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Collectibles & Collectors

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General & Comprehensive Resources
Books
Coins and Money (Numismatics)
Comic Books, Manga, and Graphic Novels
Dolls
Stamps (Philately, Philatelists)
Toys
Trading Cards

General & Comprehensive Resources

Library Catalog Topics

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All About Collectibles: Collecting Resources, Price Guides, Pictures, and Links: Various highlights on collectible items. Sections (see tabs at top of each section at website) include: Start Collecting, Buying/Selling, Price/Value Guides. From About.com.
Caring for Your Treasures: "Proper care and maintenance of your family heirlooms and works of art will ensure that they are available for future generations to enjoy. To help you better care for your personal heritage, we have developed these guides for caring for you treasures." Includes information on books, paintings, metal objects, documents, art works, videotapes, textiles, and more. From the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).
Country Living: Antiques and Collectibles: Articles, appraisals, and advice. Follow their "More Antiques and Collectibles Articles" link (down the center of the page) for more articles.
Kovels: Antiques and Collectibles: Includes a price guide for over 600,000 antiques and collectibles (dolls, toys, folk and ethnic art, furniture, clocks, lighting, jewelry, glass, music, pottery, porcelain, prints and paintings, silver / other metals, and more) in the United States (free registration required), an Antiques and Collectibles Directory (appraisals, publications, archives, museums, auctions, repairs, supplies, restoration, and more).

Books

Library Catalog Topics

AbeBooks: Rare Books Room: Scroll down their page for links to sections including: Ask a Rare Bookseller, Rare Bookseller Directory, The Avid Collector (articles), Book Appraisers, Book Care (tips), Book Fairs and Events, Rare Books FAQ, Book Collector Forum, Glossary of Terms.
Alibris: A Guide to Book Collecting in the 21st Century: Sections include: Creative Routes to Successful Collecting, The Dual Meanings of Value and Appreciation, The Three C's of Book Collecting, Baedekers to Book Collecting.
Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA): Includes: information for collectors, articles, news, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), and a Glossary.
Book Collecting Tips: Sections include: Why Start Collecting Books?, Book Collecting Blog, Collecting Hypermodern First Edition Books, Tips, Antique Book Values for Old Collectible Books. Also provided is information on book awards and awarded titles/authors (recent and in general).
Bookseller World: Resources for Book Collectors, Reference Guides and Articles: Sections include: How to Grade Books, Identify a First Edition, Types of Book Illustration, Glossary of Book Terms, Bibliography, Manuscripts.
Dos and Don'ts for Taking Care of Your Personal Books at Home?: From the NY Public Library.
Faded Giant: Includes: Images of authors' signatures, book values / price guides, tips on buying and selling, and a glossary of rating/grading terms.
Glossary for Rare Books: "How to Describe Rare Books, Manuscripts, Autographs, Maps, Prints, Atlases, First Editions, Illustrated Books" From the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers.
Powells: Rare Book Basics: Images and terminology.

Coins and Money (Numismatics)

Library Catalog Topics

American Numismatic Association: "The American Numismatic Association is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to educating and encouraging people to study and collect money and related items." News, articles, and more. Follow their "Explore the World of Money" link for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Tips for Buying and Selling Gold, Money'Musements (trivia), Current U.S. Coins, and more.
Cleaning Collectible Coins: From the Coin Collecting Club.
Coin Explorer: "The NGC Coin Explorer is the most comprehensive reference for United States coins. This complete catalog has images and specifications for every U.S. coin, including mintage figures and current melt values for all gold, silver, and platinum coins. " Search by coin, NGC Universl ID or by criteria. Free to all users. From Numismatic Guaranty Corp.
The Coin Page: Public use images of coins in small and large versions.
CoinCollectingClub: "Tips and resources for coin collectors."
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS): Coin Collecting Glossary
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS): Online Photograde: Click on the coin type to match your coin's condition to images showing conditions and grades. For a list of coin grading standards, click on the the Help button.
The United States Mint: Collector's Club: Sections include: The Art of Collecting (Why Collect Coins?, Getting Started, Ways to Collect, Collecting United States Mint Coins, What to Look for, Buy or Find?, Caring For Coins, Storing and Displaying Coins, How to Share Your Hobby), Coin Information and Resources (Anatomy of a Coin, Coin Term Glossary, The ANA Coin Grading Scale, The Mint Marks of United States Mint Facilities, United States Mint Online Store, Coin Dealer Database, Children's Coin Library, Fun Facts), Consumer Alerts, and more.

Comic Books, Manga, and Graphic Novels

Library Catalog Topics

Comic Books: Collecting Comic Books, News, Reviews, and More: Includes: Collecting Comics (Buying, Selling, and Protecting Your Comics), Glossary - Terms and Definitions About Comics, Comic Book Publishers, conventions, webcomics, and more. From About.com.
Comic Book DB: A database. Search or browse. Browse options include: Titles, Creators, Characters, Groups, Story Arcs, Publishers, Imprints, Podcasts, Awards. Most characters have concise biographies and a list of appearances in issues. "The first goal of this project is to catalog every comic, graphic novel, manga, creator, character and anything else that could possibly relate to the field of comics."
Comic Book Realm: Includes: comic values, a Comic Book Store Locator, comic book cover images, a search engine (by publisher or series), and a variety of information on each comic series and certain issues.
Comic Book Resources: Includes: News and reviews on upcoming comic, blogs, video, Comic Shop Locator, and more.
Comics Price Guide: Forums, classifieds, search or browse options. Free registration is required to access the basic price guide.
Glossary of Comic Book Collecting Terms: From CGC Comics.
Wizard World: "Comic News, Conventions, Features, Previews, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Articles."

