The Bottom Line
Pros
- Color images for each entry
- Spiral binding makes it flexible
- Covers just many U.S. issues
Cons
- Duplicates Scott's Catalog information
Description
- Listings through 2007 issues
- Color pictures for every stamp
- Background on the 2008 issues
Guide Review - The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps - 35th Edition (2008)
The stamp catalog is the centerpiece of your stamp collecting toolkit. It serves as the primary identification and organization resource as well as a source of information about the material in your collection. A good catalog should well-illustrated with plenty of detail, covering the widest range of material possible, given the topic of the catalog.The 2008 version of The Postal Service Guide To U.S. Stamps does a pretty good job of meeting these criteria. The Guide checks in at 384 color pages, printed on a nice magazine quality paper. The book is spiral-comb bound which is a great feature. It allows the book to be opened flat and stay open and it can even be folded over on itself, which could be useful in tight spaces.
The first topic the Guide covers is the 2008 program, with pictures of all the new issues, including definitives, stamped envelopes and post cards. This listing also includes that issue dates and locations. Next there is an explanation of the listings and pricing, then a brief guide to stamp collecting which is expanded on in the back. Throughout the Guide are advertisements for U.S.P.S. philatelic products as well as background information on the 2008 issues.
The foundation of any catalog are the stamp listings. The Postal Service Guide has accurate and detailed listings, which is unsurprising because they come from the Scott 2008 Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps & Covers. Thus you can be assured of quality information, information you might already have if you have the Scott’s. The Guide also offers identification information for various troublesome issues, especially those of the 19th century. All the images are in color and are good quality for identifying stamps. The listings cover a wide range of U.S. issues including general postage, semi-postals, airmail, newspaper and other back of the book material.