Organizing Duplicates

How do you organize your duplicate stamps? I sure hope you don't separate them and catalog each one by scotts number. But please do tell me how you do it.

Welcome
You'll enjoy it here.
But I have just one question. Organize? what's that? (just kidding )

edit- Ok, I guess that wasn't much help, was it?
I separate them by country into glassines. Often I'll have subgroups for trading or selling.

Envelopes in a box contain worldwide,
GB Germany and the like end up with lots of envelopes.
My Country (Australia) Has a separate box and envelopes (big ones) for each year.

I try to pass the majority of duplicates back through auctions to keep cash flowing

Mostly I've seen people using manila stock pages in 3 ring binders, which they bring to meetings for sale or trade. That's what I use unless the quantity gets over half a dozen or so, requiring a switch to glassines. If only one duplicate, it often gets put next to or under the primary one.

OK, I'm OCD, but only a little . My duplicates are by Scott number.

Art

Since I limit myself to US stamps, I do what JamesSW suggests. Put the stamps from countries you're not collecting into glassines until or when you feel the need to expand. That said, I organize my US using stock pages. I have two large binders full of these pages and chuck full of duplicates. It makes it infinitely easier to later find specific stamps like I just did for I_Love_Stamps. Took me all of 1/2 hour to group over a 100 stamps for him. It does take some effort initially to take kiloware and organize it, but in the long run it really simplifies collecting, sharing or selling your stamps. In any case, I think most of us get quite a thrill out of sitting at the kitchen table with a heaping pile of stamps in front of us, and then organizing them looking for that "diamond in the rough." Most of the time we don't find it, but the fun is in the hunt!

The stockcard looks like the logical for me..unless I want to buy a thousand 102 cards and a thousand #2 glassines...i have seen dealers put a 10 cent stamp a 102 card...seems like poor economy to me !

I'm starting to reconsider (sorry Larry). I have had problems lately keeping track of my extra stuff. I've got a couple of empty stock books. I may have to start filing them in there to keep better organized. Oh, now I'm conflicted.

At one time I stored my used U.S. dups by catalog number in manila stock sheets and unused U.S. dups similarly in glassine envelopes. Now I store the used in manila stock sheets just by year, and unused the same in Vario type stock sheets in 3-ring binders. Any duplicate mint or used cataloging at least $5.00 get their own home in glassine envelope and all stored in a container. For each year that I have stamps cataloging at least $5.00, I have a little dot on the stock sheet year tag which alerts me. Definitive series I place all together based on the year of the first issuance.

ncbuckeye, you put me to shame! I thought I was well organized, but your pages make mine look like a slum. Bravo!

Put them in a large wooden cigar box and Then.... A Viking Funeral

I have two oversized 4" binders with manila stockbook pages that cover duplicates from US #700 through #1612, I could easily make a third or fourth binder with those more recent issues, but I find it's just too difficult to manage such a large binder. I'd rather put a smaller amount of pages in a 1" or 2" binder, which is what I have done for subsequent issues. (Fortunately, I had been given a major supply of those stockbook pages, or I would have found a more economical way to store them.)

I know many collectors would suggest I just get rid of the myriad of common duplicates I have, but every once and awhile I go through these stockbooks and come up with an odd color variety or cancellation that makes me happy I have kept them.

good subject ------------------let me explain how I keep my duplicates .There are two things you need to consider ,first most likely your going to have a lot more dups as time goes on ,so you need a system or method that is expandable .Second important concideration is someday your going to sell them ,so you best plan is to arrange them so they are marketable and not a accumlated mess .<p> Here is what I have done ,the low value stamps and broken sets are kept in notebook binders on stock pages much like you see in the postings above .Then better stamp singles and complete sets that catalog over a buck or so are written up and put in 102 cards ,these are the black dealer cards and they are kept in long red boxes in Scott order .This gives a future buyer a easy way to figure value and for the better items to stand out when viewing .

Where can I get stockbook pages. I am in a very rural area. No Walmart, K-Mart or other big box stores. We do have a Family Dollar now. WOOPIE!! I went to our Office Supply store today but they didn't even know what I was looking for.

Bobgggg, I think you just lost membership
to the stamp club in the Sky.

Charles, I assume you will have to order online, or attend a stamp bourse. None of the big-box stores will have them. (Hobby Lobby might, but I doubt it.)

I've had good luck with ordering from Subway Stamp Shop, but there are lots of other choices out there, too.