1 comments about The Official Beckett Price Guide to Baseball Cards 2010, Edition #30.

1. This easy to understand guide is a must for collectors. Beckett has been the authority most used by shops and traders alike for decades, and remains an esteemed source for establishing card by card value.

5 comments about Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession.

1. I "inherited" my first 52 Topps from a friend whose Mom was probably sick of moving them. Barry Wallach later became a CPA and his future success was demonstrated in the small notebook in which he recorded every player's card by number. He meticulously collected this data while he managed his collection. I've tried several times to find him to return this childhood keepsake. Most of us collected the cards as a first love.....some, however, were onto its' financial value long before it became a national obsession.
   The same thing that you might learn from this book was pointed out to us in "Toy Story".......USE, ENJOY, WEAR THE HELL out of your childhood things.....you can't trade them in for your youth anyhow.



2. This is the book that many of us have been waiting for, if not outright then at least in our imaginations. Jamieson delves mightily into a subject that was so near to the heart of many a childhood (and let's face it, adulthood as well.)
   
   I am awed by the amount of research performed by the author. He tracks down and interviews dozens of a dying breed, those who were around in the early days of the card explosion. Additionally, he does not leave aside those who were key to the industry/hobby but who are no longer alive. He seems to have gone to great lengths to provide a thorough accounting of the product's evolution, making many a trek to review various collections of cards and, by extension, other pop culture.
   
   I am further wowed by Jamieson's ability to translate his research in such a fascinating and vivid way. In fact, the author's accounts of some of the works he has seen has piqued my curiosity enough to seek these trips out myself. Other than in a travel magazine, how often do you read about a place or thing, and the description is so interesting that you then have to see it for yourself? For me, this is a first, and what makes this idea even more preposterous is that some of the items that Jamieson mentions were merely extensions of his research and had before held little interest to me.
   
   Though I read non-fiction more than fiction, I find myself periodically needing to lay the non-fiction aside for a day or two before picking it up again. Not this book: I could not put it down.
   
   Thanks, Dave, for a great read. Much like pulling my cards out from their closet every few years, I suspect that I will again be pulling your book off the shelf.



3. I never collected baseball cards as a kid (I spent my allowance money in the 1960s on comic books). i did start collecting as an adult, getting into the hobby just before the 'baseball card as an investment' craze took off. I never believed that any of those cards I bought in the 1980s was ever going to be worth any money. I collected because I liked baseball, and, as long-time Topps card designer, Woody Gelman, is quoted in the book because I had the "collecting disease". 25 years later and I'm still collecting, for much the same reason. This book is a pretty good summation of 100 or so yearsof baseball card collecting. Some of the material is duplicative of material found in "The Card" by Michael O'Keefee and Teri Thompson. But "The Card" is mostly about the 1909 Honus Wagner card while Jamieson's book is more broadly focused. This book will interest anyone involved in the hobby.



4. I really enjoyed this book if only because I grew up in the heyday of baseball cards the 1950's and 60's.



5. MINT CONDITION: HOW BASEBALL CARDS BECAME AN AMERICAN OBSESSION is a 'must' history for collector and sports libraries alike, offering insights not just into card values, but the business of card marketing strategies that grew the baseball card and other industries. From the years after the Civil War to how the cards helped gum and candy makers survive the Depression, this is a fascinating social history general lending libraries will relish.

No comments about Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide 2010.

5 comments about 2010 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards.

1. I love this guide. It's the be-all and end-all of baseball card guides. It contains not only an exhaustive index of cards (complete with CD for recent sets), but also baseball pins, coins, and other pieces of baseball collection memorabilia. The print is large and easy on the eyes, there are pictures galore, and each set is prefaced with a short blurb describing its characteristics and nuances. All of that said, it's definitely a baseball card PURCHASER'S guidebook, as the listed values of most cards are (in my opinion) some of the more conservative I've seen published. All in all, this is a great sourcebook.



