Re: Yvert Stamp Catalogue Pdf 12
Lihue Barken
3rd edition, case bound with hard back, worldcatalogue of postage stamps 1840-1940, the first hundred years of all stamps worldwide from the 24 volume worldcatalogue concentrated in one beautifully bound edition with colour throughout, 1077 (A4) pp in colour, in French, published 2019
After 2005 and 2010 the third edition of this ever more popular catalogue was finally published late 2019. As thousands of stamps are issued every year worldwide, complete stamp catalogues of the whole world have become virtually unaffordable and are so voluminous that a whole book cabinet is needed to store them all. On the other hand the most valueable stamps are from the early years of philately, the so-called classic period. Hence the name of this beautiful catalogue: Classiques du Monde. Now you can have the stamps of all countries, territories, colonies of occupations issued up to 1940 all listed together in one magniificently bound book.
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CatalogsCatalogs are essential tools for stamp collectors. They tell us what is available to becollected, how to identify it, and what it is worth. The four major catalog publishersworld-wide are Michel (Germany), Gibbons (England), Scott (US), and Yvert & Tellier(France). Each publishes THE specialized catalog, usually issued yearly, for stamps ofits native country, plus generalized world-wide catalogs in its language, perhaps issuedless frequently. In addition, there are specialized catalogs published in most of theother major countries of the world, such as the Edifil catalogs for Spain, and theUnitrade catalog for Canada.The difference between a general catalog and a specialized catalog is mainly thelevel of detail. A General Catalog lists only the primary version of each stamp, withlittle information about errors, varieties, price on cover, FDC, cancels, Plate Blocks, etc.The Specialized Catalogue includes all of those. The General Catalogue is aimed at the collector who wants tofill the spaces in his or her album, and is not interested in an exhaustive collection of every possible variety and format. The Specialized Catalogue is aimed at the specialist, someone who wants to know and own every variety and nuance of every stamp.The 1997 Scott generalized catalog listings for US issues 1847 through 1996(US 1-3088) take up 74 pages, while the 1997 Specialized listings for that same period take up170 pages. If we focus on the listings for stamps issued prior to 1900, there are 27pages in the Specialized, and 7 in the General, reflecting the fact that it is the earlystamps of the world that have the most varieties and usages.Specialized Catalog values usually reflect Market Value, i.e., what one would actuallypay a dealer for a stamp of the specified condition at the time the catalog is issued. Note that I say "of the specified condition", since as I observed earlier (see Q is for Quality), the relative condition of a stamp canaffect its value hugely, so a catalog will explain in its introductory text the exactcriteria, such as gum condition and centering, that apply to its valuations. Generalizedcatalog values, since they are updated less frequently, are more likely to be "RelativeValues", i.e. indicative of the values of stamps relative to one another.A generalized catalog usually lists only the postage stamps of each country, while aspecialized catalog will have as well sections for other varieties of government-issuedstamps and postage, such as postal stationery, Revenue stamps, parcel post, etc. - whatphilatelists call the "Back-of-the-book" or simply "BOB" material.Here are the cover and Key to the Listings from the 1997 Yvert and Tellier Specializedcatalog for France:The Key explains all the elements of the listings, which are highly abbreviated, toconserve space. The date of issue and a brief description of the stamp are followed by areproduction of the design, beneath which are its "Catalog Number", Face Value, andseveral "Catalog Values". The value of a "mint" stamp is generally much greater than thevalue of a used stamp, so at least those two will be listed in both generalized andSpecialized catalogs, while the Specialized may list as well values (especially forearlier issues) based on whether it has gum or not, or whether or not is is hinged. TheSpecialized catalog lists additionally values for all the different varieties of colorand design that are common for earlier stamp issues.The Y&T catalog includes the section whose starting pages are reproduced above, oncancellations, which are another factor that can influence the value of stamps,especially earlier issues. And yes, forgery of valuable cancellations is all too common,so any time you are paying a lot for a stamp or cover for its cancel, expertization is advisable.Above are a couple of the pages for the earliest issues of France. The Y&T catalogshows examples in color