The Worldwide Album Shootout: Great Britain, Pt 1

I've long been intrigued with how the major worldwide albums covering the Classic Era compare even if this smacks of second guessing the choice of the "Blue" International for my own collection. Having finally acquired part of a Minkus Supreme Global, I want to have a go at comparing the coverage of some sample countries in the albums that I either own or have access to:

1) The "Blue" International Volume 1 (1943, 1947, 1969, and part 1 of 1997 editions)
2) The Minkus Master Global
3) The Minkus Supreme Global (I have A-J countries only)
4) The Scott "Brown" International 19th Century Edition (c1902, from the Internet)
5) The computer generated pages from William Steiner's Stamp Albums site
6) The H.E. Harris Masterwork Deluxe Album (Volume II: Europe, 1987 edition)
7) Scott "Green" Specialty albums (other people's online websites)

I've decided to start with early Great Britain because this is a popular country that should receive extra editorial attention in any album. While no doubt I should thoroughly think the process through and perform a number of these comparisons before posting anything, I know this would bog me down and I would never finish. So, let's get started even if a few months from now I wish I had done things differently.

My working method will be to use the "Blue" as the baseline and look at corresponding pages in the other albums as well as the Scott Classics Catalogue. I suspect I won't normally be making detailed comparisons against the catalog, but I'm going to make an exception with Great Britain and tally which specific stamps have been included.

1) Scott International "Blue" Album, 1840-1940 [Volume 1]
For this part of the great album shootout, I'm starting with the first two pages of the "Blue" which takes us from Scott #1 issued in 1840 through Scott #173 from 1912-13. My assumption is that for later, less expensive Great Britain issues the "Blue" is comprehensive so I should concentrate on differences in the early issues.

I've checked my 1943/47 albums against the 1969 edition and there is only a minor difference between the two: the 1969 edition has a blank space within the 1862-65 years and the 1943/47 editions has the blank space in the 1880-81 years. The cuts and descriptions for all of the remaining stamps are the same.

If my math is correct (and what are the chances of that?), we're looking at a possible 166 major varieties during this period according to Scott (the more specialized Stanley Gibbons, of course, would give a different count). Interestingly, the total is 166 rather than 173. Scott, even for Great Britain, has apparently eliminated some major numbers it had assigned to this country in the past.

Of these 166 potential candidates for inclusion, the "Blue" contains spaces for 81 stamps, of which two are "fill in the blank." This translates to the "Blue" containing 49% or about half of the possible major varieties of Great Britain during this time span. (All of these counts should be considered a little squishy as a single space might properly be filled with two or more stamps that match the cut.)

But that of course ignores that "Blue" collectors, unlike their overly ambitious "Brown" and "Green" colleagues, neither expect or want spaces for the most valuable stamps in their album. Thus the more proper question to ask is whether there are inexpensive stamps we're likely to acquire that Scott has omitted? Now that begs the question as to what constitues inexpensive. At least initially, I'm going to arbitrarily set $10 as a figure that shouldn't give the intrepid "Blue" collector too much pause if that were all standing between him or her and the completion of a page.

So, are there any stamps cataloging under $10 between Scott #1 and #173 that are not included in the "Blue" Volume 1? I'm pleased to say that the answer is no. Admittedly, Scott does provide only two spaces where there are twelve stamps between #151 and 158B. But while most of these catalog under $10, I think the stamps have been rightly omitted as they are examples of different dies, reengravings or perforations. Moreover, all 12 varities are represented by the same two cuts in the catalog.

Some other statistics: The average 2008 Scott catalog value of these 81 stamps is $42. The total catalog value of all 81 is around $3200. The catalog value of the most expensive stamp on these two pages is $275 for Scott #1, the Penny Black.



2) The Minkus Master Global

The Master Global puts on one page what Scott reproduces on two for #1-173 and additionally manages to throw in four postage dues. (Remember that Minkus intermixes BOB stamps within the regular and commemorative issues. Whatever else one may think of the practice, it does make it much easier to integrate supplements.)

The Global has spaces for 57 stamps compared to the "Blue's" 81 (not counting the postage dues). Does the Global leave out any stamps cataloging under $10? Yes, two, ignoring again Scott 151-158B. These two stamps are Scott 111 and 143.

So you could argue that Minkus has provided for almost all of the low cost stamps without leaving out many affordable issues. But there is one troublesome anomaly, a space for the 5 shilling Seahorse. When you encounter situations like this, one has to wonder whether the people who edited the album actually collected stamps. Scott 174 cataloged in 2008 for $310 and this is more expensive than any other stamps on this page including the "Penny Black." My bet is that the editor included this oblong stamp for no other reason than symmetry which is why I ask whether a collector would ever think that layout trumped other factors when deciding to provide a space for a stamp that was excessively expensive in comparison to others in the album. (I suppose I should note that one could substitute Scott 180 for 174 and then you are looking at only $125, but the stamp still doesn't fit within the scope of the album.)

