What Linn's Stamp News does

Scott Stamp LLC, operating under the trade name Linn's Stamp News, is a privately held philatelic publishing company headquartered in Troy, Ohio, that produces the world's standard reference catalogs and weekly news publications for the stamp collecting hobby. The company's flagship asset is the Scott catalog system, a continuously updated reference covering more than 450 countries and postal entities across 10,000+ pages in print and a searchable digital subscription, with the Scott numbering system embedded as the industry standard used by auction houses, dealers, and collectors globally. The product portfolio spans the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue (Volumes 1-6), Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers, Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue (1840-1940), Scott Catalogue of Errors, regional catalogs, and the Scott Digital Catalogue subscription.

Commercially, the company operates a direct-to-consumer model via the linns.com storefront, monetizing through a mix of one-time annual physical catalog sales (priced $19.99-$707.94), monthly or annual digital subscriptions ($2.08-$57.29/month), and bundled magazine subscriptions (Linn's Stamp News weekly digital at $29.99/year, Scott Stamp Monthly at $24.99-$39.99/year). The publication arm also drives content marketing through the Linn's Stamp News weekly digital magazine (founded 1928) and Scott Stamp Monthly, with free digital sample previews functioning as a top-of-funnel acquisition channel. The customer base is distributed across three primary segments: individual hobbyist collectors, professional dealers and auction houses, and libraries/institutions.

The company traces its heritage to the Scott brand established in 1868 and the founding of Linn's Stamp News in 1928, making it one of the oldest continuously operating philatelic publishers. It remains independently owned and operated, with no disclosed parent company or external investors, and maintains editorial coverage of major global philatelic events (Boston 2026 World Expo, Paris Mondial du Timbre, Minnesota Stamp Expo) and a collaborative relationship with the American Philatelic Society. A 2026 partnership exploration includes potential volunteer work weeks at Troy, Ohio to support American Philatelic Research Library digitization.

Name

Linn's Stamp News

Legal name

Scott Stamp LLC

Website

https://linns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1868

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Scott Stamp LLC (Linn's Stamp News) is a privately held philatelic publisher in Troy, Ohio, producing the industry-standard Scott catalog system and weekly digital magazine serving individual collectors, dealers, auction houses, and institutions worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philatelic Publishing and Reference Catalogs

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)

Keywords

• Philatelic reference catalogs
• Stamp collecting publications
• Stamp identification guides
• Philatelic magazines
• Collectible stamp checklists

Headquarters

HQ city

Causeway Bay

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Physical Catalog Sales: Sale of printed annual catalogs including the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers, Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue volumes, and specialized catalogs. Physical products sold with one-time purchase pricing.
2. Digital Subscriptions: Annual or monthly digital subscriptions providing access to continuously updated Scott Digital Catalogue and/or digital magazine content. Includes access to digital archives of back issues.
3. Magazine Subscriptions: Subscriptions to Scott Stamp Monthly (monthly magazine) and Linn's Stamp News (weekly digital publication). Available in print+digital or digital-only formats.
4. Checklist Products: Sale of philatelic checklists organized by country or topic, helping collectors track and organize their stamp collections.
5. Books and Collectibles: Sale of philatelic books, memoirs, commemorative postcards, and limited-edition art prints related to stamp collecting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Scott Stamp LLC, operating through the Linn's Stamp News brand, publishes the Scott catalog series (print and digital), the weekly Linn's Stamp News digital magazine, the monthly Scott Stamp Monthly magazine, and a line of philatelic checklists, books, postcards, and limited-edition prints for the global stamp collecting community. The Scott catalogs cover more than 450 countries and postal entities, with the Scott numbering system serving as the international industry standard for stamp identification and valuation.

Product overview

Scott Stamp LLC (operating Linn's Stamp News) offers a multi-product portfolio centered on philatelic publishing and reference materials. The core offerings consist of the Scott catalog series—digitally via the Scott Digital Catalogue Subscription and in print as the annual Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue (Volumes 1-6), the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers, and the Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue (1840-1940)—alongside the Scott Catalogue of Errors on U.S. Postage Stamps and the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Counterfeits for specialized niches. Regional volumes (British Commonwealth, France and Colonies, Germany, Portugal) and focused references like the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United Nations Stamps and the Scott United States Pocket Stamp Catalogue round out the catalog line. The publication arm includes Linn's Stamp News (weekly digital magazine founded 1928), Scott Stamp Monthly (monthly print and digital magazine), and bundled subscription options. The checklist series provides country-specific and thematic tracking tools, while commemorative books, postcards, and limited-edition art prints (including Martin Mörck engraved works) serve collector merchandise interests. The digital and print subscriptions integrate with free sample previews and access to digital archives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scott Digital Catalogue Subscription: Continuously updated digital reference for identification, organization, and valuation of stamps
• Scott Stamp Monthly
• Linn's Stamp News
• Scott Digital Catalogue