2. I've been ordering this book each year and I have to say this is the worst. Part of the cards are in the book and the more current ones are on a disk, which makes it very difficult to find cards. Why didn't they just keep things the way they were. Not ever buying this book again unless they really change things back to before.



3. Important!
   All cards after the 2000 year are NOT in this book, rather they are on a CD that is included with the book
   in a PDF format. This is fine if you have access to a computer when you want to look something up, otherwise
   you will not have it available to you.
   
   The Annual SCD has always been useful for me as it lists cards that I do not find in other references.
   Additionally, the prices seem to fairly represent, for the most part, what I see them selling for, or at
   the very least, asking for.
   
   Where the book fails, however, is when they fail to list cards they know exist.
   As an example, in 2005 Donruss produced an autograph set. In some case the production levels of the cards are
   very low, under 30, but are known to exist. While it is perfectly acceptable to say that pricing information
   is insufficient, it is NOT acceptable to not list the card at all, thus depriving the reader/collector the
   tools they need to pursue a full set. If they have to get an additional reference guide to find this out,
   why bother getting this one? I have emailed the company and have hope they will correct this in future editions.



4. I haven't purchased a copy of "Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards" since 1997. I must say that they have really improved it 10 fold.



5. We weren't very satisfied because the book is nice., but the data isn't up to date., we thought we were purchasing a data book with all the prices in the book...well the current pricing is on a disc...Not in the book, therefore we weren't very happy...people should be aware of that., not all pricing is written.,

4 comments about The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories.

1. Very beautiful book, well written, very nice job on all the graphics. A pleasure to read and a great resource for anyone who collects T206 cards.



2. Baseball cards have been around for almost as long as the game itself. The collaborative project of Tom Zappala and Ellen Zappala, and with the assistance of Lou Blasi, "The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories" is an impressive 224-page compendium featuring beautifully reproduced images of the early baseball card T206 series featuring 393 players. Enhancing this outstanding collection of 500 baseball cards, each of which is flawlessly reproduced in full color, "The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories" includes succinct biographies of all the T206 players, as well as player anecdotes revealing the earliest days and evolution of baseball. Of special note is the informed and informative chapter on baseball card grading and valuations making "The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories" an especially valued and valuable addition to both academic, and community library collections -- and an absolute 'must' for all dedicated baseball card enthusiasts.



3. One hundred years ago, the game of baseball was becoming deeply ingrained into our national psyche. Players like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Honus Wagner were well on their way to Cooperstown, and baseball cards were being produced in mass quantity to fascinate fans from coast to coast about their heroes' exploits.
   
   Arguably, the most intriguing set of baseball cards ever produced - the T206 collection - is now celebrating its 100th birthday, and to commemorate this historic milestone, Tom & Ellen Zappala have produced this wonderful perspective on the players, from A to Z. In addition to the remarkable visuals - the beautiful cards themselves - the authors have included the stories of the ballplayers captured on this piece of memorabillia; some we already knew, others are being revealed in compelling detail for the first time.
   
   Probably the most fascinating story to unfold over the years with the T206 collection concerns legendary shortstop Honus Wagner. For whatever reason, Wagner didn't want his mug on that particular card (the most popular theory stems from his distaste for tobacco), so production was limited to a mere 100, of which only 10 are in excellent to mint condition. The card gained tremendous notoriaty in 1991 when Wayne Gretzky and LA Kings owner, Bruce McNall shelled out $451,000 for the gem. After that, the card skyrocketed in value, fetching a record $2.8 million in 2007 (just prior to the global economic meltdown). Proving that nothing is recession-proof, however, one was sold for a mere $1.62 million in 2008. What a bargain.
   
   You don't have to be a fan of the game to appreciate its historical significance; but if you love baseball, the story of the T206 collection is a "must have". You'll spend hours perusing this wonderful piece of baseball folklore, but make sure you keep it in mint condition. This book is destined to become a classic for future generations to enjoy.
   
