Best Catalogues For Worldwide Collector

If you are talking about a single publisher, Michel and the Regional Catalogues of Stanley Gibbons are the most complete in terms of variety coverage, though each has different strenghts and weakenesses : Michel is very strong on fluorescence/phosphorescence differences while Gibbons does better with shades, for example. Unfortunately a large number of the Gibbons regional catalogues are out of print and some regions of the world have not had updates since the early 2Ks (and independent Africa I think was last edition in the 1990s).

As for Gibbons Stamps of the World, it is more simplified than even basic Scott.

Scott's Classic Specialized is very good for pre-1940, but if you collect modern varieties Scott is very basic compared to Gibbons Regionals and Michel. Yvert is closer to Scott than Michel in terms of coverage.

In the end if you really want to go down varietal rabbit holes, you really do need to find the best regional specialized catalogue for each country and try to add them to your library. I've built a 4-bookcase library of regional specialized catalgoues over the past decade and now have national specialized catalogues for most countries of the world. It's not cheap, but finding a few better varieties only listed in a national specialized catalogue not listed in the Big 4 mainstrean catalogues can repay the initial investment many times over.

Here is the full list of my reference library just to give an idea of what all is available out there

Online Catalogues

Michel Online
Yvert Online
Scott 2021 Standard (6 vols) and Classic Specialized 2021
ANK Austria Specialized Online 2022
Cefiloza Argentina Specialized - constantly updated

Downloads

Zagorskiy Specialized Russia 1845-1917 (PDF)
Zagorskiy Specialized Russia 1917-1923 (PDF)
Zagorskiy Specialized USSR 1923-1940 (PDF)
Zagorskiy Azerbaijan 1918-1923
Soloviev Specialized Russia & USSR (8 vols PDF)
Michel Russia Specialized 2012
Leo Temprano Colombia PDF
Bertossa Ecuador Specialized PDF
Bustamante Peru 2022-2023 (PDF, 5 volumes published, 6th-8th volumes pending)
Chan China 1878-1949 (2 vols PDF)
Michel German Private Posts of Imperial Era (PDF)
Sofia Philatelic Society Bulgaria 1878-2021 (3 vols) PDF
ASOFILCA Venezuela 2022 PDF
Michael Bloom, ed, The Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery of Guatemala (PDF)
HK Allison, The Zimbabwean Concise Postage Stamp Catalouge 2023

Hard Copies :

Multi-Regional :

Michel Worldwide ATM Stamps 2014
Gibbons 2023 Commonwealth 1840-1970

Americas :

Scott 2017 US Specialized
Michel USA 2021-2022
Gibbons USA 2006
2023 Unitrade Canada
Gibbons Canada 2019
EDIFIL Spain Specialized vols 9 2012-2013 (covers Spanish West Indies and Philippines)
Gibbons North Caribbean
Gibbons Leeward Islands
Gibbons Windward Islands
Gibbons Belize/Guyana/Trinidad
Nicolas Follansbee The Stamps of Mexico 1856-1910
Jose Alberto Cano Sellos Postales de Mexico (6 vols, 1856-1996)
Hector Mena Costa Rica
Gibbons Central America 3rd Edition
Gibbons South America 4th Edition
Juan Jose Valera, Catalogo Especializado de Estampillas de Venezuela (1982)
CEFIBOL Bolivia 2021
Jose Jimenez, Catalogo de Sellos del Paraguay (2021)
RMB Brasil 2019 specialized
Printouts from PDF of the Ciardi Uruguay 2006 specialized
Sociedad Filatelia Chilena Chile 2005 Specialized
Jalil 2009 Argentina Specialized
Gibbons Falkland Islands

Oceania :

Brusden-White Specialized Australia Catalogs (States in Federal Era, Kangaroos, George V, George VI, Elizabeth II pre-Decimal, Postage Dues, Decimals 1 and 2)
Seven Seas Austrlia 2017
Gibbons Australia
Campbell Patterson 2023 New Zealand
Gibbons New Zealand
Gibbons Western Pacific
Gibbons Eastern Pacific

