The Official Price Guide to Baseball Cards 2003, 23rd Edition (Official Price Guide to Baseball Cards)

Rating:
Summary: The most professional baseball card price guide
Review: Obviously you want to pick up Beckett's monthly price guides if you are trying to get a handle on what is being produced each year, because by the time you pick up "The Official Price Guide to Baseball Cards 2003" it probably obsolete because somebody is putting out new cards to take advantage of the hot new rookie or whatever. I use the Beckett guide to help me track down the cards for the older sets I am working on. I just finished my 1956 Topps set and am back working on 1953 and the high numbers for 1966 and 1967. This is the book that is going to tell you exactly what cards you are looking for and since most dealers organize their cards numerically it is probably going to help you in that regard as well. There is the additional practical value that the father back you go in history the more reliable the prices are going to be. Still, I think it is the checklist value of Beckett's price guide that is of more value than the prices, because dealers are probably going to go grab the latest issue anyway. But this will let you know all the extras, inserts, special sets and the like for Bowman, Diamond Stars, Donruss, Fleer, Goudey, Play Ball, Score, Sportsflics, Topps. Upper Deck and whatever other companies have sprung up in the last five minutes. This is the book I turn to when I want to put together my want list for the next card show or for checking out on line auctions. I also appreciate the tips regarding key aspects of collecting, such as grading cards, taking care of them, and other basics. This is a professional look at something that has long since become much more than a hobby (although I hear a voice from my past saying "It does not matter how much they are worth if you are not going to sell them..."). There might be less expensive baseball card price guides, but none of them can match the professionalism of this on, which clearly sets the standard for the field.

Rating:
Summary: The most professional baseball card price guide
Review: Obviously you want to pick up Beckett's monthly price guides if you are trying to get a handle on what is being produced each year, because by the time you pick up "The Official Price Guide to Baseball Cards 2003" it probably obsolete because somebody is putting out new cards to take advantage of the hot new rookie or whatever. I use the Beckett guide to help me track down the cards for the older sets I am working on. I just finished my 1956 Topps set and am back working on 1953 and the high numbers for 1966 and 1967. This is the book that is going to tell you exactly what cards you are looking for and since most dealers organize their cards numerically it is probably going to help you in that regard as well. There is the additional practical value that the father back you go in history the more reliable the prices are going to be. Still, I think it is the checklist value of Beckett's price guide that is of more value than the prices, because dealers are probably going to go grab the latest issue anyway. But this will let you know all the extras, inserts, special sets and the like for Bowman, Diamond Stars, Donruss, Fleer, Goudey, Play Ball, Score, Sportsflics, Topps. Upper Deck and whatever other companies have sprung up in the last five minutes. This is the book I turn to when I want to put together my want list for the next card show or for checking out on line auctions. I also appreciate the tips regarding key aspects of collecting, such as grading cards, taking care of them, and other basics. This is a professional look at something that has long since become much more than a hobby (although I hear a voice from my past saying "It does not matter how much they are worth if you are not going to sell them..."). There might be less expensive baseball card price guides, but none of them can match the professionalism of this on, which clearly sets the standard for the field.