pet peeve- quoting high book.....grrr

[Archive]

Posted By: Ben

This has to be my #1 pet peeve in the hobby. Take, for example, someone who has a '52 Topps Pafko in g-vg. This card would typically sell for a very small fraction of high book for several reasons; namely, because it is far from NM, and is relatively easy to come by in that grade.

HOWEVER, you will see time and time again sellers stating in bold letters that it books for $3,500, as if it were a realistic sum to expect. Man, it bothers me 'till no end when people take book value as some sort of prophetical statement of a card's actual value, completely ignoring more pertinent factors such as condition and desirability. It all boils down to the fact that price guides are just that- guides...which are meant to give us an indication of a card's relative value. NOT ACTUAL VALUE!

Anybody with me on this? Thanks for letting me vent and feel free to add your own peeves...