Are Cataloges Necessary For Beginning Stamp Collectors?

Are cataloged really required for collectors just starting or restarting a collection?

Hi spiritwolf, and welcome to the forum. Your question has to answers in my opinion:
..No. You can put a nice collection together without a catalog. I think as kids e all used to do it - in the '50s a catalog was a luxury for a young lad and too expensive.
..Yes. If you want any king of knowledge ab out what you collect you will need a catalog - een just a bare bones one.

Peter

Catalogs really help. Whether they are necessary depends on what your goals are. If just starting out and collecting world wide then probably not. If collecting a single country like the US, in lieu of a catalog, a decent Stamp album makes sense. Collecting with no album or catalog would be difficult.

Some of us have local libraries that carry the Scott catalogs. You could also consider purchasing an old catalog to start, off of ebay. I have some catalogs that are decades old that I purchased for $5, although those are specialized catalogs.

You might find online resources to help with your collecting area. Because you didn't mention a particular area, I assume you are collecting world wide. But if you are more focused you might find online resources and perhaps someone here can help with a link or two.

I would say YES, but they don't have to be right up to date. Borrow them from your public library.

For just starting out, no. For the kind of information you might be interested in when just starting out you can probably get it over the Internet or, as has been noted, at the local library. It is when you find yourself more or less constantly needed to reference a catalog that you will want to get one. And as noted, you can usually get buy with a used one, a year or two out of date, for half the price (or less) than a new one. A lot depends on what you are collecting.

I haven't added a stamp to my collection in 41 years, so great question. I have so many more questions than answers.

Catalogs do help. If you are collecting only USA stamps, then send for a FREE copy of the latest Mystic Stamp catalog. You'll always have information at your fingertips. If you are collecting foreign, your local library should have a copy of the Scott Catalogs.

I collected fairly avidly for a couple years or so before I owned a catalog (and for a lot longer prior to that, but I collected on a more casual basis then). I would occasionally check them out from my local library if I felt it was necessary, however. If you want to keep your collection organized and have a sense of what stamps are actually out there and what they're worth, catalogs are very helpful. The stamps themselves are just as enjoyable whether you have a catalog or not, but catalogs are essential for telling you what you are missing. If the expense is a concern (as it is for most of us), I'd suggest buying older copies and/or checking them out from your library, if you have a decent library nearby.

If you just want to add a few stamps here and there and you're not real concerned with organization or completeness, you can get along without a catalog just fine. I doubt most brand-new collectors dive right in by buying a full set of catalogs right off the bat (at least I know I didn't). Most of us ease into it and start buying catalogs when we feel it's necessary. If this hobby becomes something you really enjoy and you keep adding to your collection regularly, sooner or later you'll probably find it advantageous to buy a catalog. Until then, feel free to pursue your collection in whatever way you find enjoyable.

Part of the fun of collecting is knowing more about stamps - catalogs really help expand your knowledge. With the great explosion of new issues over the past few decades, buying WW catalogs is expensive and probably not worth it unless you can pick up older editions at reasonable cost. For the beginning collector, you need to find activities to maintain your interest while you are accumulating material and I think catalogs play a role when taken together with the internet. I have fun just looking for cataloged items on ebay and other sites even though I may never have an opportunity to buy them.

As I became more serious about collecting, I tried to get along without a catalog, and it was a mess. I was constantly posting dumb questions to this forum. The library helped, but those catalogs had to be returned, just when I needed them most. Finally I bought some old catalogs on ebay. Great help. I do recommend it. And if you get into revenues or postal stationary, absolutely necessary.

If you are collecting U.S. stamps, mystic will send you a free catalog, which is really quite useful.

Don

Catalogues are not necessary for beginners, but they are necessary for advancing beyond the beginner level.

I think you will need something to acquire or organize. As said earlier for US collectors Mystic's price catalogue is a good no cost (except dealing with returning approvals) start. Getting a Brookman catalogue would be the next step cost wise and list that even most intermediate collector would want. If budget is an issue, you can find older ones.

You can get catalogs a few years old for next to nothing.
And stampworld.com is often also "good enough".

For collectors starting out or re-starting, the ONLY requirement is to have fun with it. You will know when it's time to pull in additional tools to add to your enjoyment.

If you are starting out world wide, probably more important than a catalog is a simple stamp identifier like the old Harris Stamp Finder.

Yes. But try to focus on one country or one topic first.