The Bentley Guide... is jokingly referred to as the "Bible" for Longaberger lovers. This is how necessary it has become to those devoted to collecting Longaberger wares, as well as to those using Longaberger items to garner some extra money in the secondary market. But perhaps the cart just went ahead of the horse. A few notes on Longaberger...

Longaberger
A strange name for collections? Nah, just the last name of a basket weaver who found himself living in Ohio and attempting to earn some extra money for his growing family. His prowess at weaving baskets from maple splints was such that it earned J.W. Longaberger a reputation, a good one at that. His basket making was turned into something of an empire by his son, Dave, and has become rather well-known among those who have had the opportunity to see a Longaberger basket first hand.

The company has grown, and while baskets are still woven by hand, and the company is still run by Longabergers (Dave's daughters), the name has come to cover a wide range of items from baskets to pottery to wrought iron accent pieces. And thanks to the seasonality of many items, the baskets (all numbered and signed) have developed quite a secondary market.

Thus, The Bentley Collection Guide
This spiral-bound handbook has become a necessity among collectors, and thanks to no real competition in the arena its niche has created some interesting results reflected in the product. Consider this...

Structure
On the whole, this guidebook is relatively unremarkable. It is paperback, though produced on glossy paper, and spiral bound in the fashion of a notebook. Nothing fancy and certainly nothing too sturdy.

Pages are flush, which I point out simply for the fact that there are no handy reference tabs. Furthermore, there are no special color codes for sections. Why is this important? Well, considering that there is a Longaberger "series" for each major holiday as well as groupings for Collector's Club, J.W. originals, and miscellaneous commerations there is a wide range of topics covered in this guide. While divided by collection, finding the proper collection is an exercise patience.

Layout
A perfect transition, then, into layout of this guide.

Baskets are divided and grouped according to their line. Line includes titles like All-American, Holiday, Hostess, Sweetheart... These are organized alphabetically....kind of. While an A-Z line-up is generally used, one may find that items pertaining to hostesses and consultants appear without much rhyme or reason.

Each glossy page contains info on a basket or baskets. This includes item specific measurements, original price, accessories that were available for purchase. This is followed by current market prices for individual items and "combos" (that is, a basket complete with all available accessories). This is generally a range and we're told it represents market data gathered from secondary market activity.

Further helping listings are pictures that attempt to be as complete as possible, showing most accessories when applicable. This in and of itself is of interest to many collectors who can only dream of owning an original Longaberger, currently selling in the $500 and up price range.

The Problem With Price Guides...
Is that they are soon out-of-date. This isn't a Bentley problem, but rather the state of any collectible guide. Markets change, availability fluctuates, economies and demand grow or shrink. All of this means a change in prices.

Yet there is an added dimension in dealing with the world of Longaberger collecting: Longaberger is still producing. And that may be an understatement. Longaberger's line of products continually grows, continually changes...all of this means that a true collection guide will never be complete until and unless Longaberger ceases production. So a collector buys a guide, perhaps they buy the optional mid-year update (which always comes three-hole punched...perhaps reflecting what most wish they would do with their spiral bound main guide?) and the next year they'll need another guide.

Priced at $24.95
The first guide the customer purchases doesn't seem too costly. Then the reminders start coming through the mail (assuming you've purchased direct from Bentley) to purchase the next year's guide. But I just purchased my guide for this year! For a consultant who can write the cost off on taxes, this may seem inconsequential. For the collector, $24.95 represents a downpayment on a nice new basket---hmmm, book or basket?!?

Are you listening Bentley?
It's a nice spot to be in, offering the only option to a group of "basket cases". And this means improvement isn't always necessary---or regardless of necessity, it just doesn't happen thanks to no real competition. A simple solution would be to turn the format into a binder system, but this would mean the loss of a yearly $24.95. So until a competitor comes along and realizes that the system could be done much better and please more users, collectors and consultants will plunk down their $24.95 for a book they see as essential.

As for this Longaberger customer, one Bentley Guide purchased a few years ago and access to EBay and other online auction sites does the trick. I can see the photos of older baskets in my Bentley Guide and check recent sales prices online. Until Bentley becomes more user-friendly I won't surrender my yearly $24.95.

Recommended: No