U.S. Postage Stamp Catalogues - Which to Buy?

Which U.S. Catalogue Should You Buy?
There are many stamp catalogues and stamp guides available for purchase on okay and Half.ge. I have some very strong opinions about which are good values for the collector of U.S. stamps and which are not.
Section 1: General Catalogues and Price Guides
The publications described in this first section are listed in the order in which I rate their importance/usefulness to collectors of United States stamps.
#1. The Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps:

The Scott Specialized is the single most essential reference for collectors who wish to begee and stay knowledgeable about U.S. stamps. You will not find a better U.S. stamp catalogue. It has always been a great source of information, and the move to color photographs in 2005 has greatly enhanced its usability as a stamp identification tool. Scott continues to expand the catalogue each year withimprovements to thesections on geputer vended postage, personal geputer vended postage, test stamps, etc. Most importantly, the numbering system used by Scott to identify stamps is the standard among stamp collectors in the United States. Most okay listingsfor individualU.S. stamps will refer to the Scott number.
Be sure to purchase the Specialized edition if you need geprehensive details on stamp varieties, errors, booklets and panes, postal stationary, etc. Volume One of the Scott Catalogue also contains listings for US stamps, but the Specialized Catalogue includes much more information. The Specialized Catalogue is the volume you should buy if your collecting interests are focused on U.S. stamps.
Stamp values shown in the Scott Specialized Catalogue are updated each year to reflect market trends. Nevertheless, these values are only indications of value. Most stamps sell for a percentage of their catalogue value. You will find many damaged, heavily cancelled, or poorly centered stamps selling for 5% to 20% of their Scott catalogue value on okay while desirable stamps in GEM condition are often sold at a premium over catalogue value in other venues.
New editions of the Scott Specialized Catalogue are published in the fall of each year, so the current edition will not contain all of the stamps released by the Postal Service during the previous calendar year. For example, the last stamp issue pictured in my 2008 Scot Specialized is #4153-56, thePollination issue releasedon June 29, 2007. Stamp issues planned for the balance of the year are described, but theyare not acgepanied by apicture or catalogue number. This has never bothered me because I do not focus heavily on current issues and typically skip a year between my purchases of the catalogue anyway. I believe that collectors of U.S. stamps should not pass up the chance to acquire a catalogue that is several years old if it is in good condition and can be purchased at a fair price. Better yet, your local library will likely have a full set of current Scott Catalogues available in the reference section for you to review. Many libraries also keep an older set of catalogues that circulate so that you can check one out and take it home.
Once you acquire a Scott Specialized CatalogueREAD IT. Im surprised by the number of people who never have a peak at that stuff in the front or never bother to look beyond the airmail section. The sections in the front and in the back of the book are required reading if you wish to begee a knowledgeable US stamp collector. These are the sections that make the Scott catalogue much more valuable than another catalogue on the market.
#2. The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps:

My first stamp catalogue was a Postal Service Guide. I have since graduated to the more expensive Scott Catalogue, but I still consider these books to be an excellent value. It is a great reference for identifying US stamps. You will find color photos of all stamps by Scott number (including some varieties) with the year of issue and a brief description. As with the Scott catalogue, the stamp values quoted here are useful when geparing the relative value of one stamp issue to another, but they are intended to represent retail prices and you cannot reasonably expect to sell your stamps for the prices shown in the book. If you can pick up a recent edition of The Postal Guide in good condition at a fair price, dont hesitate to do so.
#3. Brookman Price Guide:

The Brookman Price Guide is not as geprehensive and informative as the Scott Catalogue and it is not laid out as nicely as the Postal Service Guide. Nevertheless, it is a good reference source for the US collector. Stamps are identified by Scott number, and all the stamps shown can actually be purchased from Brookman at the prices listed. Earlier editions have black and white illustrations that do not picture every stamp available. Brookman does show values for mint sheets, autographs, andcovers, however, which Scott does not. I also find Brookmans First Day Cover section more informative than Scotts. The major advantage of Brookman over Scott lies in the spiral bound format. The spiral bound version of the Brookman Price Guide is well worth the extra money because it is very easy to work with. Pick one up and gepare for yourself.
#4. Mystics U.S. Stamp Catalog:

If all you need is a useful up-to-date reference to help you identify your US stamps, but dont want to fork out the price of a Scott Catalogue, have a peak at Mystics U.S. stamp catalog. You can find Mystic on the web via Google and view their catalogue in .pdf format. If you like what you see, they will send you a copy of their full color catalog for free. (I placed the word free in quotation marks because Mystic will send you packets of stamps on approval. You have the option of purchasing one or all of the approvals, or you may return them without making a purchase. Simply ask Mystic to delete you from their approval program if you do not wish them to send you more stamps.)
#5. The Krause-Minkus Standard Catalog of U.S. Stamps:

It is probably OK to purchase this catalogue as a reference or a piece of stamp collecting memorabilia, but do not build your collection using the Minkus numbering system. Amos Press, the publisher of the Scott Stamp Catalogue, purchased the rights to the Minkus catalogue and the Minkus numbering system in 2004. You will never see another edition of this catalogue. Too bad, because Minkus contained details about some stamp varieties not covered well in the Scott Catalogue.
#6. Official Blackbook Price Guide to United States Postage Stamps:

A new edition of this mass market paperback gets printed every year. While some of the information at the front of the book will be helpful to new collectors, I believe the scarcity of color photographs and the placement of stamp images on pages far removed from the stamp descriptions make this a poor reference guide. My biggest problem with this price guide is that the values quoted for mint sheets and plate blocks are vastly over-stated. Any stamp dealer would be delighted to sell to you at Official Blackbook prices. In short, you have no hope of selling your collection at the values shown in this book. I strongly regemend that invest your money in one of the other stamp catalogues listed above. The small incremental cost will be money well spent.

Section 2: Specialized Catalogues
Scott First Day Cover Catalogue