To Hinge Or Not Hinge

Ram -- I'd say for paper, the heavier the better, provided it will run through your printer. Go as heavy as you dare.

I am using *** lb paper -- heavier than the stuff Scott's latest Minuteman album pages are printed on, but still not too heavy as I don't trust my printer.

*** = somewhere in the low-mid 20s. I checked the packet for you only to find that when you tear the top off the pack using the convenient tear-strip they provided, you are tossing away the ONLY printed notice of what weight you just bought. So I don't know -- and how on earth do I match it when I need a new bag? Honestly, someone got PAID to design this packet?

Hinging isn't for me. I have never used a hinge, and have no plans to do so either.

This is what I posted in a previous thread on this topic, and I'm stickin' to it!

Speaking of cutting up stamps...The British Guana stamp that sold for $950,000 was cut on the corners!! Or so I read someplace. Now that is a criminal offense to a stamp that payed off!!

I have some that are hinges or otherwise stuck to display pages because of how I obtained them.

It does lower the value, in my opinion, if a stamp was hinged.

In the end, there are some stamps for which is does not matter one way or the other.

I am slowly converting all to mounts or the binder pages like the type sold by the USPS

Would anyone be so kind as to show an example or 2 of what a hinged and mounted album looks like?
I have been using those stockbooks (or whatever they are called) and didn't know anything about hinges or mounts...till now.

joelkuiv,

Personally, I don't use hinges. I use Scott strip mounts. They can be purchased from the Amos Press web site, they come in various widths and are 215mm in length allowing you to cut to length for the various stamps. Or, you can buy them precut for individual stamps. If you plan on getting these I suggest subscribing to Linn's and become an Amos Advantage member to get the discounts, it'll pay for the subscription and a lot more.



This is a page from my revenue collection.

Thank you artlaunier.

Where would I find the pages to put the mounts on?

I also got them from Scott. I used the Scott National Album Revenue Pages. However, there are many good album makers available besides Scott. There was a thread recently evaluating albums on SCF that you might want to look at before purchasing. Check this link, I think it will get you there. There's another one that evaluated specific albums but I can't seem to find it.

https://goscf.com/t/4832&SearchTerms=minkus,album


Art

Searching on Stamp Community for Album Pages will return many threads of discussion.

You can also print out your own pages (if anyone makes them the way you like) or design and print your own.

KaBe album pages here
http://www.kosel.com/en/sh/kbtxee.htm

Lighthouse or Schaubek pages also available from the same site.

I am not knowledgeable about any of these however.

Hello Joel,
I am a hinger, I began using mounts, but disliked the
look and feel of mounts, they lacked the tactile and sensuous
feel of a traditionally presented album.

We all have our differing tastes, and it is your choice,
but for speed, economy, look and feel, the hinge is a hard fellow to beat.

Here is an example of my hinged page (Armenia)



Like anything, takes some time to become a good hinger,
probably best to start off with a quadrille printed page
(lots of little ruled squares)
There is nothing worse than a wonky mounted stamp.
You don't need much moisture just a dab from a damp cotton bud,
or the tip of your tongue (not whilst eating)

As an aside, to be an elegant eater, one has to learn
to use the knife and fork, for stamps, you need good
quality stamp tongs, a nice long pointy set about $15
will be a great and important initial step, and a most
important tool to assist in hinging, both in maneuvering
the stamp, and applying the hinge.

Here is an example of a Cinderella hinged on quadrille.

With the correct information at hand
(I get mine from SCF :)

You can print the quadrille page, print the info
and hinge the stamp and have it in your album in under 5 minutes.

...and yes, I mounted the stamp a little wonky

Doesn't hinging decrease the value of the stamps?

Here's a page of hinged stamps from my Scott Canada, I prefer the clean and orderly look of a hinged stamp.

joelkuiv,

Hinging a stamp only decreases the value of a stamp if you plan on selling the stamp. That being said, for any other reason yes, it does reduce the value of a stamp once hinged.

Its your album, do it your way. There is no right or wrong way to build a stamp collection, only better or best ways and those are just opinions.

Art