Remember sitting at your desk in elementary school on Valentine’s Day and anxiously waiting for your crush to slip a small envelope into the box you had carefully crafted with colored paper and red and pink hearts? You just might find that special card that you’ve kept for all these years within the pages of the book “One Hundred Years of Valentines.”

Written by Katherine Kreider, the book is described as a “photographic essay” that takes the reader throughout more than 450 Valentine’s Day cards produced from the late 19th century through the late 20th century.

The book stands as a solid resource for all periods and styles adopted by artists and manufacturers throughout the past 100 years – the Depression, dimensional, Art Deco, transportation, artist signed, honey comb paper puff, and novelty, to name a few. The book also includes a glossary of valentine terms as well as a usage guide.

Another feature of the book is the inclusion of a “Second Top 10 Most Asked Questions” list about valentines. Both collectors and dealers alike are sure to find the information contained in the book valuable and useful.

About the author

Katherine Kreider is a recognized authority and visionary in the preservation of “The Valentine.” Her first book, “Valentines With Values,” was just the beginning of documenting “The Valentine.” Kreider’s second book, “One Hundred Years of Valentines,” continues her quest to put on paper and in photographic essay the many series, artists, and art forms behind the Valentine. She has collected for the last 25 years. When “One Hundred Years of Valentines” was

About the publisher

A family-owned, independent publisher of high-quality nonfiction books since 1974, Schiffer has published thousands of titles on the diverse subjects that fuel our readers’ passion. From our traditional subjects of antiques and collectibles, arts and crafts and military history, Schiffer has expanded its catalog to publish books on contemporary art and artists; architecture and design; food and entertaining; the metaphysical, paranormal and folklore; and pop and fringe culture, as well as books for children.

Schiffer Publishing is located in Atglen, PA. Website: www.schifferbooks.com.

Size: 8 ½” x 11”, 487 color photographs, price guide and index, 128 pages, glossary of terms, usage guide, ISBN13: 9780764307072, binding: soft cover, price: $24.95

Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com.

What would the month of February be without the traditional exchanging of Valentine’s Day cards with your sweetheart or best friend? It’s a ritual we all remember from elementary school – decorating a shoebox with hearts, then placing it on the edge of our desk at school, just waiting for our crush to walk by and slip an envelope into the slot cut at the top of the box.

Author Robert Brenner explores the history of Valentine’s Day cards and their place in our society with his book, “Valentine Treasury: A Century of Valentine’s Day Cards.” The book traces the long history of the cards, from its earliest reference in the 17th century to the present day. The book features pages of colorful, eye-catching designs that range from more detailed, pull-down varieties such as those from the Victorian era, to the simpler ones we all remember from childhood. In addition to learning about the cards themselves, you’ll learn all about the customs surrounding Valentine’s Day celebrations in both America and Europe; card designs; and manufacturers, from the corporations such as Hallmark and American Greetings to the smaller, lesser-known manufacturers from decades past.

“Valentine Treasury: A Century of Valentine’s Day Cards” will surely find a special place in your heart – and on your shelf – for the wealth of knowledge and visuals it provides on such a beloved holiday.

About the author

Bob Brenner, of Princeton, WI, is a leading authority on the traditions of Christmas and other holidays. He lectures and curates major holiday exhibits for the Smithsonian and other museums.

About the publisher

A family-owned, independent publisher of high-quality nonfiction books since 1974, Schiffer has published thousands of titles on the diverse subjects that fuel our readers’ passion. From our traditional subjects of antiques and collectibles, arts and crafts, and military history, Schiffer has expanded its catalog to publish books on contemporary art and artists; architecture and design; food and entertaining; the metaphysical, paranormal, and folklore; and pop and fringe culture, as well as books for children.

Schiffer Publishing is located in Atglen, PA. Website: www.schifferbooks.com.

Size: 8 ½” x 11”, 565 color photographs, price guide, 262 pages, ISBN13: 9780764301957
binding: soft cover, price: $49.95

Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com.

