Dennison Hinges On Ebay?

I came across a listing for 4 opened packs, as of now the bid is up to 70$Cad with 20$ shipping and 3 days left, is that normal?

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/17556360179...9SR67p5aq0YQ

The retail around $20-$24 per pack for NOS (New, Old Stock), unopened. They can be a bit risky if they have been stored poorly over the years, especially opened packs.
Don

No that's not normal, usually they go for a lot more! Check the sold/completed listings, they sell for up to $40+ per pack. BTW that seller is pretty prolific, with a bit of a following, and they will probably get a higher than average price.

In local Vancouver auctions they generally go for around C$35 per sealed pack. So $70 for 4 sealed packs is a very good price as long as they are the original ones, not the new ones with a similar name.

Just noticed that your question is about 4 opened packs. So in that case I would pass because you have no idea how many hinges you are going to get. For all you know you might get 4 opened packages with next to no hinges.

Yep, gonna have to keep the vintage Dennison hinges in the bank box instead of the stamps!

4 opened packs ? No thanks , the amount of hinges are unknown . Your setting yourself up for a problem .

Am I the only person that reads the complete ad ? Can you tell me what this means --- "An item that has been used previously " Really !!!!

Thanks for the replies!
Pmstamps
"the original ones, not the new ones with a similar name"
How do you tell the difference?

Floortrader,
If it's open and the count is unknown,
Used seems right to me.

A subtle difference in spelling of O vs E....

DennisOn = gold
DennisEn = fool's gold

Dennison hinges get moon money now - I've given up on them.

Some good alternatives (all vintage):

1. Fold-O-Hinge (folded or unfolded). The Cohn Company.
2. Peerless Hinges (unfolded).
3. Harris Honor-Built Hinges (Universal or Easy Mount)

These are all good, peelable hinges at reasonable prices.

There is a Canadian seller who sells (used to sell?!) louse Fold-O-Hinges on eBay (fake packages containing modern crap hinges instead of the real deal).

So, it is buyer beware. I always test vintage hinges received to ensure look, texture, and peelability. The modern crap hinges look and feel cheap, and are not peelable. Generally speaking, a green tint or color on vintage hinges is GOOD. A package of absolutely flat hinges is also a good sign (not all curled up). You get to know the various good hinges after awhile...

John

The good stuff:

I purchased a box of Dennisons off of eBay about 6 years ago, I believe I paid $250 for it. I used them sparingly including cutting them in half for smaller definitive stamp mounting. I also use other hinges when I mount more common stamps in my Big Blues. But I am now closing in the end of this box and will soon need to be looking for more.
Don

Don,

That's amazing!

That box would easily bring $1500-$2000 today.

John

I always bisect any hinge when mounting a smaller stamp. I have enough vintage Peerless and Gibbons hinges to see me out. But try to find vintage Peerless (as opposed to empty Peerless tins) on ebay. A long quest.

A textbook example of an item with high willingness to pay on the part of the customer but no market entry to meet this demand, other than resellers. This hinge nonsense is madness, on the one hand - but, given the lack of viable alternatives, it's understandable that those with money to spare will shell out 10-15 cents per hinge (and that number keeps climbing as available supply drops).

Once we get to zero remaining supply, then what? If production of hinges today is down to a single factory in Germany, as I've often heard, and the quality of the hinges coming out of said factory is pretty lousy, how will the hobby manage after this factory inevitably shuts down?

If Scott English is reading this thread, I hope he takes note: as a dues-paying APS member, *this* is the type of problem that should be squarely in his wheelhouse - structural changes to the hobby that play out in slow motion but have a big effect. If the most basic of collecting supplies are either exorbitantly priced (these), of shoddy quality (everything else), or simply unavailable, then what?

Nobody is forcing anyone to use hinges, whether cheap or expensive ($25/1000 is 2.5 cents each). There are other mount types readily available as well as Vario/Hagner style sheets, etc.

I think the point that gvol21 made is a valid point and unless I missed it, does not in any way suggest that hinges are being forced on anyone. However, hinges were, and most likely still are the cheapest way of mounting stamps in a preprinted stamp album. When I started collecting nearly 60 years ago, the only thing I could afford were the 25c packs of hinges to mount stamps into my Minkus Comprehensive album. I trust the same holds true today for any young collector, if there are any, that wants to mount stamps in an album, albeit at a much higher cost than 25c.

Over the years there have been numerous topics on how stamp collecting is becoming a dying hobby and what needs to be done to attract young collectors. With the continuing decline of manufacturers who produce hinges or mounts, the alternatives are becoming less and less and if they disappear I assume preprinted albums for beginners soon will follow.

Yes Vario/Hagner style sheets are an option, but in my opinion are more suitable for advanced collectors and do not offer the same thrill for a beginner to place a stamp over the preprinted image in their album.