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Toy Collecting
Reference Books
Reference Books
Recommend a book!

Backyard Buckaroos
Collecting Western Toy Guns
Jim Schleyer, Krause Publications, 1996
Identification and value guide for cap guns, pistols, rifles, Derringers, cowboy character sets and all the trappings.

Battery Toys
The Modern Automata
Brian Moran, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1984
"A witty yet comprehensive overview of the entertaining world of battery operated robots, animals, people, character toys, banks, monsters, and cars. Six hundred twenty-eight battery toys in full color are compared and fully analyzed in this first specialized book on the subject."

Battery Toys - Collector's Guide
Don Hultzman, Collector Books, 2002
Comprehensive identification and value guide with key to actions, rarity scale and a handy troubleshooting guide, plus words of wisdom for collecting and caring for battery operated toys.

Beyond Snap! Crackle! Pop!
The Story of American Illustrator Vernon Grant
Linda D. Williams / Barry Grant Productions 2014

Blast Off!
Rockets, Robots, Ray Guns and Rarities from the Golden Age of Space Toys
S. Mark Young, Steven Duin, Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics, Inc. 2001
"Blast Off! chronicles the golden age of space toys, an era of imagination unbound by the more mundane realities of space travel ushered in by Sputnik and the Space Age. Containing hundreds of striking color photos of some of the most beautiful and ofttimes bizarre toys ever created -- some never before seen in print -- Blast Off! unearths the buried histories of these space treasures and the companies that created them." With introduction by Harlan Ellison.

Character Toys & Collectibles
David Longest, Collector Books 1984
Collecting Toy Premiums
Bread - Cereal - Radio
Prof. James L. Dunas, Schiffer Books 2001

Cowboys, Gunfighters & Cap Pistols
Rudy A. D'Angelo, Antique Trader Books, 1999
"Profiles of more than 75 TV westerns and the real-life cowboys and gunfighters who inspired them. Descriptions and values for cap pistols, rifles and holster sets inspired by the TV westerns. Detailed information on the many cap gun manufacturers, special features and logos that made these toys distinctive."

Future Toys
Robots, astronauts, spaceships, ray guns
Antoni Emchowicz & Paul Nunneley, New Cavendish Books, 1999
"Futuristic toys were produced during the period of scientific and technological expansion between the end of the Second World War and the first moon landings. This book celebrates the design, novelty and colour of these highly fascinating toys, which in themselves reflect some of the cultural aspirations and ideas of their time."

Games
American Boxed Games and their Makers 1822-1992
Bruce Whitehill, Wallace-Homestead Book Co., 1992
Excellent guidebook "profiles and prices thousands of games manufactured from 1822-1992. Histories of hundreds of manufacturers, including 'the big four' (McLoughlin Brothers, Milton Bradley, Selchow & Righter, and Parker Brothers); collecting guidelines for both experts and novices; and advice on determining the relative value of a game will help you know whether to tiddle or wink."

Greenberg's Guide to Marx Toys
Volumes I & II: 1923-1950
Maxine A. Pinsky, Greenberg Publishing Co., Inc. 1988
"Along with re-discovering the beloved playthings of the past, the Marx Toys volumes tell the story of the enterprising company that ruled the toy industry for decades between the early 1920s and 1972. This first volume highlights the eccentric habits and unwavering opinions of the 'Toy King' Louis Marx."

Japanese Toys
T.P.S. Amusing Playthings from the Past
William C. Gallagher, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2000
"This comprehensive book is the first to focus on the delightful toys made by T.P.S., a company many believe to be the premier Japanese tin toy manufacturer from the 1950s and 1960s. The light hearted subjects, unique actions, complexity and quality of T.P.S. toys continue to put them high on the list of desirability for toy collectors. In addition to their own trademark, this company designed and manufactured for importers such as Linemar, Cragstan, Frankonia and Rosko, and covered a variety of subjects including character toys such as Disney, Popeye and Astroboy."
Over 675 color photographs and a guide to trademarks.

