Anyone Collect Colonies?

I don't think it's been mentioned that Edifil is your go-to cat for Spain and colonies.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their comments. Very good idea to get one or more specialized catalogs. Being a generalist collector (and living in the U.S.), one tends to think that Scott catalog is the only thing you need.

I will like remain a classic WW collector, but just pick an area to focus more on for a time, then move on to another area

I just ordered an older Blanco catalog for Venezuela, so I now know what my next area is going to be.

Billsey where did you find the Blanco Venezuela catalog to buy and which year is it? I am looking for the 2008 edition

To echo shermae, in regard to another country, anyone wanting to engage in early Iran/Persia needs the several catalogs from the Persiphila society.

Climber - yes definitely agreed early Iran is a minefield of forgeries. I'm trying to get a copy of the 2015 Farahbakhsh Stamps of Iran, hoping to score one soon but so far have not had much luck.

That is one thing with specialized catalogs though....they can become a collection in their own right. But once you source a copy, so many new vistas of collecting open their doors and add a whole new dimension to your collection.

Speaking of which - the Unitrade Specialized catalog for Canada 2016 edition should be out the week of 20th November. Been waiting for the new edition (im)patiently for a couple months now

What's the best catalog for collecting French colonies?

Chris

Maury is the most comprehensive, but comes in various volumes, not all of which are available at present - indeed, none may be in print at the moment. Maury's new tie-up with Spink should provide better availability in the future. Yvert is less comprehensive, but an attractive catalogue. My old SG France and Colonies isn't much inferior to Yvert in terms of key information.

Geoff

Thanks Geoff. So Stanley Gibbons makes a specific France and Colonies catalog? Is that still in print? If so, might that be my best bet since it is in English as opposed to French (which I don't know)?

Chris

Chris

I have a nasty feeling that SG's catalogue is also out of print, until the next edition appears. Yvert is probably all you need, costs around €30 (pretty good at current exchange rates) and the French isn't too difficult!

Geoff

Looks as if SG has changed its approach, and that the new France catalogue now excludes colonies!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STANLEY-G...AOSwHnFViXOJ

Hopefully now that the Maury Catalogs have a new publisher, the colonial volumes will be released in new versions in the next year. The new publisher just released a new edition of Maury's France catalog so fingers crossed its just the first of the whole lot to get updates.

Thanks everyone for the comments. A quick look at ebay and Amazon suggest neither Maury nor Yvert are easy to come by. And seems like the colonies are spread out in several different volumes. And in several cases, shipping cost were more than the actual cost of the catalog. Any other sources (other than ebay and Amazon) anyone suggest?

Chris

Chris

I've always bought direct from Yvert. Not sure what its postage costs to the US would be:

http://www.yvert.com/p-29483-tome-2...ncaises.aspx

This volume contains all colonies up to their independence.

Geoff

I collect British and Spanish colonies and US possessions. I collect Greenland so I guess you could say I collect Danish "colonies" as well.