Storage Question... Want To Keep Stamps Safe.

Okay, here's what I have...

Dad put together his albums with 3 ring binders from Mystic.
Then used the Mystic pages. They are a cream color.
Dad mounted his stamps in black-backed showgaurd type mounts.

I assume all these items are safe for the long term stability
of the stamps??? I guess the thing to worry about the most would
be the paper composition? Being from Mystic, and made for stamps,
I assume they are stamp safe?

Now for my personal touch...
I have started adding clear page protectors, made with 3 holes
to use in the binder. They fit the paper perfectly, and the stamps
in their mounts don't seem to bother the page protectors.

IS THIS SAFE?
Even if the page protectors have PVC, does this hurt stamps?
I ask about PVC in particular because I am a coin collector, and
PVC hurts coins when used in archiving. Same with paper due to
high acidity.

Am I on the right track with the stamps, or are there archiving
no-no-s that I need to watch for.

Anyway, the page protectors LOOK really nice over the pages.
I hope no one finds fault in this method.

Thanks!
Dave

I also collect coins. The thing with PVC on coins is it affects the metal. So stamps are not metal. So I assume PVC wouldn't have the same reaction it does with coins. Not saying PVC is ok for stamps. Just haven't heard of it in regards to ruining stamps.

I think it is worth seeking out polypropylene for this duty. You don't need the $3-a-piece protectors that scrapbookers use; you can shop around for much better deals.

Since the stamps are all enclosed in Showgard Mounts, that is what they are in contact with, not the album paper or any interleaves. If the Showgard Mounts are stable (I believe they are but you can check any claims Showgard makes about them) they should be protecting your stamps from the possibility of the paper not being archival. I doubt this paper reeks of acid fumes as I have seen some old cheap sulfide bonds do as they fell apart.

Depending on how old these mounts are, I'd keep an eye on them, unless you are quite certain of the identity of the mounts used. There are old mounts that have proved to not be stable. I would have few worries if they were actually Showgard...it is the description as "Showgard-type" that tells me that it is worth paying attention to what might be going on.

Also, I have no idea what cheap page protectors actually do when they start doing their "thing"...I don't know if it is gassing out, or adhesion, or whathaveyou, that causes the problems. I sure wouldn't want the page protectors permanently affixed to the fronts of my mounts, even though the stamps themselves might be okay inside the mounts. I learned about cheap plastic pockets as a kid, the hard way, with another collecting area.

The mounts are good. Right after I got the stamps, you guys clued me in on the difference
between quality mounts and cheap mounts. After checking, they are the 'good' ones.

I think I am going to slowly but surely cover all the album pages... I say slowly because
there are 11 albums. It would cost me a fortune to buy enough page protectors to do them
all at once. They do look very nice on the pages with the stamps in showgaurd mounts...
Kinda makes the plain-jane Mystic pages bearable. I have seen some really nice pages
since I have been around here... not so 'vanilla' as the Mystic pages in off white with
black type. So long as the Mystic paper is decent...

@Nutmeg...
Yeah, I wasn't sure the PVC would be any problem for stamps.
I am just covering all my bases so that the stamps are safe and I
don't overlook any threats to their long term well being.

One possible consideration...depending on how full they are, 11 albums could easily become 22 with the added thickness of page protectors. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Cjd: Yeah, I thought of that too... not a bad problem. Some of the albums are fuller than others.
I'd just have to 're-kom-bob-ulate' them to even out the load among the binders.

Will it somehow be cheaper buying the page protectors a little at a time?

Joking aside, do you think that maybe the page protectors are overkill? If the stamps are already in mounts, which it sounds like are the right mounts to be using, maybe your problem is solved?

It seems like it is all to easy to buy into the marketing from places like Mystic Stamps and soon have ten times or more invested in storage for stamps than the stamps themselves are worth. See this all the time on ebay, with high price auctions for a bunch of essentially empty albums. I prefer collecting stamps, to collecting page protectors, etc...

100% agreing with Gaff. The only problem I have is when I leave stamps on my table too long in the basement they bend a little, probably humidity. In a mount in the album they stay perfectly flat. Using Lighthouse mount one side I have to adjust some time as I go through an album. That is for those album I make pages.
I bought a Greenland collection on ebay, a Lindner stamp album. For me it's the best on the market to protect stamp. Between each page there is a plastic with large pocket. You can lift it. All you have to do is to adjust the stamp so it fits over the script when the plastic is lying on it. A genius invented that. One day maybe I will buy a brand new Lindner stamp album...Daniel

I covered a lot of this in a recent post re stock page vs Vario; but, for those who missed:

I use Vario pages + the clear or no-glare sheet protectors of at least 5.5 mm thickness; and, for my better stamps I cover the whole page with heavy plastic page protectors (the top and one side sealed-type) that are more than 5.5 mm thick.

Note the danger of plastic is the static that can result causes stamps to sometimes jump off the page and become lost or damaged.

All the above makes for more weight to your album; but, a good trade-off for protection.

Occasional checking for damage to stamps by the plastic should help warn of any problems developing with use of plastic sleeves etc.

@Gaff... My comment on expense was 'tongue in cheek', I know it won't be cheaper
buying the same over time vs at one time. As for enriching Mystic or the like, that
isn't happenning. Dad bought the binders and pages from them. The mounts came from
elsewhere, and the page protectors came from an office supply store. It might be
overkill, but I really like the idea as well as the end result.

Dad has pretty much supplied everything so far. I just fill some holes here and there.
So adding some page protectors for the long haul doesn't seem like a big deal considering
how much he passed to me and my want to pass it down further.

I use the office supply archival sheet protectors as well and like them for a variety of situations.

1. I cover my Mystic pages (stamps in mounts also) but what I really like is that it protects the pages of the album! They are much easier to turn and I don't tear the page or tear them out of the ring holes.

2. I also use the pages over my Vario topical pages. Easily could be overkill but it adds a a level of protection from stamp getting bumped off pages. The downside is that it adds another level of plastic that can dull the appearance of the whole page somewhat.

3. I use the Stamp Album pages from the web for my international stamp collection and put them back to back with a sheet cover covering both pages. This protects the pages from being snagged up on each other and you get two pages covered with one sheet protector to save weight.

I get my boxes of sheet protectors 200 at a time from Sams Club. I so far do not use the sheet protectors on my Vario stock pages as I am working with them too much and the removal of the sheet protector to move around a stamp or two is more work than I want on stock stamps. Generally - two thumbs up for sheet protectors.

Hi,

I would never use the office supply PVC type protectors for long term storage. Any mount will eventually 'stick' to the vinyl and make it difficult to remove the page (have seen this happen). If a stamp is not in a mount, the stamp image ink may be transferred to the protector and the stamp becomes 'stuck' to the protector thus damaging the stamp. In the US I believe archival page protectors are available from most office supply stores or art supply stores. The few extra cents per protector is well worth the cost.

Jerry B

Ratio

I have a Harris album for Canada. It's about 35 years old. The mount were lighthouse and believe me nothing change. The stamps still look fresh. No need for extra protection. My feeling is adding PVC or what else you guys think of is a waste of time and money. Daniel