Bernard Levine

HOW TO FIND FIRST EDITION BOOKS WORTH HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ( FOR JUST A FEW DOLLARS) By Bernard Levine Every day, there are people leaving the country, moving from a large house to a small apartment, getting divorced, being transferred to another city….a lot of these people don’t want to take all their boxes and boxes of books with them …..so they are happy to get rid of them. This is where you enter the picture, all ready to snap up those rare outof-print valuable First Edition books at amazing give-away prices (mainly because the owners of these books, don’t realize that their books they are getting rid of, are worth lots of money) What happens to most of the books that people don’t want anymore? They are put into boxes and taken to the owner’s favorite Church, Old Age Home or Charity. See the Yellow Pages under Welfare Associations to find lists of Charities….Cancer, Deaf, Blind, Crippled, Mentally Retarded and Animal Welfare Societies plus many more. The Charities need to raise funds so they sell these books at bargain prices either at their Fetes or directly from their Offices. Because they get these books for free as a donation, they let them go at low prices….say $1 for paperbacks and $3 for Hardcover books. The Charities don’t know the value of each and every book they receive. They also need the floor-space for new donations that keep coming into their Offices. You are going to find some real treasure very cheap! See your local newspaper’s ‘What’s On’ column to find out who is having a Fete, the time and the address of the Fete. Be sure to get there early…or else the best books will be snatched up by another collector. You’ll also find rare and valuable books at Second Hand Stores, Auction Houses, CarBoot Sales and Flea Markets. Very often, the real treasure is found when you are willing to drive out to the smaller towns away from the big city. Liquidations, Insolvencies and winding up of Estates are also good sources of picking up nice scarce book bargains. You just never know what treasure you are going to find hidden under a pile of records in the Swap Shop or down at the Morning-Market. Imagine finding Ernest Hemingway’s First Edition, The Old Man and the Sea for $3 and selling it for $32,000…it could happen to you, too! The demand and popularity of an Author's work cause the prices to soar high. An Author's very first published titles are the ones that Collectors want most. Authors like Ernest Hemingway, Ian Fleming (James Bond) JK Rowling (Harry Potter), John Steinbeck, Agatha Christie to name just some, are great favorites with Collectors worldwide. Look at prices of First Editions at www.betweenthecovers.com and also www.lopezbooks.com HOW TO GET FREE CELEBRITY AUTOGRAPHS By Bernard Levine Collecting celebrity autographs is an easy way to make big money. Sports Stars, Authors, Movie Stars, Politicians, Singers, Models are all very much in demand by avid collectors. Did you know that you can get Celebrity autographs and their signed photos without even paying a cent. You’ll make 100% profit when you sell your autographed photos to other collectors, interior decorators and to restaurants. Here’s some of the free autographed photos I got: Art Garfunkel, Shirley MacLaine, Nancy Sinatra, Desmond Tutu, Travis Tritt, Don Williams, Richard Branson, Rita Coolidge, Bill Gates, Canned Heat, Gloria Gaynor, Alyssa Milano,…I have more than 400 which I got for free. You can do exactly what I did. Go to www.barringtons.com/Emaildir/musicians.htm and also www.addresses.site2go.com/ This is where you are going to find Celebrity email addresses. You will notice that there are different categories like Authors, TV and Movies, Music, Government, Sports and Artists. Choose the Celebrities whose Autographs you would like to have and copy their email addresses. Your email to the Celebrity should consist of 2 parts…..a)Why you like the Celebrity and b) Your request for a signed photo. Here are some rules to make sure that you get your photo: Never demand ….always be polite. Dear Madonna Please send me an autographed photo. My postal address is: Thank you Bob ***This is NOT the way to get an autographed photo from a Celebrity. YOU SHOULD EXPLAIN OR GIVE YOUR REASONS WHY YOU ADMIRE THE CELEBRITY: Dear Michael Buble I love your music! I especially like your CD entitled ‘Caught In The Act’. It is hard for me to choose what my favorite song is, but the words of ‘You Don’t Know Me’ are very beautiful. You perform the song with such passion…every time I hear it (and I play it often) I get goose bumps all over my arms and feel so romantic. Michael, I