Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Value Guide, Second Edition: 1973-2006 [Paperback]

Nicki Pierce (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2006

This second edition value guide for Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments is the most comprehensive guide to secondary market prices ever produced. It is printed in a larger, 8.5”x11” format and contains over 6,000 full-color entries, which include Christmas Ornaments, Easter/Spring Ornaments, Special Issue Ornaments, Miniatures, and Other Special Items. Three popular categories have been added to this edition: Merry Miniatures, Kiddie Car Classics, and Legends In Flight. Editorials cover the history of Christmas Ornaments and everything Hallmark has done to promote ornament collectibility since it began producing Christmas Ornaments, plus "The Ornaments that Never Were" and "Collecting Hallmark With Passion" which profiles 3 prominent collectors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bangzoom Publishers; 2 edition (July 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977292797
• ISBN-13: 978-0977292790
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #966,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE OUTSTANDING 2ND EDITION!, August 11, 2006

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Value Guide, Second Edition: 1973-2006 (Paperback)

My wife and I do have quite a few Keepsake Ornaments that we've bought over the years for each other to be placed on our Christmas Tree but we're not collectors in the true sense. But I found out full well the value of Hallmark ornaments when I found five pieces in the Frosty Friends collection at a garage sale a couple of years ago for a few bucks. These were numbers 3 through 7 in the series and those few dollars resulted in quite a tidy profit when sold at eBay. Since then we've made it a point to look out for Hallmark ornaments at garage sales and flea markets but the problem was that we really didn't know which ones were really valuable. That all changed when I got this fantastic book by Bangzoom. I have owned a lot of collectible price guides in my life and this is easily one of the best. Their fantastic original price guide has now been updated with a second edition that goes through 2006.

What makes it so great? Simple...how about a picture of every Keepsake ornament from 1973 through 2006...in full color, with the ornament name, retail price, item number, and current value. Add to that the pictures are color coded if they happen to be series or club/event releases. Add to that are outstanding articles on the history of Hallmark, special issue ornaments, protecting and insuring your collection, and an excellent article called "Hallmark Collecting 101" which is a valuable resource whether you are a veteran or novice collector. There's even a list of Hallmark related websites that provide even more resource material.

While the bulk of the book is dedicated to Keepsake ornaments, Bangzoom doesn't stop there. You'll also find sections on the Miniature ornaments introduced in 1988, ornaments for other holidays like Easter and Halloween, special issue ornaments such as the Ambassador Holiday House Collection, and Tree Toppers. There's also a comprehensive, alphabetical index that can double as a collector's checklist, and finally profiles of the Hallmark artists and sculptors. It's truly a complete package and one-stop source for Hallmark collectors. I had a lot of fun thumbing through the book and finding out just how much all of our ornaments were worth. Of course, my wife won't let me sell any of the ones we bought for each other, but now when we hit the garage sales, we'll have the perfect, take-along resource. My highest recommendation!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Resource, September 10, 2007

By 

Dianne Brim "bibliophile" (Ridgefield, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Value Guide, Second Edition: 1973-2006 (Paperback)

This guide is very useful for determining insurance values for a person's ornament collection. It is not as useful for determining sale prices as sale prices almost never equal value guide prices. It is easy to use and has good pictures of virtually every ornament and merry miniature Hallmark has produced. I highly recommend it to any serious collector.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed review for the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Value Guide, January 9, 2007

By 

Jayni Mosher "Tough Critic" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Value Guide, Second Edition: 1973-2006 (Paperback)

I think this book is very well put together, but I somewhat question the values assigned.

I purchased the book when I had an opportunity to buy a large collection of Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, and I wanted to assess their value.

The book helped immensely with identification, but I'm not sure where one could expect to get the kind of money for the pieces that were given there.

I know that eBay isn't the only game in town, but it's MY only game--I'm eBay seller texpert2 (for a wide variety of vintage collectibles) AND eBay seller texpert99 (where everything has a starting bid of 99 cents, and NEVER a reserve). I do not sell at trade shows, gift shops, etc. When I compared the prices given in this book to prices obtained on eBay for similar pieces, there was a HUGE difference. The pieces often sold for 75 to 80% LESS on eBay.

So, if you want the book for identification purposes, it will fill that role nicely. Where you plan to resell--if you do indeed PLAN to resell--will influence whether the values shown therein are of any VALUE to you.

Thanks for the opportunity to review this book.

Jayni Mosher