What’s new for 2025 Scott Standard Volume 4

From the Scott Editors by Jay Bigalke

Another catalog season is upon us as we continue the journey of the 156-year history of the Scott catalogs.

The 2025 volumes are the 181st edition of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue. Volume 4A includes listings for countries of the world Jamaica through Luxembourg.

Listings for countries of the world Macao through Mozambique can be found in Vol. 4B.

Because Vol. 4B is a continuation of the first part of the Vol. 4 catalog, the introduction pages are not repeated in each volume this year.

The covers of this year’s catalogs feature a postal theme, a nod to the United States Postal Service’s 250th anniversary in 2025 with a photograph of a letter carrier courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division shown in the background.

The Jamaica 6-penny olive green and carmine rose Victorian Post Cart and Mail Truck stamp (Scott 179) from the 1960 Postal Centenary set of three engraved stamps (178-180) is shown on the cover of the Vol 4A catalog, and the embossed Malaysia $1 Mailbox at Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, stamp (1364d) from the 2011 Mailboxes set of five (1364) is featured on the Vol. 4B catalog cover.

Malta was extensively reviewed for Vol. 4, with approximately 2,500 value changes made. The classic period contributed to approximately 500 of those value changes. In general, stamps issued from the 1960s through the 1980s showed slight decreases in catalog value. Modern items issued after 2005 showed the most value increases throughout.

One of the sizable increases for Malta was for the 2015 Penny Black 175th Anniversary stamp (Scott 1538). It increased in unused condition from $2.75 to $8.25 and from $2.75 to $8.75 in used condition.

Listings for early issues of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were closely examined. Approximately 50 value changes were made, along with some editorial changes. The Number Additions, Deletions and Changes listing in this volume points to the items that were reviewed.

The first North Korean stamp, the 20-chon red Rose of Sharon (Scott 1), jumped from $300 to $2,500 in used condition. That stamp does not trade frequently in the philatelic market. Value changes were also made for a couple of stamps with minor perforation varieties.

Hundreds of new listings for stamps from Japan were added as has become routine in recent years for that country.

Two Japan 2018 souvenir sheets of two stamps each that came in a folder were initially overlooked by the Scott catalog editors. However, they were issued in a quantity large enough to justify a listing.

These Japanese Architecture souvenir sheets (Scott 4181B-4181C) contain a total of four 500-yen commemorative stamps and sold for 2,500y in the folder.

The sheets were engraved by master engraver and artist Martin Morck and are listed for the first time in the Vol. 4A catalog with dashes for values in unused and used condition.

The stamps in the first sheet show the Hall of Worship of Kangi Temple and divinities playing the game of Go. The stamps in the second sheet picture the main hall of Tsukiji Hongan-ji and a winged guardian lion dog.

For 13 issues of Memel, the Scott catalog editors added grayish paper varieties as minor listings.

Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and Libya were also reviewed, and a handful of changes, all slight increases, were made. One of the more notable increases was for the Jordan 1-mil dull red brown occupation postage due stamp (Scott NJ8), which jumped from $175 in unused and used condition to $300 for both this year. The values are in italics to indicate an issue that does not trade frequently in the marketplace.

Other countries that were reviewed are not mentioned in this letter.

We encourage you to pay special attention to the Number Additions, Deletions and Changes listing in this volume. We also suggest reading the catalog introduction, which includes an abundance of useful information.

A digital subscription is also available for the Scott catalogs, and information about the subscription can be found on the Amos Advantage website.

Connect with Linn’s Stamp News: 

    Sign up for our newsletter
    Like us on Facebook
    Follow us on Twitter