Which Pages Fit Which Albums

I am relatively new to this so my apologies if I'm asking an obviously dumb or already well-covered topic. I collect topically, and am finally ready to place my topics in albums. Have been to most of the sites like iHobb, Mystic, Wizard, and Harris to mention a few but I've run into ia problem, at least for me. Most of these places either fail to mention which size album the page fits, or note the actual size of the particular page. None inform as to which album the pages fit if not specifically designed for a specific album, as for example Scott pages and albums. And none so far give a newbie like me any idea as to the sturdiness of the pages. I am hoping that someone can advise me as to how to resolve the issue so I donbt have to spend almost as much time determining pages and albums to buy as I did collecting the stamps. Thanks and again my apologies if I am overstepping propiety.

Honest question , you are in the right place to get answers from a few collectors , many have already been thru the various albums . Many here have played with the same questions you asked .Both the binders and which pages fit .

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!

In addition to DrewM's great list, I will add the option of making your own pages from scratch using AlbumEasy, free from https://www.thestampweb.com/albumeasy. For a collection of topicals, I think it would be a perfect fit, to allow you to include or exclude any stamps you want. You can make the pages as plain or as detailed as you like, and chose your own paper size, color and weight. I use 8.5x11 as it seems to be the main choice here in the USA for printers, binders and such. There are also many collector-supplied album pages, possibly some may fit your interest.

The one thing you can be sure of is the lack of transferability. Lighthouse, Schaubeck, SAFE, Yvert … all perfectly good, and all incompatible with one another in terms of page size, rimgs etc.

In the UK, there's a fairly standard size of blank page that is designed to fit springback albums, but can also be hole-punched to fit ring-binders. This is an example. 1000 leaves @120gsm cost £115 - rather cheaper than Gibbons. I've used an awful lot of these over the years.

https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/wessex...per-101792-p

I don't know whether there us a US equivalent, oerhaps based in Scott page sizes.

Glad I'm in the right place and thanks all for the most informative responses. I wsn't quite sure but had pretty much decided to go with Scott pages and albums as it seemed easier to and had more options. But got some new insight about the weight of the paper which wa part of my issue and while I did not want to spend a fortune I did want the collection (WWII Resistance movements and fighters over 1000 stamps and US/WW stamps honoring the Revolution) just under 500 stamps) to be housed in more than just a "discount" album. Again thank you all and best wishes

Scott, Harris, and Minkus are all different sizes. It was likely done on purpose. I have taken Scott and Minkus pages and trimmed them to fit in a 3 ring ring binder. Some of the better 3 rings are larger than than others.

The reality is "fairly new" collectors should or would not need to spend a fortune for an expensive album to house lower value stamps. My gripe with the premium products is they are no more specialized in terms of spacing for minor varieties than the less expensive ones.

I have a 8½x11 Mystic Heirloom and it works despite having thinner paper. The paper size allows many options - add Vario pages, custom pages, etc. You are not locked into special paper, binders, etc. although Mystic does sell them.

I went with Steiner pages (some will call these dull) for my worldwide collection. They are all in PDF, You print what you need when you need it rather than buying a country set and end up with a lot of never to fill spaces. You can print Steiner on any paper you want. You can even edit the PDFs to add catalog numbers.

If I purchase a collections of French Sudan on Scott (I did), I just trimmed the pages and put them in the album until I want
to migrate to Steiner pages.

Doing the same as ANGORE , cutting down everything to fit 3 ring binders binders. Then each week spread everything out on a table my collection binders to those cut up pages in binders ,much easier to flip pages .

Actually, Harris and Minkus pages, in general, are punched exactly alike. I'm talking about two post pages here. They are interchangeable in every way - binders, interleaves, etc.

John

It would not be so confusing if the online stores at least gave more information. Most leave out some important detail, weight of the paper, which albums they fit, and yes even the number of pages and whether the printing is one or two sided. It seems to me though that manufacturers "dislike" or "disfavor" topical collectors. As said I am reletively new to the hobby and have spent long hours just to learn some basics, like the difference between Mint and Unused, Hinged and Lightly Hinged, as ther seems to be almost as many definitions as ther are dealers. As a retired atty/teacher/historian I love the chase to find stamps, get great satisfaction in the research and then finding them but would have better served myself had I known to and then decided on albums, pages and the like at the start. Glad to be a part of this forum as I can get real answers to "newbie" questions. Again, thanlks to all for the responses. Really needed the direction.

I don't think album manufacturers can be said to "dislike" thematic collectors. By definition, such collectors will require blank leaves for their personal philatelic interests. There is any number of such offers on the market. If you're concerned about presentation and less concerned about cost, luxury albums are available.

https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/stanle...der-214899-p

I don't think new collectors should spend the money on fancy albums and expensive supplies . Start with basics and work your way to what you want in a few years . We each develop our own style. It doesn't matter what you decide because your always going to run into other collectors here who are doing the same or doing much like you .
Did you notice in my "330,000 W.W. stamps " there are stamps that catalog much more than a$1,000 .00 and other pages that were purchased less than $2.00 a set of stamps all on the same type of pages . Both in a $5.00 notebook 3 ring binder.