Canadian & US Tool

Is this a useful tool for Identifying U. S.& Canadian Stamps?

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movi...&searchidx=0

NO....why would you want anything from HE Harris??
What is wrong with SCOTT??

Well, Scott is a lot more expensive. I do think "serious" collectors will always eventually "invest" in a Scott catalog (or one of the equivalents for other parts of the world). But if someone were just starting out, this is not a bad catalog to start with.

But it can be had for a much better price. The price at Overstock is $19 for the 2013 Edition. The 2014 Edition is available from Amazon for $22. And one can preorder the 2015 edition (out in December) for $22. So $19 for the 2013 edition is not that good of a deal.

Used copies of the 2013 Edition in good or very good condition can be had for as little as $8:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...tamp+catalog

Basil

I think I will look for a Scott. I forgot Harris has their own numbering system. I may even look for a good deal on a 2015 or 2014 Unitrade. Mine was a gift from a member and it stops at 2005.

TinMan: I think (I'm sure) Harris uses the Scott Numbering System. If you are not an advanced collector and need some reference material less expensive than Scott then the Harris is a good buy for a current. (given that the current is short additional). The Scott Specialized US, or the Scott Volume 1 although more expensive for current, can be found less expensive at shows ( I bought a set of 2011 a couple of years ago for $25 ea.)so depending on the level of use, I'd say go for it. (JMO)

True. They really should be getting with the program by now.

It's been 40 years since I've seen one of their catalogs and don't have one laying around anymore. Don't they have pricing info in there also?


-IBFS

They don't want to pay Scott for the rights I guess. And to their detriment.

I have the 2013 Scott Specialized and the 2011 USPS Guide to U.S. Stamps. Here's the delemna I just started to collect Canadian stamps. I have a 2005 Unitrade catalog. I downloaded the Steiner pages and cannot tell what stamp goes where after 2005. I was just looking for a cheap up to date catalog to help me place stamps where they belong. The 2015 Unitrade cost about $38. The other one is half that price. As long as it has the pictures and numbers.Scott numbers. If it doesn't have the Scott numbers it won't do me much good. If it doesn't have the Scott numbers I'll just have to keep my eyes open for the best deal on a 2015 Unitrade catalog. That is why I titled this thread as a tool. I don't care about the price. I'm not selling anything that I know of.

Tinman, as far as Canadian stamps after 2005, a less expensive way might be a Brookman catalog/price guide. They do use scott numbers, but the Brookman is not as detailed as Scott, but for modern issues, I am not sure that would matter. I see a 2013 spiral bound version on ebay for about $17 including shipping.
regards, Theron.

I have an HE Harris US/BNA Catalog from several years ago. They DO use Scott numbers for identification. I like to have the catalog handy because in addition to US stamps, it does include Canada as well as UN, etc.

As far as the US listings are concerned, it's one of the few catalogs that values US stamps in full pane/sheet format.

However, you cannot use the HE Harris catalog in unison with most other catalogs as their values are listed quite high (higher than Scott) so you have to decide whether you want to list an outrageous catalog value or use a Scott catalog value. Then when you choose to figure the usual discount off of catalog values to determine true secondary market values, you wind up having to use different formulas depending on which catalog you reference.

I don't have my HE Harris catalog at hand, but I believe the stamp values are based on a condition factor that is generally lower than the VF condition used by Scott.

As stated previously, if catalog values aren't important then the HE Harris Catalog is good for basic Scott number identification, although it doesn't include images for every variety of every stamp issue and therefore more advanced collectors will want the added content of the Scott Catalog for much greater detail.

Incidentally, here's the listing for the upcoming 2015 HE Harris US/BNA Catalog at $26.95 and available for pre-order direct from the publisher, Whitman Publishing. They describe it as follows:




https://www.whitman.com/store/Inven...g+0794842526

Well, wt1 has said some of what I was going to say: I have the 2014 US/BNA edition, and it uses the Scott number. I doubt they paid anything to "license" the use. They just included a standard demurrer that says "No use may be made of these marks or of material in this publication which is preprinted from a copyrighted publication of Amos Press, Inc., without the express written permission of Amos Press, Inc., dba Scott Publishing Co., Sidney, Ohio 45365." The use of the Scott No. per se does not constitute use of anything "preprinted from a copyrighted publication..."

As for values, I don't trust Scott or Harris. But the OP was looking or something to help with identification, and in most cases Harris works just as well as Scott. But as I noted above, most serious collectors will eventually get a catalog comparable to Scott's. But for the beginner, there is nothing wrong with a Harris catalog.

you guys are not reading the posts above. I don't care about the prices or values. I only want it for ID purposes. Mainly Canadian since I have all the U.S. catalogs I need. But thanks for your thoughts though.

Guys read the posts. I have the 2005 Unitrade.The 2013 U.S. Scott Specialized
and the 2011 U.S.P.S. Guide to U.S. Stamps. I'm looking for the newest but also the cheapest way out to ID Canadian stamps.I may wind up going to the 2015 Unitrade but I was looking for a cheaper way.

Actually I might be better off like wert and some others have said.Just bite the bullet. Order the 2015 Unitrade and be done with it.That would make me good for the next three or four years.I wish someone would make a catalog like Mystc Stamp Co. does for the U.S. and they are free.I like free!