would be greatly honoured if you could please send me a signed photo of yourself which will occupy a very special place of prominence in my home. Thank you for bringing us such wonderful music. I can’t wait for your next CD to hit the stores! Michael, thank you so much. Yours Sincerely Mary Taylor PO Box 1472 Brighton 1630 Australia Get into the habit of emailing 10 Celebrities every week. Out of every 10 Celebrities you write to, you could expect to receive Autographed Photos from 50% of the Celebs you email….so, the more you email, the more signed photos you will have! Collecting Celebrity Autographed Photos is very exciting. You can find more Celeb email addresses by going to Google or Yahoo and doing a search for ‘Celebrity Email Addresses’. Some Celebs will even send you signed T-Shirts, Autographed CD’s and signed Books all for free!!! W-O-W!!! My Advice . Make sure that you are writing to the Celebrity and NOT to the Celebrity’s Fan Club….look at the email address…if it says ‘fan’ don’t bother writing because the Fan Club is going to ask you to pay for the Autographed Photo. . Also be careful of companies wanting you to buy lists of Celebrity Email addresses….Why buy when you can get free Celebrity email addresses on the web…try using different Search Engines for greater success. There are so many email addresses out there waiting for you. Who knows, you might be tempted to start your own online Celebrity Autograph Store…..now there’s an idea! HOW TO COLLECT ROCK STAR GUITAR PLECTRUMS (PICKS) By Bernard Levine Whose your favorite Rock Star guitarist? Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Hank Marvin, Santana. How would you like to have a guitar plectrum (or guitar pick) sent to you by your favorite Rock Star guitarist? Come on, let’s make it happen for you! Do a search at Google or Yahoo to find the website of your favourite Guitarist…like www.santana.com Once you have arrived at the website of your favourite Rock Star Guitarist look to see if you can find an email address to contact the Rock Star. If you don’t find the email address then look at the bottom of the website, to find the name of the Webmaster or the Company who created the website. Now, click on the Webmaster’s name or the name of his company who designed the website to get the email address of the Webmaster. Here’s an example of the email you could send to the Webmaster: Dear Webmaster What a wonderful website you have created for Eric Clapton. I adore Eric Clapton’s guitar playing style and I would be very grateful if you could please forward this email to Eric for me. Thank you so much for helping me. Best Wishes Bernard You need to write a 2nd email addressed to your favourite Rock Star (which you send as an attachment to the Webmaster’s email) Dear Eric Clapton Listening to your brilliant guitar finger-work gives me so much inspiration and pleasure. I’m mad about Tears In Heaven, I Shot The Sheriff and The Sunshine Of Your Love. I’ve been buying your records when you were with Cream, then when you moved onto Blind Faith as well as your magnificent solo career. Eric, I would be very grateful if you could please send me a personalised guitarplectrum with your name printed on it. Because I am also a guitar player, this would mean a lot to me. Here is my Postal Address: Thank you for your time. Your No 1 Fan Bernard Did you know that Rock Star Guitar Plectrums are worth a lot of money. Restaurants like Hard Rock Café and enthusiastic Fans will pay high prices to get their favorite Rock Star’s plectrum. Guess what! Sometimes you even receive one that’s been personally signed instead of the printed name on it. They don’t only send one…you get a whole lot of plectrums and goodies with it! Exciting Stuff! HOW TO COLLECT JOKES AND TRICKS By Bernard Levine When last did you see a Poo-poo (Whoopee) Cushion or a Peashooter? Do you remember Itchy powder and Musical Spinning Tops?..... ......Or the mysterious Nail-Thru-Finger and the funny Fake False Teeth. You can have a whole lot of fun collecting novelty ‘Jokes and Tricks’ ....everything from the Fly-In-The-Ice-Cube to fascinating Jumping Beans. There are so many different kinds of Jokes and Tricks. Decide on the type of Jokes and Tricks novelties you would like to collect. Here are some Jokes and Tricks categories: Practical Gags Close-Up Magic Tricks Famous Masks Crazy Wigs Fun Hats Mystery Illusions Novelty Gadgets Fancy Dress Props Party Pranks Juggling Go to http://www.partypants.co.uk/pages/jokes.htm They have a nice wide selection of interesting, funny and peculiar Jokes and Tricks like Black Face Soap, Hot Pepper Sweets, Hand Buzzers, Smoke Bombs and Chattering Teeth plus many more. You can also have a look at the Jokes and Tricks range at www.sillyjokes.co.uk and www.the-joke-shop.com as well as www.jokesbypost.co.uk Have you always wanted to know how a particular magic trick really works?