There are also stamp hinges -- which I still use for already-hinged or used stamps in some of my albums. This works out to maybe 1 cent per stamp. Super cheap. If you moisten a hinge lightly using good quality hinges, no problem at all. I don't use hinges on mint stamps for fear of upsetting those who admire the backs of stamps. For cheap stamps, though, it's generally not worth worrying about hinging very much.
For stamp "mounts," there are two decisions to make. (1) Do you want top loading mounts which will be closed only on the bottom? Or do you want split-back mounts closed at both top and bottom? (2) Do you prefer black-backed mounts or the all-clear style of mounts?
My preference is for split-back mounts although there is really no issue with the top-loaders, and they seem a lot more popular. My only personal nitpick with top-loaders is that I've found stamps "tilt" or move around in them more than in split-back mounts, and a few times I've had stamps fall out of them. Hard use or dropping an album will dislodge stamps from top loaders more often than from split-backs. Don't go dropping your own stamp album to find out if this is true!, This does not happen with split-back mounts which hold stamps pretty firmly. Your experiences may differ.
Your second decision is whether you want to use clear mounts or black-backed mounts.
The latter are currently far more popular with most collectors probably because they highlight or "frame" the stamp with the black background which looks kind of cool. But, and this does matter, cutting black mounts must be done very precisely since the black mount must be evenly cut, the same height and width as the other mounts, in order to match the neighboring black mounts or the page starts to look sloppy really fast. Black mounts also must be mounted to the album page very carefully in the same line as the others, no higher or lower. Mounts with black backs are very visible on the page so you see the tops of the rows of mounts even before you see the stamps in the mounts. If you aren't so concerned with neatness or precision, this will not be a problem.
With clear mounts, thus is not much of a problem since your eye is not drawn to the mount since it's clear. It's drawn to the stamp. If your row of mounts is a little "off" it's a lot less noticeable with clear mounts. Also clear mounts have a kind of aesthetic appeal of their own since they are lighter- and clearer-looking so they highlight the stamps in a different way from black mounts. Black mounts create a somewhat "heavy" looking album page, you might say, like a gallery with lots of little "picture frames" while clear mounts make the page lighter and less heavy. Both are very appealing to look at, but they do produce different results, for sure.
Album manufactures all currently use clear mounts, presumably for these reasons. They also use open-top mounts, probably because those mounts allow a little more ease in inserting stamps than split-back mounts do. But I'm really not sure.
Mounts work out to much more cost per stamp than hinges. It's a bit hard to say how much that is, but I've played around with the numbers. I cut my own mounts from strips and for me, it seems "around" 5c, 6c or maybe a little more per stamp. That's many times the cost of the more old-fashioned stamp hinges - which partly explains why I continue to use hinges in some of my albums.
The difference for an entire country's album of 3,000 stamps does add up. It would be $30 for an album using hinges vs. $180 for mounts, a difference that may not bother you. For 4,000 stamps in an album, it's $40 vs. $240. I'm assuming 6c per stamp. That might be a big difference for a lot of people. Of course, it's spread out over time, so maybe not. It's worth being aware of, though. Mounts do seem far more popular with collectors.
You also have a choice of buying individual pre-cut mounts or strips you cut yourself. Individual mounts are more expensive than cutting your own from strips. You can easily cut your own mounts by using a "guillotine cutter". You'll have the hang of it in a few minutes. I find it's good to cut "just a little more" than I think I should.
Final choice, as you've discovered, Davo Albums "self-adhesive" mounts you don't even have to lick. I've never used these, so I have no idea if they're a miracle in stamp collecting, but they cost about 10c per stamp, give or take. That's even more money spent on mounts, about $300 for that 3,000 stamp collection. That's a great deal more than 1c per stamp hinges, that's for sure! For me, anyway, lightly licking the back of a stamp mount is hardly a problem that needs solving. If they were removable and re-positionable that would be a real advantage, though, for a lot of people. But I don't think Davo self-adhesive mounts are. Maybe someone will "invent" such a mount, though. Or did I just invent them?
Posted 09/18/2021 10:29 pm
"Rob" from Australia.
