Horsman Vinyl Dolls Featured In Collector Book

BOOK REVIEW

Vinyl dolls made by the Horsman company are the ones women of a “certain age” remember as the dolls they played with when they were young. This was the pre-Barbie era. The company, however, has continued to make dolls and the dolls from the mid-20th century to the present are the subject of Horsman Dolls, the Vinyl Era, 1950 to Present, by Don Jensen.

An interesting history of this company, the oldest name in American dolls, is included. Young Edward Horsman, an entrepreneur almost from birth, founded his own company in 1865 when he was just 22 years old. At first, the E.I. Horsman Company manufactured and sold “games and home amusements,” such as croquet sets, archery and tennis equipment and other sporting items.

By the 1870s, he began importing items from Germany, and on one of his visits to that country, he added a visit to the doll factories in the province of Thuringia.

In the 1880s, the company’s catalog included numerous imported dolls of many kinds - porcelain, leather, cloth, dressed and undressed, with molded or real hair.

The company’s involvement with dolls continued to grow through the years, with the periodic crises that seem to affect every company that has been in business for a long time, with a few changes of ownership and direction along the way.

In 1950, the company discontinued making composition dolls and switched to vinyl, and these dolls, as the title indicates, are what one finds in this book.

Approximately 700 Horsman dolls are pictured and described in the book, along with helps for dating, naming and caring for your dolls. A value guide is included.

Horsman Dolls, (ISBN: 978-1-57432-538-6) by Don Jensen, is a 2007 Collector Books publication. It is priced at $29.95. Check with your local bookseller or see the online catalog at www.collectorbooks.com.

Donna Miller

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Ivory Carvers Produce Useful & Decorative Art

BOOK REVIEW

Recently released by Schiffer Publishing is Asian Ivory, by Jeffrey B. Snyder. Figurines from the 19th and early 20th century, primarily from Japan and China,  are the main focus of the book.

Ivory carving was one of the earliest arts in China, and has been traced as far back as the 18th century B.C. The Japanese did not practice this art until much later, and the earliest examples date to the 700s, A.D. However, it wasn’t until the Edo period (1615-1867,) that the Japanese carvers really mastered the art.

During this period of time, netsukes were created in a wide variety of forms. These small ivory pieces, carved with two holes in the back, were used to attach pouches or medicine boxes to a sash.

Eventually, as Japan moved toward more Western ideas beginning about 1868 and the clothing styles changed, netsukes fell out of general use. In their place, the ivory carvers began producing larger figural objects, known as okimono.

Okimono were purchased for strictly decorative use, originally in Japanese homes, but soon were being exported to markets in Europe and the United States. Much of the subject matter changed at this time to reflect themes that were more popular in these parts of the world.

While this book features figural pieces, ivory was also carved to create many other items, including cricket cages, card cases, match holders, brush holders, wrist rests, sword hilts, chopsticks, Mah-Jongg sets and scabbards

The book contains over 600 photographs, clearly showing the details of the individual carvings. An interesting text describes the history of the ivory trade, quotations from a 19th century European traveler who met with the ivory carvers, and some of the folk tales associated with the carved figures. There is no price guide included.

The book sells for $79.95. Check with your local bookseller or see the online catalog at www.schifferbooks.com.

Donna Miller

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Garage Sale Book Tells It Like It Is

BOOK REVIEW

The 16th edition of the Garage Sale & Flea Market Annual is now available from Collector Books.

The editors state: “We’ve tried ... to give you accurate price evaluations. We all know that the market is soft right now and that values on  any collectibles have leveled off and in many instances actually dropped. No one likes to think about their collection losing value, and we hate to report lower prices; but if this book is going to be helpful, it has to be honest.... [however,] Though perhaps a little less frantic than it was 10 years ago, the market is still alive and well. As collectors/buyers of vintage items, you need to be aware of changing values, whether up or down, and that has definitely been our goal this year.”

In addition to the hundreds of topics listed, with background information and values, the editors include sections on “How to Hold Your Own Garage Sale,” Learn­ ing to Become a Successful Bargain Hunt­er,” “How to Evaluate Your Holdings,”  “Deciding Where to Sell Your Merchandise,” and “What’s Hot on Today’s Market.”

This is a very useful book, and one that should be in the library of every collector and dealer.

The Garage Sale and Flea Market Annual (ISBN: 978-1-57432-584-3) sells for $19.95. Check with your local bookseller, see the online catalog at www.collectorbooks.com or write Collector Books, PO Box 3009, Paducah, KY 42002.

Donna Miller

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