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New Books for Collectors
—
October 2007
Vintage
Halloween Collectibles, An Identification and Price Guide
by Mark Ledenbach
Reviewed by Robert Reed
(Antique & Collectible News Service)
 |
Vintage Halloween memorabilia remains one of the hottest areas of collectibles in the nation.
A seasoned collector, Mark Ledenbach authors the 2nd edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles, An Identification and Price Guide. The author has been active in the Halloween collecting field since the 1980s. Many of the 1,600 items in the book are part of his personal collection.
Sections of the comprehensive volume include games, lanterns and shades, candy containers, nodders and figurals, die cuts, noisemakers, and decorations.
Included with each item is the country of origin, manufacturer, specific markings, dates of manufacture, pricing, and a relative scarcity index number.
“I have long used to separate scarcity and price in my mind. You won’t find the precise relationship you’d expect between relative scarcity and price for every piece due to market quirks,” Ledenbach said.
There are more than 1,000 full color photographs included in the volume.
According to the publishers, vintage Halloween items remain a red-hot collectibles category since the early 1990s, when collectors realized how rare the items are to find.
Since that time, prices have escalated dramatically, especially for items made prior to 1960.
Ledenbach points out that American die cuts and decorations from Beistle, Dennison and Gibson, plus virtually all (Halloween) games have been market leaders.
Vintage Halloween Collectibles, 2nd edition, soft cover, 256 pages, $27.99 from Krause Publications, 800-258-0929.
The Official Price
Guide to Disney Collectibles
by Ted Hake
Reviewed by Robert Reed
(Antique & Collectible News Service)
 |
Chances are the legions of Disney memorabilia fans will find the second edition of the Official Price Guide to Disney Collectibles to be delightful.
Written by an icon of the collectibles world, Ted Hake, it offers a hefty 1,000 plus pages and 28,000 values. A full-color photograph is included with every item.
This just released volume supplements the earlier edition released in 2005.
“The Disney market has been solid and broad,” Hake said. “Rarely offered items, many coming from the collections assembled decades ago, achieve record prices. I hope this guide contributes to making the pursuit of Disney collectibles more profitable for the collector.”
Updated historical information is included, along with hundreds of added items, and a review of what Hake calls “fine tuning” of guide values.
Full coverage of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck is, of course, expected. But this guide extends to 137 sections from A Bug’s Life to Zorro. Also included are other Disney dandies including Aladdin, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Mary Poppins, and even the Gremlins.
Hake founded Hake’s Americana & Collectibles auction house 40 years ago. He is also the author of numerous collectible-related books including Official Hake’s Price Guide to Character Toys, now in its 6th edition.
The Official Price Guide to Disney Collectibles, soft cover, 1,034 pages, color illustrated is $29.95 from the House of Collectibles, New York, N.Y.
©2000-07 Discovery Publications, Inc.