Another $20 Increase In 2014 Scott Catalogs

The publishers of the Scott Catalogs are announcing a substanial price increase on their 2014 Scott Catalogs to $119.99 (retail) and $89.99 (AA price). That's a $20 price increase from the 2013 Catalogs and, I believe the 2013 price was $20 higher than the 2011 Catalogs as well.

Further, the publishers have noted:


As a US collector, nothing is compelling me to stand in line to pay those higher prices for what is essentially a flat year in terms of value changes unless, of course, there is a sale or scratch and dent products become available at hefty discounts.

https://www.amosadvantage.com/scott...category=CLG

Hi wt1,

These catalogue prices are one of the reasons I buy catalogues a year or two old. In real terms their catalogue values probably reflect more accurately the prices achievable on the market. I don't collect much beyond 1940, apart from the exceptional modern issue here and there, so I don't need the latest issue information. I have just bought a 2011 Scott Specialised US Stamps and Covers etc., catalogue in Used-very good, minimal wear condition. Price including mailing £7.50 (about $11.50.) That will do me.

Terry

i am ok until 2014..one of the wiser guys in our club only purchases the pages for the countries he needs on ebay...England, Australia for a few dollars apiece !

Im sure as the price increases the spread between collectors buying a newer set increases as well.What was every other year edition will now extend to every three years for me .My 2011 's will carry me thru 2014 .

Although the prices of Scott Catalogues are increasing, the sheer size of the catalogs continues to grow immensely.

For example, when I replaced my complete all-color 8-volume set of 2006 catalogs (6-volume worldwide, US Specialized and the 1840-1940/52 Classic) with an 8-volume set of 2011 editions, the shelf space alone increased in five years by the width of one full volume.

Size and the shelf space together are indications of just how many stamps are being issued worldwide and catalogued.

As a quick aside, the same shelf space and publication size expansion also occurred when I replaced my 2006, 4-volume Stanley Gibbons' Stamps of the World with a 2011, 6-volume set in the same year.

I plan to replace my catalogues again in 2016 and I would not be surprised if the future editions of Scott will be 7-volumes worldwide, plus the Specialized and the Classic.

Mark Alan

Hi



I also buy just the pages I need, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. I do not buy from ebay but directly from:
http://chirokmd.com/Default.aspx

Of course this does not work for the WorldWide collector.

Jerry B

Unless you're a dealer I don't really think you need up to the minute values. I'm still on 2009 and will probably stay there until I find a great deal on a used set. I got my 2009 in 2011 for $65 for the complete set including the specialized (Scotts). That's a nice site Jerry, thanks for the link.

I still use the 2007 Scott on cd. It is so convenient with the search engine. They stop issuing the catalog on cd in 2009. If I need updated values I consult the newest Scott catalogues at the public library nearby and I can borrow the previous years. I never seen anyone else consulting the current catalogues at the library. One time a lady working there told that we are only few individuals that need those cat. I think i'm lucky they still buy a new set every year. Hearing a conversation between library employees I understood that Scott catalogues are in the list of "must be bought" yearly publications, don't remember how they call that list.

i paid 200.00 for a second hand set of 6 of the 2012 catalogs..thats as high as I am willing to go...the "new" catalog prices do not mean anything to me. Some of the guys in the club use the scott classic catalog to 1940, but even they seem to roll them over every one to three years depending on how seriously they collect..the stamps do not change very much in those books..so they must just like to keep up on stamp values !

It's a catch 22. Collectors are dwindling and membership is lower every year. This means fewer collectors purchasing the catalogs so they raise the price to make up for this. Not to mention cost increases with publishing and inflation. Just look a how many stamp magazines you could find on a newsstand rack in the eighty's. Now we are down to what 2?

Perhaps Scott and all the other catalogue publishers ought to rethink the CD or DVD option, or maybe even digital publishing downloads. Annual updates to catalogues could then simply be downloaded in the same way that software upgrades are downloaded. All this might be more affordable for the customer and would save on material resources and print production, marketing and distribution costs.

Terry

I don't know, think about the research that has to be done every year..the new stamps,the market values..if it was one volume I don't think it would be a big deal..but when buying 7 its a different story !

Scott already ventured down this road and got a first hand look at how digital piracy kills sales figures.

My Scott's are 2009 and a full set except for the US Specialized. The last set I had was 2004. So, it is getting close to the time when I will have to consider another set. My US Specialized is still from the 2004 set.

Catalogues and reference books are an atrocious price anyway and, to make matters worse, postage fees to have them sent to you are almost as bad.

I can buy a lot of stamps / covers with the amounts being asked for these publications.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Hi stallzer

Years ago there was a dealer in Upstate New York who broke the Scott catalogs into sections and sold the sections. The name escapes me now but he has been deceased for years.

Fortunately I was doing part-time work for a dealer so I had access to the Scott catalogs. A few years ago Rick started selling Scott pages on ebay and I started buying from him. Rick and his wife Karen are real nice people and very pleasant to deal with.

To alleviate any doubts, this is totally legal and doesn't infringe on any copyrights. The pages sold are the original pages. How Rick splits the catalog so neatly is beyond me.

I have written Scott in the past about issuing the catalogs in geographic sections as most other publishers do. The answer has always been that most collectors purchase a full set and it would not be profitable. Maybe they will come around now and re-think the possibility.

Jerry B

Personally, I don't feel the need to buy *ANY* new catalogs since I stopped collecting in 1993 and couldn't care less what any of my stamps are worth since I will never sell them. So raise your prices all you want, Scott, I'm still not buying.