Customer Reviews

Kovels' Know Your Collectibles

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The Kovels are well known in the antiquing and collectible field for their annual price guides. In this book they present an introduction to the world of collectibles including chapters on recognizing furniture styles and periods, pottery, dinnerware, glassware, porcelains, jewelry, lamps, clocks, toys, as well as other miscellaneous items. This is a good generalized grounding in all of these topics, although I felt the book concentrated a little on pottery and porcelains. The book occasionally uses terms before defining them, and as an introductory text could have benefited from the presence of a glossary. However, it has a fairly comprehensive index and the reader is able to find the required definition if they are willing to do a little extra page turning. Manufacturers marks are excellently documented making it a useful reference even beyond the first read-through. The photographs are profuse and of good quality, although all are in black and white and a couple would have done well to have been in color. Over-all this is in my view the best introductory text on modern collectibles (collectibles less than 100 years old) and makes and excellent companion to "Kovels known your antiques".

I just ordered another copy of this book for a friend who keeps borrowing mine. Well read, and well liked, especially by our friends who are just starting to collect and furnish thier own homes.

A waste of money. A waste of bookshelf space. Outdated as soon as you look at it. Prices are so flexible- you can thank or curse eBay-that it's a waste. Books on Collectibles are out-dated if you're searching for a price for your gramma's antiques. If you're interested in BROWSING or taking a few minutes to relax, then these books are okay. The internet is the only way to "know your collectibles" I'm afraid in 2010.