Which U.S. Catalogue Should You Buy?

There are many stamp catalogues and stamp guides available for purchase on eBay and Half.com.  I have some very strong opinions about which are good values for the collector of U.S. stamps and which are not. 

Section 1: General Catalogues and Price Guides

The publications described in this first section are listed in the order in which I rate their importance/usefulness to collectors of United States stamps.

#1. The Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps:

The “Scott Specialized” is the single most essential reference for collectors who wish to become and stay knowledgeable about U.S. stamps. You will not find a better U.S. stamp catalogue. It has always been a great source of information, and the move to color photographs in 2005 has greatly enhanced its usability as a stamp identification tool.  Scott continues to expand the catalogue each year with improvements to the sections on computer vended postage, personal computer vended postage, test stamps, etc.   Most importantly, the numbering system used by Scott to identify stamps is the standard among stamp collectors in the United States.  Most eBay listings for individual U.S. stamps will refer to the Scott number. 

Be sure to purchase the Specialized edition if you need comprehensive details on stamp varieties, errors, booklets and panes, postal stationary, etc. Volume One of the Scott Catalogue also contains listings for US stamps, but the Specialized Catalogue includes much more information.  The Specialized Catalogue is the volume you should buy if your collecting interests are focused on U.S. stamps. 

Stamp values shown in the Scott Specialized Catalogue are updated each year to reflect market trends. Nevertheless, these values are only indications of value. Most stamps sell for a percentage of their catalogue value. You will find many damaged, heavily cancelled, or poorly centered stamps selling for 5% to 20% of their Scott catalogue value on eBay while desirable stamps in “GEM” condition are often sold at a premium over catalogue value in other venues. 

New editions of the Scott Specialized Catalogue are published in the fall of each year, so the current edition will not contain all of the stamps released by the Postal Service during the previous calendar year. For example, the last stamp issue pictured in my 2008 Scot Specialized is #4153-56, the Pollination issue released on June 29, 2007.  Stamp issues planned for the balance of the year are described, but they are not accompanied by a picture or catalogue number.  This has never bothered me because I do not focus heavily on current issues and typically skip a year between my purchases of the catalogue anyway.  I believe that collectors of U.S. stamps should not pass up the chance to acquire a catalogue that is several years old if it is in good condition and can be purchased at a fair price.  Better yet, your local library will likely have a full set of current Scott Catalogues available in the reference section for you to review.  Many libraries also keep an older set of catalogues that circulate so that you can check one out and take it home. 

Once you acquire a Scott Specialized Catalogue READ IT.  I’m surprised by the number of people who never have a peak at “that stuff in the front” or never bother to look beyond the airmail section. The sections in the front and in the back of the book are required reading if you wish to become a knowledgeable US stamp collector.  These are the sections that make the Scott catalogue much more valuable than another catalogue on the market.

#2. The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps:

My first “stamp catalogue” was a Postal Service Guide. I have since graduated to the more expensive Scott Catalogue, but I still consider these books to be an excellent value. It is a great reference for identifying US stamps. You will find color photos of all stamps by Scott number (including some varieties) with the year of issue and a brief description. As with the Scott catalogue, the stamp values quoted here are useful when comparing the relative value of one stamp issue to another, but they are intended to represent “retail” prices and you cannot reasonably expect to sell your stamps for the prices shown in the book. If you can pick up a recent edition of The Postal Guide in good condition at a fair price, don’t hesitate to do so.

#3. Brookman Price Guide:

The Brookman Price Guide is not as comprehensive and informative as the Scott Catalogue and it is not laid out as nicely as the Postal Service Guide. Nevertheless, it is a good reference source for the US collector. Stamps are identified by Scott number, and all the stamps shown can actually be purchased from Brookman at the prices listed. Earlier editions have black and white illustrations that do not picture every stamp available. Brookman does show values for mint sheets, autographs, and covers, however, which Scott does not. I also find Brookman’s First Day Cover section more informative than Scott’s. The major advantage of Brookman over Scott lies in the spiral bound format. The spiral bound version of the Brookman Price Guide is well worth the extra money because it is very easy to work with. Pick one up and compare for yourself.

