Yamot Articles Directory

Why would anyone be interested in collecting machetes? To answer this question as simply as I can, because I like a big blade, a firm handle and the power behind this sword-like piece of steel. And, I am one very strange fella. So, keep reading.

To give you my crude definition of a machete, keep on reading. The machete is a cleaver like tool that looks like a massive knife. The length can range anywhere from eighteen to twenty four inches. The blade is normally thin; about three inches take or leave a few centimeters.

Machete collecting is not going to appreciate in value and bring your great-great-great grandchildren a future of unbelievable wealth. You would be lucky at all to find much of an investment in a machete; besides finding another avid collector to pawn yours off to. So, undertake this hobby for the simple please of having massive knives hanging all over your walls.

To begin with, I look for a machete with a blade that is sturdy and fastened snugly and tightly to the hilt of the handle. The last thing you want when tromping through the jungles of Panama and chopping down brush is to have your blade go flying through the air leaving the handle in your sweaty grip.

The best way to ensure that you have a nicely fitted blade and a solid handle is to simply observe. Look for welds. You should see none. If you do, take the machete, hand it back to the vendor and with a snarl on your lips, tell him or her that you are no fool.

The blade should be the full tang version? When I say tang, I am not speaking of the famous drink consumed by astronauts. The tang is the part of the blade that extends into the handle. The handle is then attached to the tang snugly. Sometimes, the tang is visible and other times the handle fully encases it making it unobservable when held in the hand.

The full tang guarantees a very sturdy machete that will last you quite some time. You will not find your blade swooshing through the air as mentioned earlier. A full tang is a guarantee of quality and rugged made blade.

If you study the machete a bit, origins, locations and the people that create and use them, you will find some very interesting stories. Machetes are commonly used to clear vegetation. But, they have been used as an offensive weapon more often than one should desire to recall.

The use of a machete to clear vegetation is very swift, and to be quite honest, a lot of fun. For a quick guide to clearing vegetation, keep on reading. Simply grasp the machete in your hand tightly. You will want your wrist locked to prevent spraining and injury. The clearing motion is the motion of the letter X. Simply swing down across your front, hacking into the vegetation. Then, raise the machete and hack the other direction.

Now, I will not give you a guide on how to use the machete as an offensive weapon. Why you ask. Well, I am an ethical man and my desire is to bring peace to our fun-loving planet, not gruesome violence. And, when I say gruesome, I mean it with all of my heart. Also, I am reluctant to give classes on the use of a machete to further violence as I am quite fond of other methods. Enough of that, let’s continue with other interesting machete collecting topics.

I am captivated by the Kukri machete. Why you ask. Well, let me give you a bit more of useless Kukri machete information before we get into why I am captivated.

The name is pronounced khu-khoo-ree. Kukri can also be interchanged with the word Khukuri. This blade is frighteningly curved to form a very intimidating appearing blade. The Kukri was used as a tool and of course, as a weapon.

The Kukri blade is also known as the Gurkha blade made famous by the Gurkha fighter from Nepal and parts of India. The Gurkha forces used the Kukri in the Anglo-Nepal Was as well as the First and Second World War. How would you like to be facing a screaming Gurkha warrior coming at you full blast with one of these nasty curved machetes in his hand? Not me.

Now, let me tell you why I am crazy about this machete. To be blunt, I think it is the ugliest and scariest looking blade ever created. That, my friends, is why I like it. Simple toys for simple men.

Let me give you another tip when it comes to machete collecting. If you ever plan on doing any hacking with it, pick one out made from high carbon steel. My reason for this is that it keeps a very good blade, easy pretty easy to sharpen and you will not find it rusted the day after you put it to work.

You will find a slew of machetes out there on the market. Look them over real good and never be afraid to send an email to a vendor and ask questions if you are doing your shopping online. If the vendor does not like to answer questions, I always reply to questions, then move along.

