What Are The Most Popular Catalogs & Photos?

Hi Everyone,
I have a complete set of Scott Catalogs, 2008. But that is all I know. I have never seen a Michel or Stanley catalog, so I have nothing to compare with.

I was wondering what everyone thought about which brand you like better and why?

Also, if it's okay or legal, can you scan a page of each like a scan of a page from the same country, from different catalogs so I can see what they look like?

I have a devil of a time looking stuff up in the Scott catalogs and was wondering if any others have more photos or better descriptions etc? I am into foreign world wide.

thank you very much,
SueStamps

It all depends on what country you collect. If you collect Great Britain then SG GB Concise would be the choice, if Australia then ACSC, Germany then Michel, China..Chang..etc. So basically it all comes down to what you want to specialize in, if you want to topical collect, then Scott's will suit you fine.

Wow, that's very interesting.
I guess I will have to buy them all.

Are they all in color?
Is there one that migh have all countries, in color that you could suggest?

I bought my set of Scott on ebay, so if I have some brand names, I will look them up.

thank you!
SueStamps

Actually I have the full set of Scott's and it gets me by just fine and I have a fair amount of Worldwide. SG Great Britain Concise is B&W, and I'm not sure if you can get Michel in English, maybe someone that owns one can confirm. SG Stamps of the World I believe is in color and a popular choice.

http://www.stanleygibbons.com/stanl...848/SG492842

Not sure what you collect Sue, but if you are into Canadians (the stamps, ahem) I would heartily suggest investing in a Unitrade. Images in colour, lots of details about varieties, and info about who designed the stamps.

I just love handling Michel Catalogues,
informative, just a beautiful size, great paper,
unbiased, they list just about everything.

They are a pleasure to handle.
Now I need to just get a copy / copies in English.

You can easily spend more on catalogs than on stamps ... it is almost impossible to acquire everything on the market in catalogs and, as mentioned in an earlier post, depending on what countries you specialize in dictates the preferred catalog(s) you may need.

For most US collectors, a set of Scott catalogs is adequate; you can add a Unitrade catalog if you collect Canadian material (I believe the price is $42.95 Cdn, plus shipping), as that is a relatively inexpensive addition.

The SG and Michel catalogs (the latter does not come in English, as I understand it) can get very expensive and unless your specialties require it, you can usually get the information you need from other sources. As each catalog has a unique numbering system and a different way of valuing the items contained therein, it can become very confusing.

IMHO, I'd go easy on the catalogs, since they get updated every year and it's almost impossible to keep up with the latest edition of every one out there. I'd apply my resources to stamps and albums to keep the stamps in; you'll be better off in the long run. That's only one opinion, of course.

[Edit]: If you want to see an example of the Michel catalog and a sample page, check out this Wiki link. Also note that the description concludes by indicating that some material (but not all) is now available in English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_catalog

I've got most of major four worldwide catalog series (Scott, Michel, SG and Yvert) on my shelf, and personally I prefer working with Michel.

Michel usually has better illustrations than alternatives - especially on general level, but also with details. It's also usually much more detailed with tidbits (such as print runs, perforations,watermarks etc). And above all, the information is presented in a way that is easy to browse/read (better layout than Scott or SG IMHO). The language barrier is IMHO not as big obstacle as many think (Michel provides very handy translation tables for non-German users), and a growing number of Michel catalogs is available in English these days. Here's a sample page (from one of the Michel Asia 2010 catalogs) I'm working right now:


As for SG ... It's not bad choice either if using the specialized volumes. Especially for UK and commonwealth it is more detailed than any other alternative. However their "Stamps of the world/SOTW" is pretty similar to Scott (meaning it's heavily simplified). Below is a sample page of Ireland from SG specialzied Commonwealth catalog issued few years back:


Scott specialized volumes are IMHO pretty decent, but the 6-volume world catalog is way too simplified if You've ever tasted Michel or SG specialized catalogs.

As for Yvert... It's pretty similar to Scott. Their specialized French catalog is superb, but worldwide catalogs are somewhat simplified (better than Scott or SG SOTW however).

But these are just my opinions...

The Scott 6 volume is my old stand-by.
I have Stanley Gibbons and Michel catalogs for those countries I am particularly interested in (Great Britain, Australia, Germany).
I also intend to pick up the Unitrade catalog (I keep saying that and not doing that) and a specialized catalog for France (Yvert or Maury).

You may want to consider what was mentioned in this previous thread about valuations used in the various catalogs:

https://goscf.com/t/19170

Hi Sue

I too use Scotts and only 2 weeks ago I was lucky to get a used set of the 2009 Scott at our local club meeting. Now I can part with my old set of 2004 lol.

Scott for me is a good catalogue but does lack listing varieties for a lot of countries and this is why I prefer to buy foreign catalogues just so that I can get a larger perspective to what is available.

I have a SG Concise catalogue for GB for 2003, Michel 2000 Specialized, a Bolaffi catalogue for Italy 2000 plus about 9 or 10 more foreign catalogues. I find them useful for varieties that rae not listed in Scotts per se.

I still have my Scotts Specialized Catalogue of 2004 for US and I find that one to be quite useful.

For Canada, I use the Unitrade Catalogue only.

Hope this helps

Chimo

Bujutsu

I forgot to mention in my last post that it is interesting that member scb scanned a page from the SG catalogue for Ireland. I mention this because I have a copy of the "Hibernian Catalogue - 2003 edition, which is the specialized one for Ireland. That catalogue also lists a lot of varieties that will not be found in the Scotts Catalogue.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Hi Bayern

I have heard of the Fischer catalogue before but have never seen a copy of it. Unfortunately, I gave up collecting Poland some years ago in order to concentrate more on what I want to specialize in.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Oh boy, I am still not sure which catalogues to buy. I think my problem is, I have never decided to choose specific country or a particular area of stamps to collect.

I read everyone's replies and the old thread as well. So many to choose from. Does each brand have many volumes like the Scott? If so, I just might start with one volume and each month, buy a different company's catalog volume.

I do know, I want the catalog to be in color. Are there some that are only black and white?

Thank you,
SueStamps

If they are of any use, and for the cost of the postage only, I would be happy to send you a 2004 SG Great Britain Concise catalogue and a 2009 SG Eire [Ireland] Catalogue.

Just say the word.

Londonbus1

Hi Londonbus1,
You are so kind! Yes please. That would be GREAT!
I will send you an email right now. If you don't receive it within 5 minutes of this thread. Please let me know.
Thanks again!!
Sue