World Stamp Catalogue/Stamp valuation
Catalogue
[edit | edit source]Stamps are collectibles and are exchanged and traded extensively in many countries around the world.
Most postage stamps are very common either in condition used or mint (not used) condition. Fine used and mint unhinged are the two conditions most likely to be collected.
It may be hard to comprehend, but stamp catalogs exist that identify nearly every postage stamp ever created in the entire world. A collector with an interest in just one country or region may prefer a stamp catalog that describes only the stamps in the specific collecting area. For beginner collectors, a pocket catalog that identifies each stamp and lists them in chronological order may be all that is needed.
Yet it is very difficult to devine a valuation scheme in one or several currencies which reflect the true market value of any particular collectible. Therefore, the following scheme is based on scarcity (and therefore value) and a basic coding is used in this catalogue:
| Code: | Number of stamps issued or believed to exist: |
|---|---|
| A | 10s |
| B | 100s |
| C | 1,000s |
| D | 10,000s |
| E | 100,000s |
| F | 1,000,000s |