Accuracy And Completeness Of Scott Books?

Hi folks!

I am new to this forum having decided to finally go through a collection I inherited. One of the books I am going through is a 1941 Edition of the International Postage Stamp Album, Junior Edition(!) fully illustrated.

8'x11' (MOL) and about 3 inches thick chock full of stuff.

Anyone here seen one of these beasts?

I am using the Scott books (2008 ed.) from my library and my neck is sore from straining at using perf rulers, magnifiers, tongs and color sheets to ID, number and place a value on what is apparently thousands of stamps in there, mostly all hinged with occasional unhinged stamps floating around loose.

So far I've found quite a few stamps not in the Scott books. Another problem is that back in 1941 many countries had different names (so I am getting history lessons, too!) and it becomes another adventure entirely just locating the country in the Scott books.

With all that in mind, should I stick with them or are there different sources I should use?

Looking forward to your input.

I use a 2008 Scott Set. For general identification, it works just find. Got a poser that you need help with? Post a picture here and the experts here are most happy to help.

Welcome Vilmar, you did not mention if you were interested in the stamps or looking to sell the book...if you enjoy doing the work that we all do..thats great..but if you are looking to sell the book..save yourself the pain of cataloging every stamp..most of which will be the minimum value..and just describe the book and put it for sale on the internet..the market will determine the value !

PhilB: at this point I am not interested in selling it. You're right. Most of them are worth almost nothing. But I have found a couple of gems. At this point I am glad most of them are prior to 1940. Makes it easier to find them in the book. The book is far from full which compounds the "sell it" or "keep it" dilemma.

Smauggie, my next step will be to post images of the ones I am having problems with.

Thanks, guys!

I envision myself having no life over the next few months other than that of my nose in catalogs and this forum! :-)

Welcome to the club

Vilmar, in 99 cases out of a hundred, the Scott will be fine, because the stamps will be of minimal value anyway.

Then there's the one-in-a-hundred, like this:



pair from Jind, in India. The stamp on the left is worth maybe a dollar or so on a good day; the stamp on the right you won't find listed separately in Scott, but if I was selling (and I'm not ), would fetch $400 - on an average day.

It all depends how hard you want to work to find the value. Identifying items like the one above will require a lot more work, and more up-to-date and extensive references than a 2008 Scott.

Your call!

Vilmar, Welcome. Scott catalogs are kind of generic. Their U.S. Specialized is superb for U.S.

aaaaah, a little slice of heaven on earth...


If your local library has a Scott Classic 1840-1940 catalogue, it is even quicker to look up the earlies, because they are all collected in one volume.

In addition to the Scott Classics Catalog, I find the easiest ID guide is a Scott catalog contemporaneous with the album because it will most closely match up with what you see on the album page. However, finding a catalog from the early 40s in a library I would guess to be difficult although they do come up fairly often on ebay, etc.

Here is a list of some of the name changes. Hopefully it will save you a little time. You've already discovered, no doubt, that in the pre-1970 Internationals some of the countries were out of strict alphabetical sequence. I've noted the locations in some cases but Scott was always tinkering with these albums, so your mileage may vary.

