With 440 pages of text and 32 pages of colour, the 7th edition is the most informative Wade Whimsical book on the market today. The 30% increase in colour illustrations, and 40 or 50 plus text pages just confirms the leading position of "Pat Murray’s" Wade Whimsical Collectables Price Guide. With over 50,000 books in print Pat’s book has certainly become the bible of Wade Whimsies.
The Author of the Charlton Standard Catalogues of Wade has been an Antique and Collectables dealer since 1970 and a Wade collector since 1974. As a Wade collector the author has an added interest and strives to obtain all the necessary information about Wade models for her own use and naturally to share with her fellow collectors.
The old maxim "A picture is worth a thousand words" is very true, but in some cases a picture of an older Wade model cannot be found or one that is found is not suitable for publication. The detailed descriptions and the correct names of Wade models in the listings are imperative to the collector. Information is added to each publication when new data regarding previously listed models, such as a date of issue or new colourway has come to light. With these additions the guide is constantly changing, which will help the collector build a meaningful collection.
A good collector is a well-informed collector, and it is most important that a collector know his subject. The Charlton Standard Catalogues by Pat Murray go all the way in providing an essential guide to the models produced by the Wade Potteries. All models are listed with their issue dates, the commissioner of the model (if any), the set order and their various colourways. It is most important to collectors that they determine how many more items are available in a particular set or series of models.
The up-to-date price guide allows the collector or the dealer to purchase models to complete a collection at the appropriate price, whether it is to add to their own collection or to buy, sell or trade. The values are gleaned from the many dealers’ sales lists that abound on the Internet; they are also gathered from Antique and collectables malls, Antique / Wade shows, and of course on-line auctions.
Each time a new edition of the book is published it contains a wealth of fresh information on models produced during the previous year, it also includes hitherto unknown models that have been found and reported to the author since the last edition was published. With the help of the Charlton Standard Catalogues of Wade the collector can acquire information on a very popular and ever increasing collectable.