#4. Mystic’s U.S. Stamp Catalog:  

If all you need is a useful up-to-date reference to help you identify your US stamps, but don’t want to fork out the price of a Scott Catalogue, have a peak at Mystic’s U.S. stamp catalog. You can find Mystic on the web via Google and view their catalogue in .pdf format.  If you like what you see, they will send you a copy of their full color catalog for “free”.  (I placed the word free in quotation marks because Mystic will send you packets of stamps on approval.  You have the option of purchasing one or all of the approvals, or you may return them without making a purchase.  Simply ask Mystic to delete you from their approval program if you do not wish them to send you more stamps.)

#5. The Krause-Minkus Standard Catalog of U.S. Stamps: 

It is probably OK to purchase this catalogue as a reference or a piece of stamp collecting memorabilia, but do not build your collection using the Minkus numbering system. Amos Press, the publisher of the Scott Stamp Catalogue, purchased the rights to the Minkus catalogue and the Minkus numbering system in 2004. You will never see another edition of this catalogue.  Too bad, because Minkus contained details about some stamp varieties not covered well in the Scott Catalogue.

#6. Official Blackbook Price Guide to United States Postage Stamps: 

A new edition of this mass market paperback gets printed every year. While some of the information at the front of the book will be helpful to new collectors, I believe the scarcity of color photographs and the placement of stamp images on pages far removed from the stamp descriptions make this a poor reference guide. My biggest problem with this “price guide” is that the values quoted for mint sheets and plate blocks are vastly over-stated. Any stamp dealer would be delighted to sell to you at Official Blackbook prices. In short, you have no hope of selling your collection at the values shown in this book. I strongly recommend that invest your money in one of the other stamp catalogues listed above. The small incremental cost will be money well spent. 

Section 2: Specialized Catalogues 

Scott First Day Cover Catalogue & Checklist by Michael Mellone

This is a very useful guide for the collector of US First Day Covers, but it will not be viewed as a “must have” by everyone.  Surprisingly, the values quoted for First Day Covers in this book often differ from those shown in the 2008 Scott Specialized Catalogue
The negatives:
  1. The book does not contain a photo for every Scott Catalogue number
  2. The photos provided often appear several pages away from the item description
  3. All photos are in black and white.
  4. The binding is tight making the book spring shut…  The pages will not lay flat.
The positives:
  1. The first 47 pages contain introductory information of value to a FDC collector.
  2. The Cachet Calculator (begining on page 50A) lists several hundred cachet makers and provides a multiplier that allows you to calculate the relative value of each maker’s FDCs.
  3. The guide provides listings for cacheted plate number coil FDCs, WWII Patriotic Covers, and other material not covered in the Scott Specialized Catalogue
  4. The book’s small size (7” x 4.25” x 1”) makes it easy to take to stamp shows, etc.
  5. The book is reasonably priced at $12.99

Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog: 

This catalogue provides the most comprehensive research source for plate number information on United States postage and revenue stamps.   It is a carefully prepared and authoritative guide to the retail value of specific plate numbers and positions for all U.S. postage stamps (sheet stamps, coil stamps, and booklet stamps) issued from 1851. The listings include not only regular issue and commemorative postage stamps, but also air mail, postage due, parcel post, registration, special delivery, special handling, certified mail, official, postal savings, newspaper, and dummy (test) stamps. The revenue stamp section includes plate number information for documentary, proprietary, future delivery, stock transfer, wine, beer, playing cards, silver tax, cigarette, tobacco, potato, narcotic, consular service, customs, match, medicine, perfume, boating, trailer permit, firearms transfer, and hunting permit stamps. Also included in the catalog are United States stamps that were overprinted for use in various U.S. possessions (Cuba, Canal Zone, Guam, Philippines, and Puerto Rico), Allied Military (AMG) postage stamps, and Confederate stamps. As if all that was not enough, there are sections showing the largest reported percentages for plate numbers on coil and booklet panes, plate numbers known on privately produced vending and affixing machine coils, unreported plate numbers, detailed information about the rotary presses used over the years by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, blue-cover “MDI” booklets, and stamps with plate position diagrams. This is the resource you need if you collect plate number singles or want to amass a collection of every know plate number of a particular issue.  No other catalog comes close to providing the information on plate numbers that this book includes. 

