Sweetheart Jewelry and Collectibles by Nick Snider (1997, Paperback)

Nick Snider is a very enthusiastic seller and buyer of sweethearts. From what I know, his collection is not big, it is mammoth. In the sweetheart world this is the "black book" of sweethearts. The book is well organized but at times lacks information. The color plates are good but occasionally so many pins are crammed onto one that they lack detail. He has fantastic examples of sweetheart jewelry that would make most collectors drool. Some are so rare that I have only ever seen them in his book. The biggest problem I have with this book is the "International" section. I am a British Sweetheart collector and my best friend collects War Relief. This section is a mish-mash ofreal international pieces, Bundles for Britain (US organization), British American Ambulance (US organization), Greek War Relief (US organization), WWI patriotics, WWII British wound badge (not a sweetheart). It shows a lack of research. Many of the badges mentioned, like Bundles for Britain and British American Ambulance are "crossover pieces". They were made in the USA but fashioned to look like RAF wings. They are in many RAF collections and highly desirable in the UK (yes I know this first hand, we went to a huge militaria fair in the UK and they could not buy enough of the Bundles for Britain stuff). The pins were made in the USA by companies like Monet and Trifari. Lovely pieces, but not real international sweethearts. If you are a collector of sweethearts I would say this book is a good reference. It is a necessity for any collector of domestic or international sweethearts. Don't believe all the prices in the back, some are way too high and some way too low. Come to ebay and follow the auctions if you want to know what your piece will really sell for. This book is worth the price (look for a good auction price on ebay). The other book of his, the red one, is what I would classify as below average. The color plates are just crammed with pins, hard to see, some are upside down and some plates are reversed. I think it was his first try and it was a bit hurried. The Black Book is much better, despite it's faults.