Coin Collecting: Price Guide

Many coin collectors can get scammed for certain coins. These collectors have no basic knowledge of how much coins cost roughly. There are many resources out there that will give a rough estimate of the worth of a coin like the “red book” which is a guide book of US coins. For those that don’t want to by the book I have written this article to give you some information on the basic value of some coins.
The Wheat-Cent Coin (circulated)
The wheat-cent coins made between the years of 1940 and 1958 are worth a few cents or maybe less. However, if the coin was manufactured before 1940 then they are a higher price which is going to be around the range of few dollars.
Silver Dollars
These coins are a favourite with collectors (especially those made before 1935) as they actually have silver in them. Due to this these coins are sold for the actual price of their silver. Yep that’s right every ounce of silver in the coins unless they are damaged or worn out.
Quarters, Dollars and Halves – The Bicentennial Kind
These coins are just face value because there were billions of these coins made which reduced the value of the coins. There are some dealers out there though who will pay a few dollars more if the coins are uncirculated.
A Freak Coin
These are coins like two-headed coins which have two different heads on either side (each from a different coin).They were not discovered until a few years back (2000). An example of a freak coin is the one that was found in 1999 that had Lincoln’s face on one side whilst Roosevelt’s on the other. These coins can also be known as mule coins and if you find one you should take it to be examined and if it is real then you can auction if for more money.
As you can see a coin is worth more than a coin. This article proves that. If you are looking to sell or buy coins make sure you refer to a resource (like this article) that will make sure you don’t get scammed out of your money.

Egyptian Collectables: The Ancient Egyptian Deity Anubis

One of my favorite Egyptian collectables is the statue of Anubis. I have always found his image to be very striking; perfect for a deity associated with death and the underworld.

Anubis was an ancient deity and the god of embalming and cemeteries. In the Old Kingdom, Egyptians prayed to Anubis for the survival of the deceased in the afterlife. In later years, Osiris rose to prominence as the god of the dead, but Anubis continued to assist in the judgment of the dead. It is said the Anubis accompanied the deceased to the throne of Osiris for the Weighing of the Heart.

The Weighing of the Heart ceremony was used to judge if the deceased should be allowed a place of honor in the afterlife. On one side of giant scales were the principles of truth and justice, represented by a feather. The feather was the symbol of the goddess of truth, order and justice, Maat. If the heart balanced against the feather then the deceased would be granted a place in the Fields of Hetep and Iaru. However, if the heart was heavy with the weight of wrongdoings, the balance would sink and the heart would be grabbed and devoured by a terrifying beast that sat ready and waiting by the scales.

Anubis had several epithets:

1)    “Foremost of the westerners”: This referred to the dead that were buried on the west bank of the Nile River.

2)    “He who is upon his mountain”: This refers to the desert cliffs overlooking the cemeteries.

3)    “Lord of the sacred land”: Refers to the desert in which burials were located.

4)    “The one presiding over the god’s pavilion”: This refers to the place where embalming took place, or the burial chamber.

5)    “He who is in the place of embalming”

Anubis was depicted as a jackal or a man with the head of a jackal. It is thought that priests who prepared bodies for burial and conducted the actual burial ceremony wore jackal masks in order to impersonate the god. Jackals were common scavengers in Egyptian cemeteries, so it is believed that by honoring Anubis by way of impersonating his appearance, Anubis would protect the dead from molestation.

Buy Antique Clocks for Sale

If you are looking for antique clocks for sale, you need not look far because chances are there are designs that you are in search for. Thanks to the Internet, you can easily have an idea of the specs and the price of antique clocks for sale.
The pictures that are uploaded online can also give you an idea whether these are the clocks that you do want to buy.
Either you use these clocks or collect them, whatever your reason is, you deserve to know what you are getting into when you become part of those people who participate in antique clocks for sale.
Those who buy antique clocks and opt to use these for timekeeper and home decoration invest in the clocks that run on AA batteries. They would want to ensure that the designs of these antique clocks for sale are authentic and at the same these clocks run on batteries.
They also check the casings and the finishing. The more elaborate the designs, the better it is for them to collect these. Antique clocks for sale when bought are shipped to the buyer with additional costs.
On average, the buyer can get these clocks in 2 to 8 business days. It depends on the destination.
Whenever you go for antique clocks for sale, you have to make sure that the designs are still intact, including the engravings. If you want to maximize your money then you should know the exact conditions of the clocks that you are getting.
Those that were manufactured way back in the 1800s can have a chip here or there, as long as it is working. But the clocks that were distributed in the 21st century must still be in mint condition, as much as possible.
There are some antique clocks for sale that come with pendulums and gongs. If these are the designs that you want, you have to double check whether these still work. You also have to look at the scratches and the sides.
There are some antique clocks for sale that give you a hard time to clean simply because their insides are not that easily reachable therefore cobwebs are collected.
If you are new to this whole buying and selling of antique clocks, it is best that you have an expert with you. An expert on antique clocks for sale can help you explain the ins and outs of antique clock collection.
You can also have a better idea on the designs that are worth investing in and worth collecting.
You can also be an expert on your own by reading as much as you can on antique clocks.