The Precancel Stamp Society’s Town and Type Catalog of the United States:  This is the catalogue you need to identify pre-canceled U.S. stamps and their value.  It is update periodically (most recently in 2007) and is intended to list every United States precancel type known in existence.  It provides pictures of each cancel sorted alphabetically by State and Town.  It is an essential guide to this fun branch of U.S. philately.  If you are interested in learning more about precanceled stamps, you should check-out The Precancel Stamp Society's web page at precancels.com. 

Plate Number Coil (PNC) Catalogue:  I am not aware of any hard copy catalogue that specializes exclusively in the identification and valuation of Plate Number Coils (PNCs). Linn’s Stamp News used to publish a feature called Linn’s Trends that quoted the market value of PNCs in various formats (e.g. MNH and used singles, PNC3, or PNC5) but I believe Linn's treatment of PNCs has been discontinued.  That leaves the Scott Specialized Catalogue or the Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog as your best source for PNC data in a paper catalog format.  This is not a problem because the Scott Specialized Catalogue does an excellent job of covering PNCs. (Perhaps that is why no one has gone to market with a catalogue devoted exclusively to plate number coils).

A great on-line resource for PNC collectors exists at PNC3.org. The Plate Number Coil Collectors Club does an excellent job of covering all aspects of PNC collecting. Be sure to check out their web page if you have any questions about your PNC collection.

United States Specialized Color Guide: 

Having trouble distinguishing color shades for early U.S. issues?  Knowing the correct color could add significant value to some of the stamps currently in your collection.  This new guide (2006) from the Scott Publishing Company offers the specialized collector a simple and easy-to-use method of distinguishing the subtle shades of color needed to make the proper identification for Scott 10, 11, 64, 65, 219D, 220, 267 and 279B.  In addition actual color chips from the extremely expensive Munsell Book of Color, the guide offers background information on each issue.  This is a good, but very pricey, book that may not be worth the investment for most collectors.

Catalogue of Errors on US Postage Stamps: 

Datz’s Catalogue of Errors is well organized and full of data about U.S. Imperforate and Color Omitted Errors such as the stamp's printer, date of issue, production process, and an estimate of current value. Datz also provides an estimate of the quantities known for each error (something you will not find in a Scott Catalogue). The introduction and final chapter alone are worth the cost of the book because they provide a comprehensive overview of imperfs, color errors, misperfs, foldovers, miscuts, color shifts, gutter pairs and gutter snips, open creases, inking errors, albinos, and other EFOs.

This catalogue gets updated annually, but any edition of this Catalogue will provide a wealth of information to help you identify, value, and understand the production processes that create Errors, Freaks, and Oddities on United States stamps.  Just be aware that some of the earlier editions (e.g. Datz’s 2000 Catalogue of Errors) were published by Krause Publications, which published the rival Krause-Minkus Standard Catalogue of  U.S. Stamps.  The Krause-Minkus editions used the Minkus numbering numbering system -- they do not reference stamps by their Scott number.  Thus, you probably will want  buy one of the recent editions which are now published by Scott Publishing Company, Inc. 

Comprehensive Catalogue of United States Stamp Booklets by Robert Furman: 

When you see references to "Furman" in a dealer's description of a US stamp booklet, he/she is referencing this catalogue.  I own the1999 edition which was the last edition produced.  While the book does contain production notes, plate number, and plate position information for most issues, it is not a user friendly publication.  The biggest negative is that Furman uses the Minkus numbering system rather than Scott.  Your first task must always be to translate the Minkus number into a Scott number.  If you are successful doing that, you must then decipher the code Furman uses to describe the booklet cover varieties found on many issues. This catalogue could be extremely useful if someone takes the time to update it using the Scott numbering system.  Until then, I believe most collectors will find their money better spent on a current Scott Catalogue.