Here is my review of "Third Reich Tinnie Collecting, Vol. 1", by Joseph Cassidy & Chrystopher Alexander:
ISBN: 978-1-61005-699-1
Some great Pros about the book:
1. Color photographs - almost 3,100 tinnies are shown, in color (which is a huge first for tinnie reference books, and brings out details in some pieces that just don't show up in black & white photos).
2. There are some tinnies that are only seen here (and not cataloged in the Tieste book set).
3. German to English translation - Text on the tinnies themselves is translated into English for the first time, which is extremely useful to the collector who doesn't speak German.
4. The beginning of the book has a brief, but excellent primer on fake identification, design similarity, restoration, and a list of translations for commonly-seen words on tinnies. There is also a list of the acronyms used by the various organizations that comprised the Third Reich.
5. The way the book is organized allows easy reference for the collector who collects the pins of specific organizations (such as SA, or HJ, which are 2 of the most popular; e.g. this book contains 290 SA tinnies, all organized in one place).
6. It’s available in a spiral-bound Wire-O version as well as hardcover. That’s a great thing, if you need the book to lay open and flat on a desk or library table.
There are some things about the book, which may be contentious for some collectors:
1. Pricing - the estimated values given are accurate in many cases, but way-off in others (in my opinion). Joe and Chrys do acknowledge this fact in the beginning of the book, since prices for anything in this hobby are not an exact science, and there are some tinnies that collectors willingly pay heavy premiums for, in order to add them to their collections.
2. The inclusion of certain material that may not be best-described as a 'tinnie' - I know the authors included some of this material to show collectors "what else is out there", and do not personally see it as a bad thing. The material itself is definitely related to this niche area of military antiques, and to my knowledge, isn’t shown anywhere else.
In summary, "Third Reich Tinnie Collecting" is a book that every collector should have in their reference library, especially if they collect tinnies. It is clearly a labor of love that made it possible, and the authors did a tremendous job cataloging, editing, and collating a huge pile of material into a great reference book.
Best,
G
ISBN: 978-1-61005-699-1
Some great Pros about the book:
1. Color photographs - almost 3,100 tinnies are shown, in color (which is a huge first for tinnie reference books, and brings out details in some pieces that just don't show up in black & white photos).
2. There are some tinnies that are only seen here (and not cataloged in the Tieste book set).
3. German to English translation - Text on the tinnies themselves is translated into English for the first time, which is extremely useful to the collector who doesn't speak German.
4. The beginning of the book has a brief, but excellent primer on fake identification, design similarity, restoration, and a list of translations for commonly-seen words on tinnies. There is also a list of the acronyms used by the various organizations that comprised the Third Reich.
5. The way the book is organized allows easy reference for the collector who collects the pins of specific organizations (such as SA, or HJ, which are 2 of the most popular; e.g. this book contains 290 SA tinnies, all organized in one place).
6. It’s available in a spiral-bound Wire-O version as well as hardcover. That’s a great thing, if you need the book to lay open and flat on a desk or library table.
There are some things about the book, which may be contentious for some collectors:
1. Pricing - the estimated values given are accurate in many cases, but way-off in others (in my opinion). Joe and Chrys do acknowledge this fact in the beginning of the book, since prices for anything in this hobby are not an exact science, and there are some tinnies that collectors willingly pay heavy premiums for, in order to add them to their collections.
2. The inclusion of certain material that may not be best-described as a 'tinnie' - I know the authors included some of this material to show collectors "what else is out there", and do not personally see it as a bad thing. The material itself is definitely related to this niche area of military antiques, and to my knowledge, isn’t shown anywhere else.
In summary, "Third Reich Tinnie Collecting" is a book that every collector should have in their reference library, especially if they collect tinnies. It is clearly a labor of love that made it possible, and the authors did a tremendous job cataloging, editing, and collating a huge pile of material into a great reference book.
Best,
G