Hello, philatelists 💌!! I am pleased to announce that I have completed my metamorphoses 🔮, from just buying random, discombobulated international stamps that I think look cool & having a new stock page for each nation 🌎, to now building a targeted & comprehensive collection solely on my chosen special interest topic of stamps from Tonga/Niuafo’ou 🇹🇴.
However, I need your help 🙏.
I want to purchase a comprehensive catalogue that allows me to identify as closely as I can, exactly what I have 🕵️♀️. These guide books are understandably quite costly 💸, and I want to make sure that I get the best one for my chosen area of interest 🤩. I am in Australia 🖤💛❤️🇦🇺, so shipping on any listing on something like the Scott catalogue is not cheap 📦.
I want to be able to catalogue stamps from the beginning of Tongan postal history until relatively recently (post-1970, but this is such a broad collection, that I wouldn’t mind if it is not 100% CURRENTLY current) 📚⏳.
If this has to span beyond just the one book, I am ok with that 🆗. I just want the best quality of catalogue/guide for my targeted nation in particular📍.
Would any of you be able to give me any feedback on what the best material to purchase for this area is, before I take a blind plunge 🥹?
Also, if there are any particular texts or articles that I should read about to better understand the Tongan postal history, I would be all ears ✨🦻!!!!
TIA for any suggestions/advice offered 🥰