Which stanley gibbons catalogue is for me

Briankelly1

Hi , I am trying to choose which Stanley gibbons stamp catalogue is the right one for me
i mainly collect commonwealth , English , & Irish stamps. I was looking at 2 catalogues one was Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue Commonwealth & Empire Stamps 1840-1970 2011, The other one was Stanley Gibbons Commonwealth Simplified Stamp Catalogue Book 2010 edition i would love a bit of help from the right person with a good knowledge on stamp catalogues ps i don't want to be updating every year hope someone can help

Missent

Hi Brian

The type of catalogue you need depends on the purpose for which it's required. SG catalogues essentially fulfil three functions - stamp identification, market value and the SG numbering system. If you're just collecting standard copies of a country's issues with little or no interest in watermarks, shades, postmarks, etc., a recent version of either catalogue is handy to give an overall view of a country's issues. Most national post offices provide good details of their current issues, and a little bit of research avoids the need to buy copies of the catalogue on an annual basis as they come out. You could also try signing up to the publicity issued by the countries which interest you, e.g. by An Post. If your interests are more specialised than that, you will probably need a more detailed catalogue such as the Hibernia catalogue for Irish issues.

As far as stamp values are concerned, a catalogue is not really required for most modern issues. Dealers' price lists, internet sites, etc., will give a good guide in most cases.

The SG numbering system is a more difficult issue. If you're writing up your collection, I'd suggest trying to avoid its use altogether. Use the date of issue and stamp topic instead.

Briankelly1

Missent thank you for the advice you gave me i am going to go for Stanley Gibbons commonwealth & british empire 1840 - 1970