You will find quite a bit of high-end blade manufactures producing some very nice machetes. I do not want to name any in this article to keep it unbiased, but I do have my favorites. Please feel free to contact me if you ever need any further advice or pointers. I am always glad to help and do enjoy good blade talk.

William “Cole” Doggett is an expert in knives and owns a successful Internet based website, Knife & Supply Company, LLC at www.KnifeSupplyCompany.com. His website is devoted to all things knives. You will find knives, swords, kitchen cutlery, sharpeners, machetes and a wealth of information.

Books can be a fascinating type of treasure. Most books bought in America today cost between one and five dollars apiece, but there are books in the world that have been sold for over one hundred fifty thousand dollars.

These books are called “rare” books, and many men spend their lives collecting, buying and selling them. The bookdealers and auctioneers classify them as scarce, rare, very rare, exceedingly rare, or “excessively rare.” If a large number of people want to buy a particular book and there are not many available, it becomes classified as one of the rare books. Dr. Abraham S. W. Rosenbach, a famous rare-book collector, paid one hundred fifty-one thousand dollars for a copy of the Bay Psalm Book printed in 1640.

Age alone does not make a book valuable. The reason the Bay Psalm Book is interesting to collectors is not its age, but because it was the first book printed in the American colonies. There are many older books in the world, but a “first” in any connection is a point of interest in book collecting.

The Gutenberg Bible was published in 1455. It was the first edition of the first book ever printed from movable type. The fifteenth century was called the “cradle of printing.” Any book printed during this period is cherished.

There are books we know were printed, but of which no copies are known to exist. If you found one of these books it would be “most exceptionally rare”!

Autographs add to the interest and value of books. The more famous the name written in the front of a book, the more highly it is valued. But make certain that it is in the man’s own handwriting. Some men wrote their names all the time and so their autographs are less sought after than those that are seldom found.

One rare-book treasure was found in a New York shop by the actor John Drinkwater. It was a copy of Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, presented by the author to Nathaniel Hawthorne and inscribed with Hawthorne’s name!

The first appearance of a well-loved book has importance to collectors. These “first editions” are greatly sought after.

Sometimes the books have appeared first in magazines and then been issued in book form. Only the books are treasures. Old newspapers and magazines are often interesting but only occasionally are they valuable.

Look up in your attic. If your great-great-great-grandfather kept the Analectic Magazine dated November, 1814, you do have a treasure. In it first appeared a poem by Francis Scott Key called “Defense of Fort McHenry.” Sounds unfamiliar? It begins, “Oh say, can you see by the dawn’s early light . . .” It was set to music as “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Occasionally a book that is marked “second edition” is really a “first.” The printers probably marked it this way to give the impression that the author’s work was widely read. One of these books is Edgar Allan Poe’s Poems.

Sometimes when a book is printed the type is kept standing. Then, if the book sells well, it is re-issued from the same type.

This second issue of a book is not as valuable as the first. How can you tell? There may be a fading out in the letters. Occasionally, the author has changed a line.

If you have a copy of the Songs of Hiawatha, look at page 32, line 11.

Does it say, “In the moon when nights are brightest,” or does it read, “To the melancholy Northland”? If the line tells you about the bright nights, show your book to a collector.

Anyone can start to collect first editions. Take any subject you like, or any author who interests you, and start in. The subject doesn’t matter. Even old schoolbooks have been collectors’ items. The author who is unknown today may be world-famous twenty years from now. Why not start collecting the books you love? Tomorrow they may be considered treasures.

This an an extract from The Real Book About Treasure Hunting
The full ebook can be purchased for $37 from the DirectoryGold eProducts Shop

Although there are many types and styles of beer steins, the majority are made from the following types of materials.

