1908 1 Piaster Deep Blue on Blue
I was reviewing the prior blogs and was struck by how often I criticize the coverage of Big Blue as "not enough". Perhaps that isn't fair. After all, Scott's original intent was to provide the collector with a very fat one volume album that would provide "representative" coverage of the world. One could argue they very much succeeded, as the album is the most popular one in use today in the USA.Moreover, filling 35,000 spaces is a daunting task, actually accomplished by few. It will be many years, more likely never, before I would reach that capacity.
But when I review a country, I am not combing for a "representative" selection. Rather I look for affordable stamps (.20c-$4+) that could be a candidate for Big Blue. Combing with the "affordable" filter through a Scott catalogue has generally yielded more stamps; perhaps ultimately 10,000 more.
Even though there have been changes to Big Blue, most notably stretching out the presentation to four parts/binders for the '97 edition, there has been no substantial editing since the '69 edition. Unfortunately, I see little evidence of interest or even capacity in coming out with another edition of Big Blue. ( I would love to be proven wrong.)
So I am grateful for the 35,000 capacity Big Blue. In all honesty, I believe it is still the best choice for a general classic era affordable album that doesn't take up 10 feet of shelf space!
Jim Jackson
Addendum: On a more optimistic note....
I published this thought in the comments section today, and it could be the way Scott/Amos might be enticed to offer an addition to Big Blue.
I was thinking the same thing yesterday that if Scott ever did edit BB, a supplement would be the way to go. No changes to the current page layout, just a separate "additions " section. I really believe that would be a winner. They would only need to print on demand. A super Big Blue! I'm sure a group of us hard core 1840-1940 collectors wouldn't mind helping out with the selection process either. ;-)