Royal Doulton Collectables. by Jean Dale, Louise Irvine

This book is an indispensable guide to all Bunnykins collectors for its beautiful coloured glossy pictures, and its methodical and meticulus listings. When I first decided I wanted to collect these lovely figurines, I searched on the internet looking for some kind of print-out which might show what figurines were available and what year they originally came out. Unfortunately some sites on the web only list figurines which they have available, and others list none at all and many do not show any picture of the figurine itself. I found this frustrating as a collector and I wanted to know on what grand scale was the definitive Bunnykins collection so I stumbled across this book and ordered it straight away. It is a lovely book filled with lots of coloured photographs and a complete listing up to the time of print (I bought this latest edition) and I refer to it many times over if not only to drool and dream about what my next figurine might be. Of course some figurines are a long way off, and I just chip away hence the joy of collecting. There is much fun had in my ultimate wish list and when ever my fingers (or my wallet get itchy,) I open up my book, sit back with my cup of tea and admire for free. :-)

If you collect Royal Doulton, you are probably already aware of the Charlton Catalogues--as far as I know, they are the only current price reference guides. It is black and white, with 32 pages of color inserts of Bunnykins figures. The following is listed for each figure: photo of figure, photo of base, name, number, designer, height, color, dates issued, versions, quantity made if a limited edition, series (if applicable), varieties, and prices for each version in US, Canadian and Australian dollars, and British pounds. (I generally find that figures will sell on eBay for 25-50% of the book value, though rarer figures can be higher). This paticular guide features figures produced through 2005 (copyright is 2006) in the following Royal Doulton lines: - Bunnykins Tableware - Bunnykins Figurines (porcelein and resin) - Alice in Wonderland - Brambly Hedge - Frosty Family - Harry Potter - Noddy - Nursery Rhyme Collection - Old Bear and Friends - Paddington Bear - Rupert Bear - St. Tiggywinkles - Snowman Gift Collection - Thelwell - Wind in the Willows - Wizard of Oz - Disney Characters (101 Dalmations, Cinderella, Disney Princess Collection, Disney Showcase Collection, Disney Villains, Fantasia 2000, Film Collection, Mickey Mouse Collection, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Winnie the Pooh) - Advertising Characters (figures dating from 1999, in limited editions of 2,000)