Manufacturing Hummel Figurines

<b>SCULPTING</b>
The process begins when a Goebel master sculptor studies a carefully selected drawing or painting by Sister Hummel. Because the drawing has only two dimensions, the sculptor must be able to imagine unseen details and execute them in clay in a style consistent with Hummels’s vision. The sculpting OF THE Hummel figurine may take many weeks, and during that time, a new and original work of art takes shape. The finished Hummel model is presented to the Artistic Board at the Convent of Siessen.
<b>MOLDING</b>
The sculptor and master moldmaker determine where the Hummel figurine should be cut so the moldmaking process can begin. A Hummel figurine may be cut into as many as 40 pieces for ease of production. The pieces of the Hummel figurine are embedded in clay. Plaster of paris is poured over them to make the master mold. A series of positive and negative plaster molds is made, leading to the creation of a durable acrylic resin working model. From the working model, a plaster of paris working mold is made. It can be used only for a limited time before eroding. New working molds are created from the working model as needed.
<b>CASTING & ASSEMBLING</b>
Liquid ceramic, known as”slip,” composed of kaolin, feldspar, clay, quartz and water, is poured into the plaster working molds. The plaster absorbs moisture from the slip. As the slip thickens, it creates a hollow ceramic shell of the figurine. The excess slip is poured out, and the moist shell is removed for assembly into a completed figurine. The pieces are joined using slip as a sort of glue, then smoothed to remove all seams. The assembled Hummel figurines dry for about one week.
<b>KILN FIRING</b>
Each Hummel figurine is fired at intense temperatures at least three times during the production process. The kilns are heated and cooled gradually — sudden temperature changes can damage the figurine. The first firing at 2100°F transforms the moist Hummel figurine into its white bisque state. The figurines shrink in size and emerge wih a powdery white finish. Then the piece is hand-dipped and sprayed with a tinted liquid glaze. The second firing is at 1870°F. The figurine emerges glossy white, as the glaze has been melted into a thin, transparent skin of glass. After painting, the Hummel figurine will be fired again at 1407°F to permanently bond the color and create a soft matte finish. Hummel figurines may undergo decor firings up to three times, depending on the colors used.
<b>BRUSHING ON COLOR</b>
The paints used on each M.I.Hummel collectible are selected from several hundred hues specially developed to recreate the tones of Sister Hummel’s artwork. The Master Painter prepares a decorated sample, which must be approved by the Convent of Siessen, to guide the highly-trained artists who paint the actual figurines. Since the Hummel figurines are painted by hand, each is unique. Paints are metallic oxide powders mixed as needed with balsam oil and turpentine. Brushes are made of natural hair.
<b>QUALITY CONTROL</b>
The Hummel figurine creation process takes many weeks and may involve over 700 hand operations with many quality checkpoints. Every new M.I.Hummel figurine is created using this painstaking process, in accordance with the age-old Goebel tradition of quality handcraftsmanship that goes into every Hummel figurine.

Immerse yourself in Another Realm With Fantasy World Wall Maps

The moment I saw the map of Middle Earth illustrated in the first few pages of the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, I was hooked. Fantasy world wall maps are available both online and in collectable retail stores like never before. Many collectors item versions of well known fantasy novels, such as Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia, even come with world wall maps to hang in your house.

Similarly, many popular video games on the market today come packaged with world wall maps of that particular fantasy realm. And if they’re not in the box, you’ll most likely be able to find them online. World of Warcraft is one such popular online game, commonly called a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), that has numerous detailed maps of that fantasy world available for purchase. Other popular games with fantasy world wall maps include Everquest, Ultima and Star Wars Galaxies.

Is seems the more popular a fantasy world becomes, the more the corresponding fantasy world wall maps become available for purchase and those in high levels of quality illustration. Take for example what happened a few years ago when the Lord of the Rings trilogy of motion pictures hit the big screen. Suddenly, the level of quality and the quantity of available fantasy world wall maps of Middle Earth skyrocketed. It was a good time to be a Tolkein fan.

But whether it’s a video game, board game, novel or short story, fantasy world maps are a great visual tool to help track the character’s journey. For example, if you’re reading the Hobbit you can refer back to the map of Middle Earth and trace Bilbo’s path from the Shire, through Rivendell, over the Misty Mountains, past Mirkwoood, all the way to Smaug’s Lair in Lonely Mountain.

The maps can come in pretty handy if you’re following along with the story descriptions and get a bit lost. Sometimes, the author’s narrative of the places the characters are traveling can become hard to follow. I remember reading through the Shannara series of books by Terry Brooks and, although he’s an excellent author and great at description, there was a section in the story where multiple characters were traveling in different directions at the same time. Each chapter would switch over to the progress of another character till after a while I felt a little lost. Luckily, the books had a map of the fantasy world so I was able to refer back to it during the story in order to get my bearings. But besides that, and perhaps more importantly, it definitely made for a richer story experience.

Speaking of which, I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon when world wall maps are created for a fantasy realm. It’s as if the map brings a new sense of legitimacy, or “reality” if you will, to the world. It makes it seem like that fictional world actually exists in some kind of alternate reality. It adds another layer of believability to the story and the fantasy world in which it takes place.

Of course, in the end we know these fantasy worlds are pure fiction but their world wall maps allow our imagination to soar and enable that sense of immersion into the fantasy world that makes the experience more enjoyable.