Dolls

Library Catalog Topics

Advice for Beginning Paper Doll Collectors: From the Original Paper Doll Artists Guild.
BarbieCollector.com: Official website from Mattel. Includes news, articles, and a gallery of vintage/collectible Barbie dolls.
Doll Collecting: Sections include: Doll Collecting 101, Getting Started, Buying / Selling, Types of Dolls, Dolls From A to Z, Barbie Dolls, Dolls Price Guide. From About.com.
Doll Reference: Described as "a guide to doll collecting and identifying dolls from 1800 to the 1970's, Antique to Vintage dolls, over 10,000 photo's, descriptions and markings are included. Dolls are listed by the doll manufacturer on each page."
Dolls Magazine: Articles, news, blog, a directory of retailers and manufacturers, some doll identifications and prices (with the ability to submit your doll information/photo for an estimated appraisal).
The History and Charm of Paper Dolls: From About.com.
How to Start a Paper Doll Collection: From eHow.com.
The Preservation, Storage and Display of Precious Paper Dolls: From the Original Paper Doll Artists Guild.
United Federation of Doll Clubs: "The objectives of the non-profit organization are to create, stimulate and maintain a national and international interest in all matters pertaining to doll collecting."

Stamps (Philately, Philatelists)

Library Catalog Topics

American Philatelic Society

Includse: Information on dealers, shows and exhibitions, news, a "Just for Kids" section, and a (frequently asked) "Questions and Answers" section.

Professional Stamp Experts: A Guide to Grading and Expertizing United States Stamps: An Illustrated Guide

Downloadable guides in PDF format. Please note: these are huge files (~150MB, ~720+MB). View them with the Adobe Reader.

Stamp Collecting

Also includes a "Philatelic Glossary" on the left side. From the United States Postal Service (USPS). See also:

Publication 192: Topics include: How to Remove Used Stamps from an Envelope, Where to Get Stamps, What You Will Need, Acid-Free Paper, Stamp Hinges and Mounts, What You Will Need, How to Use a Hinge or Mount, Stamp-Collecting Tools, Determining a Stamp's Value, Album Ideas.

United States Postal Service (USPS)

News on prices on current and upcoming stamps and stamp collections / themes as well as and limited editions series. Includes information on local post offices, postal services, online purchases, and more.

Library Catalog Topics

Toys

General and Comprehensive

National Toy Hall of Fame: "The National Toy Hall of Fame..., established in 1998, recognizes toys that have inspired creative play and enjoyed popularity over a sustained period. Each year, the prestigious hall inducts new honorees and showcases both new and historic versions of classic toys beloved by generations."
Toy Collector Magazine: News, classifieds, articles, and more. After selecting an article, scroll down page to see it.
Toys: Cartoon, Comics, Bears, Dolls, Diecast, Plush, Tin and More!: From About.com.

Action Figures
Super Heroes, Star Wars, Star Trek, Sci-fi, Western, Military, etc.

Action Figures: Topics include: Get Started Collecting Action Figures, Action Figure Care, What's that Action Figure Worth?, What Defines an Action Figure?, Most Common Action Figure Accessories. Scroll down page for even more action figure collecting topics such as: Action Figure Reviews, History of Action Figures, Maintaining and Displaying Your Collection, Star Wars and Star Trek figures, and more. From About.com.
ActionFigureCollectors.com: News, stories, images, and more about action figures.

Vintage Toys

Antique Toy Collections
Art of the Tin Toy: Collecting Tips: Also see their Investment page.
Glossary of Antique Toy Terms: From AntiqueToys.com.
Train Collectors Association Gateway: Choose from several related websites. Includes information on collectible trains (Lionel, etc.), news, images, guides, and more for hobbyists and collectors.
Vintage Toys: eHow: Articles include how to price, how to collect, how to clean, how to buy, how to display toys of various types.

Trading Cards
Sports - Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Golf, Hockey, Racing, Tennis, etc.

Library Catalog Topics

Sports and Entertainment Collecting Guides: Guides to Autographs, Boxes/Cases, Buying, Collecting Tools, General, Grading, Organization, Pricing, Selling, and Storage. Beware: site also includes items for sale. From the Cardboard Connection.
Sports and Trading Card Collecting: Includes: A Beginners Guide to Sports Card Collecting, A Brief Introduction To Sports Card Collecting. From About.com.
Sports Collecting: A Brief History of Baseball Cards: An article from Autograph Magazine.
Trading Card Central: News, articles, images/gallery, blogs, discussion forums, collecting tips, and more.
Tuff Stuff Magazine: Sports trading cards and other memorabilia. Includes: news, articles, and free downloadable price guides (PDF format: view with Adobe Reader.