My Quixotic New Project Over At Wikipedia - The World Stamp Catalog Wikibook

Being 'right' or 'wrong' has little to do with bringing legal action; bringing legal action is all about having deep pockets. So if someone wants to post Scott numbers without permission, they should be prepared with a legal budget.
The good news is that Amos might not currently be in great financial health, this might deter them from being too aggressive. Of course if the Wiki site is in the middle of the mix, they may react on a simple threatening legal notice.
I would be mostly concerned mostly with investing a lot of time into anything that was outside my control; it would stink to invest hundreds of hours into something only to have it pulled by the hosting site.
FYI, I have a written contract with Amos to use the Scott numbers. They were responsive and quite generous as long as the site was non-commercial, posted their legal ownership, and added a single reciprocal link.
Don

Hi

I created some Colonmbia documents where I used images from the StampWorld site. I have permission from them to use the images as long as they get credit. Therefore, each image from them is so designated and there is a link to the StampWorld site. All in accordance with their wishes.

In general, most publishers of philatelic material will be accommodating as long as it is not for commercial use. However, ask don't assume you will get permission.

Jerry B

In the end, if dealers do not use the numbering system, then will not be a broad success. The other aspect is dependability. Scott numbers have been in existence for many years in part because there is a financial reason to do so. We have seen many numbering systems come and go (Minkus and plenty since the internet became pervasive) and people are not going to adopt a new one without a track record and a good financial reason. There is not a good reason at the moment.

The fact that most of the collectors collect by catalogue (what Scott defines as collectible) is one aspect.

I actually would rather see specialists do something to supplement Scott/ASG and not replace it. My view is they can assign the major numbers but let collectors/specialists supplement the minor numbers. I am not saying Scott will not assign minor but there has to be more of a reason for a new numbering than just not let Scott do it.

Jerry,

I find this hilarious. At one time, a huge portion of the photos in StampWorld's Germany section were lifted without my permission from my site. Thousands of images. I contacted them, but they didn't pull them down. Some have been replaced over the years, but a couple hundred still remain.

See here and here, for example.

Catalogue numbers are not a pain in the ass, they are completely irrelevant! Any data base needs the definition of several fields; the catalogue number is NEVER a necessary field name...

Your list of friends with their names, adresses, hobbies etc... never includes a "catalogue number" for friend "James" or "Mary Lou"!

The same goes for stamps! Date of issue or year of issue is a likely field, so is the face value! Add type of perforation, perforation gauges, printing colours, type of paper, etc ... and ALL our stamps will have an unique description!

Catalog number expedites communication. If you say (Scott US implied) 1053 I now you mean the $5 Hamilton stamp. It is shorthand.

For some issues that have many many varieties, it would take a lot of words to describe stamp.

Catalog numbering systems I feel are integral to collecting. I've never seen anyone telling someone I have a plate block of a "US issue, black with a $5 face value showing Hamilton" but saying #1053 instead.

It might be similar to describing the last country I visited as "A rather large island that speaks mostly English, drives on the left side of the road and has an infamous clock in its main city called Big Gen.....rather than saying "Great Britain."

Just thinkin outside that proverbial box again...

Here's a Wiki !

http://www.stampsoftheworld.co.uk/w...of_the_World

Big Gen? And what did she do that was infamous?

Wow; I'm a Wikipedia fan and never knew this project existed; thanks! I also use virtualstamps.com to view images.