FOUND FINALLY: Hager’s Comprehensive Price Guide

[JJ McGraw]

Ahead of Christmas , I saw two offerings for Hager’s Comprehensive Price Guide To Rare Baseball Cards 1886 to Present ( the present was the Copyright date of 1993) on Amazon, one was $300 , a lesser quality copy was $299, a little weird, but ok. I contacted the $300 better condition book seller and asked if they would take $200 delivered. They said yes, bought the book around Dec 12….all ok….or so I thought. Right before Christmas I got an email from Amazon saying that the seller “ could not find the book, no charge had been made and the sale was cancelled”. So I immediately went back to the listing, both books still for sale, now one at $200, one at $199….ok……so then I contact Amazon and the seller and basically said, why is this still for sale if it is missing or can’t be found.
The seller contacted me and blamed it on the Amazon warehouse , but said they would try again. I said please do and in a week the book arrived at my doorstep. Sometimes “ hanging in there” pays off.
The book itself is in excellent shape, tight binding, like new. The dust cover had a few small tears which I fixed so they don’t get any bigger.
You may be wondering, why buy a price guide from 1993…..because the “extra” information is amazing! Resource and research, how to’s and guidance, plus all the photos of cards and backs related items are in beautiful color. If you count my first collecting phase as a kid growing up in Northern CA in the 1960’s, I’ve been collecting baseball for about 60 years. I can’t wait to read all the “tips” articles etc.
Below are some of the pages from the book to illustrate what I’m talking about.
I’m sure the book may have some issues, nothing is perfect, but this apparently is a hard one to find, and for a great reference source AND thankfully , I found one……FINALLY!

[tiger8mush]

congrats on the pickup and thanks for sharing! Plethora of information in the pre-internet age, wonderful pics & knowledge.

[HercDriver]

That's awesome! I still love flipping through my Beckett #3, from about 1981, and looking at the prices. I remember seeing it in a book store, bought it, and was mesmerized by all the sets that I never knew existed. And Joe Charboneau on the cover...you could never have enough of those! Great post...

Cheers,
Geno

[bmattioli]

I have the book somewhere now have to find it.. Good you got yours..

[rhettyeakley]

I remember having this book when it came out and it did provide a lot of good pictures of items previously I had not seen before so it was great for that reason. I spent a lot of time going through the book when younger.

The biggest joke was Alan Hager's fake "I have handled 100 of these" claims on items he, in fact, had NOT handled.

He was definitely ahead of his time but was also, unfortunately, a very shady human being.

[JJ McGraw]

Thanks everyone……we wouldn’t be on the forum right now without the internet…..the ultimate game and indeed, life changer, but I love the tactile experience of a research book, can’t wait to dive into this one.

[Peter_Spaeth]

He is credited with inventing the slab as we know it and the 10 point grading system. He had a patent or patents, although I don't recall the details or whether they were ever challenged. ASA (Accugrade) did not in any event enjoy a good reputation.

[gabrinus]

Mike that is cool...this one was always my favorite...Jerry

[JJ McGraw]

Never seen that one Ron…. sometimes books can have more details than the internet. Thanks for sharing that title…..looks like it’s a 1970’s publication by the artwork.

[HercDriver]

It's no earlier than 1981...

[nolemmings]

Enjoy! I have both the Hager (without dust cover) and Erbe books, and they pale in comparison to Lew Lipset's encyclopedia in terms of pre-war research value. Rhett is right, when Hager's first came out it had nice photos of some of the sets; however, it was replete with horrible spelling and grammar. Seriously, pay a 5th grader to edit it. The pricing was at the time more than outlandish, and the boasts about the number of some issues he handled was a crock. Still, I never regretted buying it.
If you have a chance to get the Lipset three-volume set rolled into one you will not be disappointed. I turn to it frequently, even this past weekend. Here is a shot of my third version-- one worn to pieces and the other used for hand-written notes:

Buying the volumes separately is also not a bad idea-- I have a set of those as well.

[GaryPassamonte]

I remember buying that book from Hager at the National in 1993. He is/was quite a character. I still have it somewhere in my piles of books.

[JJ McGraw]

Hi Todd,
Thanks for the reminder on Lew Lipset’s books. I just went to the baseball book shelf and there it was. You are right, it is the top of the mountain, BUT still am glad I have the Hager book…..it has it’s positive aspects as discussed….never met the author , so I have no context with that.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

Enjoy! I have both the Hager (without dust cover) and Erbe books, and they pale in comparison to Lew Lipset's encyclopedia in terms of pre-war research value. Rhett is right, when Hager's first came out it had nice photos of some of the sets; however, it was replete with horrible spelling and grammar. Seriously, pay a 5th grader to edit it. The pricing was at the time more than outlandish, and the boasts about the number of some issues he handled was a crock. Still, I never regretted buying it.
If you have a chance to get the Lipset three-volume set rolled into one you will not be disappointed. I turn to it frequently, even this past weekend. Here is a shot of my third version-- one worn to pieces and the other used for hand-written notes:

Buying the volumes separately is also not a bad idea-- I have a set of those as well.

Agree. Lew's book is top notch and quite informative.

[ocjack]

Originally Posted by GaryPassamonte

I remember buying that book from Hager at the National in 1993. He is/was quite a character. I still have it somewhere in my piles of books.

I also met Hager at a National. He was selling his slabs (had 4 corners that could be snapped into the other half of the holder to seal). I bought several for different size cards and still have a box of them somewhere.

He was a character fully in love with himself. lol

[gabrinus]

Todd, you are right Lipset is the bible...Erbe's book was the first I came across that listed pretty much everything with a few gaps in some sets like Victory Tobacco but for 1982 it was pretty all encompassing...hope I don't get him in trouble for copyright infringement but Tbob--Bob Marquette--was nice enough to xerox most of Lipset's stuff for me back in the late 1980s...Jerry

[luciobar1980]

Is every card on that cover a reprint??

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by luciobar1980

Is every card on that cover a reprint??

no theyre just all trimmed

[luciobar1980]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

no theyre just all trimmed

97% sure that's a joke. haha

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by luciobar1980

97% sure that's a joke. haha

Sadly it's not.

[Yoda]

His book was replete with many factual errors about cards, sets, and, as others have mentioned reads like it was written by a 10 year old. His many stated 'accomplishments' seem dubious at best.
The paper is nice and shiny, though.

[luciobar1980]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Sadly it's not.

Yeaahhbuut waiiit. All the sizing is off. The T206 Wagner, for example, is bigger than a Topps Seaver rookie.

[luciobar1980]

Err wait, are we saying they are all real (but trimmed) cards but sized randomly? I think I'm all kinds of confused.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by luciobar1980

Err wait, are we saying they are all real (but trimmed) cards but sized randomly? I think I'm all kinds of confused.

Buy some ASA cards if you can still find any, break them out, resubmit them, and see how you do.

[gnaz01]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Buy some ASA cards if you can still find any, break them out, resubmit them, and see how you do.

This will not end well Peter.....

I still have 2 Hager books, I remember I offered one to someone looking for one for $50 (I think that's how much Alan sold them for) and he said "nah, I'll pass"

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by gnaz01

This will not end well Peter.....

I still have 2 Hager books, I remember I offered one to someone looking for one for $50 (I think that's how much Alan sold them for) and he said "nah, I'll pass"

$50 was the price for the book I had in my mind too. I was at a card show 25 or more years ago and was just slowly walking past his table when he came out from behind the table and corralled me into a minute or longer sales pitch. When I politely told him I would pass on purchasing the book, he huffily walked back to behind his table and seemed upset that I had the audacity to waste his time.

brianp(arker)-beme