Asia :

Prangko Indonesia 2018
Zonneblom Indonesia
Ngo Philippines Republic 3 vols 1946-2014
ISC Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei
Gibbons Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei
Gibbons Southeast Asia, 8th
Thailand Stamp Catalolgue 2014
JSCA Japan Specialized 2016-2017 v 1 & 2 (defins to 1989)
JSCA Japan Specialized 2023 vol 1 (defins 1870-1876, bilingual Japanese-English)
JSCA Japan Specialized 2020 vol 2 (defins 1876-1908, bilingual Japanese-English)
JSCA Japan Specialized 2023 vol 5 (defins 1948-1965, bilingual Japanese-English)
Sakura Japan 2013
Korea Postage Stamp Catalogue 2020-2021
Gibbons Japan-Korea 2008
Gibbons China 2015
China Specialist Society 2015 China to 1949 Specialized
Yang Communist China Liberated Areas
Yang Peoples Republic of China 2009
Gibbons Hong Kong
Yang Hong Kong 2018
Phila-India India 2021-2022
Gibbons India & States
Gibbons Pakistan-Bangladesh-Burma-Sri Lanka
ISFILA Turkey Specialized 2021-2022
Artar Stamps of Armenia 1918-2010
Farakhbash 2021 Iran Specialized
Gibbons Central Asia 4th
Gibbons Arabia 2016
Gibbons Middle East
Moriah Israel 2021

Europe :

Michel Europa vol 2 2022- Czech/Slovakia/Hungary
Michel Europa vol 3 2022 - France
Michel Europa vol 4 2021 - Spain & Portugal
Michel Europa vol 5 2022 - Italy
Michel Europa vol 6 2022 - West Balkans (Former Yugoslavia)
Michel Europa vol 7 2022 - Southern Balkans (Bulgaria/Greece/Albania)
Michel Europa vol 8 2022 - Romania/Moldova
Michel Europa vol 9 2021 - Mediterranean (Turkey, Malta, Cyprus)
Michel Europa vol 10 2022 - Scandinavia
Michel Europa vol 11 2021- Finland & Baltic States
Michel Europa vol 12 2022 - Benelux
Michel Europa vol 14 2021 - Channel Islands
Michel Europa vol 15 2021 - Poland, Belarus & Ukraine
Gibbons Great Britain Concise 2022
Gibbons Great Britain Specialized Victoria Part I
Gibbons Great Britain Specialized Three Kings
Gibbons Collect Channel Islands 2015
Michel Spezial Great Britain 2022
Hibernian Ireland 2014
Gibbons Ireland
Maury France Specialized 2011
Maury DOM-TOM 2009 Specialized
Maury Colonies Europe-Asia 2011 Specialized
Maury Polar Lands and Principalities 2011
Yvert French Colonies 2017
Gibbons France 2015
EDIFIL Spain Specialized vols 1-6 2010-2013
Gibbons Spain and Colonies 2021
Mundifil Portugal 2020
Gibbons Portugal & Colonies 2022
Gibbons British Mediterranean
Sassone Italy 2021 2 vols
Sassone Antiche Stati Italian e Regno d'Italia 1850-1900
Gibbons Italy
Michel Germany Specialized 2021 v. 1 and 2
Michel Switzerland Specialized 2016-2017
Michel Liechtenstein Specialized 2016-2017
Gibbons Germany
COB Belgium Specialized 2016
NPVH Netherlands Specialized 2020
Michel-Prifix Luxemboug
Gibbons Belgium & Colonies
Gibbons Netherlands & Colonies
AFA Denmark 2021
Facit Norden 2016 2 vols
Norgeskatalogen 2013
Gibbons Denmark & Norway
LaPe Specialized Finland 2021
Gibbons Sweden & Finland
Zagorskiy 2016 Russia 1857-1965, 2012 USSR 1966-1991, 2016 Russian Federation post 1991
Zverev's Russia Specialized 1857-1940
Gibbons Russia 7th
Michel Soviet Union Specialized 2017
Fischer Poland 2016 2 vols
Gibbons Poland
POFIS Czechoslovakia 3 vols to end 1992
POFIS Czech Republic 1993-2019
Gibbons Czech Republic & Slovakia
Michel Austria Specialized 2022
Philatelia Hungarica Hungary Specialized 2016-17
Gibbons Austria & Hungary
Zimbrul Carpatin Romania 3 vols 1858-2009
Slovenika Slovenia 2020
SFK 2011 Specialized Catalog of Serbia and Yugoslavia
SFK 2015 Specialized Catalog of ex-Yugoslav lands (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, up to 1992)
Gibbons Balkans 2007
Thika Stamps Of Albania 2013 (more a history of postage stamps than catalog, but great resource)
Karamistos Greece 2020 Specialized 3 vols
Gibbons Southern Balkans

