. It has lots of interesting facts and discussions about why people collect things and how to get started if you're thinking about a collection.

It doesn't talk about EVERYTHING though, so if you are really into a specific collectible you would be better off with a book that addresses that collectible.

I've enjoyed the Antiques Roadshow book and the descriptions which I will use for future reference.