4 comments about Card Sharks: How Upper Deck Turned a Child's Hobby into a High-Stakes, Billion-Dollar Business.

1. I found the book to provide an interesting history on collecting from early times to present. After the history lesson is over, William's seems to spend an inordinate amount of time dwelling on the various misdeeds of Upper Deck President Richie McWilliam. McWilliam has a very strong (and negative) reputation that is well understood within the industry. Why spend half a book telling everyone that he is dishonest, a liar and a cheat when it is already well understood?



2. The "Barbarians at the Gate" of the baseball card industry. Fascinating, yet creepy, to see from the inside how a child's hobby has been exploited by sleazy characters. Will definitely turn you off collecting new cards as an investment.



3. I enjoyed this book very much. It has two themes: first, it shows how one company with the right idea and the right people behind it can revolutionize an entire industry, against all odds. Second, it tells us that to succeed in today's competitive markets you have to elbow your way in. While the allegations of wrongdoings by trading card companies seem like unsubstantiated hearsay, the book does make you feel that you are on the inside, witnessing how the real entrepreneurs do it. Very entertaining read.



4. I feel any person who is in the hobby of collecting cards or thinking about getting in the hobby should read this book I found it interesting some of the aligations of conterfiting ones own cards interesting. Some people would be shocked to know why there cards have no value.

2 comments about Beckett Football Price Guide #24 (Beckett Football Card Price Guide).

1. Having reviewed earlier editions, I can only reiterate my claims of there being no better source for football sports card collectors. A must! EH



2. Very fast service on shipping, order arrived in excellent shape, and was complete. Pricing was reasonable, and I will shop this vendor again.

2 comments about The Official Beckett Price Guide to Baseball Cards 2007, Edition #27 (Official Price Guide to Baseball Cards).

1. Average price guide. Out of the 8 or 9 items ordered 1-1/2 weeks before Christmas, this was the only thing that did not arrive before Christmas. Obviously, the seller did not ship on the date which they agreed to ship.



2. The Beckett guides have 2 prices listed for each card. However the meaning of those prices depends on the set under consideration. For a 1950s set the 2 prices may be for EX and NM; for a 1980s set they may be EX-MT and NM-MT. In previous editions these columns were labeled so you knew what the grades were. Those labels are missing in this edition. Unless you have a previous edition, this guide is not intelligible.

5 comments about A Shark Never Sleeps.

1. Now, I'd never heard of Rosenhaus until this summer because of the T.O. situation. I picked up this book expecting it to be a typical self-absorbed, egotistical piece of junk. However, I had no idea about the depth of Drew. He came to terms with his sexuality early in his life and he didn't let small minds stop him from becoming successful -- including his own. Did you know he auditioned for Cirque de Soleil? His talent was throwing enormous styrofoam triangles into the air and then catching them behind his back. He didn't make the cut, but he vowed that he would drink a gallon of Dr Pepper everyday from that day forward. That may sound incongrous, but I think it shows the level of commitment he's willing to make. So, Mr. Rosenhaus please take a bow, this is a book that may seem overpriced at 10 cents, but feels really right to me.



2. The name of this book should be re-titled 'A Shark Never Sleeps: Wheeling and Dealing with the NFL's Most CLASSLESS Agent.' This guy is so disgusting I won't bother to give my litany of negative aspects of this book. The only interesting part of this book is that it exposes the ugly side of professional sports.



3. October 6, 2002

   Hoping for a peek into the arena of sports agency, I
   picked this up one lazy afternoon. Wow! I suppose if
   you're the right sort of person with the right sense of
   humor, you could have a lot of fun wallowing inside this
   fellow Drew Rosenhaus's own fascinated vision of himself
   and his life--replete with numerous descriptions of how
   crafty and tough he is, as well as an insert bikini photo
   of his model girlfriend (with whom he's formed a deep,
   lasting pair-bond, I'm sure).

   However, it's more likely you might be left gaping at a
   printed ego that approaches the sociopathic, pondering
   about what publisher and editor were possibly thinking,
   and wondering how many Drew Rosenhauses are out
   there, tolerated, even rewarded, in this, the tackiest,
   but best dressed, of all possible worlds.

   Tolerated and rewarded not just in professional sports,
   which would be bad enough, but in civil law, corporate
   finance, government . . .




4. This was a great book...i dont care what anyone says..yeah Drew's a show off but hey hes the BEST in the buisness and he tells u how he got there in this Book. And for that idiot that said he put a modeling Pic of his girl in the picture part of the book didnt even read it!...the pic isnt there....GO DREW GO!!!!!!!



5. I could not belive how someone could be this self involved... I am a negotiator and was hoping for good negotiating advice but got something much different. I am sure that half of this book was untrue, however I have to give credit were credit is due, he did make it to the top. I just hope that after the realease of this book he is able to stay there, "now that would be impressive"...

3 comments about Beckett Football Card Price Guide 2006-2007 (Beckett Football Card Price Guide).

