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Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs (WFSC)
Across the Fence Post
Newsletter
2003 Book Review columns
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This page includes Book Review columns from the 2003 issues of Across the Fence Post.
January issue
A Review of the 2003 Brookman Stamps and Covers Price Guide
By Brian J. Liedtke, Waukesha County Philatelic Society
and Northwestern Mutual Stamp Club
Collectors
eventually find a favorite stamp catalog to use to help identify, price,
organize, and inventory their stamp collections. U.S. stamp collectors often
choose between Brookman, Scott, Minkus and a few others such as the U.S. Postal
Service guide (the only one in full-color). The 2003 Brookman Price Guide offers
more than just a basic listing, with prices for used and mint.
What amazes me about this catalog is the Brookman stamp company offers for sale
each U.S. stamp in several grades and formats. An order form is included. This
is a retail price guide. Thousands and thousands of stamps, covers, and
stationary items are listed, priced, and offered for sale. I’d like to see the
company’s inventory. It must be massive.
The Scott catalogue started out as a dealer’s price guide, too. But Scott
Publishing has long since ceased offering each stamp in the catalog for sale.
The Brookman guide utilizes the Scott number system, a major advantage, as the
other stamp catalog distributed by Krause Publications uses Minkus catalog
numbers, which are much less commonly encountered in the hobby.
Pages 1 through 96 list all U.S. postage stamps from 1847 to the 37-cent Neuter
and Spay stamp. You might expect a concise listing, but Brookman does not
disappoint. The page layout is two-column, illustrations identified by catalog
number, with description and prices below. For each listing, the catalog
specifies each available format (mint, used, plate block, sheet, booklet pane,
and Souvenir Sheet) along with each variety (perforation, watermark, tagging,
paper type, and printing method) for both single and se-tenant issues.
I’m glad to see many varieties included. Brookman is not just a basic listing of
face-different stamps. A “Definitive Issue Identifier” is included in the
catalog’s introduction. It lists all definitives by denomination and color. (A
30-cent orange Franklin stamp could be catalog number 38, 71, 81, or 100
depending on perf., grill, and type). Other catalogs illustrate the different
Classic U.S. types. Brookman attempts to describe the types. (Type III top and
bottom lines are broken in the middle.”) For the Washington-Franklins, headings
breakdown the distinguishing features, e.g. “1910-13 Coils Single Line Watermark
Perf 8 1/2 Vertically.” Brookman lists the tagging varieties of the 1960s
definitives and commemoratives. Printing varieties are listed for each of the
definitive series, including my favorite Great American and Transportation
coils.
Illustrations are reasonably well done. Actual stamps are pictured, including
perforations. The editor should seek illustrations without ragged and faulty
perfs. A few recent stamps are scanned electronically and do not appear clearly.
A few 19th century issues are illustrated with cancellations, some obscuring the
stamp detail. If the company is offering unused stamps for sale, the catalog
editors should have access to unused stamps for illustration purposes.
Brookman offers Classic U.S. in Fine and Average grades. Very Fine and F-VF are
listed between 1890 and the Farley issues. Afterward, only F-VF is listed. The
Farley issues are also when Brookman begins pricing full mint sheets.
As a retail guide, the pricing is reliable. Remember, Brookman will sell you any
stamp in the book for the listed price. The Brookman guide has long been used by
stamp dealers, especially at stamp shows. Brookman is typically the seller’s
guide because the prices are a bit higher than Scott, which is typically the
collector’s price guide. The minimum is 15-cents. Brand new individual
commemoratives are valued at 65-cents to 75-cents mint and 25-cents used. A few
sample prices: Scott
Description
Condition Price
1
5¢ Franklin
Unused F $2500
245
$5 Columbian NH VF
$9750
630
White Plains NH VF
$750
1035
5$ Hamilton NH
F-VF
$110
2870
Recalled Legends - - -
$375
The
catalog is sold in both spiral and soft-bound versions. I recommend the spiral
bound, which allows the open book to lay flat while I work on my collection. The
catalog contains a few stamp dealer ads, tear-out reply cards, and even some
coupons to save you money if you order more than $55 from Brookman. Six
introductory articles provide some basics on the hobby and FDCs and topical
collection.
The catalog includes a great deal more than the U.S. postage stamp and usual
back-of-book listings; year sets, plate number coils, booklets, unfolded panes,
uncut press sheets, errors, stationary, revenues, Ducks, plus state and
reservation Ducks. First Day Covers are listed on 42 pages (including Christmas
seal FDCs and PNC FDCs). Next, the catalog has the trust territories, United
Nations, and Canada.
Autographs are an interesting sidelight to stamp collecting. Statesmen and
celebrities are collectible on postage stamps and by autographed FDCs.
Autographs are listed on pages 275-335. Everyone from John Kennedy $900 to
astronaut Sally Ride to Gandhi $550 are listed.
It seems the introductory articles about stamp collecting have not been updated.
