2010 Scott Catalogue

buy a subscription to linns magazine and get discount pricing of about $20 off each volume. I usually wait and by used books from the previously issued year.

My public library has the 2010 Scott catalogs available, so it is not necessary to update my catalog. My last full set of print catalogs is 2005 and last full set of software catalogs is 2007.

I love the Scott catalogs on CD. But since they registration-protected it in 2008, I quit buying them. I hope Amos is happy to lose me as a customer. My last software edition is 2007, which is also the last year you can directly print out the pages. I don't have their sales figures, but I'm guessing their sales have plummeted since then. Most of the dealers I know don't even carry the software versions. Here's the interesting thing -- pirated copies of older editions do brisk sales and generate quite a bit of revenue at various sites, and that's for OLDER editions! If Amos would get rid of the copy-protection and sell the DVDs for $25 each, they could effectively wipe out the competing pirate software market and probably increase their sales by 10-fold (my very rough estimate). And for the record, I do not purchase nor produce pirated Scott software. Some of the pirated software are quite good copies, but you can always tell (one was sold to me as new and genuine, but I proved to them otherwise; shrink-wrapped doesn't mean anything).

I do purchase a print set every few years. Scott doesn't update every country every year, yet they still expect me to purchase a new catalog every year? Some country listings lay dormant for nearly 5 years. Many countries may have new issues listed, but the fact is the pricing for earlier years is NOT necessarily updated. Sometimes when you see price increases, it's simply because Scott hasn't updated that country in several years, not necessarily because it is now a "hot" area. The whole catalog doesn't really "turn over" until 3-5 years have passed by, and by then you run into the same problem that some countries haven't been updated in 3-5 years! I am not overly found of the tactic of strategically updating selected countries across several volumes, so as to get you to buy the entire set. I understand it as a shrewd business tactic, but it doesn't gain Amos any admiration. That's just my opinion.

IMHO, the prices of stamps aren't changing anywhere near fast enough to warrant buying a new US Specalized until three or four years have passed - especially since I don't collect anything after about 1992 or so anyway.

I would basically agree with laswabbie. There are only a handful of issues that have significant movement in the US Specialized, and most of us don't own those stamps. My last US Specialized was 2008. Every other year is more than enough. The money you save not buying it one year is better invested in a subscription to a philatelic magazine, such as Linn's.

For WW collectors, here is an unsolicited suggestion: Scott Classic catalog is an excellent resource, covering ALL countries from 1840-1940 in one volume. It's a bit pricey, but they list many variations not included in the 6-vol world-wide set. If you can get an older edition Scott Classic for under $25 (even if it is 3-5 years old), I consider it a good deal. Plus, the Scott Classic has been in color since at least 2004.

So far, from what I have seen of the 2010 set, it seems to be pretty decent this time, with some pretty good updates. So if you get one, I don't think you will be disappointed at all. The 2009 may have had more price changes, but the 2010 updates several countries that have lay fallow for too long. If you already have a 2009 set, there probably haven't been enough changes to warrant getting another set unless you are a full-time dealer.

If you are buying used catalogs, avoid the 2006 worldwide set -- that is the year they first introduced color, and they also introduced a LOT of listing and layout errors in the process. And the paper was way too glossy. For the same reasons, avoid the 2005 US Specialized (also first year color for US Specialized).

Just my thoughts...
k

As noted by khj, public libraries are generally awesome (at least, the Seattle Public Library system is). I can't fathom spending 80 * 6 = $480 a year on worldwide catalogs when I could buy stamps with that money (heck, or not spend that money at all :) . Perhaps I have the wrong attitude for driving today's spend, spend, spend economy...

Clark

I think dealers are the only ones who "must" buy a new catalogue each and every year... But for a collector like me it simply doesn't make sense; the changes in catalogue are very small (though every catalogue publisher could do a lot of enhancements to make collectors much happier).

Money saved is better put into stamps :)

No, Clark, I think you hit it right on the nose.

If Amos continues it's present business strategy with Scott, they will have to continue to increase prices significantly in order to compensate for the decreased demand and decreased willingness to fork over such a large wad of money.

Scott needs to adjust it's strategy with the times. They were already years late in introducing color catalogs. I have some specialized catalogs by other publishers that have been in color since the 1980s!!

Software/internet cannot be a side operation for Scott if they want to survive the next decade. I loved the Scott catalogs on CD. Then they messed it all up. Instead of promoting software/internet, they have backtracked and made it more difficult. Ironically, the other part of Amos, Linn's Stamp News, was pretty much forced to the online market. Initially, it was lousy, but they've done commendable improvements (although much more could be done). Most importantly, they produced a usable product that is very very affordable. For example, the online subscription to Linn's (including Scott Stamp Monthly and other publications) is only $10 (last time I checked). The print version of those 2 magazines used to cost me almost $60 per year! And remember, that $60 made almost no direct contribution to profits for Scott, because of the printing/mailing costs. Print magazine publishers rely mostly on advertising revenue for profits, not subscription payments.

If Amos could make the same transformation for the Scott catalogs...

I am currently using the 2008 copy from the public library, but I will be buying a 2010 copy soon. I am one of those people who uses sticky markers and post-it notes.

I have a mish mash of catalogues that work for me right know. I will mybee invest in a more recent copies sometimes in the future.

Dianne

There's a real likelihood that Scott will redivide the 6 volume WW into 7 volumes in 2011, or at the least 2012. It's about overdue for an additional volume, and the current volume 4 is about to explode. Although adding a volume will not reduce the overall cost of the entire set, it might hold/reduce the cost of individual volumes.

Hi, I purchased someones 2008 A to Z catalogs for 175 dollars when the 2009's came out...did I pay too much ? when I think that I will get two full years out of them...i think its ok...before that I was working with a set of 2003 catalogs and you can imagine that prices went up from 2003 to 2008 !! I thought I was doing better purchasing the complete set at once..but now I am not so sure..when I looked at prices for individual 2008 catalogs on ebay and can afford to be patient I could probably have done a little better..there is still the shipping...if I purchase a new Scotts catalog it would be the G to I..that has most of the countries I catalog....Germany, Guatemala, Great Britain,Ireland, Italy etc !

I only collect a few countries, US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, and DDR so it doesn't make sense for me to purchase the catalog. I pick up a used set every few years. It works well for me.

Dan

No, that's within the typical range of previous year catalog prices, typically $150-$200 for a set in excellent condition (unmarked). Sometimes if you are good buddies with a dealer, you can get them even cheaper. 2-year old catalog sets, $100-$150.

Yes, shipping is expensive. You save shipping costs when you buy them at shows/stores, but then you have to deal with sales tax. However, most dealers I know, the posted price for the older catalog sets is tax included.

The Scott volume 3 catalog is a good buy, even when purchased new. In the past 5 years, if you are a seller, the price changes for GB, HK, Ireland, and Italy have more than compensated for the catalog costs. And Scott finally did some updates on modern Germany. The updates to the India states still leaves a lot to be desired. That's why most of my India remains unsorted/uncataloged.

A reminder for everybody: in general, avoid the 2006 Scott WW catalogs and the 2005 Scott US Specialized. Those were the first years of the color catalogs and there are numerous mistakes/omissions. It really drove me crazy while using them.

Hmmmm, I am still pricing with the 2003 cats.No wonder selling has been easy lately.

I just can not bring myself to buy the new set yet. Now I did say yet and Christmas is right around the corner. So I have no problem if it so happens the wife has been getting hints for the last month. Really, I have no problem say she was to pick up a set for me.

I vote no
Like most here ,I buy used catalogues every two to three years.
David