A is for Aden and Z is for Zanzabar


A is for Aden and Z is for Zanzibar... Now what is between? For the world wide classical era philatelist and stamp collector, a country specific philatelic survey is offered by the blog author, Jim Jackson, with two albums: Big Blue, aka Scott International Part 1 (checklists available), and Deep Blue, aka William Steiner's Stamp Album Web PDF pages. In addition, "Bud" offers commentary and a look at his completely filled Big Blue. Interested? So into the Blues...

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The Big Blue Checklist is back!

1908 1pi deep blue on blue "Emperor Franz Josef"
Austria Offices in the Turkish Empire
The Big Blue Checklist is indeed back. You might note the left panel of the blog now has the Falkland Islands-Latvia Checklist heading. The checklist is in progress; and presently, as I write this, is up to French Guinea.

[ Update: The Checklists can be quickly accessed with the links found along the left panel ]

The annotated Aden-Ethiopia Checklist is now located in the November 17, 2011 blog titled "The Part IA1 checklist for Aden-Ethiopia is available here"

There has been some changes. 

In a word -Simple

But rest assured the same care that was taken for the annotated list is also strived for with the simple list.

Only the Scott numbers themselves listed in the order found in the 1969 edition Big Blue's pages are now presented. 

1997 edition users should find the list virtually identical in content, except the '97 will move categories (i.e. Air Mail, Postage Due) a bit. The '47/'41 editions share 95% of the inventory.

I will also attempt to include in the checklist any countries or large sections only found in the '41/'47 editions.

The Country blogs will include a copy of the checklist in the Big Blue section of the blog. There will be a comment section below where any checklist puzzlement will be addressed if necessary.

In addition, all catalogue value stamps greater than $10 will be identified and listed.

If there are several stamps to choose from for a space (indicated by an "or" between numbers), I will not comment if there is a choice for less than $10. If all the choices are greater than $10, then I will indicate the price for the least expensive.

Blank space suggested choices will have a (  ) around the Scott number. My blank space choice is usually sequential and/or the least expensive.

That's about it. ;-)

You might still want to know why the checklist is back?

A good question, and it deserves an answer.

I am committed to the Deep Blue (the Steiner) album and it's pages, but one is frankly left sailing the "Deep Blue" of the classical stamp era without guidance. Big Blue offers a well known, do-able, "inexpensive", and  firm anchor.

I now have a virtual Big Blue housed inside Deep Blue. The best of both worlds. :-)

Jim

Comments appreciated!


5 comments:

  1. Thanks, Jim, for bringing the checklist back. -- Bud

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  2. You've made my day and a lot of other peoples I bet. Many, many thanks.

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  3. Thanks Bud and Bob. I think the new "simple" format should work out very well for the duration.

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    1. I agree: the simplified format is just fine. Stamp prices change almost with every ebay/delcampe sale, becoming readily outdated, but the numbers arranged by pages in Big Blue order is priceless and, in this world of toil and sin, they are relatively changeless. (We've had this conversation before, haven't we?)

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  4. The "Filling Spaces" blog by Bob had a question from a reader who was confused by the present intent of Big Blue. I'm posting below the reply I gave the reader in the hope it will clarify....

    1) There is no "checklist" for Deep Blue (Steiner album), as all the major numbers are included in the album, so what would be the point? ;-) However, I do include commentary, because Steiner sometimes includes minor numbers, sometimes not. Hence I might agree with his overall choices, or I may not. ;-)

    2) There IS a checklist for Big Blue- the Scott International Part I. The "confusion" no doubt arose as I did stop the checklist for awhile, but now it is again going strong.

    3) The reason I stopped the checklist for awhile is I migrated my own collection to Deep Blue. But to use a metaphor- with Deep Blue one is sailing the uncharted seas, and I found I needed some nautical charts. ;-) And I missed the usefulness of the BB checklists as a reasonable attainable goal. So back they are.

    4)I've definitely expanded looking at a countries problematic stamps and issues with the WW classic era collector in mind.

    5) The checklist is now "simple", rather than annotated. Rest assured, the same care is taken choosing the stamp(s) as before. But MAJOR problems for the BB collector are either discussed in the blog, or in the comment section after the checklist.

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