Not All Stamp Catalogs Are Created Equal


If you're at all serious about your stamp collection you'll need to use a stamp catalog, at least every once in a while. But there are so many of them out there, which one would be best?

Well, it all depends on what stamps you collect.

Scott's catalogs are the favorite catalogs in the US. Scott catalogs cover the entire world, but the US volume is specialized and includes many varieties of US stamps, making Scott the authority on US stamps.

Stanley Gibbons catalogs also cover the world, but they are particularly strong on Great Britain and British Commonwealth stamps.

Likewise, the Michel catalog is best for Germany stamps even though the entire world is included in its listings.

The Sakura or the Japanese Stamp Dealers Association catalogs do a nice job with Japan stamps, and Yvert et Tellier (often just called Yvert for short) is an excellent source of information about stamps from France, Andorra, Monaco and the French colonies. The Facit catalog is great for Scandinavian stamps.

The list of single-country country catalogs also includes Unitrade for Canada stamps, Sassone for Italy stamps, Zumstein for Switzerland stamps, etc.

Topical stamp catalogs also exist for several different themes of stamps.