Pewter

A pliable compound consisting of tin, copper and antimony. European pewter has a minimum tin content of 92%. Copper and antimony are added to harden the metal. The higher the tin content, the more silver the final color. A common misconception is that all pewter products contain lead. Although used in the past, lead is virtually never used to create pewter steins. Primarily, steins are component cast - that is, the lids, bodies, handles and special ornamentation are separately made. Pewter is also occasionally rolled or hammered. The final color is a result of the tin content, polishing and chemical antiquing.

Crystal

A clear, high-quality glass. Please don’t confuse this with lead crystal, which is a material consisting of 24% or more lead monoxide. The body is hand-cut, hand engraved and/or patterned by the mold. They are case hardened, usually are mouth-blown and often feature transparent coloring on the exterior or the interior of the body.

Glass

The least expensive of all popular materials. Unlike the procedure for making stoneware, pewter, and crystal steins, glass bodies and handles are formed in one mold. Also, the lids are often attached by machine. The bodies are usually transfer-decorated and the only hand work involved usually is the application of a decoration.

Ceramic Materials

Ceramic steins fall into one of five categories according to the quality of the ceramic mass, the raw materials, the firing temperature, the color, and density.

– Earthenware
(German-Irdenware, Topferware) - A colored mass that is porous (absorbs liquid) until is is glazed. It is fired at a temperature around 1,000 degrees celsius.

–Ceramics
(German-Keramik) - Slightly porous, light-colored ware, usually fired at about 1,050 - 1,080 degrees celsius. It must be glazed to make it impermeable.

– Creamware
(German-Steingut/Feinsteingut) - White earthenware with a lead glaze. Contains Kaolin (a fine white clay). It is fired twice, once at 1,150 - 1,180 degrees celsius without a glaze, then decorated, glazed and fired again around 900 - 1,000 degrees celsius.

– Stoneware
(German-Steinzeug) - Hard material, fired in high temperature, kilns generally around 1,200 - 1,400 degrees celsius. At this temperature, stoneware vitrifies (becomes glasslike). The resulting product is less than 2 percent porous, therefore, glaze is not mandatory for a stoneware stein. When glaze is used, it must be of special quality to withstand the high kiln temperature.

– Porcelain
(German-Porzellan) - True porcelain, known as hard paste, is made of Kaolin (white clay) and Petuntse (pulverized granite). When fired at a temperature of 1,300 - 1,400 degrees celsius, these ingredients produce a white, more or less translucent, glasslike material.

Evelyn Whitaker writes articles for German Toasting Glasses http://www.german-toasting-glasses.com which specializes in custom engraved wedding gifts from Germany.

You might think you would like to start a coin collection. Although you would like to give it a try you may not be sure your interest is high enough to justify investing a lot of time or money into this hobby. This article will look at some creative ways to get started with coins worth collecting without spending a lot of money.

There are just a few things you need to get started with this low-tech coin collecting method. The main thing you need is the desire to start collecting coins. Once you decide you will give coin collecting a try always be on the look out for that next great find. Once you get something to store your coins in you will be ready to go. Be careful as this hobby can really grow on you if you are not careful.

Perhaps you have a friend who collects coins or possibly you just think it may be a neat hobby. The reason you decide to start a coin collection does not matter as much as the fact you have decided to get started. Since we are going low tech you will not need any special equipment. A good eye and something to keep your coins in will get you started.

You will find old coins all over the place once you start looking for them. You might even have that first collectible coin in your pocket. Do not worry how much your coins are worth at this point; the main thing is to be on the lookout for coins worth collecting.

Some good places to get started looking for coins worth collecting could be as close as your local store. The next time you get any change take a quick look at it before you put the change away. The local flea market may have some coin dealers you can buy a few coins from. Getting to know the guy behind the counter at your local coin shop can be helpful. Often the coins you will want to get started with are ones that do not hold as much value as some of the more collectible pieces. Your local coin dealer can help you out with lots of good advice.

Find something to keep your coins in and you will be ready to start collecting. Your storage container does not need to be anything fancy to start with. Some sort of box will get you started. The main thing is to get started.