The listing of newspapers and magazines does not recognize that Mekeel’s and
Stamps merged a few years ago. The bibliography’s first recommendation is the
1995 Scott Specialized.
This is an impressive volume, well worth adding to your philatelic library. Its
thousands of price changes will keep you up-to-date. As a comprehensive guide,
you’re likely to find whatever you want to identify. The 2003 Brookman Price
Guide is well-respected, well-recognized in the hobby, and easy to use. Besides,
I’ve never met a philatelic book I didn’t like.
Ordering Instructions
The 2003 Brookman Stamps and Cover Price Guide can be purchased from stamp
and hobby stores, major bookstores in spiral bound ($25.95) and soft cover
($20.95) or directly from the publisher, Krause Publications, Book Department
PR02, PO Box 5009, Iola, WI 54945-5099, plus $4 shipping. Wisconsin residents
please add appropriate sales tax. Contact Krause Publications at 800-258-0929,
or visit on-line at www.krausebooks.com.
February issue No column this issue
March issue No column this issue
April issue No column this issue
May/June issue
A Review of the Krause 2003 Catalogue of Errors on U.S. Postage Stamps (12th Edition) By Stephen R. Datz, pp. 192, issued 2003
By Dave Carney, Oshkosh Philatelic Society
The 2003 Ca
talogue of Errors on U.S. Postage Stamps is a soft
cover book in a 6 inch by 9 inch format which contains 185 pages of errors on
United States stamps.
In
the introduction, the author, Stephen R. Datz, clearly explains the different
types of errors, a feature that the novice should find very informative. The
major focus in this catalog is the imperforate, color omitted and inverted
errors. The catalog is divided into those three areas and lists all known errors
with retail values for those which have appeared on the stamp market. The author
also makes clear that “Prices are intended to reflect net retail prices.”
The catalog numbers listed are unique to this catalog and are not cross
referenced to any Scott or Minkus numbers. This feature might make it difficult
for the first time user to find a stamp. Although, I found the fact that the
different errors are listed in different sections and in chronological order it
was rather easy to find the stamps.
The final chapter “EFO’s and other unusual stamps” which covered imperfections
stemming from freak occurrences during production such as, misperfs, foldovers,
miscuts, etc. was also very informative. I liked that fact that price ranges
were listed for stamps in each of these categories.
Overall, I found the book to be very helpful and informative as a reference that
should be in every philatelic library.
2003 Catalogue of Errors on U.S. Postage Stamps can be purchased from stamp
dealers, stamp and hobby stores, major bookstores (ISBN 0-87349-476-8) or
directly from the publisher, Krause Publications, Book Department PR03, PO Box
5009, Iola, WI 54945-5009, for $14.95 plus $4.00 shipping for the first book and
$2.25 for each additional book. Residents of Wisconsin and Illinois should add
appropriate state sales tax. Contact Krause Publications at (800) 258-0929, or
on-line line at www.krausebooks.com
July/August issue No column this issue
September issue
A Review of the 2003 Krause-Minkus Standard Catalogue of U.S. Stamps (6th Edition)
Edited by Maurice D. Wozniak, pp.792, issued 2003
By Art Schmitz, Wauwatosa Philatelic Society
It
was tempting to do a comparative study of this catalog with another well-known
American catalog, but I felt it better to let this reference book stand or fall
on its own merits. A more meaningful comparison is between this very specialized
volume and the U.S. section of an international catalog.
Because this catalog is devoted exclusively to the postal issues of the United States, it stands to reason that more space is available for pointing up the distinctions between very similar stamps. For instance, the catalog identifies no less than 14 variations of the 1847 10-cent George Washington, the 2nd of our first two actual postage stamps. Another excellent case in point are the illustrations of the corner elements of the 2-cent stamps of the Bureau Issues of 1894, the type I and II variations of the 10-cent stamps of the same issue, and the 1894 Oliver Hazard Perry type I and type II variations found in the first One Dollar stamp. Material headed DECODING the Catalog is valuable. For those "collecting" U.S. stamps, this material may be "too much information," but for the philatelist specializing in U.S. stamps, the material is a gold mine of factual data probably not to be found anywhere else.
I believe the values ascribed to stamps in terms of their actual market value are somewhat inflated. One example is the four hundred dollar value for the first Souvenir Sheet issued by the United States in 1926—the White Plains. While an unused Fine-Very Fine may bring that price, that is almost double what I have seen for the White Plaines Souvenir Sheets at bourses I have attended. Although the print is too small in some places, overall the book is well worth the price quoted by some dealers.
2003 Krause-Minkus Standard Catalog of U.S. Stamps can be purchased from hobby stores, major bookstores (ISBN 0-87349-473-3) or directly from the publisher, Krause Publications, Book Department PR03, P O Box 5009, Iola, WI 54945-5009, for $25.95 plus $4 shipping of the first book and $2.25 for each additional book. Illinois and Wisconsin residents must add the appropriate sales tax. Contact Krause Publications at (800) 258-0929, or visit online at www.krausebooks.com.
October issue No column this issue
November issue No column this issue
December issue No column this issue
Latest update: June 12, 2005
URL: http://www.WFSCstamps.org/wfsc_atfp_books_2003.shtml