Stamp collecting

Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects, such as envelopes (cover)s. It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with estimates of the number of collectors ranging up to 20 million in the US alone.

Catalogues

Stamp catalogs are the primary tool used by serious collectors to organize their collection. There are hundreds of different catalogs, most specialized to particular countries or periods. Several major catalogs have worldwide coverage:

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• Stanley Gibbons (Britain)
• Scott catalog (USA)
• Michel (German)
• Yvert (French)