Catalogues...scott...stan.gibbons & Michel

I have always complained that the Scott cat. is out of line with the world. Today I decided to list my Bulgaria prewar stamps and I have a 2004 Scott 2002 Michel 1998 S.Gibbons, I will give you a few examples and I would like to hear some opinions. Scott is the newest cat so we start with Scott 1-5 used $195 Michel$780 SG $800...S.89/100 MNH $43
M.$130 SG $150..249/51 S.$160 M$410 SG $300.and the granddaddy of them all..244/50 Scott $291 M $2000 SG $1500. All converted to dollars at todays rate + or - 2%. Now I do not know how SG works today but in my days their cat. was their price list and you could buy stamps from them at that price. I am not sure of Michel or Scott. ...
Richard "G"

Stanley Gibbons catalog is the standard catalog for purist philatelists worldwide. Its price list too has the most acceptance worldwide than either Scott or Michel. In my opinion you should follow the majority trend.

i know Scott Gibbons is the standard for British area..for Eastern Europe souvineer sheets Michel covers them..Scott catalogs ignore most of them..countries like Romania issue many Europa sympathy issues and they can be expensive and hard to find....

I agree with philb; Scott covers stamps of American continent exceptionally well; where as Stanley Gibbons is more well suited for cataloging rest of the world. Regarding Michel; I had no idea, I learnt about it today . Thanks Philb.

I think you find that in Europe Michel tops Stanley Gibbons and it is very thorough when it comes to all non British Commonwealth countries. I do not know much about the Americas so I will give Scott the benefit of a doubt. But you must admit that thous differences are abnormal.
Richard "G"

Richard G they say that Scott is raising stamp values due to the weak dollar vs. the Euro..to me there doesnt seem much rhyme or reason on what dealers ask..many times they ask a price for a stamp that is nowhere near the condition that Scott requires..and let the buyer beware..just like when they miss cat a stamp..only an honest mistake....but they shouldnt make mistakes...

If Scott values are so much out of line, you'd think the rest of the world would be snapping up everything Americans are offering at 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4 of Scott. They are not, which says a lot, I believe. Namely, that Gibbons and Michel listings are generally overpriced on the international market.

You try and buy any good stamps at those prices and I think you will be disappointed.
Richard "G"

Any price given in catalogs are meant as price guides and helps collectors to gauge the stamp's approximate worth. IMO any stamps should be worth the amount you are willing to part with to own that. The prices given in catalogs should not be taken as their standard retail price but rather as a guide.

OK here's one for all you smart guys.

What if you're not worried about value just cataloguing your stamp. I have a 2007 vol 6 and I found it quite easy to use when I was sorting through my collection from Togo.

I have to start looking for other volumes to sort through the other countries I have.

Am I best to stick with Scott.

Dianne

I may sound too partial to SG catalogs but I never had any problems cataloging my stamps using SG catalogs. However if you already own Scott catalogs and not experiencing any difficulties then stick to it.

Dianne - it is my impression/experience that if you are dealing with purists in a particular area, they tend to use Michel or SG catalogs as they are often more detailed and inclusive. It also seems to me that North Americans, Australians and many others use/prefer Scotts. IMHO, if you're trading in American dollars Scotts is the most widely used source. Just look at the thousands of listings on ebay, etc. The overwhelming majority seem to use Scotts or Scotts plus on of the others.

Thanks Greg and Kidromeo

I do like the scott's catalogue that I have.

I find it very easy to use and I like the fact that there are lots of images. I think I'll stick to them and try to find some good deals on the volumes that I need. I paid only $11.00 for the vol 6.

Dianne

Dianne
Try Amazon. I have seen some of them listed used for as little as $5 if you are willing to settle for a year or two old.

Richard

Thanks Ziggy

I'll try that

Dianne

I agree, and some things do sell for full Scott or higher. But the Gibbons and Michel prices appear to be high across the board, including those items selling in America at 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4 Scott.

So the argument remains that Gibbons and Michel overprice if the stamps they list are easily available on the international market for a fraction of the (already) much lower Scott prices.