Best Stamp Catalogues for Africa...specifically West Africa?

Ryan, thank you for the information. I will re-look at their website. I noticed Michel also has a West Africa catalogue. Knowing how detailed that catalogue can be I will probably check it out as well. I wish there was a domestic catalogue of Nigeria as I feel like Nigerian philatelists would have a better knowledge of their stamps.

Darrin (darkormex ), are you looking for a hard-copy catalogue or an electronic version?

Depending on your answer, I may be able to help. Please PM me if interested.

I am a huge fan of catalogs Ryan but only if they show the details I need. I will skip the Michel option in that case.

Beryllium Guy but beggars can't be choosers so I am good with an electronic copy too. I sounded like a bit of a downer in my post when I should have been thankful for the offer. I will message you shortly.

cjd , I am looking for a catalogue that covers the modern era of Nigeria in a more detailed way. Basically after independence.

I realize there isn't a lot of information around, it is just always my assumption that other catalogues, not Scott, do a better job of presenting the details or give more information about varieties, etc...Gibbons seemed a likely starting point given that Nigeria is a commonwealth member.

The Digital Philatelist introduced me to Brixton Chrome which has several good articles about modern Nigerian stamps and it is likely this is about the best I am going to get. All the same I wanted to see what is out there catalogue-wise.

You are probably correct, I will just have to do my own research.

Lagos has a stamp club, actually, and I have thought seriously about reaching out to them if for no other reason than to start swapping stamps. They have a Facebook page which I follow: Lagos Stamp Club

I use the Yvert & Tellier "Timbres d'Afrique Volume 2" for Nigeria. It covers countries that were not previous French colonies (from the Guineas to Z). In French, of course, and it doesn't go too deep into the details, as it is a generalist catalog, but it does the job well enough for me.

I was in a video chat with the guy from Brixton Chrome. He was a down to earth guy and he discussed why he chose Nigeria as a country to collect. He said in part it was because much of the older material was still very affordable as Nigeria is not as popular as many other areas.

In the chat he had a beard and had a George Lucas like appearance in contrast to his image on his website.

angore, that is what I gather from his website too. There are three countries in Africa that I like to collect, Botswana, Nigeria and South Africa. Botswana and Nigeria have conservative stamp issuing policies and the stamps they issue are relevant to the country. In the case of Nigeria, I like the fact that there are the definitive sets with multiple printings and varieties to explore. I also like the fact that many issues don't appear slickly printed and there are printing mis-fires, perforation freaks and all sorts of other odds and ends out there like modern postal forgeries that I can explore also.

I like the pre-independence British colonial stuff too but the post-independence issues are actually more interesting to me.

Chris (chrischross), yes I agree. Michel is better than Scott, but only marginally, and it did help me solve a puzzle that Scott does not explain very well. That said, to solve this lack of information problem I joined a Facebook group called Nigerian Philately and then asked the admin if he was able to hook me up with someone in Nigeria that was interested in trading modern Nigerian stamps for US stamps.

He encouraged me to join the Calabar Stamp Club in Calabar, Nigeria, a club that communicates virtually via WhatsApp but is also again meeting in-person. I introduced myself and am now trading stamps with a gentleman named Papa Supo who is a self-described octogenarian who is about to do a solo exhibit to raise money for his own gallery. Papa Supo and I are trading emails but also connecting via WhatsApp. I doubt that I will get to Nigeria anytime soon but the world has become so interconnected I realize I don't have to.

Also the members post semi-regularly about Nigerian stamps and I have already learned things not noted in the US and European catalogs.

I am looking forward to receiving my first envelope of stamps from Nigeria and hope to continue trading for a while.

I am wondering if there are similar clubs in Cameroon that may have an internet presence that you can find.

According to Wikipedia, Cameroon is noted as having both French and English as it's official languages so maybe it wouldn't be too much of a stretch that there are clubs with English speakers in Cameroon.