OTHER REFERENCES

The primary reason that I created this site was simply to provide a comprehensive illustrated reference to the trade cards issued by the Arbuckle Brothers Coffee Co. Unlike stamp or coin collectors, who have access to an almost unlimited supply of detailed reference books, those of us who have tried to form a collection of the Arbuckle cards only had a small number of general purpose trade card "catalogs" to rely on. Most of those spread themselves too thin to be of great use for someone focusing on a particular specialty, such as the Arbuckle cards. As I attempted to complete a given series, I rarely knew what a particular card looked like until I stumbled across one in a dealer's pile somewhere. Often, I didn't even know what specific subjects appeared on which numbered cards until I actually had them in my hands. I suspect that many of you had the same sort of experience (at least prior to your first visit to this site)..

As you may have noticed in the menu to the left, I have finally (in March, 2018) published my own reference book for the Arbuckle cards, Arbuckles' Ariosa Coffee Victorian Trade Cards: An Illustrated Reference.

I would, however, still like to include here a listing of some of the other published material that is, or was, available which includes at least some reference value to Arbuckle card collectors. At present, this list only includes items that I currently own but, as with the cards themselves, I invite those of you with access to other publications to send me images and descriptions that can be added to the list.

(NOTE: Sources listed are not intended to be exhaustive and are only as current as my latest update to this page. Please use them only as a starting point if you're looking to purchase any of these books. I'm NOT selling these publications; just trying to provide a guide for those who might be interested in them.)