1. My title is not taken in vain. Beckett's is the essential authority on the subject of football sports cards. Released updated every year it provides the latest price information required to maintain either one's collection or inventory. Eric



2. The Beckett Guides are the most popular guides in the world, bar none. And what I've always liked about Beckett is the depth of information contained in his guides. With this one, you get listings of sets from as far back as the late 1800's to 2001. Now please note before I go any further, if you buy this guide and by chance your card or set is not listed, it does not mean your card(s) are worthless, it simply means that what you have may not currently be receiving alot of market activity, or may be a card or cards that aren't currently known to exist. You must realize there are virtually thousands of sets on the market and newer ones coming out every week by various companies, so it is almost impossible to keep up with every one produced. So Beckett concentrates on sets that are both known to exist and have heavy market activity. Oh and one more thing, if you have rubber bands around your cards, please get rid of them. Go to your local card shop or go online and get some card holders. Condition is a key element in a cards worth, and rubber bands can cause severe damage to cards. Now, as for this book, Beckett has sets listed in ABC order and lists the individual cards of the set. So if you are putting together a set, and you see yours listed in this guide, you have the perfect checklist to keep up with what you do and do not have. For each set listed, there's a little bit of information included, and there may be production numbers included in the trivia. Beckett shows you how to collect, how to preserve your cards, how to determine condition, shares football card terminology, and has other interesting facts about football card collecting. Ahh to go to a game and load up on hotdogs. Collecting football cards brings me back to the time when I was in high school and went to the games to pull for my home team (and yes, I ate a lot of hot dogs then too). Collecting football cards make me think about the times when me and my dad would watch a game together, screaming at the players to run run run. So as I'm sure you already know, collecting football cards for most people is more than just an investment. And when I look through this Beckett guide, I see lots of cards that came out when I was younger, and they bring me back to a time(The late 60's, The 70's, and early 80's) when playing football was one of the things I loved to do the most. Beckett guides have remained the most sought after guides since the 80's and are used the world over. Some of the brands of cards you will find in this edition include Fleer, Upper Deck, Topps, Score, Playoff, and Donruss. Again, there are many other brands listed in the guide, but these are some of the most heavily traded ones. This book is a valuable tool for any true football card collector.



3. I needed a new price guide and I wanted a very recent one. I figured I could wait until 2001 but I desided I would get it now(this guide is great quality and has all of my cards listed in itand I have tons of cards!).

No comments about Beckett Football Card Price Guide, 2008 Edition (Beckett Football Card Price Guide).

3 comments about Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card.

1. This could've been featured in our collector's section or even our sports section, but is presented here for its powerful artistic survey of Japanese sports through its lovely baseball card art. SAYONARA HOME RUN! THE ART OF THE JAPANESE BASEBALL CARD features player history, card art, and loved and hated baseball teams alike. It will attract any with an interest in world baseball or in collectible ballgame cards - and many a browser with an interest in neither!
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch



2. This could've been featured in our collector's section or even our sports section, but is presented here for its powerful artistic survey of Japanese sports through its lovely baseball card art. SAYONARA HOME RUN! THE ART OF THE JAPANESE BASEBALL CARD features player history, card art, and loved and hated baseball teams alike. It will attract any with an interest in world baseball or in collectible ballgame cards - and many a browser with an interest in neither!
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch



3. Vinatge Japanese baseball cards are among the most beautiful baseball collectibles in the world. I discovered these treasures over ten years ago during a trip to Japan and became an avid collector. My passion for the cards eventually led to a on-line card business and a career as a baseball writer. John Gall and Gary Engel's new book Sayanara Homerun! depicts hundreds, if not thousands, of theese beautiful cards. The book's presentation is wonderful. Cards are gracefully portrayed as art but the accompanying text will statisfy both baseball card collectors and fans of Japanese baseball.
   
   If you are an American baseball cards collector, come see what you are missing. If you a fan of Japanese baseball, come see great pictures of your favorite stars.
   
   I spend hours paging through this book and expect that you will enjoy it as much as I have.

No comments about The Official Beckett Price Guide to Football Cards 2007, 26th Edition (Official Price Guide to Football Cards).

No comments about Beckett Hockey Price Guide #17 (Beckett Hockey Card Price Guide and Alphabetical Checklist).

3 comments about Beckett Baseball Card Alphabetical Checklist.

1. This is very simple. If you collect baseball cards, you need ths book. It's just that easy!!!



2. This book is an absolute necessity for baseball card collectors who are in search of specific players. The book alphabetically lists every player who has appeared on a baseball card. Not only does it list the major companies (like Topps), it does an excellent job of listing locally issued cards. It includes minor league cards as well. If you are looking for a specific player's cards, this is the best place to find every card produced of that player.
   The only downside to this book is that it is fairly quickly outdated due to the glut of cards on the market. Back in the day, a great player like Hank Aaron might have 1 regular card and maybe 5-10 special or regional cards each year. Now, a player like Albert Pujols might have over 100 total each year.
   That downside cannot be avoided, though. With that in mind, this book cannot do much more.



3. THIS BOOK HELPED ME AND MY COLLECTOR FRIENDS SO MUCH , THAT I HAD TO GIVE IT TO ONE OF THEM WHO DOES NOT LIVE IN THE USA, AND THAT IS WHY I AM NOW BUYING MY SECI=OND COPY. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED