2003 Stanley Gibbons Catalog For 1.71 - Please Help!

Okay, I had a message there but apparently it got eaten! Is this for real? It just seems so cheap! Also, which countries would be included in this book? I know that newer version come in three volumes so how can this all be in one book? Thanks!

I see not reason to suspect it's not "real" as long as you realize it's ten years old. It's a library "discard" and the seller probably picked it up for free or in an inexpensive lot.

I've seen Scott Catalogs offered here on SCF for free - if the recipient would only pay shipping. Usually, they go unclaimed.

KirkS

It was designed to be one volume; note that it ONLY goes to 1952. It contains GB and all the pre-QEII British Commonwealth.

I noticed the shipping is only $4.58 from UK to US, which is actually a surprisingly low amount -- so either the seller is subsidizing, or entered the shipping wrong. It would certainly cost more than that to ship it even within the US.

P.S. --
I read the fine print -- yes, it is ex-library (as KirkS noted); also, they say they will charge extra for books weighing more then a 1kg (which, of course, it definitely does).

Still a good value if really $6, considering the cost of a new book and the fact that used SG volumes are not that common in the US. But if they add the real shipping charge, it will very likely exceed $10, which would push it out of the "good deal" range.


For $6+, it's really not a bad deal for a beginning pre-QEII BC collector. Plus, it's hardback, so it should be more sturdy. If I didn't already have a 2007, I'd probably get it if you weren't interested.

I suppose it would be fine to use old catalogues to help identify issues or variations. However, they should NOT be used to determine value, rarity, etc. Also be aware that there may be variations of a stamp which were not found until after the issue date of the catalogue. Of course, there are collectors of philatelic material!

Thanks for the info! I may actually skip it now as my stamps go all the way up to 1977 and I don't want a second set of books! I can't believe that somebody wouldn't pay shipping for a SG set! I see one for sale on here for $49 for the full set. That's a pretty sweet deal but I unfortunately don't have the cash for it. Looking for "wine" books on a "beer" budget I guess, lol!

Oh phooey - since I only have 15 posts, I wouldn't be able to buy that set on here anyway! :(

Since it is not legal to ship the catalogs by Media Mail, the shipping via USPS can be expensive.

Don't worry, lindseyr702. You'll get to 50 posts in no time at all. You are already 30% of the way there!

Hi lindseyr702,

You mention "a full set". That's not a straightforward concept when it comes to SG catalogues!

I guess if talking about SG, it probably means their simplified "Stamps of the World" catalogue but you should be aware that this lists face-different stamps only and ignores differences in watermark, perf, shade etc.

For many years SG published its standard catalogue as 3 volumes: British Empire/Commonwealth, Europe & Colonies, Overseas. The first of these was known as "Part 1" and the catalogue above is the latest version of this although in this edition it was limited to issues up to 1952. It is is still published but now lists stamps up to 1970. To get SG's up-to-date detailed listings of Commonwealth stamps after 1970 you have to turn to their Commmonwealth country catalogues where they have split the Commonwealth into many separate volumes, e.g. Eastern Pacific, Western Pacific, Central & South Africa etc. This can get very expensive if you want all of them.

The old Parts 2 & 3 were reorganised many years ago into a new range of foreign catalogues, Parts 2 to 22, and these give detailed lists for groups of non-Commonwealth countries. They are not published every year and the three African volumes haven't been published since the 1980s.

SG publishes many other catalogues as well, in particular their set of specialised GB catalogues.

Check with the library - I got a set of Scott catalogs from my local library once. They used to replace the Scotts every couple of years and put the old sets in their annual book sale.

Older version of SG catalogues regularly turn up in the likes of Amazon UK with prices as low as ONE penny and with postage at £2.80. I go for some of these to give to a stamp club and have many part sets so far... just completed a 2003 Stamps of the World 4 volumes, which were bought over a period, at a cost of under one pound for the catalogues but with each volume costing £2.80 postage. Other specialised versions are available too...

Thank you all SO much for the info! :) @nigelc - the "full set" was British Commonwealth (I believe!)

@peterc - I actually did contact my library and funny enough - they are in the process of updating their reference books right now. Their current set of Scott cats are 2006!! The librarian said she would check with the director and if they were replacing them, she would give me a call and I could buy them. That would be most excellent!

Question for you ALL! Are the SG a LOT better than the Scott for identifying GB stamps? I was looking at a seller on ebay that cuts up the Scott's into separate countries and sells them pretty reasonably. I could get all of the countries I need shipped to me for about $95!

Thanks, Nigel! I didn't know that. Guess my 2007 edition pre-dates that change. And they were able to get 1840-1970 all in one volume!?

Now that I think about it, Scott used to have US+UN+BC all in one volume as well -- before they reorganized the WW standard catalog set into the current format of US+UN and then rest of world in alphabetic order.

Does anybody know which year SG made the change from 1952 to 1970?

Lindseyr702, I sort of assumed you were in the US and my reply below is still based on that assumption.

The SG catalogs will be much more thorough than Scott for Great Britain.

In the US, you will find Scott is predominantly used, although the GB specialized dealers will be more than familiar with the SG catalog numbers.

If you are a beginning to intermediate collector, you will find Scott more than sufficient. It is usually during the intermediate stage that a collector starts realizing the need for more detailed information and listings of minor varieties. Before then, it is often information overload. However, if you start off with SG, you will find the transition easier. But again, keep in mind many dealers in the US use Scott catalog numbers, and are often SG-illiterate.

I personally still use Scott, but then reference the SG for more details when needed. SG actually has several catalogs covering GB, that vary in detail. If you want to get SG catalog first, it would be worth the effort to learn how the SG catalog volumes are arranged/separated -- it tends to be a lot more complicated than the Scott catalog offerings.

Hi k,

The first "Part 1" to reinstate the 1953-1970 issues was the 2008 edition.

I still use a 1990 Part 1 which has no 1952 cut-off.