The birth of the Cabbage Patch Kids craze in 1983 changed the doll industry forever – and made a veritable mint for Coleco, the company that produced the dolls.

But, as author Jan Lindenberger points out in her book “Cabbage Patch Kids Collectibles,” there was far more to the brand than the dolls themselves. Much like other pop culture fads of the 1980s, the dolls gave rise to a multi-million-dollar merchandising market for the children who had “adopted” their very own Cabbage Patch Kid.

The year 1984 saw a huge influx of Cabbage Patch Kid collectibles into markets worldwide, with items such as sleepwear, books, and apparel contributing to the more than $2 billion in retail sales around the globe for the Cabbage Patch brand.
Collectors of Cabbage Patch Kid items will enjoy this treasure trove of items, which run the gamut from doll furniture, miniatures, games, jewelry, and even school supplies. These items are presented in hundreds of stunning color photos that will have you reminiscing about your own days as a Cabbage Patch Kid “parent.”

In addition to Lindenberger’s guide to collectibles, the author has published two additional books on the dolls, broken down by decade: “Encyclopedia of Cabbage Patch Kids: The 1980s” and “Encyclopedia of Cabbage Patch Kids: The 1990s.” Both volumes are available for purchase through the publisher’s website.

Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com.

“Collecting Classic Video Games”

Just in case you can’t tell, this month’s issue of Discover Vintage America is all about Generation X collectibles, and video games came of age as this generation did, too.

That’s why it only seems appropriate to review a book about the games that shaped our childhood and played such a significant role in our formative years (and, for some of us, they continue to be a large part of our adulthood as well).

Enter Player One: “Collecting Classic Video Games” by Billy Galaxy (I have to assume the author’s name is a pseudonym, but if it isn’t … well done, Mr. Galaxy). Those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s will see familiar names in this book – names that kept our entire nation entertained over the years.

The book goes over some of the legends of video game consoles, including Atari and Nintendo, but doesn’t forget about some of the lesser-known players, such as Bally’s Astrocade and Magnavox’s Odyssey. The video games themselves span companies both still in operation and now defunct, with titles including Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Tetris, and Pac-Man. The games are portrayed in more than 1,000 color photographs.

In “Collecting Classic Video Games“, you’ll find examples of which system is compatible with which game; hand-held, tabletop, and standalone games; and even a section listing collectible video game memorabilia.

Capping off this informative jog down memory lane is a price guide in the back of the book, meaning you can blow the dust out of those old game cartridges and find out what they’re actually worth today.

Have a blast powering up your knowledge of beloved video games with this comprehensive, simply fun volume.

Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com.

Christmas history

Those interested in Christmas history will find Robert Brenner’s “Christmas Through the Decades” a colorful, informative and easily accessible guide to Christmas traditions from long ago to the late 20th century.

Brenner takes the reader back hundreds of years, to the first Christmases celebrated in Colonial America (the first Christmas was celebrated in the original 13 Colonies in the early 17th century and, of course, included many traditions brought over from England), and explores in detail the Victorian era and midcentury periods as well. The author explains preparations and celebrations as part and parcel to Christmas observances in the U.S., but also does a deep dive into the items that really complete Christmas and play a sizable role in its evolution – the ornaments, the shimmering lights, the decorations. In all, the book features a whopping 500 color photographs and more than 3,000 images documenting the highlights and the history of Christmas in America. The observance to detail and sound research makes “Christmas Through the Decades” an invaluable resource to those casual readers who truly love Christmas, as well as scholars and researchers.

A note to collectors specifically: The book includes a price index alongside the photographs included, for ease of reference.
Readers should take note that the book covers decades throughout the 1990s but no later.

About the Author

Christmas that Robert Brenner has published. The previous two volumes, “Christmas Past” and “Christmas Revisited,’ have attained the status of classics and are widely respected in the field. Brenner teaches school in Princeton, WI. He has lectured widely on the history of Christmas and has developed a vast international network of fellow collectors, manufacturers, and historians of Christmas items.