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Books for Collectors

American Fish Decoys
Steven Michaan
208 pages

Available as both a  hardcover trade edition and a leather bound, slip-cased deluxe version long and contains 110 full-page, full-color images of historically significant, pre-1950 fishing decoys, the majority of which were carved in Michigan.

This is the definitive book on classic American decoys from the “Golden Age of Ice Fishing,” which extended from around 1900 to 1940. It was written by , a fisherman, outdoorsman and collector Steven Michaan who has spent many years assembling a world-class collection of ice fishing treasures from Michigan, Alaska and the Great Lakes area. Michaan is also co-author of Beneath the Ice, The Art of the Spearfishing Decoy (E.P. Dutton, New York).

This new book shows the best examples from Michaan’:s collection, which was the basis of the first-ever show offish decoys at the Museum of American Folk Art in New York in 1991. The show ran internationally in 6 museums and between 1992 and 1993 drew several hundred thousand people for their first look at the artistry offish decoys.

Purchasing the book

“American Fish Decoys” is not available at conventional booksellers, and may only be purchased online at  www.fishdecoy.com. Call Chuck Dorris at (914) 533-5181 or email him at chuckdorris@mindspring.com.

New from the House of Collectibles

The Official® Price Guide to Collector Knives, 14th Edition
By C. Houston Price
ISBN # 1-4000-4834-6
House Of Collectibles
Published: March 9, 2004
Price: $17.95

This price guide documents the variety and scope of collectible knives. With over 13,000 listings, this essential sourcebook offers reliable information on knives from all major manufacturers including Remington and Case Winchester. The book covers over 1,500 models of collectible knives, from wooden-handled military knives to old-fashioned pocketknives. The guide is fully illustrated with over 500 photographs and a full color insert featuring the most valuable knives available.

The Official Price Guide to Quilts, Second Edition, features many different kinds of quilts, from fancy embroidered “crazy quilts,” to charming and traditional “one patch” quilts, as well as popular African-American, Patriotic. Political and Commemorative quilts. This is the complete resource for the history, prices, show listings, museums and clubs that surround and encompass the world of collectible quilts, featuring over 100 black and white and color photographs of quilts and quilt patterns.

The Official Guide to Flea Market Prices, Second Edition
By Harry L. Rinker
House Of Collectibles
ISBN # 1-4000-4889-3,
Published: April 13, 2004
Price: $14.95

The Official Guide to Flea Market Prices contains all of the information necessary to find flea market gold! A good flea market has goodies, tidbits and knick-knacks for every collector. Over 100 million people attend flea markets annually, with over 70% visiting more than five times each year. The popularity and the accessibility of flea markets create new collecting categories; it’:s a market that continues to grow.

This guide covers tens of thousands of flea market collectibles and their prices in over 500 categories, including detailed introductions to each category. The second edition features more than 100 brand new collectible categories, from art pottery to yo-yos. The yoyo book also includes a handy list of the top 30 flea markets in the nation, lists of collector’:s clubs, newsletters, and periodicals.

Author Harry L. Rinker is a nationally recognized expert, editor, author and host of the weekly series “Collector Inspector,” on Home and Garden Television.

The Official Overstreet Indian Arrowheads Identification and Price Guide, 8th Edition
By Robert M. Overstreet
House Of Collectibles
ISBN # 0-609-81053-7
Published: September 9, 2003
Price: $26.00

The Official Overstreet Indian Arrowheads Price Guide is packed with over 12,000 actual-size illustrations of over 800 different point types, and features a full-color section with 350 illustrations. It also contains a list of important terms, an index of point types, as well as valuable information about how to grade points, and how to identify a fake.

Author Robert M. Overstreet provides advice on how to buy authentic relics, and the virtues of buying versus finding points. Industry experts and collectors provide up-to-date market reports on the discoveries and trends in the industry. No other guide provides such authoritative information alongside as many extensive listings and prices.