Minkus crams more stamps on a page than the "Blue." One difficulty with this is that the collector has little or no room on most pages to add additional stamps along the margins. The advantage is that you need fewer binders for a large collection and fewer pages should mean a lower price for the album. (The latter point is not an issue now as the Minkus Master and Supreme Global albums are out of print.)

There are significant differences in how Minkus and Scott describe the stamps belonging to each space which I will discuss in the next section.



To be continued in my next post.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

This post is pretty much off the wall but I came across a set of album pages on eBay titled 19th CENTURY BRIEFMARKEN CUT-SQUARE ALBUM. These are 305 or so pages only for envelopes, wrappers, postcards and money orders (?), world-wide, through about 1913 (?) according to the seller. I assume these are reprints. I don't recall having seen anything like this before and couldn't find more information on the set via Google. So just in case the set is new to anyone else, I thought I would mention it.

Stamp Dens

A fun thread on the always entertaining and informative StampChat board has been "Who has the MESSIEST stamp room(s) ????" It is a relief to know that there are collectors who are messier (actually, way messier) than I am. But although we have a study, I usually work on my stamps at the dining room table. Having feared that this arrangement would forever subject me to shame in professional stamp collecting circles, I was pleased to read the following in Lawrence Block's "Generally Speaking" column in the January 25, 2010 Linn's: "When I settle into my stamp room (and it's not a dining room, no matter what fantasies my wife is able to entertain)...."

Here is a photo of my setup where for the past few days I've been transferring stamps from a recent eBay purchase. As indicated in an earlier blog, the albums are sitting on Ikea plastic drafting tables which also act as holders for hinges, etc. You will note a beer to show that stamp collecting is indeed an adult hobby. Missing are a watermark detector and perforation gauge. One "feature" of the International is that usually watermarks are irrelevant (except for some of the US Bureau Issues). Perforation differences aren't usually critical either, although I was reminded only today that one is necessary for early twentieth century issues of Ecuador.

The "Album Count Sheets" are how I keep track of the number of stamps in my Blue Volume 1. I've mentioned this before but will cover it in more detail in a future entry.

Even if you are fortunate enough to have a separate stamp room, don't feel too sorry for me. In case I get bored, here is the view from our dining table, I mean Stamp Den:

Approvals from Another Era

An album I recently purchased on eBay had several old approvals inserted between various pages. The format of these is very familiar and I'm sure I saw them as a kid, but the name of the company is no where on the sheets. Does anyone recognize these? If I were to guess, I would say H.E. Harris, but I can't imagine why they would leave off their name and address. Here are two examples. One is a facsimile of the famous British Guiana 1 cent Magenta and the other of two Bulgarian stamps from 1901. Interesting, several decades later these "rare" Bulgarian stamps only catalog $11 unused, $3.20 used. I hope no one was killed in putting these stamps into the hands of collectors--the accompanying blurb suggests that blood may have been spilled.

How to Become Unhinged

A perennial problem with removing hinged stamps from old albums is that some will be stuck to the page and those that come off may well leave hinge remnants. The technique I use was described on several websites including Linns. It consists of first using tongs to hold the stamp as far off the album page as it will lift without tearing. I then lightly wet a small artists brush with water (a Q-tip would also work). I slowly move the brush back and forth between the hinge and the album page while simultaneously pulling the stamp/hinge off the page using the tongs. I like the brushes with slanted bristles. It is just like the sport of curling but without the skates. I suppose you could wear skates while you do this but I don't think it would help.


In cases where I have the stamp successfully detached but the hinge remnant refuses to separate from the album page, I brush a small amount of water directly on the remnant, wait a short amount of time, and then pick at the hinge with tongs. Generally it will come up without damaging the paper.

While this works for me most of the time, a recent thread on the Virtual Stamp Club forum suggested another approach. While the thread is devoted to separating stamps from envelopes it would appear applicable to album pages. The poster noted that a retired chemist he knows "uses and recommends common mineral spirits. Takes about 3 seconds, then slide tongs between stamp & envelope; lay stamp face down on paper towel, use Q-tip and fresh spirits to further clean back of stamp. Use talc, not talcum powder, to finish job." If I were going to try this, I probably would use oderless mineral spirits for artists.

Please let me know if you've tried mineral spirits and if it works more reliably than water.

Improved Coverage in the Later Editions

I've had a chance to make a better comparison between the 1947 edition of the International and the 1969 version. As mentioned in a previous post, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the 1969 edition had improved coverage for some issues over the 1947 edition even though many stamps and even complete countries were dropped in the later version. The most dramatic improvement in the '69 was for Libya. In all cases, I do not know whether the additional stamps were added for the first time in the 1969 edition or had previously appeared in the 1955 or 1965 versions. At some point, I want to check this list against the latest version of the Blue (of which I only own part 1 of 4) to see if the changes "stuck." Here are my notes:

BRAZIL. The '69 has better coverage of postage dues than the '47.

