Minkus Supreme Global Album Back In Print

Yes, it is the same- airmails to '54, and then no airmails in the 53-63 reprint.




I'm not real pleased.




I do Steiner 1840-1940 (-1952 British Commonwealth). I have a set of original Browns for reference. I do a "virtual" Big Blue 1840-1940, because of my blog.
As you know, I have Minkus 1840-1952 and 1953-63 reprints.

I may be stepping a little late into a lovefest for the Minkus Supremes, but this discussion has focused pretty heavily on how comprehensive these albums are without much attention to other factors.

Comparison of how many stamps each album can hold are important. Most worldwide collectors are going to prefer albums that provide spaces for complete sets and don't omit too many stamps. But there are other perspectives to consider such as page clutter (or lack of it) and page layout, how many stamps are on each page, and how do the pages look aesthetically. Stamp collecting is about artistic images, not just putting as many stamps as possible on every page or we'd just use envelopes or boxes for our stamps.

Also consider an album's usability. Can I take the album off the shelf without difficulty? Can I use it easily? Enormous albums like Scott Internationals, especially in their "Jumbo" binders or Minkus Globals/Supremes are so huge I can't even hold them in one hand. Taking them off the shelf is a two-handed operation which risks dropping the album.

Usability also includes turning the pages, ease of mounting stamps on them (and keeping stamps on pages). In the largest albums these can be difficult. At the front and back of each volume, pages become very curved because of the large number of pages, and stamps come off the pages. Curved pages are less attractive (at least for me) -- one reason for the growing use of ring binders. Stamps mounted on an entirely flat page don't pop off the page. The appearance of flat pages is better. Less cluttered pages emphasize particular stamps more. I think most collectors care about genuinely good looking pages in nice albums.

I can't afford old-fashioned leather-bound albums, but I like albums that are less crowded--even if I need more of them. Look at country albums published by Lighthouse (some of the best looking albums pages), and you notice the lack of clutter. The same goes for Scott Specialty pages. Compare that to the 30, 40, even 50 stamps on Minkus Supreme pages. Even Minkus seems to have realized their pages were too cluttered as, in later supplements, they put fewer stamps on each page. And they separated stamps from each other instead of using connected boxes (as was also done by Scott).

Each to their own. But in comparing albums, I'd add appearance and usability to album capacity. We all want pages that are a pleasure to look at.

And while I'm on my high horse , here are some thoughts on the Scott-Minkus-Steiner debate.

I generally agree with many of the points made. The Minkus Supremes cover more years initially (beyond 1840 in the Scott International Vol I). And they include more stamps overall. On the other hand, the Scott International layout is less cluttered.

In its heyday, Minkus was the more discount album series, intentionally so. Comparing Scott Specialty albums to Minkus country albums or Scott's International to Minkus Supreme, the Scott albums were considered the more formal and generally viewed as the more sophisticated. Minkus therefore went more for quantity and kept their prices somewhat lower.

I admire Steiner's amazing effort. I use his pages for a few of the countries where I want to be more comprehensive than my Big Blue allows but where I can't find a specialty album. But I don't much like the small page layouts Steiner is forced to use to fit U.S. 8.5 x 11" page size, and his overall page size is small -- like school notebooks. You can print Steiner layouts on larger pages where they look less crammed. But you still have the same layout, the same size border, even on the larger page. They're still a little too crammed for my taste. I had Steiner pages printed onto Minkus size blank pages for Turkey. They do look less cluttered. You could print Steiner pages for various countries onto Minkus or Scott size pages, put them into Minkus or Scott binders and end up with albums that are Steiner-Minkus or Steiner-Scott hybrids.

If you can print your own album pages in different sizes, maybe discussions of which pre-printed pages are best become a little less important? You really don't have to pick one album. Even album publishers are just beginning to realize this. Either Lighthouse or Schaubek (can't recall which) now sells a foldable plastic page with two "hinges" along the margin, allowing you to attach your computer-printed pages. They work like more expensive linen-hinged pages that sometimes go into elegant springback binders and which fold flat. I haven't seen U.S. album publishers make any efforts like this to deal with the print-your-own pages idea.

