New Standard Catalog; Want Opinions

[Tedw9]

I think they should just either offer the information online with a yearly subscription and/or a cd which you can purchase. I just purchased last years copy because it had everything on the cd.

I would miss the book as I have been using them for years. But I don't need a book that size anymore when I can have it all on one little cd.

[barrysloate]

Rich- Well here's the question I would ask: do cards from 2000 to the present actually have any real value? They may have a catalog value, but are they worth anything in the marketplace?

[HRBAKER]

Do cards from 2000 on even sell at a price that is close to the guide? I don't know or is it one of those things that you need to know what price you pay 10% of? As a user myself I see no problem with the cutoff. I would much rather have it all on line or in a "Vintage Only" print guide that is much lighter. I generally rip all the non-vintage section out anyway.

[Rich Klein]

To your question; while a great preponderance of the cards from 2000 to the present may have price guide value but not have real value (In actuality; this is probably true from 1981 to the present); the need for people who may have cards is to look up what set are they from; and what the price guide value is.

In 2004; we had approximately 90 different baseball products issued by the then four major manufacturers. And as such; being able to ID those cards is very important to anyone who may find them out of nowhere.

Rich

[barrysloate]

It's good to have a checklist of all modern sets, but the prices are very deceptive, and as such unnecessary. Many collectors who have modern cards are often shocked to find out how little they are worth. Thus, I think a price guide for these recent issues hurts more than it helps.

[Basilone]

Book values are still important but they are valuable for online trading on message boards, blogs, etc. In recent years, there have been a host of hobby message boards pop up (some with 25,000+ members) where trading is very popular. Yes....trading is back...thanks to message boards, blogs, etc. One website in particular http://www.thebenchtrading.com/ has over 7,800 members and focuses just on trading. Some message boards (like the Bench) have advanced "Trade Manager" features to help collectors track the status of trades, etc. That being said....on these message boards....Beckett pricing is the standard.

[JLange]

I would like to see two volumes (really I want to purchase a pre-1980 or 1981 volume). But I have another issue tied to this question. On the postwar card side, I collect a lot of regional issues of the Cleveland Indians, and The Big Book has eliminated many of these in recent years. I cite the annual Indians postcards and photocard sets of the 70s and 80s, and 1975 Jb Robinson Indians as some examples. I also fear that other team picture packs will be eliminated in future years. Again, I like the idea of two volumes, but I won't purchase future SC updates if the sets I collect can not be found inside. I also like the idea of an electronic version, but so far nothing compares to the real book. I took it today to the Philly Show. I left it in the car and referenced it before I made a purchase. I wish I had it in my pocket totake with me into the show, but so far it's still not that practical (and yes I have it as a PDF on my iPhone, but it's not that simple/quick to search in it's current form. All this to say two volumes are the way to go, but please make it comprehensive!

[buymycards]

I purchased mine from Amazon, and the CD didn't come with it. I need to contact Amazon to see what is going on.

I purchase this catalog every year so I can get comprehensive coverage of sets, including newer issues. It's bad enough that the catalog was always 2 years behind the times for the newer issues, but now they completely eliminated 2001 and newer cards. I don't want the CD, I want a complete catalog. I would rather pay more money for a complete catalog than a lower price for 1/2 of a catalog. I hope the CD isn't as crappy and difficult to use as the Krause/Tuff Stuff/SCD website.

Rick