Stamps of the World 2013 by Stanley Gibbons
| Stamps of the World 2013 by Stanley Gibbons | |
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| Category: Reference | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: The ultimate catalogue for the dealer or serious collector. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 6 volumes | Date: December 2012 |
| Publisher: Stanley Gibbons | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0852598610 | |
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Philatelists have long come to rely on the annual publication of Stanley Gibbons’ Stamps of the World simplified catalogue. For years it has had an unrivalled reputation for accuracy and usability for both dealers and collectors. Commemoratives, definitives, airmail stamps, postage dues, official stamps and miniature sheets are all listed (both mint and used), using the internationally recognised Stanley Gibbons catalogue number and set out according to date of issue and by country. Indeed, it’s difficult to imagine that any serious dealer or collector could be without the six volume set but many must wonder if it’s entirely necessary to make what is a substantial investment on an annual basis.
The catalogue is known for being easy to use (I’m always delighted that it opens and ‘’stays’’ open - which many books do not), but the print is small and the individual volumes have a paper back. It is, though, reasonably robust in use and moving to hardback format and larger print would raise the cost of the set to what many would see as an unreasonable level. Colour reproduction of stamps is excellent - nothing has been skimped there.
Some 2200 new stamps have been added along with 800 new images since the 2012 edition of the catalogue, but the important point to note is that thousand of stamps have been repriced, with extensive repricing in:
- Great Britain
- Commonwealth and British Empire Countries (1840 - 1970)
- China (People’s Republic)
- China (Taiwan)
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- Poland
- Germany (including West Berlin, East Germany and German States)
- Channel Islands and Isle of Man
- Southern and Central Africa
- Australia
- Falkland Islands and Dependencies
A useful addition to this catalogue is advice on how to store and display a collection. I’d like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
Those interested only in Commonwealth and Empire stamps might prefer to invest in Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue 2013: Commonwealth and Empire Stamps 1840 - 1970 by Hugh Jefferies.
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