Behind the scenes: The Stanley Gibbons Catalogues

A firm favourite with collectors, the first Stanley Gibbons ‘catalogue’ was published in 1865 and was originally a price list of current stock. Two known copies are in institutional collections. Over time, these price lists have evolved into the extensive, illustrated and highly detailed catalogues we see today.

For our latest staff profile, we spoke with Clare de la Feuillade, Editor and Publications Manager, who has worked for Stanley Gibbons for over 25 years. When she first joined Stanley Gibbons, she worked on the Commonwealth series of catalogues and has been editing the Foreign series of catalogues since 2003, as well as Stamps of the World since 2014.

Stanley Gibbons are keen to introduce more value for collectors, what new features have you added into recent editions compared with past editions?

We have for several years been including relevant Gibbons Stamp Monthly articles within the prelim section of our catalogues, sometimes these articles expand on a popular collecting area, or we use it as an opportunity to show case a less popular collecting area.

Where there are specimen stamps, and they are relevant to the edition, we have been adding them into our catalogues.

More generally, we have tried to expand on the information we provide for definitive sets, by adding in more images and information.

We are also looking to expand on the number of images of varieties we provide, so that it is easier for collectors to see and understand what they have in their collections. This is something we are rolling out across all our catalogues.

From the first edition in 1865 the Stanley Gibbons Catalogues have been evolving with the needs of collectors, what are some of your plans for future catalogues?

As and when we can we are splitting our foreign catalogues into smaller catalogues, an example is The Balkans catalogue which has been split into Southern Balkans and Northern Balkans.

As we begin work on all our catalogues, we look at the current contents and decide whether we need to include other areas so that they become even more comprehensive.

How do you construct the research for the catalogues and how do Stanley Gibbons work with societies?

The research comes from a variety of sources, including societies, magazine articles, specialised catalogues, collector feedback and information.

For many of our catalogues we know experts who specialise in specific collecting areas who can give us an overview of what is going on in the market, new additions, varieties, errors etc.

We are also, as a department, members of many societies and we read through all the information they provide.

We provide contact details for relevant societies at the front of all our catalogues. If a collector is interested in a particular area, and would like more detailed information, then societies are a good place to start.

How far ahead does the team begin preparations for an edition?

Each catalogue is different; for an annual catalogue such as GB Concise we would generally start collating information around 4/5 months before publication.

If it is a catalogue that hasn’t been published for a long time it could be anything between 1 and a half to 2 years depending on the amount of work involved.

For catalogues such as British Commonwealth and Empire Stamps (Part 1), we never stop, we are constantly receiving and reviewing the latest information, it is 12 months of ongoing work in every edition.

How do reader submissions feed into the catalogues?

We are always happy to receive emails and letters from collectors, and while we cannot guarantee we can reply straight away, no email or letter that is sent to us goes unread.

We keep all communications on file, and when a new edition of a catalogue is being compiled, we review all the associated correspondence.

Which catalogues are the publication teams' favourites to work on?

As a team, I think we all enjoy working on British Commonwealth and Empire Stamps (Part 1), it is a truly collaborative publication that many people across the company work on. A huge amount of time and careful analysis goes into every single new entry and listing, and the conversations between the team can be enlightening.

On a personal perspective I enjoy working on both France and French Colonies, I have a personal interest in France, as well as small collection of ‘Sower’ stamps.

Are there any plans for thematic catalogues?

We don’t currently have any plans, only because of the huge amount of work involved in them versus the demand for the catalogues.

As an example, a new edition of Collect Birds on Stamps could feasibly take 3-4 years of work just to bring it up to date. This is because every species that appears on a stamp would need to be checked and identified by an ornithologist. We can provide the stamp information, but we rely on experts, who might not necessarily be stamp collectors, to provide the level of detail that we know our customers would expect.

I don’t believe there is an AI system out there that can identify the species of birds on stamps to the level that our customers are looking for!

Stanley Gibbons customers love the print versions. What are some of the features of the digital version that might persuade them to buy the digital and print edition offer?

For all recent editions of our catalogues, you can buy a digital version of the printed book. This is convenient if you are attending a fair, on holiday or travelling, as it can be stored on your iPad or tablet. Overseas customers are now able to buy and save on the postage of the print edition.

Stanley Gibbons has undergone a digital transformation with the release of the digital editions of the catalogues as far back as 2014. What editions are now available exclusively in the digital version?

Every catalogue published by us in the last 10 years also has a digital version available on our website, once a catalogue is out of print then the only way you can get it is the digital version. We do, however, have a program where we reprint popular printed editions.

Which catalogues are Stanley Gibbons publishing this year?

In January we released a new edition of our Ireland, one-country catalogue (8th Ed.).

We have our annual editions of Great Britain Concise, published in May, British Commonwealth and Empire Stamps due in September, as well as Stamps of the World and Collect British Stamps both due for publication towards the latter end of the year.

We also have new editions of Canada and Provinces and Falklands Islands and Dependencies coming out this year.