What’s new for 2026 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940?

Nov 4, 2025, 8 AM

From the Scott Editors by Jay Bigalke

The 2026 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940, widely recognized as the best single-volume catalog for classic-era stamps of the world, celebrates its 32nd anniversary this year. Collectors, dealers, and researchers continue to rely on this indispensable reference for accurate pricing and comprehensive coverage of the classic period.

Many important value and editorial changes enhance this year’s catalog. Thousands of value changes were made to the 2026 edition, reflecting close study of auction realizations, dealer price lists, and marketplace activity worldwide. Each year the catalog grows stronger thanks to the dedicated contributions of our many advisors, whose expertise ensures this volume remains the definitive guide to classic issues.

An abundance of editorial changes and additions can be found throughout the catalog. Various footnotes and editorial notes have been expanded or clarified to further explain complicated listings, while other notes were carefully screened to ensure accuracy. A particular focus has been placed on strengthening explanations of varieties, postal history connections, and contextual notes that help collectors better understand how these issues were used.

What sets the Scott Classic Specialized catalog apart from the six volumes of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue are the thousands of never-hinged listings, on-cover listings, varieties, pre-stamp postal markings, forerunning listings, local stamps, and other specialized features that bring depth to the classic era. This year’s catalog continues to demonstrate that the classic period is both rich and evolving.

A noteworthy addition is the listing of a previously unrecorded Confederate Postmaster’s Provisional from Salem, Miss., now cataloged as Scott 154XU1. The discovery of such material demonstrates that remarkable new finds continue to emerge even after more than a century and a half, underscoring the importance of maintaining a specialized catalog that can record and preserve these additions for the philatelic record.

Norway classics were extensively reviewed, with more than 700 value changes. One notable increase was for the first stamp, the 1855 4-skilling Coat of Arms (Scott 1), which moved from $4,250 in unused condition to $4,500. France was reviewed, with approximately 100 value changes made to stamps of the 1930s, reflecting a slight softening of values for that period.

Prices for British Commonwealth issues have remained relatively strong during a period of fluctuation in much of the market. Used examples have generally trended higher than unused, while British issues such as British New Hebrides and Rhodesia show continued weakness. Still, almost 125 value increases were recorded for British New Hebrides and 196 for Rhodesia.

Fiji was thoroughly reviewed, and hundreds of value changes were made. One example was the set of three stamps of 1871 surcharged in black (Scott 18-20), which rose from $275 in unused condition to $315.50. Surcharges and overprints remain a consistently popular area of collecting.

The forerunners section of the Cayman Islands (Scott A1-A28) received close attention, with every value changed to reflect slight increases across the board. Similar upward adjustments were made for the forerunners of Ascension.

Gold Coast was also reviewed, with significant value changes made that reflect a mix of value increases and decreases. The first three stamps, the 1875 Queen Victoria issue (Scott 1-3), proved strong, with the set in unused condition increasing from $1,900 to $2,350.

Additional value adjustments were made for Alaouites, Cilicia, Egypt, French Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

We encourage users to pay close attention to the Number Additions, Deletions and Changes section, which tracks important shifts in catalog numbering. We also strongly suggest reading the introduction, which includes an abundance of useful information to guide collectors in their research.

Finally, for those interested in the Scott Digital Catalogue Subscription, this year’s updates include many additional images not pictured in the print catalog but available in the digital version, helping collectors better identify elusive varieties.

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