Preserving Your Paper Collectibles

Here is a comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to protect the paper collectibles he or she has accumulated, explaining all the criteria that make certain paper items valuable and the steps needed to preserve them. Photos.

Paper dolls might seem the height of simplicity--quaint but simple toys, nothing more. But through the centuries paper figures have reflected religious and political beliefs, notions of womanhood, motherhood and family, the dictates of fashion, approaches to education, individual self-image and self-esteem, and ideas about death. This book examines paper dolls and their symbolism--from icons made by priests in ancient China to printable Kim Kardashians on the Internet--to show how these ephemeral objects have an enduring and sometimes surprising presence in history and culture.

This entertaining and informative reference for the beginner or committed paper collector is worth the paper it's printed on. Arranged by collecting categories, this guide contains more than 1,500 listings with pricing factors, sources and strategies for buying and selling. Also includes a comprehensive history of paper and paper-making that's not pulp fiction!

Black memorabilia is one of the most provocative areas of collecting in America today, encompassing anything made by or depicting people of African descent. It includes a diverse range of objects and documents that span five centuries of African-American life, from trade cards to kitchen novelties; dolls and toys to sports and civil-rights mementos; cereal boxes and product labels to books and sheet music; and even the shackles, classified ads, and bills of sale that document the long years of black slavery. Often harsh and painful to examine, these artifacts nonetheless offer an important window into American history. They have become highly valued collectibles, and especially so among African Americans. "The Art and History of Black Memorabilia, by Larry Vincent Buster, is the first fully illustrated overview of this remarkable area of Americana. With more than two hundred color photographs, this volume examines the most desirable black collectibles and places them within their historical and social contexts. The author, himself a noted collector, includes information on how to buy, display, and preserve black memorabilia and explains how to spot fakes and reproductions. Also included are explorations of some of the most well-known and influential African-American figures in popular culture. At times horrifying yet sublime, insulting yet intriguing, humorous, heartbreaking, and inspiring, "The Art and History of Black Memorabilia is a landmark chronicle of the black experience in America.

Up-to-date information on thousands of antiques and collectibles from 19th- and 20th-century rural life. 400+ photos.