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Post by irishjack on Sept 12, 2014 23:51:14 GMT
If Michel published their volumes in English with the same information as the German print issues, would Scott and Stanley Gibbons be as popular as they now are? I understand that they do have some catalogue's in English
I currently looking at upgrading my 2007 dog-eared scotts. I strongly leaning towards slowly switching over to Michel's. They seem to have embraced digital media and the way the modern collector uses computers and technology in the hobby. I was earlier Today looking on their website (Helps to translate the page I use Google translator) One of the things that POPPED was they offer an online subscription to their catalogues with 3 different prices (of course the more you pay the better it gets) They also provide a forum for collectors.
I tried out the demo version here are a few screen grabs from recent auctions results. Only subscribers will see the prices
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scb
Member 
Inactive
Now at 100,000+ worldwide stamps, and progressing one stamp at a time towards the 200K
Posts: 313 
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Post by scb on Sept 13, 2014 4:48:19 GMT
If Michel published their volumes in English with the same information as the German print issues, would Scott and Stanley Gibbons be as popular as they now are? I understand that they do have some catalogue's in English It's really hard to teach old dog new tricks, especially as many have spent a lifetime organizing their collections per specific catalog. Moving from SG (country-catalogs) to Michel is somewhat reasonable, but from Scott to Michel takes a lot. But new collectors... There's the possibility for change. Just my 5 cents worth. |
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Post by classicalstamps on Sept 13, 2014 8:36:19 GMT
As a European, I've used Michel for +10 years before eBay and hearing about 'Scott'.
I'm not particular good at German, but I always seem to manage.
As my username suggest, I'm mainly into classical stamps, so I would love to have everything in one catalog (i.e. Scott Classic). I have also printed more Steiner pages than most, so again, I would love to use Scott... but, for some reason I can't. Perhaps I have been spoilt by Michel, but whenever I find myself in Scott, I wonder what Michel has to say.
Scott seems 'cheap'. They omit so much information. And then there is the problem with Airmail and what they call "semi-postal". Including them in BOB instead of the normal listing where they belong is a no-go. I have actually stopped using Steiner because of this annoyance.
Another problem with Scott (and SG) is that they sell stamps (and/or are in pocket of the commercial vendors). So they have an incentive to "create" new major catalog numbers out of nothing (minor varieties). USA Scott 5-9 is a good example. They used to be just no. 42, but now they have their own major numbers. Stamps from the same sheet should have the same major catalog number.
Think about this if you collect by "catalog" seeking completeness..
All this leads to Michel, which don't have the same issues.
And Michel's online offerings are the least bad of the trio (SG, Scott, Michel)
When seaching online auction sites, I nowadays only use 'years' - I never use catalog numbers. Problem solved.
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Jerry B
Departed
Rest in Peace
Marietta, Georgia USA
Posts: 1,485
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Post by Jerry B on Sept 17, 2014 15:05:01 GMT
Hi
My 2 cents worth. A few years ago Michel advertised that one could buy one or more country sections. They would then bind what was purchased into a single volume.
I figured I only needed 3 countries so I inquired about the cost, thinking it would be a lot cheaper than buying the entire South America volume. That was a wrong assumption. If I remember correctly, the 3 countries would have cost almost double the price of a 'pre-printed' volume (without shipping). Haven't seen anything more about it and have not heard about anyone who may have purchased a 'custom' Michel catalog.
Jerry B
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scb
Member
Inactive
Now at 100,000+ worldwide stamps, and progressing one stamp at a time towards the 200K
Posts: 313
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Post by scb on Sept 18, 2014 5:25:28 GMT
Hi My 2 cents worth. A few years ago Michel advertised that one could buy one or more country sections. They would then bind what was purchased into a single volume. I figured I only needed 3 countries so I inquired about the cost, thinking it would be a lot cheaper than buying the entire South America volume. That was a wrong assumption. If I remember correctly, the 3 countries would have cost almost double the price of a 'pre-printed' volume (without shipping). Haven't seen anything more about it and have not heard about anyone who may have purchased a 'custom' Michel catalog. Jerry B True, Michel 'single country catalogs' are deadly expensive. But what else would you expect from a product that's printed-on-demand for just one person. |
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