You're right that you pretty much have to experiment, trying out different pages, to see which fits where. But some album sellers might be willing to send you a sample page if you ask them. I've done that a few times. You might try that.
One standard is three-hole pages but for the most part these are designed for, ahem, "thrifty" collectors who want to put pages into regular three-ring binders. They're usually 8.5 x 11 which is printer paper size and often on fairly thin (not very sturdy) paper. That's not necessarily awful and there have been a few album publishers of three-ring pages that made quality albums. White Ace is one of them, but they've gone out of business. Their pages are, I think, now being carried on by other publishers, but I'm really not sure about that.
Many collectors print out their own pages on their own paper using such page layout programs as Bill Steiner's which you can purchase online. I use his page layouts but modify them to suit my albums. They're very impressive if a little dull to look at -- which is why I modify them. You can print them onto any size paper if you have a printer that will handle that paper. I print mind on printer paper and then print those "originals" onto larger blank album paper at Fedex. It works great but is a little time-consuming.
Scott albums are punched for three rings AND with two rectangular holes so they fit both Scott's three ring and two post binders. These pages are larger size than standard printer paper. Scott pages are reasonably thick and sturdy (I use them) and in a cream-white color, so not bright white. They will work well for most collectors, they are widely available, not very expensive either printed or blank, and large enough to display your stamps with some elegance (compared to smaller pages). This is why I use Scott pages for most of my albums. They don't look "discount" but look rather good.
Mystic Stamp Company sells three-ring binders and pages for U.S. stamps only, but they seem pretty discount-level to me. Their affordable pages are cheap enough, but they are really too thin to be long-lasting. And Mystic's layout people have got to be the least creative of almost almost any album manufacturer you'll ever see. They just line up stamps. No arrangements and no cleverness. They also sell a premium line of heavier-weight pages, but with they have the same layouts, and the price is very high.
H.E. Harris albums still exist, apparently, and you can buy blank pages for them. But Harris albums, like a lot of other albums, are a kind of beginner album in a vinyl binder which will not last long, and the paper is thin, the page layouts crowded. Other album makers like Scott sell similar albums. They're great for beginners but not for the long-term, at least for most people unless you treat them well and don't aspire to have an impressive collection. For average collections they are fine.
Among the higher-priced, higher quality albums there are some very good ones. However, all of their pages fit only in their binders. They do not fit other binders. And they are NOT cheap. All these album makers sell both printed pages for many countries as well as blank pages.
The cream of the crop is probably Lighthouse albums. Their page layouts are very good, the paper quality is excellent, fairly thick and sturdy. They offer three different binders which fit all their pages -- springback (old-fashioned but some people still like them), multi-ring which allows pages to lie flat, and two-post which they call their "turn-bar binder" which is my personal favorite. LH pages are punched to fit all three of their binders.
Davo makes high quality, bright white, sturdy pages but they fit only their two-post binders. These are among the larger album pages I've seen. I have a few Davo albums.
Stanley Gibbons makes multi-ring pages and albums for the British Commonwealth and the UK. Most of the albums they sell are rebranded Davo albums, but they do publish a few of their own, as well.
And so on . . .
All a bit confusing, isn't it? You might buy some blank pages for albums you like or ask them to send you a sample page. That might be the best approach since we no longer seem to have stamp stores where you can look at these things.
Scott binders and blank pages might be your best bet. Lighthouse pages and binders are the premium option but at higher cost. Scott and LH blank pages cost about the same, about 50c a page. Both brands are easy to find and buy unlike some other brands.
I've got some Italian Marini 22-hole pages and matching binders, and they are very nice, but . . . the binders only fit about 50 pages each, and the paper has to be shipped from Italy. The quality is very good. But the 22-ring binders needed are not easy to come by, so despite being very good, I don't recommend them for these reasons. Yvert & Tellier is a French brand that sells similar albums, but again, getting these binders and pages is not so easy. There's a Scandinavian album company, Stender, that makes very good albums, but it's also not widely available. And others. I'd stick with the mainstream brands you can find replacement pages and binders for -- Scott, Lighthouse, a few others.
Good luck! Putting the albums together is half the fun, so don't let it stress you out! |
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Posted Today 3 Hrs 38 Min ago