This low-tech coin collecting method is not fancy but it will get you started finding coins worth collecting without a lot of trouble. If you find coin collecting enjoyable and decide to keep going it will be time well spent

For more information all about how much is my coin worth visit http://www.find-coins.com where will find useful tips, articles and resources to help you find out the value of a rare coin .

So youre crazy about antiques. You go especially ga-ga over antique copper tea kettles. But youre new to this whole collecting vintage and antique thing yourself. Or maybe you are just looking for the right antique copper tea kettle that would complete the whole look of your vintage style kitchen.

Whatever your reason, here are some tips to help you find what youre looking for when shopping for antique copper tea kettles.

Where to Search

Antique tea kettles are specialized items. As such, they are obviously sold in specialty antique shops. However, antiques can be pretty expensive. If you are shopping on a budget, there are other places to buy from, such as:

Flea Markets or Garage Sales

Whether you are shopping for antique copper tea kettles or other vintage thingamabobs, flea markets and garage sales are always popular. People always have some old thing or another that they want to get rid of and other people are always willing to buy. In your case, you are looking for an antique copper tea kettle, which isnt too common and isnt too rare either. You should find at least one in a garage sale your neighbor is holding or in the flea market.

Online Shops

An alternative place to search is the Internet. In fact, for some people, the Internet is the place to go. Websites such as eBay and other auction sites are great places to find bargain items. You can also directly online antique shops for a more comprehensive catalogue of antique items they have for sale.

Tips on Buying

When it comes to shopping for antique tea kettles, the first order of the day is to come early. This is true even if you are doing your shopping online. The good stuff always gets picked up first. And you will have lots of competition. They range from other antique collectors like you, eBayers, professional dealers, flea market junkies, etc. So if you want to make sure that you are getting exactly what you planned on buying, then dont be late.

Next, keep an eye out for potential. Do not believe your eyes right away. Let your mind work. So you see an ugly tea kettle which the owner hasnt even bothered polishing but upon closer look and questions asked, you find that the item is vintage circa, say, 1930s. Thats a great find!

Or if the antique copper tea kettle that you found turns out to be cracked, dont get discouraged right away. Think of the things you can do with it; you can turn it into a flowerpot, for instance, or use it as a centerpiece for your antique coffee table. It might just be the accent that you needed to create that perfect look.

Online-Auction.com.au offers free online auctions where you can buy and sell items from our large range of online auction categories.

Many people all over the world have their very own favorite sports whether it is basketball, baseball, racing, football or hockey among the many others. Sports fans and enthusiasts just can’t get enough of their favorite sport that many actually play the sport itself, majority watch almost every single game hating to miss any of them and numerous idolize their superstar athletes. So much is the admiration and appreciation that these athletes get from their fans that many even don the various brands (whether these involve sporting goods, food, etc.) that these athletes endorse and many adoring fans as well have pictures or posters of them mounted on walls at their bedrooms, apartments or offices.

There are numerous sports enthusiasts and aficionados who collect sports memorabilia from action figures, jerseys, posters and other collectible articles of their favorite sports, players and teams. Sports posters are among some of the most popular collections because aside from these are not an expensive sort of item compared to the other collectibles, these posters enable you to obtain images and pictures of popular players (both from the past as well as the present) whose iconic figure may long be forgotten when their popularity soon dies down. Also many sports posters feature such idolized athletes in either memorable events or games that may have played a significant impact on their field of sports as well as being able to capture them in their shining best move or play.

Sports Posters may not cost as much as items like actual jerseys worn by the athletes themselves and the like but those that portray or have the images of rare and famous athletes especially those in the past can be worthily priced. So much more if such posters were personally autographed and kept in good mint condition. It is important that if you do collect such sort of memorabilia that you preserve its state and form.

Another great thing about sports posters is that it kind of brings the action of the sport into your very own room, home or office wherever is your preference when using it for wall decoration. Life size posters really do the trick. Besides, it feels great to be waking up to a sports idol from whom you could draw strength and inspiration to reach for your dreams and your goals irregardless of the fact that it may not in any manner be related to sports at all.

