Album Review: United States Albums

Wow, very impressive, Mike. A ton of work, but I'm sure it was a labor of love.

Mike these are great pages. Congrats!

Those are awesome!

Welcome to SCF Mike

Those pages are absolutely gorgeous! Have ever considered selling them, or just making them available for others to download?

If you have re-edited and reformatted the information, it is now your information.

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. I wanted to post a few sample pictures on this site because my friends and family just don't get it. They think what I created is "nice" but really have no idea. I guess I just needed to share it with other collectors. And, yes it was a labor of love. I made them just for me and for the way I collect. I couldn't stand that White Ace does not have simplified pages going back to the first se-tenant stamps that were issued and I don't enjoy collecting the se-tenant stamps and then again as individual stamps. I also didn't like that Mystic put the information about the stamps on the opposing page. I also didn't like the cheap paper that Scott and Minutemen use for their lower end stamp albums. If they would offer them on better paper, I wouldn't have created my own (I asked AMOS and got rejected). I would never sell them, nor give them away because I wouldn't want the responsibility for typos, errors, omissions, or copyright issues with Scott numbers, re-edited information, etc. But, I am very flattered! :)

I got the same response. I told them I wanted Minuteman pages on Scott National Paper as a print-on-demand option. They rejected the idea.

I find it very frustrating that the more expensive an album is, the more more likely it is that it will not include descriptions.

The Scott numbers are most definitely an issue with re-distribution. But I would not worry about the typos. If you gave out the original Publisher files, people could fix the typos themselves, if they find any.

To get around Scott numbers with my sheets, I made a separate style for the Scott numbers. When I make the PDF, I simply change the color to white and export the PDF. If you download my Scribus files, 2 clicks and the Scott numbers are back.

Mike

Amazing! On numbering, I know most people on here love their Scott numbers, but your designs stand without them. I can see that catalogue numbers can help with placing some complex issues, but most of the time they're an irrelevance.

Regards.

Geoff

Mike,

I'd be willing to strip catalogue numbers and post the pages to my site, if you would reconsider giving them away. All I need is the original Publisher files.

Mike - how did you create the binder labels? I use the same binders.

PK-Short - I bought some Avery Print-to-the-Edge Square labels (Avery 22805) at Staples. Then I used the template in MS Word to create them. Finally, I cut them out. These labels are designed to be used on products so I figured they might be more durable and so far so good.

Hi to All, I need help (so says my wife).
Even in this community it's hard to find details regarding best US Hingeless Albums.
After decades away from stamps, in 2011 I jumped back into seriously collecting older US through 1930's. Now I wish to catalog and house my US collection in hingeless albums. I'm moving stamps from several older purchased albums into new not-yet-purchased hingeless album(s). But it takes connections at the CIA to gather adequate info on which album manufacturer has best solutions. Can't believe how nearly impossible it is to find detailed info online in order to compare manufacturers products. Some of the high-end albums are beautifully simple and clean. But while the pages are elegant if I'm not mistaken, Davo and Lindner fail to include SC#s in their albums. This is not acceptable to me -- makes maintaining a catalog more difficult. Online hardly any large detailed photos or detailed text descriptions of the album content seems available. I'm leaning toward the Scott/German made hingeless. But now I hear Mystic has multiple hingeless albums including SC#s. Does anyone know of a source for more complete images? Do stamp retail dealers stock better albums? Or do we have to spend months asking fellow collectors for advice :-) ???

Cheers to all!

WOW! pk-short, thank you for your terrific review of the Palo and Steiner products! I am unfamiliar with these manufacturers.

And kudos to mikepack for a beautiful custom design job! Obviously a true la love!

I began collecting stamps as a boy, but I was too poor to get much beyond very common issues and the most basic albums. For several years prior to high school I mostly loved the rich graphic imagery and gorgeous engraving of older US and British Commonwealth issues. I stopped collecting in my late teens. But in 2011, now in my 60's, I jumped back into seriously collecting older US through 1930's. Fast forward to 2015, and I wish to catalog and house my US collection in hingeless albums. I want to consolidate my US postals, revenues, and Officials from several older beat up purchased albums (mostly Scott books) into new not-yet-purchased hingeless album(s). But it takes connections at the CIA to gather adequate info on which album manufacturer has best solutions. Can't believe how nearly impossible it is to find detailed info online in order to compare manufacturers products. Some of the high-end albums are beautifully simple and clean. But while the pages are elegant if I'm not mistaken, Davo and Lindner fail to include SC#s in their albums. This is not acceptable to me -- makes maintaining a catalog more difficult. Online hardly any large detailed photos or detailed text descriptions of the album content seems available. I'm leaning toward the Scott/German made hingeless. But now I hear Mystic has multiple hingeless albums including SC#s. Does anyone know of a source for more complete images? Do stamp retail dealers stock better albums? Or do we have to spend months asking fellow collectors for advice :-) ???

dcaraz1949 you can do a couple of things. One is you can contact the companies that manufacture the albums and tell them you are contemplating purchasing their albums and would like a sample. Before I made my own albums, I got samples from Mystic (hingless), White Ace and Collectors Supply House. They will send you samples so you can judge the paper quality etc. I also went on ebay to look at pictures that people posted when they were selling the albums or their stamps on the pages of a certain brand. I know there is not always a lot of stamp albums for sale, but you can also modify the search to include completed listings and get more to view. I even picked up a low cost supplement for Harris and Scott to check out the paper quality. Choosing the right album can be difficult, expensive and a compromise. Good luck!

As far as Mystic goes. They have a nasty habit of breaking up se-tenants. I have a web site dedicated to the problem.