I'm Unhinged

Ok. I have a confession to make.

I have NEVER, NEVER EVER hinged a stamp. I've always used mounts or stock books.

I've slowly acquired various WW stamp lots and I realize that it would be pure financial folly to use mounts for the hundreds of "common" used stamps I'll be putting in the Scott Internationals.

I've been putting this off. It seems like sacrilege to me. To make me feel a little better, I've come up with the following rules:

1. If it's MNH, it gets a mount
2. If it has a CV over $5, it gets a mount.
3. If it's super attractive or has "something" about it, mount it.

Does this sound reasonable?

<sigh> Where's my Mommy when I need her?

Prince - Don't Panic

I am what you might call a bit of a schizophrenic when it comes to this topic. My albums are by country (3-ring binders). Some countries are entirely hinged (Umm al Qiwain). Some are entirely mounted (Panama). For my used US collection, I do exactly as you have explained.

Prince,

Like Smauggie, I follow a similar procedure to what you've proposed. If it is unused with OG, either never hinged or previously hinged, I use a mount. If it is used, I use a hinge unless the CV is above the $10 range or, as you've said, there is something "special" about it.

Steve

Well guys

All my stamps get hinged. Am I bad?

Dianne

Prince Afa,

My feelings towards hinges are no different than yours. I dislike them and prefer the neat presentation of a bright coloured page mounted with black mounts. I like the way the stamps look when put into a page in this manner. For that reason (aesthetics) it means very little if the stamp is used or mint, or if it's worth a lot or not.

Having said that - I have seen few hinged collections which looked fabulous on their pages, so the looks of the collection really depends on the "archival" know-how of the collector...

For me, Scotts Volume one 1840-1940 I use mounts with the first 1-2 pages of each country. 2 reasons, first they are very old and usally the most valuable and they look very nice this way. 2nd as I plan to collect for many, many more years I expect I'll find better and better versions of these early stamps mounts provide an easy way to inspect and reinsert these fragile older models.

however as we go deeper into my albums like you said only valuable stamps get mounts, or somthing that caught my fancy.

my albums currently go up to the mid 1970's, and I'm kinda at an emotional impass over mounting or hinging mint stamps in this era, so its been going 50/50 in mood swings.

USA - Mint unused - 100% mounted
USA - USED - 95% Hinged - older higher value are mounted
Canada - did I ever say I love these stamps - they are special I use a nice stock book thus no hinge or mounts
World Wide - I used those manila stock pages and place them in three ring binders. Each page is place in a safe for paper plastic sleeve holder.

Wow - I'm glad I'm not alone in this dilemma.

Sorry, I don't know how to add quotes, etc. = But Seahorse made a remark which hit home with me. It follows and then I will add my remarks.


"Having said that - I have seen few hinged collections which looked fabulous on their pages, so the looks of the collection really depends on the "archival" know-how of the collector..."


EXACTLY. The hinged collections I've seen look like some kind of hodge-podge collection of a patchwork quilt. You open up the album and a couple stamps fall out. Once you get to the page you're interested in, you see crooked stamps.

Considering how much stamp supplies cost, I'd like to do something that doesn't look like the local meth addict put it together.

I follow variation on these "guidelines," too. But let me open another can of worms: black or clear mounts? I know from numerous discussions on this topic in other forums that black mounts are more popular because collectors rightly feel that they best highlight the stamps within. However, I use clear mounts because my pages contain both hinged and mounted stamps, and I feel that the clear mounts make the stamps integrate better with their hinged companions. I know, nutty.

1840to1940,
It sounds like a very good reasoning to me i.e. trying to keep uniformity along the page by keeping the stamps' background the same.
Personally - I never liked the clear mounts on white pages and was wondering: are you using dark coloured pages for your albums?

Years ago (15?) I had a worldwide used collection. I was pleased as punch to have it all hinged in an album. But at that time I did not have it arranged by year, just as pleased me at the time. Lots of fun though.

I had started to use glassine interleaving (with hole protectors) and was investigating the use of mounts as they did look good but were expensive (to me).

I think it is up to how the individual person likes to see his / her stamps. Whether you like them all protected (hopefully that is) by mounts or plastic stock pages (I use these now on a small scale) or like to see them close up and personal without plastic in between.

It is nice to turn a page and not have them crooked or falling out. I tend to move the binder around a lot so that, even in plastic Vario stock pages, the stamps do move around and fall out, but not to the extent they did when hinged in an album and came loose with wear and tear.

1840 - That is the best reasoning I have heard yet for using clear mounts. Thanks for sharing.

I am 180 degrees on this one, I dont care for mounts,I like the orderly look of well placed hinged stamps. I have seen albums that are a "hodge-podge collection of quiltwork" as well, with black mounts, clear mounts, crooked mounts, different size mounts all on the same page,mint stamps and used stamps as well.Being my primary collection is US used, mounted stamps have no place in my album nor do mint stamps.I will not even fill a hole in my album with a mint stamp.That being said I have seen some very nicely done albums that are mounted with consistent mounts and they are very attractive.Bottom line your album, your stamps, your style.

I am a hinger and not afraid to admit it.

Guess you have your choice: poor hinging that leaves your stamps askew and getting tangled up from time to time (or falling off altogether) or using badly trimmed mounts that cost maybe more than the stamps they hold.

I'm not really that negative about it! But I think whether you hinge, mount or stock book depends on what stamps you are dealing with and how often / and in what way you look at or show your collection. Personally I think stock books are a brilliant invention and I'll leave all sorts of stuff in there until I decide what I'm going to do with it.

fredcdobbs,

The page you have shown here is beautifully arranged and hinged !! You certainly made your point !!

Welcome Fred!

I like your page you have shown. I would think that the type of pages (one sided versus two sided) is an important factor to consider in the mounting of stamps. They look great there.