Products and services

• Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers Comprehensive single-volume reference for United States philately, covering postage stamps, postal stationery, revenue stamps, duck stamps, booklets, carriers, test stamps, Confederate States, and U.S. possessions across more than 100 specialized sections.
• Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers (1840-1940) Definitive reference for the first century of worldwide philately, including listings for more than 350 countries and postal entities issuing stamps between 1840 and 1940.
• Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue (Volumes 1-6) Comprehensive world set covering countries alphabetically from Abu Dhabi through Zululand, with listings for more than 450 countries and entities, past and present, across six volumes totaling more than 10,000 pages.
• Scott Digital Catalogue Subscription Continuously updated digital reference for identification, organization, and valuation of postage stamps, providing searchable access with the latest Scott catalog listings and values across all volumes.
• Scott Catalogue of Errors on U.S. Postage Stamps Definitive reference for major production errors on United States postage stamps, including imperforates, color-omitted errors, inverted designs, and printer's waste, with authoritative listings and values.
• Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Counterfeits Reference consolidating information on U.S. postal and nonpostal counterfeits, with expanded coverage of Forever stamp counterfeits since 2007.
• Scott Regional Catalogues (British Commonwealth, France and Colonies, Germany, Portugal) Regional volumes featuring focused listings for specific geographic groupings: British Commonwealth (160+ entities), France and Colonies (60+ entities), Germany and Related Areas (17 locations), and Portugal and Colonies (25 areas).
• Scott Specialized Catalogue of United Nations Stamps Definitive reference for postage stamps and related philatelic material issued by the United Nations from New York, Geneva, and Vienna offices, including souvenir cards and proofs.
• Scott United States Pocket Stamp Catalogue Compact, portable reference combining lightweight design with essential listing information and values for more than 6,000 U.S. postage stamps and selected back-of-the-book issues, spiral bound for use at stamp shows.
• Linn's Stamp News (Weekly Digital Magazine) Premier weekly digital-only publication for stamp collectors covering up-to-date news, expert analysis, market trends, new issues from worldwide postal administrations, and practical collecting advice.
• Scott Stamp Monthly Monthly magazine focused on deeper collecting topics, research, and long-form features, providing in-depth coverage of U.S. and worldwide philately with expert market analysis and authoritative insights.
• Scott + Linns Magazine Bundle (Digital) Combined digital subscription offering all 64 issues annually (12 Scott Stamp Monthly plus 52 Linn's Stamp News) including access to 15+ years of digital archives and the annual Stamp Resource Guide.
• Scott Postage Stamp Checklists (Country-specific series) Series of checklists aiding collectors in forming country-specific collections, providing issue date/year, Scott numbers, descriptions, and checkboxes for tracking unused, used, and custom collectible options across country-specific editions for 30+ countries and thematic checklists.
• First to Fifty: A Thirty-Year Journey Across America Travel memoir by Chris Lazaroff documenting a thirty-year quest to attend a First Day of Issue ceremony in every U.S. state, achieving the milestone in 2016 with 300 ceremonies attended.
• Boston 2026 World Expo Commemorative Postcard Sets Collector's edition postcard sets from the Boston 2026 World Expo featuring artwork by Christopher Arndt, Lou Paper, and other artists with themed designs.
• Martin Mörck Washington Crossing the Delaware Limited Edition Raised-Ink Print Limited-edition raised-ink print of Martin Mörck's engraved interpretation of Washington Crossing the Delaware, individually signed and numbered, limited to 250 prints.
• Scott Identification Guide of U.S. Regular Issue Stamps, 1847-1934 Seventh edition identification guide by Charles N. Micarelli providing detailed charts and illustrations to help collectors make confident identification of classic and early 20th-century U.S. regular issues.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Philatelic Society (APS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Linn's Stamp News maintains a collaborative relationship with the American Philatelic Society, providing news coverage of APS events and initiatives. Scott Stamp LLC is considering hosting volunteer work weeks at their Troy, Ohio offices similar to APS programs, potentially supporting library digitization efforts for the American Philatelic Research Library and the hobby.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Whitman Publishing: Established U.S. collectibles publisher famous for the 'Red Book' coin catalog and similar reference guides. Comparable as a long-running collectibles reference publisher, though numismatic-leaning rather than philatelic.
• Krause Publications: Major collectibles publisher producing price guides and references across coins, sports cards, and other categories. Comparable as a multi-category collectibles reference publisher serving hobbyist markets.

Others

• American Philatelic Society: Largest U.S. non-profit philatelic organization and active partner to Scott Stamp LLC. Ecosystem participant whose events, research library, and membership base are tightly intertwined with Linn's editorial coverage.
• Heritage Auctions: Largest U.S. collectibles auction house handling stamps, coins, comics, and fine collectibles. Ecosystem participant that depends on Scott catalog valuations and is a key channel for the dealer customer segment.
• Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries: Premier U.S. philatelic auction house and a heavy user of Scott catalog values and numbering in its listings. Ecosystem participant and adjacent customer using Scott as the pricing standard.

Direct peers

• Yvert et Tellier: France's longstanding philatelic catalog publisher (founded 1865), producing the Timbres Yvert catalog. Direct international peer operating in the same catalog-publish niche across French-speaking markets.
• Michel (Schwaneberger Verlag): Germany's leading stamp catalog publisher producing the Michel catalog series covering worldwide and European philately. Direct competitor to Scott in the international stamp catalog market, with parallel annual edition model.
• Stanley Gibbons: The UK's premier philatelic catalog and reference publisher (founded 1856), offering the Stanley Gibbons catalogue and related collecting tools. Direct competitor to Scott catalogs with near-identical product offering and global collector base.
• Mystic Stamp Company: U.S.-based stamp retailer and publisher selling supplies, stamps, and related reference materials to U.S. collectors. Directly comparable as a U.S. philatelic DTC operator, though more retail-weighted than Scott.
• Amos Media (Amos Press): U.S. hobby publisher of collectibles magazines and catalogs including Coins, Scott Monthly Journal-era titles, and other numismatic/philatelic publications. Closest U.S. peer in hobby-specialist publishing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/linnsstampnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Linn's Stamp News