J. Chein & Co.
A Collector's Guide
Alan Jaffe, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1997
"J. Chein & Co.: A Collector's Guide to an American Toymaker is the first comprehensive look at the toys, the process of their creation, and the colorful history of the manufacturer. Over 450 photos of the toys, including views of original lithographic sheets, factory production, prototype models, and rare catalogue pages are featured in this full-color book."

Lehmann Toys
The History of E.P. Lehmann 1881-1981
Jurgen & Marianne Cieslik, New Cavendish Books 1982

Marx Toys
Robots, Space, Comic, Disney & TV Characters
Maxine A. Pinsky, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996
"Wonderful toy robots, space ships, astronauts, and comic characters produced by the Louis Marx Company from the 1950s to the 1970s are described in detail." Wind-ups, battery-powered toys, hoppers and ramp walkers.

Mechanical Toys
How Old Toys Work
Athelstan and Kathleen Spilhaus, Crown Publishers, Inc., 1989
"Dr. Spilhaus takes you through his extensive collection -- noted for being the most fun -- and reveals where mechanical toys originated, how they work, and where they're headed. For the first time, you'll see that tambourine player stripped down to display the mechanism inside. You'll learn not only how these toys work, but also how they serve as a chronicle of people and events."

Motorcycle Toys
Antique and Contemporary
Sally Gibson-Downs and Christine Gentry, Collector Books, 1995
Identification and value guide for what appears to be every motorcycle toy made in the 20th century.

Radio & TV Premiums
Jim Harman, Krause Publications 1997
Tin Toy Dreams - Cars
Teruhisa Kitahara, Chronicle Books, 1985
"Here's a whimsical concours d'elegance of the Japanese toy world, a world-class assemblage of toy automobiles, trucks and buses that will delight both the toy enthusiast and the car buff. There is particular emphasis in this book on the fins, chrome and grills of the fabulous cars of the 1950s. Also depicted are examples of the elaborately illustrated boxes in which the model automobiles were originally packaged."

Tin Toy Dreams - Robots
Teruhisa Kitahara, Chronicle Books, 1985
"Unquestionably the favorite toy of the fifties was the robot. Creations of tinplate, flashing lights, and rasping gears, toy robots are the enduring friends from childhood for a generation who grew up in the 1950s. The mechanical wizardry of Japanese toy makers is presented in this remarkable collector's album assembled from the incredible 10,000-toy collection of Teruhisa Kitahara. Along with many of the tin toy robots are examples of the wonderfully illustrated boxes in which the toys were originally packaged."

Tin Toy Dreams - Wind-ups
Teruhisa Kitahara, Chronicle Books, 1985
"This all-color presentation of Japanese-made toys spans at least six generations of childhood tin-toy fantasies. More than 200 ingenious wind-up mechanisms move, dance, twirl, play musical instruments, fly airplanes and rocket ships, and perform acrobatics and other seemingly magical movements that both amaze and amuse."

Toys, Games & Puzzles
Collector's Guide
Harry L. Rinker, Wallace-Homestead Book Co., 1991
"This guide provides all the instructions necessary to buy, sell, trade, research, catalog, display, store, and insure toys, games, and puzzles."

Toys that Shoot
and other neat stuff
Prof. James L. Dundas, Schiffer Publishing, 1998
"A sweeping survey of the shooting toys that gladdened the hearts of children from near the turn of the twentieth century to the 1990s. Over 420 color photographs display a dazzling array of BB guns, cap shooters, marble shooters, squirt guns and more."

Warman's Antique American Games 1840-1940
Lee Dennis, Wallace-Homestead Book Co., 1991
Comprehensive listing of bard games played prior to World War II.

Yesterday's Toys
Tin and Celluloid Amusements from Days Gone By
Teruhisa Kitahara, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 1988
Three volumes: Celluloid Dolls, Clowns & Animals; Planes, Trains, Boats & Cars; Robots, Spaceships & Monsters. Photography by Masashi Kudo. "An ideal reference for toy collectors and a heartwarming tribute to the cherished companions of childhood."

Zap!
Ray Gun Classics
Leslie Singer, Chronicle Books, 1991
100 fabulous color photographs representing the classic ray guns from the 1930s to the 1980s, from the Buck Rogers Disintegrator Pistol to the Han Solo Laser Pistol.

 
 
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