Trucial States...anybody Collect Them?

Not that I'm going to jump right in or anything. My father was way into them and amassed a pretty serious amount of them. I do have an old catalog listing them using the Minkus System, which is now pretty much defunct. I have seen them at auction but still I wonder where the "traditional" collector is with them.

I collect only issues recognized in Scott for Umm al Qiwain, plus any postal history from Umm al Qiwain.

If you have your father's collection, you may find it useful to invest in a Michel catalogue. The lack of respect from Scott makes it hard to attract an audience in the U.S., but collectors are out there.

I really, really try to stick to the classic era, not always successfully, so these are outside my era, strictly speaking.

Where can I get a good Trucial States catalogue? Which volume of Michel is good?

It's really hard getting Mint Trucial States stamps.

Show us some pages of your dad's collection! :)

I collect them as part of my worldwide effort. And I've written quite many articles about them too on by blog. Lots of fun IMHO :)




As far as print catalogs go, Michel Middle East (in English) or Michel Naher Osten (same in German) is the volume you want. It's far from perfect, but way better than nothing provided by Scott or SG. For what I've read, there's been some major editorial improvements in 2013 edition.

Additionally, I know there's "Trucial States Catalogue on a CD" by Ralph Phillips. He retails it on ebay frequently for $50. I don't have it (as Michel provides all I need), but I've heard some positive reviews of it.

I haven't seen the Philips Trucial States catalogue but I have 3 of his catalogues and am in the process of ordering two others. They are very good.
We met last week at the Mutinational Stamp Exhibition in Tel Aviv where he gave me his latest list. He has been very busy and is a great researcher.

Here we are having a beer !



Londonbus1

What catalogues has Ralph Phillips written? Sounds like a prolific researcher!

He is apparently also an expert on GB, Canada and US locals. That is a very challenging field.

When did Trucial States postage stop? When they formed UAE?

The first UAE stamps are overprinted Abu Dhabi stamps - 1972, but I don't know the exact date of issue.

Actually Michel puts these under Abu Dhabi, as the overprints were available only in Abu Dhabi with exception of two values (10 and 25F), that were available in Sharjah and Dubai too (though on later date).

The first new designs for UAE were released Jan 1st 1973.

The pictured 1976 Catalog is very fragile in b&w has small pictures and text, it also uses the Minkus numbering system. A post by rod222 pointed me to the "Michel Gulf States Catalogue 2006" which I ordered immediately.

Wow, are those boxes filled with mint Trucial states' stuff?

It is a funny thing with the Trucial States stamps: they are not that rare to have very high value, but in the same time they are unusual enough to give headaches :)
As the UAE took a while to reach the present form some of the states had their own stamps still being issued by the time of the official creation of the Union.

I was offered the blue Minkus Trucials catalogue shown on the photo above by flyinlo for $30 plus tax. I think it's a bit too expensive. What do you think?

I just bought Ralph Phillip's Trucial States CD, I hope it is complete enough with all the research done. Planning to print all the 900 pages out.

I don't think that the blue catalogue was printed by Minkus.

Many thanks to Ralph Phillip for his work. I know also that there is another researcher from Germany - a very keen philatelist of Trucial States & Yemen - who working on special stamp catalogues of Emirates. He already done Abu Dhabi (volume 1 - 2005), Dubai (volume 4 - 2006), & Ras al Khaimah (volume 6 - 2008) catalogues.