Collecting African American History [Hardcover]

Elvin Montgomery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

Experience African-American history and culture through collectible artifacts! This comprehensive volume is the first illustrated book to offer in-depth information about African-American collectibles and to place them in their original cultural context. Inside you ll find: Practical advice on distinguishing fakes Useful tips on how to restore and store objects A timeline of African-American history Types of artifacts according to topic slavery, politics and civil rights, music and entertainment, sports, art, spirituality and religion, education, and popular culture Financial information And more! With over 300 beautiful photographs, this remarkable guide will be a classic reference for collectors, whether novices or devotees.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ELVIN MONTGOMERY is a dealer and collector of African American history and culture, who also lectures and consults on the subject. He has been commissioned to produce a study of African American collections in the United States still held in private hands. In February of each year Montgomery exhibits and sells a wide variety of African American historical and cultural items at his Black History Month Collectibles Show in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584790563
• ISBN-13: 978-1584790563
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,501,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable insights into an area of collectibles that I knew nothing about, March 9, 2007

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Collecting African American History (Hardcover)

As amazing as it sounds, some of the most valuable memorabilia regarding black history in the United States demonstrates some of the most horrific examples of racism. In particular, any material related to the practice of slavery is valuable. To quote Montgomery from page 41, "Evidence of slavery is scarce and expensive, forcing collectors to find more creative and affordable sources for slavery era material. "
There are fourteen chapters devoted to specific forms of memorabilia. They are:

*) Slavery
*) Local history and genealogy
*) Politics and civil rights
*) Military history
*) Music and entertainment
*) Sports
*) Art
*) Photography
*) Books, magazines and documents
*) Spirituality and religion
*) Education
*) Business, economics and careers
*) Lifestyle and popular culture
*) Racism

Each chapter begins with a short list of the more valuable items in that category. For example, the list for the art chapter is:

*) Books and journal articles
*) Exhibition catalogues
*) Prints
*) Posters
*) Commercial art
*) Jewelry
*) Combs
*) Baskets
*) Textiles, quilts and sewing collectibles
*) Clothing with African motifs

This book was very instructive in an area of collectibles that I knew nothing about. I of course assumed that old articles had value, but had no idea which ones. If you are someone involved in collecting, this is certainly a book you should read. I regularly go to sales and see people buying up unusual items for their collections or to sell to others for their collections. Now I also know what to look for.