I have a set of Scott Internationals 1840-1975 for my non-specialized stamps in 30 narrow International binders, a size once sold by Subway Stamp, but no longer available. I've considered putting these pages into springbacks or 3-ring Lighthouse binders, but I already have these Subway/International binders. The binders are small enough to allows me to actually take each volume off the shelf with one hand! And because there are fewer pages in each volume, there's less curving of the pages. The pages don't all lie flat, but they're closer to flat. The uncluttered Scott layouts are appealing. As to the fact that these pages are not complete, I use Scott Specialty (or Davo) albums for countries I collect in depth along with a few "hybrids" (Steiner pages pringed on Minkus or Scott sized pages). I like to specialize in some areas while still collecting the rest of the world.

Hey Drew,

I totally agree with you regarding the Minkus Supreme. A full page just looks like you took a blank page and totally lined it with stamps, certainly not aesthetic looking.

I am now using the Vintage Reproductions from Subway for my 1840-1940 WW collection. I am 3-hole punching the pages and will place them in either Lighthouse G binder or a nice leather binder used for scrapbooking (still trying to decide which I like better). Best thing about doing this is I can add only the pages that I have stamps for.

I love discussions about Big Blue, Steiner, Minkus Supreme etc, because there is so much that is good about each one, and some that is not so good.


Minkus Supreme pages in a three ring Binder

I guess the aesthetics (page layout) of the Minkus Supreme is in the eye of the beholder. Here, I think it is rather nice.

And note the Minkus Supreme pages punched for a three ring binder as now sold by Amos Advantage? No more heavy lifting.

And as far as Steiner 8 1/2" X 11" pages....


Steiner pages in Vario G and F Binders

Nothing makes pages look nicer than when housed in a great binder.

The Vario F binders hold about 100 of my pages, so I will reserve the Vario G binders for countries that have more pages than that for the 1840-1940 WW collection.

Humm those are 1950+ pages, are you sure they are not from the country album of Bolivia, the spacing look like countries albums

The first pages of Global and Supreme of Bolivia look more like this to me

Chris-
(Edit Note: these are measurements for the Vario F, not the Vario G.)

Have you already determined that the Vintage Reproduction page would fit into a Vario F binder?

My Steiner 8 1/2" X 11" pages fit in the Vario F 3 ring binder.

My Minkus Supreme 9 1/2" X 11 1/4" pages do not- they overhang.

My original Brown pages (I do not have the Vintage reproductions) measure 9 1/4" X 11 1/2".

I measured the Vario F binder maximum page interior (before a page would probably overhang) to be 8 15/16" X 12 3/8".

Of course, some of this would depend on where the 3 ring holes were punched for a page.

Those are indeed 1950+++ pages for Bolivia that Amos sells for the Supreme 1953-1963 Supplement pages.

I agree with you DrewM that the Jumbo Big Blue binders are a bit of a pain. I can cram a year (supplements A and B) into a jumbo binder but the regular binders are much better to deal with and less curling.

Jim,

Yes, my Vintage Reproduction pages fit nicely in Vario G binders, no over hang at all. I measured my pages to be 9 1/4 x 11 5/16 and I hole punch them 1/2 inch in from the edge.

Vario G are nice binders, only thing I don't like is that the pages are a bit hard to turn due to the large "U shaped" rings.

Chris

Chris-

My mistake.

I measured the Vario F Binders.
(I corrected the earlier post.)

The Vario G's will work.

The page will fit in a Unirade 2 posts binder, only $ 13 for the 2½ (at right )

Yes, Jim Vario G works, but Vario F would not work.

I am looking down the road thinking about the Supreme Global. Amos does not list any slipcases for the four inch binders. Anyone know why? I'd think they would but no.

I haven't tried it myself, but there are reports that the Scott International (Big Blues) slipcases also can work for the Minkus Global Supremes.