	Title: ARBUCKLES The Coffee That Won The West Author: Francis L. Fugate, ©1994 by Texas Western Press Details: Hardcover; 12½"x9½"; 233 pages; original list $50.00 Description: An all-around wonderful history of John Arbuckle and the Arbuckle Brothers Coffee Company. It includes one chapter (about 20 pages) describing the trade cards, about 50 of which are included in the Color Illustrations section of the book. Sources: Barnes & Noble (may have used copies) amazon.com (second-hand copies - sometimes discounted) AddALL (second-hand copies - sometimes discounted) Advanced Book Exchange (second-hand copies - sometimes discounted) Biblio.com (second-hand copies - sometimes discounted) Second-hand copies also occasionally available on eBay at varying prices.
	Title: VICTORIAN Trade Cards Author: Dave Cheadle, ©1996 by Dave Cheadle Details: Softcover; 11"x8½"; 224 pages; original list $19.95 Description: A broad-based, illustrated historical reference to Victorian trade cards. Very colorful, with a sampling of cards from many topical categories, but not terribly useful for an Arbuckle specialist. (Fewer than 10 Arbuckle cards are illustrated and a scattering of others are listed in the "value" guides in various topics.) Sources: Barnes & Noble (may have used copies) amazon.com (may have used copies available - premium price) AddALL (second-hand copies usually available) Advanced Book Exchange (second-hand copies usually available) Biblio.com (second-hand copies usually available) Second-hand copies also occasionally available on eBay at varying prices.
	Title: Collectors Guide To Advertising Cards Author: Jim & Cathy McQuary, ©1975 by L-W Promotions Details: Softcover; 8½"x5½"; 122 pages; original list $5.95 Description: Another broad-based, illustrated (B&W only) reference to various categories of trade cards. More than 50 Arbuckle cards are spread over three pages, with about 1/3 of them being from the Satire series. The images are, unfortunately, very small. (And the price ranges given are quite amusing, from today's perspective!) Sources: Advanced Book Exchange (second-hand copies sometimes available) Biblio.com (second-hand copies sometimes available) Also appears from time to time on eBay. I've seen prices ranging from $7.99 to $22.06.
	Title: The American Card Catalog Author: J.R. Burdick, ©1967 by Nostalgia Press, Inc.; Reprinted 1988; originally published 1960 Details: Softcover; 8½"x5½"; 220 pages; original list unknown Description: This book contains the most comprehensive listing of trade cards you're ever likely to run across. However, following a short description of each category, most of the cards and series' are limited to a one-line listing in a rather hodge-podge fashion. The Arbuckle cards (and the 3 albums) are covered in 18 lines on one page (with no illustrations). There's a numbering scheme at the series/album level (K1-K17) that you'll sometimes see referenced in sales listings, but it seems to be rather random and incomplete, with no chronological basis. Sources: Inconsistently available in used book stores (anywhere from $12.00 to $225.00, depending on the edition). Try searching with: AddALL Advanced Book Exchange Biblio.com
	Title: "Mr. Arbuckle's Coffee" Author: Maurice Kildare, ©1965 by Western Publications, Inc. Details: True West Magazine - June, 1965; 11"x8½"; Article - 4 pages, Entire - 72 pages; cover price - 35¢ Description: Although this article makes no reference to the trade cards, it does provide an interesting look at the role played by Arbuckles' Coffee in the lives of Navajo Indians and the trading posts of the old west. A "must have" for the general Arbuckle collector. Sources: Occasionally appears on eBay or in the inventories of periodical dealers. Shouldn't be more than a few dollars or so.
	Title: "Collecting...Arbuckle Coffee Trade Cards" Author: Leland May Details: The Antique Trader Weekly Newspaper - November 3, 1993; 14"x11"; Article - 1½ pages, Entire - 108 pages; cover price - $1.95 Description: A very brief article listing the various common sets, dates, and printers, and a few paragraphs about the company. Includes B&W photos of 6 cards. Sources: Occasionally appears on eBay or in the dusty back rooms of general antique dealers. Should be just a dollar or two.
	Title: "ARBUCKLES' -- the coffee that won the West" Author: Francis L. Fugate, ©1983 by American West Publishing Company Details: American West Magazine - January, 1984; 10¾"x8½"; Article - 8 pages, Entire - 88 pages; cover price - $3 Description: This article was a predecessor to Fugate's book of the same name, published 10 years later (see above). I believe everything in this article eventually found its way into the book, including the illustrations. Sources: Occasionally appears on eBay or in the inventories of periodical dealers. Shouldn't be more than a few dollars or so.
	Title: "ARBUCKLE COFFEE TRADE CARDS" Author: Roy Nuhn, ©1980 by Babka Publishing Company Details: The Antiques Journal Magazine - JUNE, 1980; 10¾"x8"; Article - 4 pages, Entire - 68 pages; cover price - $1.25 Description: A very brief article listing the various common sets, dates, and printers, and a few paragraphs about the company. Includes B&W photos of 10 cards. Sources: Occasionally appears on eBay or in the inventories of periodical dealers. Shouldn't be more than a few dollars or so.
	Title: "Century-Old Arbuckle Trade Cards Once Given Away" Author: Marilyn Nuhn Details: HOBBIES The Magazine for Collectors - September, 1984; 11"x8¼"; Article - 4 pages, Entire - 108 pages; cover price - $2.00 Description: Pretty much just a re-working of Roy Nuhn's 1980 Antiques Journal article, described above. Includes B&W photos of 9 cards. Sources: Occasionally appears on eBay or in the dusty back rooms of general antique dealers. Shouldn't be more than a few dollars or so.
	Title: "Victorian Age in Miniature - Arbuckle Bros. Coffee Company Trade Cards" Author: Roy Nuhn, ©1997 by Antique Trader Publications Details: Antique Trader's Collector Magazine & Price Guide - JUNE, 1997; 10½"x7¾"; Article - 4 pages, Entire - 112 pages; no cover price Description: This is an updated version of Nuhn's 1980 Antiques Journal article, mentioned above, with an attempt to assign some general prices. Includes color photos of 11 individual cards plus one montage. Sources: Best bet is probably eBay or the dusty back rooms of general antique dealers. Shouldn't be more than a few dollars or so.
	Title: "Traveling For Arbuckle" Author: Jerry M. Eckhart, ©1978 by Western Publications, Inc. Details: Frontier Times Magazine - January, 1979; 11"x8"; Article - 4+ pages, Entire - 64 pages; cover price - $1.00 Description: Although this article makes no reference to the trade cards, it does provide a brief history of the company before detailing some of the interesting experiences of an Arbuckle salesman (the author's grandfather) in Oklahoma, circa 1915-16. Sources: Occasionally appears on eBay or in the dusty back rooms of general antique dealers. Shouldn't be more than a few dollars or so.
	Title: "Arbuckles' Branded The West" Author: Matt Dodge, ©1978 by Charlton Publications, Inc. Details: Real West Magazine - May, 1978; 10¾"x8"; Article - 5½ pages, Entire - 68 pages; cover price - 75¢ Description: Very interesting article about Arbuckles' coffee and the multiple roles it played in the "Old West". Only a half-dozen paragraphs are devoted to the trade cards, however, and the author seems to have believed that only 1 set of 50 existed, although he cites examples from both the State Maps and U.S. Pictorial History series. Includes B&W photo of 1 card. Sources: Occasionally appears on eBay or in the dusty back rooms of general antique dealers. Shouldn't be more than a few dollars or so.
	Title: "ARBUCKLES' The Coffee That Won The West" Author: Unattributed Details: The Westerner Magazine - August, 1989; 11"x8½"; Article - 1 page, Entire - 36 pages; no cover price Description: Extremely brief synopsis (7 paragraphs) of the history of the Arbuckle Bros. Coffee Co. One sentence mentions the trade cards. Sources: Best bet is probably eBay or the dusty back rooms of general antique dealers. Shouldn't be more than a few dollars or so.