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Chapter 10. Stamp Catalogs

Stamp catalogs are just about the most useful and necessary tool of the hobby. Indeed, were it not for these important publications, the hobby would amount to very little. If you did not procure a stamp catalog with your initial outfit you will certainly need one very soon, for the entire stamp world revolves around these important books. Albums are patterned after them; all stamp dealer advertisements refer to them; all philatelic magazines, all philatelic writers and authorities base their articles and studies upon them. Further, the catalog prices for stamps are the basis on which stamps are bought, sold and exchanged throughout the world.

Stamp catalogs are divided into two principal groups:

1. Catalogs, which list, illustrate, describe and give evaluations for all postage stamps of the world, and
2. Specialized Catalogs, which give greatly expanded listing of the stamps of a single country or a particular group of stamps.

In the United States there are presently two general catalogs of the world's postage stamps: "Minkus New World-Wide Postage Stamp Catalog," published by Minkus Publications, Inc., and Scott's "Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue," published by Scott Publications, Inc. Both firms are located in New York City. Though both are general catalogs, "Minkus New World Wide Catalog" is the more complete, more fully illustrated and informative

The Minkus "integrated" system lists all stamps, of whatever category, strictly in the chronological order of issue. No prefix letters are needed except R used to indicate Revenues available for postage, N to indicate stamps not officially available, etc. Thus, if the first stamp issued by any country was a regular postage stamp, it would be Minkus number 1. If the second stamp was issued as a semi-postal stamp, it would be Minkus number 2, and so on. Appropriate headings keep the collector informed of the proper category of the stamp listed.

With the Minkus "integrated" system of listing, the great advantage to the collector is that once having discovered the picture of his stamp in the catalog, all of the information he needs is supplied by the catalog itself, which dutifully tells him whether the stamp in question be "regular postage," "airmail," or any other category.

The method of using any general catalog of the world's stamps remains the same. The most helpful feature of any such catalog are the pictures. To locate any given stamp, one opens the catalog to the country which issues the stamp and then searches the pages until he finds a picture of the stamp he is trying to identify. Many stamps will have the dates of issue incorporated somewhere within their design. Such dates are very helpful in allowing you to turn to the pages of the catalog listing the stamps of that particular year. Still other matters of help will be the picture upon the stamps. For instance, if a stamp pictures the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one would not look for such a stamp to have been issued prior to his becoming President of the United States. Most obviously, it would have to have been issued at a later date. Pictures of monuments, engineering marvels, etc., will, by their very nature, give similar clues to the general period of their issue.

The catalogs themselves will give a great deal of help in their introductory pages, and anyone who uses a catalog is urged to first consult these pages before attempting to look up any particular stamp.

Minkus World Wide Catalog gives extensive background data on the personages and designs on each stamp. Enlarging portions of the stamps are used copiously to show important differences between similar appearing stamps. The illustrated pages from the Minkus Catalog on pages of this book will make the importance of these features clear to any collector.

The Scott "segregated" system consists of grouping the stamps according to their various categories. Thus, for any one country, all regular postage stamps are grouped and are listed in chronological order of their issue beginning with the first issue as number 1. This group is followed by semi-postals, then by listings of all of the airmail stamps beginning again with the first issue as number 1.To identify these two "number l's" from each other, a prefix letter is added to each group other than the regular postage issues. Thus, in the Scott Catalogue number "Cl" would indicate an airmail stamp, number "Jl" would indicate a postage due stamp. Various other prefix letters are used to identify various other categories of stamps.

With Scott's "segregated" system the collector who limits his interests to only airmail stamps may find the listing of these without the bother of searching them out. However, there are few collectors limiting their interests to any of the other segregated groups. The fellow who limits his interest to regular postage issues almost always includes airmail stamps, for these are, in his opinion, at least, "regular" issues. That is, they are not semipostal, postage due, or other service issues. Their function is to pay postage. For this collector, who is by far in the majority of all collectors, the Scott "segregated" system requires him to look in at least two places of each country for the stamps he collects. Still another disadvantage lies in the fact that any person using Scott Catalogues must know before he consults the catalogue into just which category the stamp before him falls.

Minkus New World-Wide Stamp Catalog.

When the Minkus Catalog first appeared, some of the older, more conservative collectors showed reluctance to change to a new, up-to-date catalog. However, after seeing the many better features of the new Minkus Catalog, many have already been won over. In this writer's opinion, the Minkus "integrated" system of listing stamps is the most logical and sensible method and will, in due course, predominate. In the few years the "Minkus New World-Wide Catalog" has been published it has had very wide acceptance and each annual edition exceeds the quantity produced for each preceding edition.

Minkus New World Wide Catalog strives to interest the collector with many informative and interesting facts about the stamps and the nations that issue them. On the other hand, the Scott Catalogue continues its long tradition of brief captions. Of the two publications, one is likely to find the newer, Minkus publication more lively and definitely more rewarding.

