The stamp catalogue, basically a dealer's price-list, is a most essential work of reference for the stamp collector. It provides complete, detailed lists of all the postage stamps issued by every country in the world from the earliest days, with information about dates of issue, commemorative events, face values, colours and designs, and - if it is a fairly new catalogue - the current prices of the stamps, unused and postally used.


For the beginner and general collector the most useful catalogue is Stanley Gibbons' Stamps of the World. It contains all the details the average collector needs for every country. If current stamp values are not of importance, many cheap catalogues are available. Alternatively, most pubic libraries have a range of Gibbons catalogues which can be referred to or borrowed.   Thematic catalogues are also published covering stamps featuring Aircraft, Birds, Butterflies and Insects, Chess, Football, Mammals, Railways and Ships. 


For the GB collector who wishes to economise and yet keep in touch with the latest market values of his stamps, Stanley Gibbons publish three key works - GB Concise Catalogue, Collect British Stamps and Channel Islands & Isle of Man. These show all the new issues and latest prices since previous editions.  As you progress in the hobby so the catalogue will become of more and more assistance. It shows you which stamps you need to complete a set, their face values and their designs, thus providing a guide to the arrangement of your stamps in the album. The catalogue will also help you to become acquainted with the colours and their names - the basic reds, blues and greens of Stamps of the World or the more explicit carmine-reds, greenish blues and yellow-greens of the main catalogues.