How to Read the Scott Catalogue

Learn about the essential catalogue used by collectors and dealers.

May 29, 2009

Stamp collecting is not only a fun hobby, but also a financially rewarding one. For that you'll need to know what the current prices are in the stamp world.

Collectors and dealers rely on the latest values established from the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, which is put out annually by Scott Publishing Co. When it comes to identifying every known stamp in the whole wide world,the Scott catalogue is considered the Bible for philatelists

Reading The Scott Catalog

So how does one know how to understand the Scott Catalogue? First, it’s divided into several thick volumes that are alphabetized by country (the exception is Volume 1, which contains listings for U.S. and United Nations stamps).

Stamps are usually listed in chronological order from the date it was first issued to the most current, and is given a number as a sort of identification. If you know the stamp’s country of origin, the Scott catalog number is the fastest way for a stamp dealer to identify a stamp.

For example, the first ever-British stamp is the Queen Victoria 1 pence from 1840. Thus, its Scott Catalogue number is naturally “1.” For the 2007 Beatles souvenir sheet from the same catalog, its Scott number is “2420.” In addition to the number, the Scott catalog features a reproduction of the stamp, its denomination, type of paper it was printed on, and the color.

Stamp Values

Whenever you buy a stamp from a dealer it’s always good to know what its current Scott Catalogue value is beforehand. There are two major kinds of pricing: one for unused stamps in excellent condition; and the other is for used stamps, which have already been subjected to mailing and has a cancellation mark. You can find the pricing on the right side of the stamp listing in the catalog. Usually unused or mint stamps are worth more than used stamps.

Using the same 1840 Queen Victoria 1 pence stamp as an example, we see that there are two different values. That stamp is worth $6,000 unused and $275.00 used, according to the 2008 Scott values. By comparison the modern-day Beatles souvenir sheet is worth $5.00 mint and $2.50 used.

If you are a truly serious collector, a stamp catalogue is a very useful reference to have. The United States Postal Service sells its own stamp catalog with Scott numbers and has prices for every U.S. stamp ever issued since 1847. You can also find Scott Catalogues at your public library.

Values for the Queen Victoria and Beatles stamps were taken from Scott 2008 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, Volume 3 Countries of the World G-I. Published by Scott Publishing Co., 2007.

The copyright of the article How to Read the Scott Catalogue in Collecting Stamps/Coins is owned by David Chiu. Permission to republish How to Read the Scott Catalogue in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.