Price Guides - What's the difference?

3 under par

Since I haven't bought a new "big book" price guide in about 10 years, I'm looking to get a more recent guide.



Looking at the baseball options, I see Krause's Standard Catalog, 5th edition, released in 2015. Becket has their 37th edition (2015) as well as a Baseball Almanac (20th edition, 2015) and a Vintage Almanac (pre 1981 sets only).



What is the difference between the Becket price guide and Almanac? And then between Krause and Becket? Is one preferable to the other?



For Football, I see a Beckett 2015 release, but Krause's latest is 2012?

For Basketball, Beckett has a 2015, Krause goes back to 2002?? Unless I missed something?



TIA!



Mark

DanBessette

The almanac has many more oddball and foreign issues listed than the cheaper Beckett book. Like the SCD, the almanac is supposed to be nearly comprehensive.



With that being said, I don't think you're going to get much support around here asking about price guides. It's pretty widely accepted on here that Beckett has gone the way of the phone book, and people are much more interested in real market data nowadays.



I still buy the Almanac in even numbered years, but I use it mainly as a checklist and a resource, less so as a price guide.

3 under par

Thanks,



My main use would be as a resource, not for hard pricing data. For example, which cards are "premium" for the set, SPs, rookies, that type of thing.

AUPT

Note that the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards has been vintage-only (pre-1981) since the 2011-dated edition.

mtcards

The big books are good for resources, but I have found you can completely throw out any price found in them. Many cards priced in Beckett will not even sell at 10% of high book

Stingray

My first Alamanc was from 1981, Beckett 3rd edition. I could look at that book for hours!! Migh have to get a new one for the heck of it!!

LarkinCollector

Originally posted by: mtcards
The big books are good for resources, but I have found you can completely throw out any price found in them. Many cards priced in Beckett will not even sell at 10% of high book

While others sell for 5-6x high book.