Mounts: Clear Vs. Black

Absolutely black. The black background sets off the colors of the stamp and gives it a framed look.

Greg, I agree with you.

I used to think (as a beginner) that clear was more natural and therefore more 'pure' I have since changed my mind and use black for the reasons cited above.

The black makes it 'pop', but does not look as good with a Harding or a black Jack.

Mike

i have used clear mounts but the glue dries and they become loose so I may as well use the black mounts in the first place !

I use clear mounts. I find the black mounts detract from the colour of the stamp and the album leaves.

David

I'll start out by saying that all the mounts in my Australian albums are clear mounts and are already stuck to all pages before sale,with the American albums I choose the black mounts and now prefer them as they tend to highlight the stamps.

I've always used black mounts. They show off my stamps much better than the clear ones.

Butch

Although the poll is 80/20 it's clear why they make more than one kind/color. I guess if we didn't have different opinions we would only have one color car - black (so sayeth Mr. Ford)!

Good point, Greg. - Variety is the spice of life.

Clear mounts allow stamps to be removed and not detract nearly as much from the album page. I can see the illusrtation/description and they blend in well with the pages. They also blend in well with pages containing mostly hinged stamps. Empty black mounts, poorly fit black mounts, and sloppily cut and attached back mounts are a bigger eyesore.

Well fit and mounted black mounts seem to highlight & frame the stamps better. My preference is black when well implemented in a consistent manner.

Do you like a specific brand? Any love for the more flexible top loading mounts?

I don't necessarily prefer them over all others, but I use Showguard. I started with them two or three decades ago, they work for me and if it ain't broke I don't try to fix it!

Without a black background you can't make out the perforations or margins very well, an important part of the stamp. I do agree with Quanah that poorly cut and uneven black mounts do create an eyesore though.

Balf