As someone who buys and sells antiques and collectibles, I have found that most of the price guides fall short when it comes to accuracy of prices, what they say the value of an item is and what I actually sell an item for can be a huge difference, sometimes lower sometimes higher, but I find the books are quite useful for identification purposes.

I have collected several antique and flea market guides over the years, some are category specific, for example, I have one which is solely dedicated to antique toys and one for depression glass patterns. The cost of some of these guides can be high if brand new, therefore,  I purchase used guides and have found that there really is only a slight difference from one year to the next when an updated version is released.

Purchasing older outdated books cost much less and are very useful. I suggest starting with a general antique or flea market price guide, one that has many pages and pictures, then glance through the guide occasionally or when you have spare time as this will help you know what to look for when shopping. Then add to your collection with item specific catalogs as these can be more detailed and are a big help when writing auction descriptions on ebay or just to gain knowledge about pieces you already may own.

You can find used antique price guides in antique shops, on ebay and on the internet for a fraction of what it costs for new books. One thing to remember, although the price/identification guides's values change, and don't always reflect shop value or ebay value, the item descriptions themselves DO NOT change no matter what year it is, that is why I choose to use them. Happy Hunting!