News & Events
Mid-America
News
Show
Calendar
State Event Calendars
Regular Features
The
Antique Detective
Antique
Detective Q&A
Common Sense Antiques
Refurnished
Thoughts
Traveling with Ken
Good Eye
Books
for Collectors
Directories
& Classifieds
The
Finder: Unique Shops
Lodgings Directory
Museum Directory
Aviation Museums
Wineries in the Heartland
Classifieds
Web
Links
Archived Features
Antiquing
in Colorado
Dealer Profile Archive
Editor's
Notebook
Heirloom
Recipes
Helpful Hints
for Collectors
Is This An Antique?
Past
Cover Features
Reflecting
History
New Books for Collectors
—
August 2007
Horsman Dolls
The Vinyl Era 1950 to Present
by Don Jensen
Reviewed by Robert Reed
(Antique & Collectible News Service)
 |
Horsman Dolls by Don Jensen is a charming and colorful look at a remarkable and varied maker from the 1950s to the present day.
It comes at a time, according to the author, when the collector interest in Horsman dolls from the golden era — generally the latter half of the 20th century — has really just begun to take off.
No one is suggesting that Horsman vinyl dolls will be thousands someday, but a significant appreciation in value seems likely for them, according Jensen, who is a veteran writer on dolls and an experienced collector.
Regardless of their future, this volume does an excellent job on Horsman dolls past. There some 700 delightful Horsman dolls complete with detailed descriptions and color photographs.
Sections further include specifics on dating and further identifying hints, plus hundreds of values for Active Jackie and Adeline to Yvonne and Zodiac Baby.
Some of the dolls author Jensen considers sleepers in the appreciation range, by the way, include the Answer doll, Baby Bannister, Fairy Skin dolls, Simon Sez, Tweedie of the late 1950s, and The Little Women and other Horsman series of the 1990s by artist Robin Woods.
Jensen is also the author Collectors Guide to Horsman Dolls 1865-1950, which was published about five years earlier.
Horsman Dolls: The Vinyl Era 1950 to Present by Don Jensen, hardcover, color illustrated, index, 240 pages is $29.95 plus shipping from Collector Books, 1-800-626-5420.
Sell, Keep,
or Toss?
Making the Most of a Lifetime of Treasures
by Harry L. Rinker
Reviewed by Robert Reed
(Antique & Collectible News Service)
 |
For the person bearing the burden of dealing with the disposal of an estate, or the person just down-sizing their own household for a smaller one, Harry Rinker’s latest book is essential reading.
Not everyone agrees with columnist Rinker’s bah-humbug approach to endless antique and collectible topics. However, Sell, Keep, or Toss? Making the Most of a Lifetime of Treasures is different.
It is a clear-eyed assembly of clear thinking in an area that can sometimes be very emotional. Rinker covers it all in matter-of-fact fashion. Chapters include the value of items, getting assistance in the disposal process, auctions, garage sales, estate sales and other sale options.
There are also details on dealing with family and friends.
Today’s young adults are smart. They know that family heirlooms can and often do have a secondary resale value, the author explains in one chapter. They may ask for something not because they plan to keep it, but to sell it. If they do not want a treasured family heirloom, it is because the owner failed to create the memory. Do not blame the next generation.
The bigger emphasis however deals with passing down treasured mementos to future generations. Then, too, there is the dealing with appraisers and auctioneers, tax benefits, learning what is valuable and knowing what is not, and hundreds of other situations.
As with Rinker’s long syndicated column, not every reader will agree with every Rinker remark, but it is worthwhile reading. It makes readers think about many, many details they may have otherwise overlooked. Read carefully and plan ahead.
Sell, Keep, Or Toss? Making the Most of a Lifetime of Treasures by Harry L. Rinker, 244 pages is $16.95 from House of Collectibles, www.houseofcollectibles.com.
©2000-07 Discovery Publications, Inc.