Thanks, Sean. Well said.

Thanks for chiming in, Graham. It’s taken me a few decades to come to the realization that the Scott Catalogue is not the be-all and end-all for collectors, which is why I pinned Sean Dolan’s comment. The more I think about, the more absurd Scott’s pricing appears. It’s not simply the $549 for worldwide access. But in month 13, you have now spent $1100 (disregarding the inevitable price increase). For what? One year’s worth of new issues, which ever fewer collectors care about; a very few stamp value adjustments, which are totally meaningless, as they still don’t reflect actual market values; and no new meaningful information on any of the existing listings. But they will have added, deleted, and changed catalogue numbers (there is a special section each year, noting all of those), all in the service NOT of improving the worth of the catalogue, but to further convince you of the need to pay them to find out what arbitrary and capricious changes the editors made to the new edition. What’s worse is that Scott doesn’t even maintain consistency in their editorial policies. They could bring in a new editor next year who might do things complete differently according to his own whims. The Scott Catalogue is currently a hot mess of inconsistencies because of this kind of lack of a permanent standard to follow. I could do another complete episode on the problems with the current catalogue, but 1) I don’t want to beat a dead horse, and 2) I’d have to bill Amos Media for all the time they’ve been living in my head without paying rent. 😄

Many libraries in the US carry the Scott Catalogue, but only for use at the library; you cannot check them out. I agree about the Unitrade Catalog. I like that they utilize the Scott numbers. It would be nice if there was a unified numbering system for all catalogues.

Thank you, John. Glad you're here.

Thanks again, Yves.

It's nice to find dealers who won't gouge you on the price of books just because they're out of print.

Thank you John. Welcome to the show, and thanks for watching.

Yeah, and Amos, I think, is going to come to the realization that they are not the only starfish in the sea.

Thank you, ash.

I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

Thank you, Greg. I’m glad you find them helpful.

Thank you for that information. I have not looked in to the Philex catalogues before. On looking at their web site just now, I see that they use Michel Katalog numbering. I wonder if any stateside dealers carry them, to reduce shipping fees.

@@tedtalksstamps Let's see, if i can send you an copy with the lowest possible fee. Maybe as Maximum-Letter or something like this... 🤔😁

Thank you, Peter.

Thank you, Knut.

Thanks, John.

Thank you very much.

You are correct, sir.

My local library sells their older cats in the semi annual used book sales, 50 cents apeice !!

Yes, indeed. They have proven that they have not the slightest interest in providing “value” to collectors.

One thing I’m thankful to Amos for, regarding this mess, is that it’s been an epiphany moment for me. At first I wondered if it wasn’t simply a case of sour grapes on my part, but no, I’ve truly come to the realization that the Scott Catalogue is in no way essential in order to be a complete, contented, and fulfilled philatelist.

@@tedtalksstamps Appreciate you taking leadership on this Ted!

Good deal. Collectors have a lot of great, affordable resources available, without being beholden to Scott.

Thanks, Greg. I am on a 3-month vacation right now, and it’s still a few more weeks before I get home and start making videos again. I can’t wait.

I’ll do that. Thanks.

I’ve never had a Facit catalogue. I didn’t realize they are bilingual. Thanks for the info.

Sounds reasonable.

Thanks, Nisarg.

The Facit Norden catalogue covers the Nordic countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Äland. Here is their home page www.facit.se/index_eng.html

Yes, Nordfrim is a great shop. I don’t know of any English language Japan catalogues.

Try Stanley Gibbons Asian Catalog.@@tedtalksstamps

@@heinrichstampauctions6537 Thank you.

I like the classic Greek stamps and I had the Karamitsos catalogue. Unfortunately I had to let it go. I’m still on his email list though.

They must have sent you a selection of stamps on approval, which is what they charged you for. Since they are sent “on approval,” you can return them at no charge. Still, like you, I don’t trust them.

Yes, Mystic prices are high, but they always have what you may be missing. If you are using their catalog, buy something from them. Don't be like that guy who doesn't tip at a restaurant!

@@caseycrookham3647 Well, I come from a different planet, where merely getting a company's sales catalogue does not obligate one to purchase anything from them. You are, of course, free to tip any company you wish.

No, but I'm on my way, now.

Yes, and it can be very difficult to convince some of these collectors that they did not hit the jackpot.

No, Stampworld uses their own numbering. You can find scott numbers from Colnect.

Thanks, John. I agree about APS membership. The monthly magazine alone is worth the membership dues.

I buy bulk lots and kiloware so common stamps are often a tenth/hundredth/thousandth of a cent lol

@@voneschenbachmusic yes, as a beginner I bought HE Harris bags of kiloware, As Ted pointed out in a previous episode he also buys kiloware and he bought a bag from Hobbylobby and gave it a favorable rating. Did you catch that episode?

@@johngreen3543 Yep. I recommend checking out Swan Philatelic which Ted also reviewed. They have tons of inexpensive mixes that have wonderful material.

You are right. I know many veteran collectors who work with 10 and 12 year old (or older) Scott catalogues, because the basic information they need does not change much. That’s what makes Scott’s pricing even more ridiculous. I don’t care about the 20,000 new issues for the past year that have been added to the next year’s edition, and I highly resent having to pay full price for another year of the same old information.

There are many stamps, mostly older ones going back 100 years or more, where used values are higher than mint, for any number of reasons. Too much to detail here, it would make a good topic for a video. I’ll get on it. If you can’t wait for the video, join my new discussion board at www.TedTalksStamps.proboards.com and post your question. You will get answers. Thanks for watching.

Sorry, I don't know what you are referring to.

There is StampWorld.com, which for the vast majority of collectors will probably suffice. However, it is not as detailed nor as specialized (e.g. listing variations and providing important notes) as the major catalogues. Plus, with virtually all of the online dealers identifying their inventory by major catalogue numbers, getting the philatelic community to migrate to an alternative platform would be a major uphill battle.

I'm sorry, Casey. EBAY! But I don't find ebay a suitable alternative to the Scott Catalogue.

Righto. Not just Scott. I’m not renewing my Linn’s sub, nor will I buy Scott Mounts or any other Scott branded merchandise.

Yes, I’ve already made my feelings known over there. 😄

@@tedtalksstamps Ha! Ha! me too. He made the comparison to Microsoft office subscriptions, well how much is that? $70 and you get the whole shooting match. You would think they would at least offer the basic US catalog at reasonable price, say $50/year. I bet a whole lot of people would subscribe.

All true. Thanks, GF.