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History of the Scott Stamp Catalogue
The Scott catalog began as a business venture of New York postage stamp trader John Walter Scott, the man widely considered to be the father of American philately. Scott published "J.W. Scott &Co.'s Monthly Price List" in 1867, a one-sided, single-page broadside valuating certain postage stamps based on going rates around town. In 1868, the price list took the form of the 24-page "Descriptive Catalogue of American and Foreign Postage Stamps." That ever-evolving catalog single-handedly established the stamp-collecting industry in the United States. The Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, as it is called today, has grown into a fully illustrated, 5,000-page behemoth divided into six volumes.
The Scott Stamp Catalogue Today
The Scott catalog lists, describes and values every postage stamp ever issued by any government in the world since 1840 (the year the first stamp was issued--the rare "Penny Black" of Britain). In 2011, a full set of all six volumes of the latest edition retails at $419.99, according to the parent publisher, Amos Press. The catalog is divided into six volumes and alphabetized by country. Within each country section, stamps are organized by date of issue. Each stamp is given a market value for each condition grade (mint, fair, poor, etc.) Philatelists generally honor Scott valuations, but as with any trade, price is always negotiable.
Anatomy of a Scott Stamp Number
Regular-issue Scott stamps have a plain number, with no letters or special characters. Postage stamps that are used for non-standard mailing or other purposes get a prefix and/or a suffix in the Scott numbering system. For example, a semi-postal (fund-raising stamp) gets a "B" followed by a number. Airmail gets a "C" prefix. An "L" prefix denotes a local, or non-national government-issued stamp. Hundreds of different prefixes and suffixes exist. The Scott stamp catalogs provide glossaries for identifying many (but not all) of the prefixes and suffixes. The system is always evolving, but once a stamp has received its number, it stays with it forever.
Other Stamp Catalogs and Numbering Systems
Scott may be the leader of the English-speaking philately world, but it is not necessarily the best or even the biggest. Among German-speaking peoples, the Michel Stamp Catalogue is the most widely referenced stamp listing. In France, Yvert et Tellier is the recognized stamp authority.