in its Specialized volume, as do some of the other publishers,but not Scott. Notice as well the drawings of design variations. Tiny details can makethe difference between a common, cheap variety, and a rare, extremely valuable one, sohelping to make that distinction is one of the purposes of a Specialized catalog.Here's a page for more recent listings, of 1986. Modern issues have fewer varieties, sothe listings are simpler. The enlargement shows the listing for the US-France Joint Issue to commemorate the 100th birthday of theStatue of Liberty, and tells us that there is a fairly rare unperforated variety, plus postal stationery with the same stampdesign. The number of stamps printed was 21.6 Million.Another advantage of a Specialized catalog is its inclusion of detailed listings such asthese, for the Railway Parcel Post stamps of France. These are Back of the Book (BOB) listings, which are either entirely absent from, or veryabbreviated in generalized catalogs, since most collectors of world-wide or foreignissues focus entirely on the regular postage stamps. AlbumsPart of the fun of collecting is organizing and displaying what one collects, and albumsare one very popular way of accomplishing those tasks. Typical commercial albums providea designated space for each stamp of the country concerned, including usually a black-and-white image of the stamp, the catalog number assigned to that stamp by the maker of thealbum, and a description of the subject of the stamp. There can be great satisfaction tofilling a page, or even an entire album, by affixing an example of the proper stamp ineach of the spaces (though it will take a better student of human psychology than I toexplain why).If you prefer to arrange stamps according to your own design, or write them up accordingto a personal taste, you can buy blank pages, and create your own album. Above is a pageI created to display Major Production Varieties of coils of the US Liberty Series of 1954-68, an area I enjoyed collecting and studying for a while, because of the changes thatwere occurring in production methods at the time these stamps were issued, and thevarieties like these that resulted. I used one of Scott's standard blank pages, becauseI like the border design, and the faint grid helps me position the stamps better, but youcould use any (preferably archival) stock you like.
Stock Books and Stock PagesSome people don't use albums at all, they prefer to store their collections in stockbooks or on stock pages. It offers the convenience of quick re-configuration and greatflexibility, but lacks the finished look of an album page. It's your collection, choosewhat works best for you.Stock books are also a popular way to store new acquisitions and duplicates, bothawaiting further processing - mounting, trade, or sale.
Other Collecting Supplies and ParaphernaliaTongs, magnifiers, glassines, hinges, mounts, cutters, UV lamps, perforation gauges,drying books, stamp lifting fluid, watermark fluid, etc. - I have three pairs of stamp tongs that I can find right now, one pair that I actuallyuse, the others I acquired on the way to finding the ones I liked. They are not"tweezers", mind you - stamp tongs and tweezers are only superficially the same.
I have at least seven magnifying glasses, and am still looking for the perfect one. Theone I use the most is the one shown above, since it is very portable and incorporates asmall flashlight to illuminate the subject, which can be very handy at dimly-lit stampshows. But none of the ones I have ever seems quite right for the job. My scanner isthe answer in some ways, since it allows me to examine stamps at extrememly highmagnification, seeing the slightest variations, but its drawbacks are that I can'tcarry it with me, and it is slow. I'll keep looking.
Glassine envelopes come in many sizes, from these tiny ones barely large enough to holdone stamp, to ones that can hold an entire pane. Most are not archivally safe, so youshould not use them for long-term storage, but they are indispensable for organizing andconveying stamps.Philatelic LiteraturePhilatelic literature is a collecting area in its own right. I could not have producedthese pages without my own modest library ofreference books, and stamp collectors seemto enjoy writing about collecting almost as much as practicing it. I read somewhere thatthere are more books about stamp collecting than any other hobby, and I suspect it istrue, since the library of the American Philatelic Society has over 4,500 titles listedin its card catalog, and receives over 400 periodicals.
For more about philatelic catalogs and supplies, visit the web sites of theirpublishers:
Yvert & Tellier
Scott Publishing Company
Michel
Stanley GibbonsOr see my Links Page for other sources ofphilatelic books and supplies. Here's a web page with an extensive list of catalogs from all over the world.
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