… like pulling a rabbit out of a hat or sawing a woman in half!!!…..Well, now’s your chance to find out exactly how they actually do it. Go to www. magictricks.co.uk There's also www.magicworld.co.uk I bet you can't wait for the next party invite...you'll be creating a huge stir and making everybody laugh at your jumbo cigars, fake warts and boils and your fun sun-glasses. What a gas! HOW TO MAKE MONEY COLLECTING BARBED WIRE By Bernard Levine We all know there's money to be made by collecting stamps or coins...but I bet you did not know that you can make a lot of money collecting pieces of barbed-wire and selling it. Where do you find barbed wire to start your collection? You may want to go out into the country to ranches and farms. Try to see the Land Owners and get their consent to look for spare wire on their land. You can also buy or swap wires with other Collectors at various Barbed Wire Clubs and Associations like The Kansas Barbed Wire Collectors Association or The Antique Barbed Wire Society plus a host of other Societies. Go to http://www.antiquebarbedwiresociety.com There are also several Barbed Wire Museums Go to http://www.barbwiremuseum.com/ Did you know that there are more than 530 patents registered for barbed wire? There are over 2000 different types of barbed wire and several books are available to assist you in identifying each piece of barbed wire and by getting a Value Guide, you will know what your unique Barbed Wire collection is worth. A very popular book to help you is The Barbed Wire Identification Encyclopedia by Harold Hagemeier. Take a look at Ebay...You will often find Collectors selling pieces of barbed wire on ebay. My Advice Subscribe to The Barbed Wire Collector magazine to see forthcoming events and all the latest news about this fascinating hobby. You might want to specialize in collecting specific types of barbed wire like ornamental wires, patented wire, moonshine wire, movie-set wire or fence tops. Barbed Wire Collecting will put you in touch with some truly warm wonderful personalities who will captivate you with the art and splendor of Barbed Wire Collecting and all its delights! HOW TO MAKE MONEY COLLECTING LEVI JEANS By Bernard Levine Did you know that you could be paid a lot of money for your old blue Levi jeans…..yes, they will even pay you for a torn faded washed-out pair of old denim Levi’s. Like Mcdonalds, Coca Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken, the world-famous Levi Jeans are part of American history...and what a story Levi Jeans has to tell. The style and features of the denim pants has gone through many different design changes..and that's what makes the history of Levi Jeans so fascinating. Would you believe that Collectors have paid as much as $100,000 for a single pair of Levi's? Now, I've really got your attention haven't I? Where can you find those old denim Levi's? Try visiting Second Hand Clothing Shops or Church and Charity Bazaars to see what they've got. The popularity of Levi Jeans has been huge...everybody has worn them American Pioneers, Cowboys and Cowgirls, TV and Movie Stars including White House Politicians. The Collector's value of a pair of Levi Jeans is determined by the different varieties of design such as having a little 'e' on the red tab instead of a capital 'E', having suspender buttons instead of belt-loops or an added fifth 'wallet' pocket. The Collector's market for Levi Jeans is not limited to American fans only....Japanese and European Collectors are also very keen buyers. Look for Levi Jeans at Auctions and Swap Shops. Happy hunting! HOW TO COLLECT PLAYING CARDS By Bernard Levine There has always been a huge fascination and a great love of Playing Cards. When we were young, we played Card Games like Snap, Happy Families and Rummy and performed Magic Tricks…..then some of us became engrossed with playing Bridge and Poker and today, we are still playing Card Games on our PC’s. If you looking for a hobby that will give you lots of enjoyment, collecting Playing Cards will fascinate and delight you greatly. Playing cards come in so many different shapes, sizes and designs….you can even get round Playing Cards! And you won’t believe how many different designs you find on Playing Cards…there’s Civil War History Playing Cards which includes Military Costumes, The American West featuring characters of the Old West…Cat Playing