Unitrade Canada 2017 Current Catalogue Status

The following part of a larger message was emailed to me by Don Wainwright about the Unitrade Canada 2017 current catalogue status:

Please note that this is also probably the LAST Edition that will be printed in the current format! The book has now reached the MAXIMUM number of pages that will fit in spiral-bound. A decision will have to be made over the next year as to the new format which could be printing the book in 2 volumes or removing some sections. A final decision has not yet been made.

My hope would be for two volumes. Too much valuable info to start cutting stuff out.

Two volumes might also allow for more information to be added to them.

I do not collect Canada but do like the presentation in Unitrade over Scott. Scott puts data like perforations and other production details BEFORE the listing so the entry can get lost.

Thankyou for sharing that information Jogil.

I would like to see a two volume format too.

My choice would be:

Volume 1: 1851 - 1967 (up to Canada's centennial year)
Volume 2: 1968 - Present.

Volume 1 cut off at the Elizabethan era (1953) would also be acceptable.

Volume 2 would be split again as new issues warrant it. Volume 1 would always remain the same size.

If they have to sell both volumes together as a pair, they could probably shrink wrap them together as a set of two. This would also probably mean that the catalogue would be divided somewhere at the half way page point at some year that corresponds with this and could be changed as the half way point changes over time due to new pages of new issues being added every year.

I also do not want to see any current information lost, so two volumes is fine with me.

I vote for BeeSee's idea.

I agree with Bee See and his suggestion of volume 1 being from 1851 to the end of all the 1967 Centennial stamp series.

Agreed - appropriate split after the Centennials.

Personally I do not need much more varieties - rather more detailed information on what is already included in the catalog, for easier and more precise identification. And I think complete color charts - corresponding to the listed (and often troublesome) shade-varieties for the LQ, SQ, KE7 and Admirals series would be highly appreciated by a few frustrated collectors....

There is only one problem splitting into two volumes of pre 1967 and post 1967...Remember that there are a lot of older collectors out there and talking to some of them at the local stamp club I go to, about half of them tell me they are only interested in pre1940 stamps..That leaves a lot of collectors not buying volume 2 (post 1967),,Some thing to consider.

Unitrade will have to be careful what type of format they choose.

Robert

Even if it is split into two volumes, they will probably be selling them both together as a set in a shrink wrapped format which helps to avoid any potential imbalance that may exist with one volume being more popular than the other. If dealers or anyone else want to break them down and take them out of the shrink wrap to sell the volumes individually or separately that is at their own risk and choice but the publisher may probably only sell them as a paired set of two volumes only.

Maybe dangle the carrot in Volume 2 of the Back of the Book and province issues (Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, etc). Classic collectors would then have to buy both.

Now I know which guys to blame when I see the price of the new Unitrade.

While expanding to add more details for the specialized collectors is great there is also a number of more general collectors who might not need or want to be buying, shipping, and shelving additional volumes.

But I am curious to know, is there just that many more varieties of Canadian stamps than US Stamps? Scott manages to contain its US Specialized catalog to one volume...
Don

Probably BOB would probably still be at the back of the catalogue in volume 2 (last one) since otherwise it would have to be split up between the two volumes breaking up their numbering flow. It is good that at least some collector input on this is presented here even if the publisher does or does not agree with what is being posted here.

True.

Robert