Posted By:
Jay MillerI have the book and in fact I got mine when it first came out. I originally thought it was a great book and, over time, nothing has changed my opinion. First, the card photos are fantastic, better than I have seen in virtually any other publication. Second, although the prices were a little ahead of their time the market has caught up and passed some by a wide margin. The VG Connor Kalamazoo Bat that someone(Olbermann?) paid over $15K for in Lipset's auction catalogs in Hager's book at $1800. In NrMT it is $6000. Hager's Old Judge prices for scarce cards relative to common cards are probably better than any standard catalog. In fact, I like the book despite Hager's slam on the Old Judge set. In his set recommendation he states:"(Old Judge) recommended for those who want to collect a crude looking black and white set that offers very little future potential. ..." So he got that one wrong. My stock broker has alot worse track record than him. Hager also tried to eduacate the reader in his book. His section on determining if vintage cards are trimmed is a step in the right direction.
Is the book perfect? No. It is very self serving and Hager probably did write it to hype what he had in inventory. However, he probably had what he thought would appreciate. I dealt with Hager twice. I bought a two player K-Bat from him in NrMT for $1700 and bought the anonymous Mayo football card from him in Ex for $2000. I would repeat either transaction happily. Was Hager's past a little checkered---sure. However, so are the pasts of many of today's hobby icons.
Scott--get the book. I think you'll love it and have lots of fun with it.