Stamp Catalogues

Stamp collectors need to organize and identify the stamps they own, and stamp catalogues are an indispensable tool in stamp identification. Catalogues tell collectors what stamps have been printed, when they were printed, their retail value and how to identify them and distinguish them from similar stamps.

Four comprehensive worldwide stamp catalogues are currently published on an annual or less frequent regular basis. They are all multi-volume publications. Unfortunately, the information on any one can completely contradict the information on the others, and often does. All of these catalogues have been produced in many editions, and the correction and updating of information is common. Anyone using a stamp catalogue should use the most recent editions if possible.

The four world-wide catalogues are:

* Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue. Produced in English by the Stanley Gibbons Company of London, England. It tends to be the standard reference in most Commonwealth countries except Canada.

* Michel Katalog. Produced in German by the Michel Company of Munich.

* Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalog. Produced in English by the Scott Publishing Co. of Sidney, Ohio, USA. It tends to be the standard reference in North America.

* Yvert et Tellier catalogue de timbres-poste. Produced in French by Éditions Yvert & Tellier of Amiens, France.

Other world-wide stamp catalogues which are no longer in production include those by Minkus and Senf.