NAME OF COUNTRY IN 2007 SCOTT CLASSIC ==> NAME OF COUNTRY IN THE SCOTT 1943/7 INTERNATIONAL
Austria Lombardy-Venetia ==> Lombardy-Venetia
Belarus [not in Classic Catalog] ==> White Russia
Belgian Congo ==> Congo
China--Offices in Tibet ==> China Offices Abroad (1911)
China--Provinces--Manchuria ==> China Offices Abroad (1929)
China--Provinces--Sinkiang ==> China Offices Abroad (1915-20, 1929)
China--Provinces--Yunnan ==> China Offices Abroad (1925)
China--Shanghai ==> Shanghai
East Africa and Uganda Protectorates ==> East Africa and Uganda (after Cuba)
Ethiopia ==> Abyssinia
French Morocco ==> France--Offices in Morocco (after Offices in Zanzibar)
German States--Baden ==> Baden
German States--Bavaria ==> Bavaria (before Batum)
German States--Bergedorf ==> Bergedorf (on same page as Baden)
German States--Bremen ==> Bremen (on same page as Baden)
German States--Brunswick ==> Brunswick (on same page as Baden)
German States--Hamburg ==> Hamburg
German States--Hanover ==> Hanover (on same page as Hamburg)
German States--Lubeck ==> Lubeck
German States--Mecklenburg-Schwerin ==> Mecklenburg Schwerin (after Memel)
German States--Mecklenburg-Strelitz ==> Mecklenburg Strelitz (before Mexico)
German States--Oldenburg ==> Oldenburg (after Oltre Giuba)
German States--Prussia ==> Prussia (before Penrhyn Island)
German States--Saxony ==> Saxony
German States--Schleswig-Holstein ==> Schleswig (before Saxony)
German States--Thurn and Taxis--North German Confederation ==> Germany--Postal Service of Princes of Thurn and Taxis--North German Postal District
German States--Thurn and Taxis--Northern District ==> Germany--Postal Service of Princes of Thurn and Taxis--Northern States
German States--Thurn and Taxis--Southern District ==> Germany--Postal Service of Princes of Thurn and Taxis--Southern States
German States--Thurn and Taxis--Wurttemberg ==> Wurttemberg
Iran ==> Persia
Ireland ==> Irish Free State (before Iraq)
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands (Dodecanese) ==> Italy--Aegean Islands
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Calchi ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Karki
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Calino ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Calino
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Caso ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Caso
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Coo ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Coo
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Lero ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Lero
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Nisiro ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Nisiro
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Patmo ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Patmos
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Piscopi ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Piscopi
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Rhodes ==> Italy--Rhodes
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Scarpanto ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Scarpanto**
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Simi ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Simi**
Italian Offices Abroad--Aegean Islands--Stampalia ==> Italy--Occupation Stamps--Stampalia**
Italian States--Modena ==> Modena (after Mexico)
Italian States--Parma ==> Parma
Italian States--Romagna ==> Romagna (before Queensland)
Italian States--Roman States ==> Roman States
Italian States--Sardinia ==> Sardinia
Italian States--Tuscany ==> Tuscany
Italian States--Two Sicilies ==> Two Sicilies
Jordan ==> Trans-Jordan
Korea ==> Corea
Malaya ==> Straits Settlements--Protected States--Federated Malay States
Malaya--Johore ==> Straits Settlements--Johore
Malaya--Kedah ==> Straits Settlements--Kedah
Malaya--Kelantan ==> Straits Settlements--Kelantan
Malaya--Negri Sembilan ==> Straits Settlements--Negri Sembilan
Malaya--Pahang ==> Straits Settlements--Pahang
Malaya--Perak ==> Straits Settlements--Perak
Malaya--Selangor ==> Straits Settlements--Selangor
Malaya--Sungei Ujong ==> Straits Settlements--Sungei Ujong
Malaya--Trengganu ==> Straits Settlements--Trengganu
Netherlands Antilles ==> Curacao
Netherlands Indies ==> Dutch Indies
Portuguese Guinea ==> Guinea
Puerto Rico ==> Porto Rico
Ruanda-Urundi ==> Belgian East Africa
Saudi Arabia ==> Hejaz
Saudi Arabia--Nejdi Administration of Hejaz ==> Nejd
Slovakia SEE ALSO Czech 255-256 ==> Czechoslovakia--Slovakia--German Protectorate
Solomon Islands ==> British Solomon Islands (after British East Africa)
South Africa ==> Union of South Africa
Spanish Morocco ==> Spain--Offices in Morocco
Spanish Morocco--Tangier ==> Spain--Offices in Morocco--…Tangier (after Spanish Guinea)
Spanish Sahara ==> Spanish Western Sahara
Thailand ==> Siam
Turkey--Military Stamps--For the Army in Thessaly ==> Turkey--Offices in Thessaly
Ubangi-Shari ==> Ubangi
Yugoslavia--Croatia-Slavonia ==> Jugoslavia--Slovenia-Carniola

BOB

Each country usually has its own specialized literature, which as Tony says, can add up quickly in price. But luckily older versions, which should do you very well mostly, will be cheaper.

Scott's is generalized and good for USA specialized.

Stanley Gibbons (from England) is generalized but, like Scott, does have some specialized catalogues. Also their catalogues are better at identifying British Empire and Commonwealth countries stamps.

Michel is for Germany.

Yvert et Tellier is for France

Unitrade is for Canada

etc, etc

Sometimes there are more than one catalogue producer for each country too. Some stamps or series or eras have specialized literature also.

The more rare a stamp (usually) the better to consider or research the possibility that you may have forgeries or imitations which are sometimes worth a lot.

. . . the main thing is to have fun doing it your way, the way that pleases you the best.

Sharing pics and stories if part of the fun too. We all like to share and help out so we can share our learning.

Oh, and cancels / postmarks, special mail markings, labels, etc are all collectible and special. Some add value, some are collected just for themselves. If the stamp is torn but has a special cancel (postal stamping indicating the stamp has seen postal duty) it is valuable to someone.

Old stamps that are in bad shape are still good to have a s space fillers, examples of colour varieties, paper, cancels, errors, oddities, etc etc.

You can collect simply and not worry about all this or as you get more knowledgeable over the years you may find yourself drawn towards or interested in some area of stamp collecting / philately (study of stamps) that you hadn't considered before.

That happens a lot to me just reading on SCF here.

Thanks to all of you who responded.

CJD: thanks for the book idea. I'll go check out the library (or ebay)
Bob (1840to1940): WOW!! That list will sure come in handy! Thanks!

Puzzler, thanks, too, for your insight. So far nothing I have seen warrants the in-depth research you mentioned but I will keep it all filed away for future reference.