Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Value Guide: Tracker Edition 1973-2005

Now let me say right from the start I am not really a Hallmark ornament collector. My wife and I do have quite a few that we've bought over the years for each other to be placed on our Christmas Tree but we're not collectors in the true sense. But I found out full well the value of Hallmark ornaments when I found five pieces in the Frosty Friends collection at a garage sale a couple of years ago for a few bucks. These were numbers 3 through 7 in the series and those few dollars resulted in quite a tidy profit when sold at eBay. Since then we've made it a point to look out for Hallmark ornaments at garage sales and flea markets but the problem was we really didn't know which ones were really valuable. That all changed when I got this fantastic book by Bangzoom. I have owned a lot of collectible price guides in my life and this is easily one of the best. What makes it so great? Simple...how about a picture of every Keepsake ornament from 1973 through 2005...in full color, with the ornament name, retail price, item number, and current value. Add to that the pictures are color coded if they happen to be series or club/event releases. Add to that are outstanding articles on the history of Hallmark, special issue ornaments, protecting and insuring your collection, and an excellent article by Rhonda Cline called "Hallmark Collecting 101" which is a valuable resource whether you are a veteran or novice collector. There's even a list of Hallmark related websites that provide even more resource material. One note to mention, a previous reviewer said the book does not show the original retail price of the ornament, which is incorrect. As noted in the book's legend, the retail price is the first three or four numbers that is immediately followed by the item number. It looks like one long number so that may be why the previous reviewer didn't notice it. While the bulk of the book is dedicated to Keepsake ornaments, Bangzoom doesn't stop there. You'll also find sections on the Miniature ornaments introduced in 1988, ornaments for other holidays like Easter and Halloween, special issue ornaments such as the Ambassador Holiday House Collection, and Tree Toppers. There's also a comprehensive, alphabetical index that can double as a collector's checklist, and finally profiles of the Hallmark artists and sculptors. It's truly a complete package and one-stop source for Hallmark collectors. I had a lot of fun thumbing through the book and finding out just how much all of our ornaments were worth. Of course, my wife won't let me sell any of the ones we bought for each other, but now when we hit the garage sales, we'll have the perfect, take-along resource. My highest recommendation! Reviewed by Tim Janson

The guide was very thorough. However, only the pictures were listed for the year 2005, there were no values. So if you are looking for a current ornament listing, you will need to wait for the following year. Loved it otherwise.

Great value guide. I only wish it included all of the Barbie ornaments. I have quite a few ornaments that were not in the book. I would have given it 5 stars had it included all the ornaments. It was a great investment nontheless.

This is a great book. Not only do you have the value of the ornament but the price code is there too. The first set of numbers in the code tell you what you paid for the ornament so you can keep track of the values very easily. This is a wonderful book to own if you are a Hallmark collector. The layout of the book is easy to understand. You won't be disappointed if you purchase this book.

I have been waiting so long for a current version of a collector's guide to come out and now that it is finally here I do not know where to begin. Prior to this book,coming out, I was using an old Checkerbee book to keep track of my collection and I had to be content with that outdated book. This one is an up to the minute guide to the keepsake ornaments. It even includes Christmas and Halloween 2005. First off, this book is FABULOUS!! If you are a Keepsake Ornament Collector then you must get this book. The book is organized by year and it goes all the way back to the very first ornament and includes every year for Christmas and the Spring ornaments, the special issue ornaments,the Halloween ornaments and the Tree Toppers. The years have the miniatures separated out and the Table of Contents tells where to find the miniatures for each year. Also, there is an Index which lists every ornament by name and/or series. In the pages fopr each year, the series are marked with a blue mark to find them easily. The book lists values for each ornament and includes every year right up to the ornaments that came out this year. There is a color picture of the ornaments (although in going through the entire book the pictures for about 7 are missing) The book also has a section about the artists. I have already found this to be an awesome reference and just going through this book has helped me to value the collection that I have been growing for almost 15 years now and to see what gaps there are in my series and groupings. This is great even if you do not want to insure your collection. I was excited to learn of several of my ornaments are values way higher than their original price. This brings me to one significant deficiency in this book: It does not show the original price for each ornament. In fact I saw one ornament that was valued by the book at $150 and I had to go to the storage to pull it out to see what the price tag on the box was. I would ahve preferred that info at my fingertips in the book alongside the value. However, regardless of this, it is still a great guide and I give it 5 stars. One other awesome fact about this book is that it is endorsed by Hallmark and is in fact being sold in their stores. I love this book and will buy every updated edition every year for so long as they publish and I collect the ornaments.