Hebert's 2024 Catalog Of Plate Number Singles

Hebert's 2024 Catalog of Plate Number Singles has arrived.


It is massive, almost 2 inches thick. Three times the size of my dog-eared 2007 edition. It is even bigger than the last US Scott Specialized catalog before they removed the Proofs and other sections.

I like that it is in a checklist format for every plate number and position known. Durland has checkboxes for some catalog numbers and positions, but lists many issues with just a big paragraph of plate numbers rather than checkboxes for every number and position. I'm sure they do that to save space, but it makes it impossible to use Durland as a complete checklist.

The 2024 Hebert also lists many sub-types based on the location of the plate number in the selvedge. For example, Scott #300 top plate #2916 is listed as a Type I if the 9 is above the D, and a Type II if the 9 is above the S. I am guessing this is because the plate number isn't in exactly the same position in the upper left and upper right panes of the sheet. The previous catalog listed just 4 positions for this stamp (T L B R), and that's how I collect them. Now there can be up to 6 variations for each plate number. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I shudder at the effort to go through all my duplicates to look for the new types. Some catalog numbers that I thought were complete are no longer complete. On the bright side, I will never run out of new things to collect.

Curiously, I don't see any separate types listed for left or right numbers, only top and bottom. I haven't read the introduction yet to get all the details. All-in-all it is an impressive work.

Available from the Editor via eBay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166489967346

More details from the product announcement:

The all new 2024 edition of the Hebert's Catalogue of Plate Number Singles is now available! Features in the 2024 edition include
• 792 pages – over 200 pages of new listings
• All new issues through the end of 2023
• All new Scott listings – tagging varieties, special booklet paper, more
• Thousands of price changes
• Over 7,000 additional listings of plate position types
• Hundreds of plate position types for modern issues, booklet singles
• Greatly expanded back-of-the-book sections, including PNS for revenues, documentary,
proprietary, stock transfer, wine stamps and more
• Expanded listings for overprints for use in U.S. possessions – Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Guam
• Expanded PNS listings for all Canal Zone issues, both U.S. overprints and regular CZ issues
• Same large print format for easy readability
• Pre-punched pages easily inserted in your 3 ring binder
• Use as a reference, inventory checklist, want list

Attached are scans of example pages from various eras.

Does anyone have a copy of the 2018 edition to know whether the "Type" variations were started then or if it is new for 2024?

I'd like to sell some at these prices.

Wow, that is absolutely insane. I love it!

(It's totally not my thing, but I love it.)

For anyone who might be wondering, I see that it's $40 plus postage, available at http://apnss.org/News.htm

Agreed. And I'd love to sell a bunch of stamps from my regular collection at full Scott price as well.

Obviously the actual price that someone buys/sells is usually much lower, and depends on condition. Well-centered early plate singles, especially used with light cancels and solid perfs are rather scarce. When going around a stamp show, it seems that almost every dealer has a five dollar columbian or a set of mint Zepps for sale but it is very hard to find any used plate singles at any price range.

Yes try find any of these on cover in good condition is not easy at all.

Would anyone be able to tell me what an UR 1612 catalogs for in this latest catalog? Thank you!

Hebert lists 1612 Mint PNS $15, Used PNS $4 for all plate numbers except #39173-39174 which are $12 and $2.50 respectively.

Perfect! Thank you, ZebraMan!

Thank you, I was totally not aware of this catalogue. Very interesting.
Perhaps I can ask:

So this has listing for singles, while in Scott there are mostly strips and blocks listed, correct? Like the Liberty Issue Coils (1954) are listed (in dry printing vs. wet printing) as singles?

And does it probably only list the known plate numbers, not all the hundreds of plate numbers in Durland that have not yet appeared anywhere (unknown) ?

Correct, the Hebert catalog lists plate number singles, mint and used.

The Liberty sheet stamps are listed and designated as wet versus dry printings, as are other issues including booklet pane singles for example C39a vs C39c. Also some coils are listed in Hebert as partial plate number singles, for example C37 and C41, with " >25% of p# ". But curiously the Liberty coil plate numbers are not enumerated in Hebert. There is just a footnote "Partial plate numbers are known at top and bottom (or left and right for 1054A and 1059) at the joint line. They are generally collected as pairs." I do not know why some coil partial plate number singles are listed and priced in Hebert and others "are generally collected as pairs" and not listed.

The preface says that the catalog lists "all known plate numbers for United States stamps from the 1890 small banknotes to the present date." Therefore it does not include any of the earlier issues where certain plate numbers may or may not exist. I don't know how many of the modern plate numbers listed are unknown/unreported.

It is a detailed catalog. A specialist may want both Hebert and Durland, at least older copies, for reference.

ZebraMan, sir, on the second page you posted it says P=Pre eye plates under the stamp name - what does Pre-eye plates mean? Is that before electronic eye detection? Thanks,

Bradley