Disclaimer. Collectalia is not a legal, tax or insurance advice site. The information on this page is general and based on French legislation in force as of 09/11/2026: it may change, does not necessarily apply outside France and does not take your situation into account. Always have it checked by a notary, a lawyer, an accountant or your insurer before acting on it.
Key points
- To manage a stamp collection, the catalogue number is the key: it identifies the stamp without ambiguity.
- The condition (mint, hinged or unhinged, used, on cover) and the perforation make all the difference to value.
- A stamp collection inventory can mix individual records and lots, with photos of the album pages.
Managing your stamp collection: what to keep track of
Philatelists have their own language and their own catalogues. Philately software, a binder or a spreadsheet must respect it, otherwise the inventory remains unreadable for an expert or an heir. The essentials come down to a few pieces of information: country and year of issue, catalogue number, condition, and what makes a particular specimen special (variety, postmark, centring).
The difficulty is volume. A collection quickly runs to thousands of stamps spread across albums, binders, envelopes and boxes. It is neither possible nor useful to describe everything at the same level. The right method: an inventory by album and by lot for the whole, and a detailed record for the pieces that deserve it.
What a stamp record contains
| Field | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Country or issuer, year of issue, design, face value | Identify the stamp at a glance. |
| Yvert & Tellier no., Scott no., Michel no. | The reference shared by all philatelists, whatever the catalogue’s country. |
| Perforation | Tell apart two printings that look alike and do not have the same catalogue value. |
| Condition: mint never hinged, mint hinged, mint without gum, used, on cover | The first criterion of value after the number. |
| Gum (original, regummed, no gum) | Regumming greatly changes the value of a mint stamp. |
| Variety or error | Flag what makes a specimen different from the others. |
| Catalogue value | Compare and rank pieces; spot those to have authenticated. |
| Front and back photos, expertise certificates | Show the real condition, the gum and the postmark. |
Blocks and miniature sheets, covers and envelopes (postal history) and thematic collections have their own sub-categories.
Yvert & Tellier catalogue value, worth and insurance
The Yvert & Tellier stamp catalogue value is a reference, not a price. Note the year of the catalogue used, because values change from one edition to the next, and keep separately the valuations by an expert or the prices actually obtained at sale. For important pieces, an expertise certificate stored with the record is worth more than any description.
For insurance, a stamp collection is often forgotten because it fits in a cupboard. After a theft or water damage, you will nonetheless have to prove what it contained: photos of the album pages, a list of the main pieces, purchase invoices and dated valuations. Update this list after each major purchase and at least once a year.
Succession
An inherited stamp collection is often a headache: dozens of albums, no list, and heirs who cannot tell a rare piece from a common stamp. An inventory, even a partial one, that flags the important pieces, shows where the albums are and says whom to contact for a valuation, changes the situation completely. Also note your wishes: keep the collection whole, share it out or sell it. Our estate inventory template can serve as a starting point.
Photos from your phone and sharing
Photograph the important pieces front and back, lying flat, without flash, and each album page for the lots. To have a selection authenticated or to offer it to a dealer, share it through a password-protected, time-limited link. If you also collect coins, the method is very similar: see managing your coin collection.
With Collectalia
Collectalia is collection management software that speaks philately: one record per stamp or lot with Yvert & Tellier, Scott and Michel numbers, perforation, condition, gum, variety and catalogue value, front and back photos taken from your phone by scanning a QR code, expertise certificates, successive valuations and location by album. Import of an existing Excel file, advanced search, PDF reports and Excel exports, a Succession module. Free trial, free read-only access for the family.
Disclaimer. Collectalia is not a legal, tax or insurance advice site. The information on this page is general and based on French legislation in force as of 09/11/2026: it may change, does not necessarily apply outside France and does not take your situation into account. Always have it checked by a notary, a lawyer, an accountant or your insurer before acting on it.