A feature of the Minkus New World-Wide Postage Stamp Catalog is the series of the Regional Catalogs available from $1.00 - $3.00 each. Minkus Regional Catalogs are sections of the larger Minkus New World-Wide Postage Stamp Catalog covering various related groups of stamps. They are bound in paper covers and are extremely popular with collectors specializing in stamps of individual countries or groups of countries.

In addition to the general catalogs we have mentioned, both Minkus and Scott publish special catalogs having expanded listings of United States stamps only. Again, the Scott publication is the older. However, the "Minkus New American" catalog will prove to be the livelier of the two and, in fact, is a book that one may actually sit down and read with pleasure, as he would an entertaining novel.

Whether you chose a Minkus or Scott catalog, or for that matter, any of the catalogs mentioned in this chapter, you may use the numbers provided in them to order stamps from any dealer anywhere in the world. Merely indicate to the dealer the catalog you are using and submit to him the list of numbers of the stamps wanted.

We have written at considerable length about the general catalogs of the stamps of the world and have neglected the second group of catalogs the "specialized" catalogs. This is because the whole effort of this book is to introduce the tyro to stamp collecting and start him, or her, off on the right foot. Suffice it to say that there are specialized catalogs available for almost any group of stamps one might care to name. All of these are excellent, some quite marvelous productions. You will become acquainted with them as your collection advances.

Minkus New American Stamp Catalog.

In Europe there are three leading world wide catalogs. In England "Gibbons," published by Stanley Gibbons, Ltd. of London. This catalog is standard in England and used generally throughout the British Commonwealth of Nations. The stamps are priced in pounds, pence and shillings. In France "Yvert & Tellier" published by House of Champion, Paris, is standard and is referred to throughout the nations under French influence as well as most Latin American countries. The stamps are priced in francs. In Germany the "Michel" Catalog reigns supreme and, of course, is in general use wherever the German influence predominates. Stamps in it are priced in German marks. There are also fine catalogs issued in Switzerland (Zumstein), Italy, Spain and most of the larger European countries.

"Why should I bother looking my stamps up in the catalog when all I have to do is find the proper place for them in my album?" A good question but one which has an equally good answer.

Every stamp issued by any government at any time anywhere in the world has been identified in one or another of the stamp catalogs of the world and has been assigned a number.

This feature of stamp catalogs, more than anything else connected with stamp collecting, has made the hobby international and universal in scope. By mentioning the name of the catalog, the country that issued the stamp, and the number of the stamp, you may describe or order any stamp you wish from any place in the world.

CATALOG PRICES, WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

The prices given in stamp catalogs are intended merely to be guides to values. For stamps in great popularity the "catalog price" is likely to lag far behind the actual market value the price at which dealers sell stamps. The reason for this is obvious for, since stamp catalogs are published only at annual intervals, they can not keep up with a very active market. On the other hand, for stamps that do not enjoy great popularity at the moment, the catalog price may be considerably higher than that at which you purchase the stamps in question. It is, in fact, impossible for any catalog to give you the exact price you may pay for any stamp. Thus catalog prices are merely guides to value. They inform you that, at the time of their publication and in the opinion of competent judges, the stamps listed are priced at what seemed to be a fair and true estimate of their valuation.

Every beginner, upon his first reference to a stamp catalog, will discover that no stamp is valued at less than two cents. Here, again, we have what appears to be a misleading situation. Every beginner knows full well that he can buy a packet of a thousand different stamps for as little as two dollars perhaps even for less. According to the catalog price, a thousand different stamps of the very lowest price would be worth twenty dollars! And it most certainly would cost you twenty dollars if you were to submit a list of one thousand stamps to a dealer and ask him to pick them out of stock. It would take an experienced clerk all day to perform such a chore!

The catalog price of two cents is a retail quotation for an individual stamp. In fact, all quotations given in any catalog are retail quotations, i.e. the price at which you might expect to purchase any given stamp. No catalog can, or does, attempt to indicate how much you might get for your stamps when, and if, you undertake to sell them.

However, by ascertaining the catalog value of your collection, taking into consideration the situation regarding these cheap stamps, and the condition of your more valuable stamps, you may arrive at a general idea of what your collection should be worth in the event you wish to sell it. Bear in mind that if sold to a dealer you must take into consideration the profit he will have to make in order to handle your collection.

Catalog prices also perform another very valuable function for the collector. They furnish a basis on which stamps may be traded. It would be obviously unfair to trade a five-cent first issue of the United States for a recent stamp of, say, France. But we might well consummate a trade of our five-cent U.S. for a quantity of recent stamps of France that would have catalog value equal to our own stamp. We could effect such a trade "catalog for catalog" or demand a greater catalog value for our stamp. Whatever might be agreed upon, the trade becomes possible on a basis of catalog value. Such a trade might be effected between collectors or between collector and dealer residing at opposite ends of the earth. These things are made possible only because of the catalog, a very valuable book indeed to any collector. See that you acquire one early in your collecting activity. It might well be a part of your beginner's outfit.

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