CAMEROONS. The 1938 semi-postals are in the '69 but not the '47.

CONGO. More spaces in the '69 than the '47 for the 1930 and 1934 airmails.

COSTA RICA. Twice as many spaces for officials in the '69 than '47.

CUBA. Twice as many spaces for postage dues in the '69 than the '47.

DENMARK. Twice as many spaces for airmails in the '69 than the '47.

FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA. Twice as many spaces for airmails in the '69 than the '47.

GRAND COMORO ISLANDS. 17 spaces for this country in the '69 vs. 8 in the '47.

FRENCH GUINEA. Better coverage of pre-1913 regular issues in the '69 than the '47.

FRENCH GUIANA. Better coverage of pre-1925 regular issues in the '69 than the '47.

INDO-CHINA. The '69 edition has 45 spaces for postage dues versus 35 in the '47.

ITALIAN COLONIES. The 1947 edition is missing the 1932 Dante overprints (8 values). However, the 1969 has only 4 spaces for the Garibaldi overprints versus 8 in the the 1947.

YUGOSLAVIA. The '69 has 17 spaces for postage dues versus 11 in the '47.

KUWAIT. 1969 has spaces for 4 additional values in the 1937 overprints (Scott 45-57).

LIBERIA. There are 7 spaces in the '47 for airmails vs 10 in '69. However, the additional airmails in the '69 is because Scott deleted spaces for the 1893 postage dues and the 1903 registration stamps.

LIBYA. The '69 has almost 3 full pages of semi-postals vs. 4 spaces in the '47! Also, the '69 has twice as many spaces for airmails.

MALAYA: PERAK. The '69 has better coverage of 1938-40 than the '47.

MIDDLE CONGO. The '69 doubles the spaces for 1933 regular issues but drops 13 spaces for the 1936 surcharges.

PERU. The '69 has 7 spaces for airmails missing in the '47.

POLAND. The '47 is missing the 1933 and 1935 officials that are in the '69.

SAAR. The '69 has more spaces for the 1927-34 regular issues and the 1922-23 officials than the '47.

SAN MARINO. There are a few additional spaces in the '69 vs. the '47.

SPANISH [WESTERN] SAHARA. There are 25 spaces for this country in the '47 vs. 43 spaces in the '69.

SWEDEN. The '69 adds 10 spaces for 1918 semi-postals missing from the '47.

SYRIA. The '69 drops three spaces for the 1920 overprints (Scott 64-81) but adds 2 stamps from 1940 not in the '47.

TRIPOLITANIA. Something of a mess. The '69 is missing regular issues from 1933-34 (14 spaces), a number of semi-postals, and 2 spaces for airmail special delivery that are in the '47, but has 20 spaces for semi-postal airmails versus 6 spaces in the '47.

UGANDA. There are 4 spaces for this country in the 47 vs. 10 in the '69.

In a later blog I'll summarize where the 1947 edition is superior to the 1969 version.

International Blue-per #3: Canada 1897 Jubilee Issue

"Blue-pers" is my silly name for mistakes, errors, inconsistencies, etc. in the Scott Volume 1. My first two examples represented two categories: 1) what I can only assume was a practical joke at the expense (pun intended) of collectors; and 2) an orphan--i.e., a stamp that was in the Scott Catalog when the album was originally compiled but has been delisted. I suspect that this second category will account for most Blue-pers. But with the Canada 1897 Jubilee Issue, we have an example of a mistake by the editors.

At some point after the 1955 Blue ("Thanks John for this info") but no later than the 1969 edition, Scott revised the first page for Canada. In doing so, the editors left two spaces for the 1897 Jubilee Issue, one illustrated with a cut for the 1/2c black (Scott 50) and the other a blank. The problem is that on the next page for Canada are eight spaces for the exact same series, this time with illustrations for Scott 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54 plus 3 blank spaces for the higher values.


What probably motivated the remodeling of the front page was to remove a space for what had been Scott 35, the 2c blue green Small Queen. In later catalogs this color been demoted to a minor listing as Scott 36d. In the photo, 36 is on the left, 36d the right. Here's a link to a very informative website on the Small Queens.



You have to wonder whether no one brought this duplication of the Jubilees to Scott's attention over the past 50 years? Their editors have been rearranging other pages and surely could have corrected this Blue-per with little effort.

So what's a stamp collector to do? You can't have a complete volume 1 if you have blank spaces, no matter how legitimate the reason! So do you duplicate two of the stamps on both pages? Put the first two stamps from the set (the 1/2c black and 1c orange) on page 1 and 8 of the remaining stamps on page 2? Put something on page 1 to cover up the two erroneous spaces? A major factor is that the 1/2c is not a cheap stamp as you might expect--in 2007 it cataloged $100. And the higher values of the Jubilees are even more pricey.

I guess we should be grateful that, as far as I know, Volume 1 doesn't have the problem that occurs in one or more of the later Blue Internationals of spaces for stamps that were announced but never issued.