US Design Numbers (Long Post)

I'd like to revisit a older thread started by desertgem about PSE Design Numbers for U.S. Classic Stamps.

If you collect U.S., you should definitely request the free book. It's very nice, glossy, full color, etc. Here's a (reduced size) scan of one page:



In the back of the book is a table that converts the Design Numbers to Scott numbers. Here's a portion of that table



As desertgem predicted, PSE has now released a set of album pages corresponding to their design numbers. The album is $35. Details are on the PSE Website. If anyone here has purchased the pages or made their own based on US Design Numbers, I hope you'll post some scans and feedback.

Even though I have not purchased the album pages, the book has been very helpful to me for understanding and visualizing the the different series and sets of classics. With the book, my album, and the Scott catalog all open on the dining room table, I was able to create a wish list of the more affordable stamps that would still allow me to complete some of the sets.

Below is a scan of my copies of Scott 178 & 179 that correspond to USD 47 & 48 on the above page scan (by the way, it also shows another of my controversial pen cancels :-)



Thanks desertgem for getting things started.

I have that book. It is very nice, especially for being free upon request. BTW your pen cancels aren't that controverial, it is just that some collectors don't like them. Everyone has their own preferences. I would be pleased with both of those in my collection

Thanks StamperDude -- the "controversial" remark was a little tongue in cheek

In the Marker Monkey discussion, I confessed that I like the old pen cancels. I know most/many collectors see them as lesser valued, but that works OK for me. I sometimes get a good deal.

Thanks for posting this. It might be worth my while to pick this book up. There's still so much I don't know about stamps, and how to organize a collection, and this might be helpful.

Two "things"

I have often thought of a collection based on design type, similar to a type set of US coins. It certainly would simplify and reduce the cost considerably. After all, we, or perhaps just I, am somewhat of a slave to the Scott catalog. If it has a Scott number----well you get the picture. Plus the printed albums adhere pretty closely to the Scott numbering system, and an empty space is an ugly thing. It must be filled.

Now, to my stupidity---I have gone to the PSE website and clicked around everything in sight (or not) and can't find how to get the design booklet for free. Help.

Well, rohumpy..

You ask a good question :-) I know there WAS a link there because I went to the website to request my copy. But after reading your post, I went back to the website and I can't find it either. I also read my copy of the book and there's nothing there about additional copies.

Here's the PSE contact info. Send an email or give them a call. I think 877 is a toll free area code.

Professional Stamp Experts
P.O. Box 6170
Newport Beach, CA 92658
Email : pse@collectors.com
Phone : 877.782.6788
Fax : 949.567.1173

Speaking of literature about stamps..if you are an APS member you have access to the American Philatelic Research Library..they have a treasure trove of books you can borrow..or at least on some of them I believe you can get pages copied and sent to you !!

I got this book also. Very informative and instructional.

John:

I requested mine from a link on the PSE website, but it is gone now. I'm sure the booklet is still available (after all, it's a teaser for the album pages they wish to sell), but it's not so easy to find the request page.

Did you get your recently? If so, can you provide any additional contact information for those who would like their own copy?

Thanks, KirkS

Hi Kirk,

I got it yesterday. What I did was I sent them an email at pse@collectors.com

I requested a copy, gave them my address, and posted a link of this forum thread so they know what I was talking about. Then after 2 weeks, I got my copy.

Good Luck!!

KirkS, I used the email address to PSE, and wonder of wonders, they got the USD book back to me in less than a week. It was free, of course, but they sent it priority mail for $4.80!

Also included was a stamp quarterly, I suppose covering their activities.

So If anyone is interested, just email PSE at the address KirkS provided above.

By the way, it is quite a nice book with full color printing, especially for free.

Great rohumpy:

Glad you got a copy. And hopefully a $4.80 stamp to collect :-)

The Stamp Market Quearterly (SMQ) is their valuing publication.

It was metered. No such luck in getting stamps. I recently sent a registered letter to London, and I and the postmaster picked out $13.80 in US stamps to put on it, and then carefully hand cancelled it. I almost cried when it went into the mail. That cover was so pretty. I wanted it so bad, I thought briefly of not mailing it.

I guess you could have put a SASE inside the letter and asked the recipient to return it to you ... then you'd have two sets of the stamps :-)

How well do design numbers line up with Michel or Yvert numbers? I often shop on Delcampe and many, if not most, European sellers ID the stamps using one of these two catalogs. When clear stamp photos are shown, I can of course easily ID stamps that have no variations of a design. Other stamps with multiple variations of the same design are more difficult and at times impossible to correctly to ID.

Marty

Sorry Marty -- my limited knowledge is limited to Scott.

But I'm sure someone here will have a better answer for you.

KirkS