Speaking as the guy who wrote a number of those price guides, I would tend to agree very strongly. The various publishers insisted that we put pricing in the early books, thinking that they would not sell without it. While the pricing was based on criteria that was valid at the time it was written, it was often a year or more before a book was released after it was "finished", and some of those books we are approaching 20 years old. Only the globe e-book from last year is reasonably current, and the pricing criteria used in the book was the most scientific that we had ever used.
One major find of a number of examples of a particular piece tends to drop the price for that item dramatically, whereas trends in collecting tend to raise prices. For example, 20 years ago oval Capco globes were considered too new to be worth much, but now many examples with good graphics bring serious money. Independents were not popular years ago, except among collectors from the area where the company was based. Today, items from independents, fewer in number, often exceed similar Mobil, Texaco or Sinclair items. Auctions, too, can be an indication of pricing, but results are easy to manipulate. A good rule of thumb is an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it - and what it is worth to you is limited by what you are willing to pay.
Wayne Henderson
Petroleum Collectibles Monthly
Kernersville, NC