The Official Beckett Price Guide to Basketball Cards 2004,13th Edition
By Dr. James Beckett
House Of Collectibles
ISBN# 1-4000-4863
Published: November 11, 2003
Price: $7.99

The latest edition of The Official Beckett Price Guide to Basketball Cards offers more basketball card prices and collecting information than any other price guide on the market. This resource offers more than 50,000 prices listed for cards from 1948 to the present, including more than 25 basketball card brand names such as Bowman, Fleer, Hoops, Sky Box, SPZ Topps, Ultra and Upper Deck. Black and white photographs of rare and valuable cards illustrate which cards are treasures. These features, combined with the low-cover price, ensure that this is the must-have guide from the most trusted name in sports card collecting.

The 2004 Official Price Guide to Basketball Cards is completely revised and updated. This comprehensive source also includes a history of basketball cards, additional reading sources, invaluable tips for novice and expert alike, and an up-to- date market review tracing current trends in basketball cards.

The Official® Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection, 2nd Edition
Professional Coin Grading Service
Edited by Scott A. Travers, Text by John W. Dannreuther
House Of Collectibles
ISBN 0-375-72050-2
Published: March 9, 2004
Price: $19.95

The guide sets forth the complete grading standards for U.S. coins as formulated by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). It provides accurate descriptions and sharp digital images to help readers determine the precise condition of a coin.

This new second edition, which includes an introduction by Jay W. Johnson, former director of the United States Mint, comes in an easier-to-handle size while retaining the comprehensive elements of the 1997 edition. Some features include:

• Standards for grading all U.S. coins

• The intricacies of counterfeit detection

• An extensive glossary of terms and phrases

• Nearly 600 coin grading and authenticity illustrations

• A grading guide to Statehood quarters

• Information on how lasers are used to “doctor” coins

The Official® Overstreet Comic Book Companion, 8th Edition
By Robert M. Overstreet
House Of Collectibles
ISBN 0-375-72065-0
Published: January 13, 2004
Price: $7.95

The Official Overstreet Comic Book Companion contains complete information for the new comic book collector in one compact and comprehensive volume. Featuring over 100 photographs of comic book covers, this guide contains all of the new comics and their values. This unique resource contains selected price listings for Silver through Modern Age comics, from 1956 to the present. A special section features an all-new, up-to-date price guide for character toy rings that were often offered in the back of comic books, cereal boxes, monster magazines, and toy and antique publications. This section includes information on evaluating, grading and pricing these unique and collectible character toy rings.

Random House Reference

Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price List, 2004 (36th Ed.)
By Ralph & Terry Kovel
Random House Reference
912 pages
ISBN 1-4000-4664-5
Price: $16.95

The 36th Edition includes:

• 50,000 actual retail prices gathered from shops, shows, sales, auctions, and the Internet—no estimated prices—and every price is reviewed for accuracy

• Prices of 20th-century collectible favorites and 18th- and 19th-century antiques

• Special 16-page full-color report, “A Menegerie of Collectibles,” featuring animal-themed antiques and collectibles

• Hundreds of photographs of genuine antiques and vintage collectibles—from furniture to costume jewelry

• Exclusive report on the record-setting prices of the past year

• Helpful tips on buying, selling and preserving your antiques and collectibles

• Company histories and hundreds of identifying marks and logos of artists and manufacturers

• Comprehensive index and extensive cross-references

• Comfortable size—easy to carry—with handy 7-inch (18cm) ruler included

Hobby House Press

Flea Market Furniture - 16 projects to turn trash to treasure
By Sherry White
Hobby House Press
112 pages, paperback
ISBN 0-87588-664-7 
Published February 2004.
Price: $22.95

What used to be grandpa’s Saturday ritual has become a  National craze. This full-color handbook contains 220 color photos and gives simple do-it-yourself techniques and products to show readers how to transform inexpensive castoffs into priceless accents for the home.

Comic Related Collectibles Survival & Price Guide
By Sanjiv Purba & Sandy Sicilia
Hobby House Press
160 pages, Paperback
ISBN 0-87588-655-8
Published October 2003
Price: $19.95

A companion to “Comic Book Survival and Price Guide,” by the same authors, examines the world of toys, special items, and other oddities related to comic book characters.

The Definitive Guide to Betty Boop® Memorabilia with Values
By Leonard Ellis
Hobby House Press
144 pags, Paperback
ISBN 0-87588-647-7
Published: October 2003
Price: $24.95

The first and only book about Betty Boop collectibles, this volume also features secondary market values for the myriad of licensed products available worldwide.