Book Value? PFFFFT.

Yesterday I ventured down to a local money pit and thought I would get some stuff. I walk into the store and they have a huge-mungous sign that says "Singles now at 50% of Beckett Value!"

After looking around for a little while and seeing that even at 50% BV, most of the singles were still 10% above eBay prices. I walked out of the store with some supplies and a bag of chips - no cards - because who wants to pay more than they have to?

Using beckett values to price things, trade things, or even measure your own collection is like using "Wins" as the way to determine the best pitcher in the league. Its widely done, but completely fucking asinine. People dont seem to understand the prices printed in Beckett are completely stupid and unnecessary when you have a free auction based system like eBay around. It only helps my cause that just about every single god damned card is on that site, from the commons to the big hittahs.


Burt Reynolds BV: $Texas

Lets use some random examples:

2006 Bowman Sterling David Wright Jersey card
Beckett Value: $15.00 high $6.00 low
Last eBay completed auction: $5.00 - 1 bid
Percent below book value: 66
Amount below low book: 1 dollar

2006 Derek Jeter AL Artifacts Jersey Card /325
Beckett value: $25.00 high $11 low
Last ebay completed auction: 10.25 - 4 bids
Percent below book value: 59
Amount below low book: .75

2006 SP Authentic Dan Haren By the Letter Auto /180
Beckett value: $30.00 high $15.00 low
Last eBay completed auction: $7.10 - 3 bids
Percent below book value: 67
Amount below low book: 7.90

Now, those are pretty random things I pulled off eBay and out of the Beckett. As you can see, the prices are fucking ludicrous. I want to know why people are so dependent on them when clearly the worth of these cards does not in any way hinge on the prices listed in the magazine.

History lesson: I know that back in the day, Beckett was the end all and be all of the pricing world because there was no mass pricing methods available through "teh interweb." Even though Beckett is like the old racial epiphets shouting grandpa who never makes sense, at one point they actually had a purpose besides being my daily toilet paper. Hell, 15 years ago, that card shop deal from above would have been fucking grandiose! Now, its just a laugh factory.

For those of you who still have the sac to trade by book value and scorn me for using eBay, please take notice of simple economics. I will not give you more than your card is worth because a magazine with little to no connection to the hobby still thinks they are god of the card collecting universe. I will give you exactly what it is worth because I can know that pretty easily. Shit, if I am feeling nice, I might give you more!

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