Basketball Card Alphabetical Checklist: Number 2 (Beckett Basketball Card Alphabetical Checklist)

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Summary: A checklist for the cards of your favorite basketball stars
Review: Of course Beckett puts out what is pretty much considered the definitive price guide for basketball cards, which is also the place to go to if you are looking for a complete list of all the cards in a given year that you are working on (I am currently trying to finish both a 1971-72 Topps and the Fleer 1986-87). I do not have a particular need for the "Beckett Basketball Card Alphabetical Checklist, Volume 2," but I can appreciate that there are collectors who would value this book, namely those who simply want to collect all of the cards for their favorite players. True, this was a lot easier to do in the days or yore when there was just one major basketball card company producing cards each year. Now look at how many dozens of cards there are each year for a Kobe Bryant or a LeBron James. You might have been luck if your favorite player is Jerry West or Magic Johnson, but then most dealers are going to have star cards in a separate place in their stores or at shows. However, if you are trying to track down all the cards for players from your alma maters, say, all the New Mexico Lobos in the pros from Mel Daniels to Kenny Thomas, then this book will be a big help. Because this book is cross-referenced by college teams, it is a super big help in that regard.

As always, the good doctor provides over 300 pages devoted to basketball players from A to Z. The introduction section contains sage advice on how to collect that covers everything from obtaining and preserving your cards to the differences between collecting and investing. There is also practical advise on how to use the alphabetical checklist. The target market for this particular checklist might be relatively small, but collectors will certainly appreciate having this available (I cannot speak to investors). There are thousands of new cards coming out each year and at that end of the spectrum you are never going to catch up, but for those of us who enjoy collecting the cards of the players we watched in our younger days, this is a helpful checklist.