You need the reference books to know what it is you're looking for, unless you're lucky enough to stumble across a photo in the price guide. Price guides generally list the item by its name and give a brief description of the item. So without the reference books, you could spend a lot of time reading descrip- tions. When using any price guide read the fine print in the beginning of the book. The fine print is there for a reason, not just to make the book longer.
Price guides vary so much from one to the other there is no standard- ized system.
The fine print will tell you how to use the book, condition and grading systems vary but should also tell how the listed prices were established. Some price guides are more realistic than others, the prices in the military field are changing constantly, but you can usually find a comparable range from the price guides. Keeping an inventory from the start is important. Buy a spiral bound note- book and keep a record of what you bought, where you bought it, who you bought it from and how much you paid. I know this probably seems silly if you are just starting out, but once your collection starts to grow it is hard to remember each piece.