Cards, Cartoon Character Cards with Bugs Bunny, Snoopy, Garfield, Pokemon and Betty Boop…Historical and Educational Cards, Music and Popular Culture, Nature and Russian Card Decks…..there is so much for you to collect! Two excellent websites where you will find all kinds of interesting treats and treasures on playing cards are www.thehouseofcards.com as well as http://www.mabels.com/card.htm There are many Playing Card Societies that you can join like The English Playing Card Society and the Chicago Playing Card Collectors, Inc. See their websites: www.cpccinc.org http://wopc.co.uk/cards/collecting.htm Here you will learn all about the history of Playing Cards together with all kinds of different information on Playing Cards for you to enjoy your hobby even more. Where can you find a wide selection of Playing Cards for sale? Take a look at http://www.collectorsplayingcards.co.uk/sale_list.htm For Trading, Selling or Buying Playing Cards go to http://www.altacarta.com Whether you are looking for Art themes on Playing Cards or perhaps you want Political Playing Packs, Sports Cards, Literature, Maps on Playing Cards, Fashion or Pin-Up Models, you will be happily intrigued by the splendour and array of magnificent varieties of Playing Cards for you to collect and enjoy. HOW TO COLLECT GRAMOPHONE NEEDLE TINS By Bernard Levine In the 50’s we were playing our 78 rpm records on wind-up Record Players, Gramophones and Music Centers. Today, in this age of Mp3’s and Mp4’s, DVD’s and CD’s, the demand for Gramophone Needle Tins runs at an all-time high with ardent Collectors all around the world grabbing whatever they can get their hands on and paying handsomely for their well-loved and prized Record Needle Tins. How much are Gramophone Needle Tins worth? Some Gramophone Needle Tins have sold for $300 each and there are Collectors who have paid as much as $400 for a single tin which they dearly wanted to add to their collection. You can still pick up Gramophone Needle Tins at bargain prices around $2 or $3. Where do you find Gramophone Needle Tins for sale? A very popular source is eBay. There are many different varieties and makes of Gramophone Needle Tins. Some of the most popular brands are HMV (featuring the famous dog Nipper), Columbia, Decca and RCA Victor. Antique Furniture Stores, Flea Markets, Auctioneers and Second Hand Shops are also good sources of finding Gramophone Needle Tins. Collectors love exhibiting and displaying their collections of Gramophone Needle Tins. Some Collectors will commission a carpenter to make a cabinet to house their valuable collection, while others will display their little gem-tins in antique cabinets or showcases. My Advice . Empty Gramophone Needle Tins are worth considerably less than a tin that has all its needles fully intact. Tins which have the original paper insert (used to prevent rusting) are greatly desired by Collectors. HOW TO COLLECT COASTERS By Bernard Levine You’ll find them everywhere….at parties, weddings, sporting events and even at Antique Dealer stores…..Coasters are fun items to collect with enthusiastic Collectors all over the world. Some Collectors will collect whatever Coasters they can find while other Collectors will only collect Coasters from specific breweries, regions or countries. There are lots of good sources of finding Coasters or Beer Mats (as they are sometimes called) like Pubs, Bars, Hotels, Bottle Stores, Motels, Second Hand Dealers, Breweries, Restaurants, Whiskey Distillers, Wine Boutiques, Soda Bottlers as well as eBay. One of the best ways to increase your collection is to join a Coaster Collecting Club where you can trade Coasters, exchange information and meet other Collectors who share the same passion that you do on Coaster collecting. Here are some Clubs to contact: British Beermat Collectors Society American Breweriana Association http://www.americanbreweriana.org German Breweriana Collectors Society http://www.fvb-bdm.de A single Coaster has been sold on eBay for $1425 and another sold for $1,120. Besides eBay, you could also look at Out of the Attic or Finks to get an idea of price values. You can get your collection off to a good start by buying 60 coasters from American Breweriana Association Coaster Source for only $10. If you look carefully, you can also find Coasters selling 5 for $1. On Amazon you will find a book entitled ‘A guide to Collecting Beer Mats by Ian Calvert. ISBN- Tom Byrne's US Coaster Guide is also highly recommended. There are some online brewery directories such as BCCA US Brewery Guide and Beer Travelers. For the location of Breweries, Bars and Pubs including Restaurants see Pubcrawler.