O.k., Where Do I Start?

I just opened up my old Minuteman album, that had been set aside for 41 years. I'm considering filling some of the many, many empty holes. I poked around on eBay, but all the auctions were ending so rapidly. Is there a book with pictures of stamps, along with their Scott's #? I don't know where or how I did this so many years ago.
Thanks for any input.

Yes, there is such a book and it is called the Scott catalog. Welcome to the forum, thestampguy. You can borrow that book from a library near you, or buy an older copy on eBay. Another possibility is Mystic - they issue a bare-bones catalog!
And about your last remark - I believe it was a lot less complicated and a lot less issues, so good luck!


Peter

Thestampguy1964,

Welcome to SCF and welcome back to stamp collecting! You've come to the right place for stamp collectors!

When you get to 50 posts (not difficult, believe me) send me a message (PM). Maybe I can fill some of those holes for you. I have lots of US stamps that are looking for a good home.

Dan

Stampguy: Wow! And I thought I had a big hole to fill after stopping for only 15 years (stopped in 1992, resumed in 2007). Good luck with your project. When I started back up, I decided that it was far cheaper to add on to my existing album with new pages. The modern stamps are not only more numerous but tend to be cheaper. The older stamps I was missing seemed to start at two figures & go up from there. But most modern issues from the 30s thru the 80s should be fairly inexpensive. Again, good luck ... and welcome back to a great hobby!
John

Welcome!

Mystic's catalogue (all major Scott catalogue varieties) is online at Mysticstamp.com You can even download a version on your computer. They have images and searchable to some extent.

That will take a little time to catch up on, too. You probably saw a list of auctions, automatically ordered by those closing/ending first. You can change that ("sort" box at upper right) and even just select the often semi-permanent Buy It Now listings (button at upper left).

Welcome stampguy. I'd wager most of us on this forum had a similar experience. Yes, get yourself an old Scott US Specialized catalogue. Disregard the catalogue values. eBay can be a great resource. Just take your time, check what the stamp you want has sold for recently and pay attention to condition.

If you like the old classic US stamps, the next book you'll want is Brookman's The United States Postage Stamps of the 19th Century. I bought a beat up copy cheap on eBay, took it with me on vacation and ended up reading it cover to cover.

You can also download a copy of this book here
http://www.stampsmarter.com/learnin...me_USID.html

And to learn more about US stamps
http://www.stampsmarter.com/feature...eatures.html
Don

I'm a old time coin collector. Coins seemed to have priority, but I even took about a 20 hiatus from coins, before coming back. I don't know what I'm getting into money wise. I thought that stamp collecting had all but disappeared, and values had diminished, but while looking on eBay, boy was I wrong. Thanks for all the kind words, and words of encouragement.

I really like the Scott Specialized US Catalogue. I had it on permanent loan from my local library for a while. I actually just ordered the 2017 Scott US Pocket Catalogue from Amazon. 32.50 with free shipping. Color photos of every major Scott number in both books. Sometimes a real book is prefered to the computer or phone.

If you want to see what the high value stuff looks like try checking on some of the auctions on the Stamp Auction Network. Here's a good page for example (I have no affiliation with SAN).

https://stampauctionnetwork.com/y/y11597.cfm

As you can see these stamps are out of reach for most of us. Plenty of good stamps on eBay too of course. Do watch out though for fakes and charlatans. There are as many phony dealers as there are good ones. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

You can also get a book at the post office. Not as good as the scott catalog but if you want one today, you can get one.

Scott renumbered the 3 cent 1851-60 stamps starting with their 2008 catalog, one of which is for sale on eBay for $7.97 with free shipping:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scott-Speci...222506964959

So I need to start with a Scott's catalog it sounds like. It looks like there are several additions in the set?

Yes, there are several volumes to the set. In your case, just get the one covering USA stamps. But, as was mentioned by others, check your local library, first, to see if they have copies that you can brrow. Also, as was mentioned, the Mystic Stamp Catalog is a good reference to use, and it's FREE. Just go to their website, and fill out the form to request a copy to be mailed to you.

Stampguy - I would suggest you go ahead and pick up a Scott Specialized Catalog 2013 or newer if you plan on expanding your US collection of pre-1935 stamps. It's much more detailed with descriptions and pictures, almost imperative if you are looking to collect earlier issues. If you are really interested you'll end up getting one anyway.

I took a 30 year collection hiatus also and began concentrating on US stamps. I have a fair German and Japanese collection but found it too much to keep up with and decided to stick to US only. Started in around 1958.