Charms to Collect

The purpose of this book is to introduce readers of all ages to the pleasures of collecting charms. Charms include, well, charms, amulets, religious medals, award medals, watch fobs and business tokens as well as miniature objects. Most of the 360 charms pictured are souvenirs of the 20th century. They come from all over the world and are necessarily only samples of the immense variety that is out there. Charms are prehistoric in time. Men and women wore jewelery before they wore clothes, and invented magic long before technology. Charms are bits of jewelry and bits of magic, even today, for they can evoke sentiment, happy memories and exotic places. As good luck charms, if you think they help you, they help you. This book is based on "field study" by the author - pursuit of the subject at open-air flea markets and yard sales, plus antique shows, book shops and gift shops everywhere. Why should people collect charms? For fun, for curiosity's sake, for art's sake, but mainly for fun.