Official Price Guide to Disney Collectibles by Ted Hake

Ted Hake is the king when it comes to pop culture and this book just elevates his throne a little higher. It's an incredible book that every Disney enthusiast should own.

I cannot imagine the time and effort that went into producing this book and the quality shows. Every page is a delight for the eyes and had me turning the pages about as quickly as the latest Vince Flynn novel.

From the introduction: "Our intention is to document, date and evaluate at current market prices, all forms of collectibles that comprise the collecting term Disneyana."

The Price Guide Overview section at the front of the book shows each category with it's own separate definitions of condition. e.g. Near Mint in paper is different than Near Mint in Metals and it's explained in detail. In the overview Hake also covers and explains what a fantasy item is, has tips on reproductions along with all sorts of resourceful and fascinating information.

In fact, the first 90 or so pages of the book is devoted to educational features, articles by various authors, historical time lines, and market reports.

But let's get down to the reason why we purchase price guides -- to find out what our stuff is worth! Prices seem on target, with different values given for varying conditions. The items are grouped by character not product, e.g. to find a cookie jar value I would have to check "Donald Duck" and then browse through the pages of the chapter to find one. In this case, Donald jars were arranged chronogically throughout the 75+ page chapter, making it difficult to find one if I didn't know when it was produced. But since most character chapters were not as lengthy, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for most items.

My only complaint -- I would like an index by product.