Collector tools

Assisted identification.

You provide a photograph. We propose candidate identifications, with the reasoning visible. You decide which one is right — or that none of them are.

This tool is for collectors who'd rather start from a photograph than a description. It is deliberately small. It does not auto-claim, auto-publish, or auto-add to your album. Nothing about your stamp enters the catalog without your action and your name.

Collector subscription · $6.99 / month · cancellable any time · supports the catalog.

What it does — and what it doesn't

The contract.

Will
  • Read the photograph you provide — front, back, or detail.
  • Compare it against verified records in the catalog.
  • Propose candidate identifications, with the reasoning shown.
  • Tell you when no candidate is confident enough to recommend.
  • Record the request in your account log so you can audit it later.
Won't
  • Tell you what your stamp is worth. Valuation is not in scope.
  • Auto-confirm a record on your behalf.
  • Add the photograph to the public catalog without your action.
  • Use your photograph to train an external model.
  • Show advertisements, recommend dealers, or rank by commercial interest.
How it works

Three steps, then you decide.

01

Photograph the stamp.

Front-on, full bleed, on a plain background. Daylight is best. The tool tolerates phones, but discourages flash.

02

Receive candidates.

Within seconds, the tool returns its best identification with confidence and rationale, plus matching catalog records — each linking to its full description and provenance.

03

Confirm — or don't.

If a candidate is right, you can open the record or save it to your album. If none are right, you can contribute your stamp as a new record. The OSID is assigned on contribution.

Why this tool sits behind the Collector line

Each request costs us money. Charging for it is how we keep the catalog free.

The catalog itself is CC0-licensed and free to read. Browsing, searching, and resolving OSIDs on the site needs no account, and the OSID resolver is a public endpoint.

Assisted identification, however, calls a vision model on every request. Each call costs a few cents. Giving it away to anonymous visitors would force us to either ration the catalog or sell access to it — both unacceptable. So this single convenience tool sits behind a $6.99/month line, and the people who use it cover the cost of running it for everyone. Cancel any time.

See about the commons for the full reasoning, and the contribution spec for what happens after a record is identified.