Baseball cards have been a beloved hobby for collectors since the late 19th century. With millions of cards in existence from over a century of the sport, determining the value of any given card can be a challenge. That’s where Beckett Baseball Card Monthly comes in. Published since 1979, Beckett is considered the premier authority when it comes to baseball card prices and valuations.

Beckett provides monthly and annual guidebooks that assign prices for the most widely collected baseball cards from the pre-war era through modern issues. Their guides are used industry-wide as the standard reference for determining the value of any baseball card on the secondary market. Whether you have a shoebox of childhood cards and want to know what, if anything, they’re worth, or you’re a serious collector looking to evaluate your entire collection, Beckett is the most trusted resource.

Beckett’s monthly magazine includes a color photo and comprehensive description for each card featured. Pricing data is broken out by the card’s condition or grade. The guide uses a 1-10 grading scale to assign condition, with 10 being mint condition and 1 being poor. Prices are given for each half-point increment, so collectors know the value of their card whether it grades as a 5, 5.5, or 6. This precise grading system is the foundation of Beckett’s credibility and why they remain the gold standard.

In addition to individual card prices, Beckett also tracks trends and fluctuations in the overall hobby. Features analyze what types of cards and players are hot or rising in value. They report on major card sales and provide in-depth profiles of key vintage stars. For serious collectors, this market analysis and data is as valuable as the prices themselves. Beckett’s guides have become an indispensable resource for staying informed in the ever-changing world of baseball memorabilia.

For decades, Beckett has published annual price guides that compile a full year of monthly pricing data into one comprehensive book. These year-in-review guides are handy for evaluating complete collections and offer a permanent record of that year’s market. The annuals also include extra features like checklists and population reports that provide useful reference tools for collectors. Having a complete set of Beckett annuals is like owning the history of the hobby itself.

While print guides remain the most popular format, Beckett has expanded their offerings in recent years. An online price guide allows for 24/7 access from any device. Cards can be searched by player, set, year or other criteria, then viewed with real-time Beckett prices. For super-premium cards, Beckett even offers same-day grading and authentication through their partnership with PSA/DNA. Whether you need a quick lookup or want to fully document your collection’s value, Beckett’s digital tools add modern convenience to their classic content.

As the baseball card market has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, third party grading also became a major aspect of the hobby. Pioneer collectibles authentication service PSA partnered with Beckett years ago to leverage their reputation for accurate condition assessment. Now, any card that has been professionally graded and encapsulated by PSA includes its corresponding Beckett condition number, making Beckett grades the language of the collectibles marketplace.

While imitators have emerged over the decades, none have unseated Beckett as the most trusted name for collectors. Their meticulous monthly reporting and comprehensive annual guides provide an unmatched foundation of historical pricing data. For anyone holding cardboard from baseball’s past, whether a few childhood commons or a treasured T206 Wagner, consulting the Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide is simply a necessity. As the hobby enters its second century, Beckett remains the definitive resource for understanding value in the ever-evolving world of baseball collectibles.