James Brown writes about SportsFanfare discounts, FansEdge coupon codes and Fathead coupon codes

While comic book publishers have reissued many titles in book format, that is not nearly as cheap or convenient as the CD/DVD format you suggest. Why not on CDs? It may be because of concerns about putting things in digital format, where they can be more readily copied. Or it may be because it seems that most fans want to have an actual comic page in front of them rather than read it on a computer screen. There is one company that has released many older comics from the 40s on CDs: You can also get a CD with all issues of Mad Magazine: see the Totally Mad collection available on Amazon and elsewhere.

Otherwise, there are collectors that trade scans of comic issues or post them online for download but I have little knowledge of this. It probably goes without saying that this violates copyright laws. World’s Finest 135 in used condition lists in the price guide for $8. #150 lists for $7. If in perfect “near mint” condition, they list for $80-100 each. Bob Hope 75 lists at $6-$60. However, this is not a very high demand title.

The other titles you list have little collectible value. I don’t know if you’re buying because you want to read these yourself or if you are hoping to resell. If the former, you would probably pay .50 to $2 each at a comic shop, assuming they are in nice shape, so paying .25 cents each might be a good deal, and maybe 20 or 30% of the TPB cover prices. If you are hoping to resell, I would be surprised if you were able to find a comic shop interested in this stuff, its just not that hard to find or highly sought after.

The first Star Wars comics were actually regular comic book size. You may be referring to Marvel Special Edition, which also came out in the 70s and was oversized. You can find the originals or the Marvel Special Edition at any of a number of comic shops I suspect. Online, you could try my comic shop or mile high comics. The Special Editions should go for no more than $20 each, less if in lesser condition. Star Wars the movie came out in the 1970s. Planet Comics, the first exclusively science-fiction comic, was first published in 1940.

In general, only the first few issues of the Marvel Star Wars comic in high grade have much collector’s value or interest. If these are issue #1 and #2 of the 1977 Marvel comic Star Wars with a .30 cent cover price and are not reprints, the guide gives them the following prices: 1:from $6 to $75, depending on condition. 2:from $3 to $35. If they are .35 cent cover price issues with a UPC code in the bottom corner, they could be worth quite a bit more.

This comic was Star Spangled War Stories. These stories appeared starting in issue 90 in 1960 and continuing for about 40 issues, before being replaced by the character Enemy Ace. You can see covers for many of these comics on there website or you can go to a form chat and see what other people have to say about other comics.

I have a wonder woman #12 Spring 1945 in excellent, maybe mint, condition and a wonder woman 19 Sept Oct 1946. Also a Seven Sea Comic July 1946 Vol 1 and 2 also in mint condition. These comics are potentially worth several hundred each or maybe even $1,000+ each if in mint condition as you say. But Mint really means flawless and looking like they were just bought off the newsstand. Even one or two bends, creases, small tears, any discoloration, etc. could cause reduce their value by 50% or more.

I suspect you would have little trouble selling them, although getting the best price is a different matter. You could do pretty well on eBay, which would involve the most effort on your part. You could also use an auction house, the most prominent being Heritage Comics in Texas, where you might get a higher price, but they would also claim a higher percentage of the take. If these comics are indeed in mint or close to mint condition, you may want to have them professionally graded.

There are all kind of people out there that have no problem with breaking into someones house just to get their hands on something like that. Anyone that needs to make fast money might do it, and if their grandmothers like it, then nothing will happen to them. You should also think about getting a safe deposit box to put your comics in. At least that way you know that no one will be at your house to try and take it.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant at http://www.4Magazines.info/. 4Magazines.info offers the greatest magazine subscriptions from a variety of top publishers. Browse through our selection of Lifestyle Magazines here: http://www.4Magazines.info/category/lifestyle.html.