Africa :

The Nile Post Egypt
Gibbons Northeast Africa 2017
Yvert Independent Francophonie 2013 2 vols (mostly Africa but also Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Vanuatu)
Maury French Colonial Africa 2006
Gibbons French Colonies
EDIFIL Spain Specialized vols 7-8 2012-2013 (covers African colonies)
Gibbons West Africa
COB Belgian Colonies & Successors 2016
Gibbons East Africa
Sciaky Ethiopia Stamps and Postal History 3 vols (like Thika's Albania not so much catalog but history of postage stamps of Ethiopia, a great reference)
Gibbons Indian Ocean
Gibbons Southern & Central Africa
South Africa Collectors Society South Africa Specialized 2013
Mundifil Portuguese Colonies 2019 (mostly Africa but also Goa, Macao and Timor)
Gibbons South Atlantic Islands

As far as I know, the regional British Empire catalogues have exactly the same content as the 1840-1970 for that period, and then continue on to the publication dates with variants included for more modern material.

DJCMHOH you have a nice reference selection there. Thanks for sharing that list. I now see a few that may be helpful.

Could anyone tell me if the Yvert France Specialised catalogue (the one that covers 1849 to 1900 only) contains listings for the two types of numeral postmarks?

Any information is, as always, very much appreciated

Bobby - if you mean by number for individual town etc, you'd need a specialised postmark catalogue, or you can dig around in here

http://marcophilie.org/index.html

Being at the cutting-edge, this is the reference I use

The question is the BEST FOR A WORLDWIDE COLLECTOR .

Simple answer ----- The Classic Scott's 1840-1940 Catalog .

Having been on stamp chat boards for 24 years ,maybe 1 out of a hundred collectors has a need for a country specialized catalog . We do have a good number of once in a life time questions about a stamp ,don;t mistake these one time questions as a new area of their collecting activity .

Of course, someone did not read the OP.

Also, even for the basics, Scott's "Classic" costs $160. Yvert's equivalent costs €90, and also has a much cheaper digital offer.

Thanks Geoff Your link is one of the best resources out there and I've used it extensively in the past. I have the lists but would've thought a specialised 500 page catalogue might have included that information. I've seen a few images around the place and saw that the listing for Algeria was there.

I asked here as a search returned no results and I didn't want to start a whole new thread. I do have stamps from all over the world, but I'm not a worldwide collector as such.

Bobby - in a way, the Yvert Specialised is as much a lovely production as anything else. The list of individual offices with petit and grand chiffre numbers is pretty extensive, so would have taken up too much space, even had they been minded to include it. If you have some specific numbers, I can look them up for you.

Thanks Geoff

For Italy I like "Sassone" the best, here the cataloge value must be handled with care - these are heavy overpriced in my mind.
Switzerland goes best with "Zumstein"
For Japan I use an older "Sakura"
Austria, Lichtenstein, Luxemburg is again with the matching "Michel Katalog"
Afinsa is imho best for Portugal, Madeira and colonies of Portugal. So usually the catalog of the country the stamp is coming from has the best in slot catalog for that area of collection.

For Zeppelinpost I would recommend "Sieger" - they´re out of print at the moment because the publisher is bankrupt and closed but an older one will do it greatly because there are no importent new Zeppelin tours.