   Two other highly recommended gems celebrating baseball's glorious past: Bert Sugar's Baseball Hall of Fame: A Living History of America's Greatest Game, which is almost as good as visiting Cooperstown in person, and Ed Achorn's Fifty-Nine in '84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had, which captures the antics of a 19th century pitcher by the name of Old Hoss.



4. When you pick up a baseball card, do you wonder about the player whose picture is staring back at you? What was he like? What did he do after baseball? This curiosity is especially true with the famous T206 card set, now at its 100 year anniversary, and arguably the most fabled baseball card set in history.
   
   The set was released between 1909 and 1911 and contains the most valuable trading card in the world, the legendary Honus Wagner. Beyond Wagner, the set also contains other Hall of Fame members including Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Tris Speaker as well as more obscure players from--over 500 cards in all.
   
   The T206 set is the subject of a stunningly beautiful and informative new book, called The T206 Collection, The Players and Their Stories. This book has taken the card series and put together thematic chapters tying like cards together. For instance, there are separate chapters on the Hall of Famers, those overlooked by Cooperstown, The Bad Boys of Baseball, The Minor Leaguers and the Uncommons. The book's contents are beautifully laid out and contain exhaustively-researched stories about the players in the set.
   
   A story within the Uncommons chapter about Lena Blackburne examplifies the great stories within the book.
   
   No baseball can go into a Major League game without being rubbed with Lena Blackburne mud. Lena, a player from the T206 set (see graded card to the right), was a unremarkable Major Leaguer and during the 1930s, was the third-base coach for the Philadelphia Athletics. At this time, baseballs came from the factory with a gloss. Pitchers couldn't grip them, so they applied shoe polish, tobacco juice, and dirt. Lena brought some mud from his home in Palmyra, N.J., and soon all of the American League was using it.
   
   The mud farm is in south Jersey--that's all anyone will reveal. According to Bintliff, you more or less skim the sediment off the top of the riverbank with a shovel. The Army Corps of Engineers did a study and found a high content of feldspar, which is just fine enough to remove the gloss without scratching the leather at all. Apparently, Rawlings once tried to replicate the mud but couldn't do it.
   
   Now the farm is being run by Jim Bintliff, the "Mud Man". You can find out more about the current mud farm at [...] and in the video at the bottom of this article.
   
   This coffee table books is a beautiful homage to this great card series. In addition to Blackburne, the book has uncovered many of the players' stories and brought them back to life. I can't recommend this book more highly.
   
   
   Books on Baseball Rating: Home Run (this book is a "must have" for any serious baseball fan or card collector)

No comments about Beckett Hockey Card Price Guide 2010 (Beckett Hockey Card Price Guide and Alphabetical Checklist).

1 comments about Beckett Racing Collectibles Price Guide 2010.

1. Eventhough the NHRA section is small compared to the NASCAR section, there are 5 (five) items in my personal collection that don't seem to be listed.
   I have left a phone message with Beckett and have not had an answer.
   I would love for the publication to have a column that gives a value on autographed items but, there is not one.

1 comments about Beckett Official Price Guide to Football Cards 2010, Edition #29.

1. My wife purchased this book for me to look up my football cards from my youth. I was excited to receive it as I used to own beckett magazines as a teen to look up the prices of my cards. The problem soon became apparent, this is by no means a complete listing of prices and doesn't even come close to allowing me to look up prices for even a quarter of the cards I have. I'm sure it is okay for mainstream collections of brands such as Topps and UpperDeck but when it comes to even smaller collections of Topps specialty cards you won't be able to find them in this book, just keep that in mind.

No comments about 2011 Standard Catalog Of Baseball Cards.

1 comments about 2010 Baseball Card Price Guide.

1. This book appears to be very well organized and complete. However, the print is so small, I have to use a magnifying glass. I would think even for a person with perfect sight, the print is ridiculously small.