It is my understanding that most Americans do not understand the Stanley Gibbons form of numbering stamps in Great Britain.  This has prompted me (a Scottish member of SOSSI) to write a short article, which I hope will be of help to other members.

Edward Stanley Gibbons was born in 1840 in Plymouth, England, and started dealing in stamps at the age of 16 in his father's chemist shop.  The business became so successful that he moved to London where the company grew bigger.  It later settled in Strand, which is now the heart of the British stamp trade.

Stanley Gibbons, as he preferred to be called, soon saw necessity for a system of numbering stamps in a catalogue so that they could be easily identified.  The initials "SG" soon became well known with dealers and collectors alike as Stanley Gibbons catalogues became more and more popular in Britain.  Stanley Gibbons catalogues are universally recognized in specifying stamps and as a hallmark of status.

The majority of stamps are given just a number, but certain other stamps are given letters as a prefix: "D" = postage due, "O" = official, "E" = express delivery, "M.S." = miniature sheet.

SOSSI Journal, Volume 43, Number 1, January 1994