Album Review: United States Albums

I agree, but the problem he is misleading peoples, especially with regards to Lighthouse, and he want to make a review to guide new comers.....I have no problem with his choice, but I'm worry about the misleading stuff.

area66, you can disagree with my choices or my stated reasons for those choices. But please don't accuse me of being misleading!

I have made every attempt to be 100% transparent here. I have shared my lack of experience and my thoughts as I researched a subject that is in desperate need of some solid available comparative reference. Frankly, the industry has done a lousy job in making it buyer-friendly to find an album that meets a collector's needs. I found nearly nothing online that provided what this thread has shared.

That said...I have in front of me the page sample sent by the Lighthouse folks. LEUCHTTURM page 2004.8 is very nice, but NONE of the mounts is top loading. The split back mount design you refer to as a "G" mount is affixed to the only US album page the dealer sent me. So either Lighthouse has changed their mounts since you bought those albums, or they use multiple types of mounts which I find confusing.

In any case, as a one-time technical journalist, my sense is that an article that compares some of these products could prove very helpful for future album shoppers. I offer to post my article as a draft in this thread if other members would care to help verify and confirm the accuracy of my comparisons.

Edit; Dbuzz put the finger on the problem; Lighthouse now upgrade their album to G mount. I see it as a huge upgrade

from another tread,




I will reply here because it was highjacking the other tread

Every time, I take an album, whatever the brand I have to replace stamps in open top mounts. Every time, so it's not something that happens occasionally, it happens all the time. They will shift also in G mounts but less since the top border will stop them to rotate too much.

Same with Stock Binders, I don't know how they do to put their main stamp collection in them, every time I have the glassine hitting the one on the edge of the pages.

Now for the mounts; you just open it a little bit and use the end of your finger nails to replace the stamps to avoid the skin oil of the fingers. It's not a big deal but it's anoying.

RE area66 comments on Lighthouse mounts:

Starting in 2004 Lighthouse began using so-called "G" mounts on BOTH sheet/blocks AND singles. My guess is that Lighthouse found self-adhesives with backing paper were prone to slipping from their older open mounts. The new "G" mounts hold ALL stamps, whatever the format, much more securely since 2004.

Those X&*XX***XX ..at Arpin they sold me old stock last October, I pay the full price for an old stock, they gone have a call tomorrow, or best i'm gone call lighthouse Canada, I WILL PREFER G MOUNTS. And I will get them. I spend $ 2000 with those.... last year...

After they told us to support our local business, it's like that they sell us crap to pay their rent at the end of the month.

Now that we fix the Lighthouse thing let's fix another thing, 12 years ago I move my US from a Scott National to a Mystic album because at the time I like historical information. Then with time I start to hate so much those 3 rings binders that I purchase a Lighthouse to move the stamps, this is why I said it was a step down, I pass already by there.

area66, I admit freely that while I consider myself a fast learner, I have very limited experience compared to you and others who have invested and used many different albums and mount styles.
For now I am happy to move my entire US collection into a new 2-album set with the top split mounts.
This is my first quality album and I'm consolidating my stamps from 3 different old albums from Scott or Minkus that are terrible cheap quality.

Thanks for you're shared experience with and dislike for top split mounts and 3-ring binders. Maybe I'll feel exactly like you a couple years from now.

I am using loose pre-cut G mounts for additional variations and find them far easier to insert stamps than the prefixed hingeless album pages that use G mounts.

Ok guys, what the heck is a G mount?

Someone in this thread referred to the clear mounts that are split horizontally down the middle
of the back side where the glue is applied as "G" mounts (I presume because of the small opening in the back). Not sure this is a technical term but being new to mounts of any type, I've recently compared all the major hingeless album pages and purchased Mystic's Premium Hingeless US Albums precisely because I prefer Mystic's mounts with top load opening. The fact that most manufacturers or dealers of hingeless album brands fail to describe or illustrate their mounts I find really irritating because this is a key customer preference.

area66 pointed out his dissatisfaction with top load mounts. I guess I'll see myself after living with my new albums for a time.

In another thread, members indicate problems they are having with packages of new untrimmed strip mounts curling during storage. Obviously, as collectors move away from traditional hinges, learning about mounts becomes important. As area66 said I may have made a bad decision by purchasing a 3-ring album binder set instead of the Lighthouse, Lindner, SAFE or Davo multi-ring systems I considered. But since I found not one single place I could see, touch and compare all these brands, I'll just have to experience using the albums I have now.

I have dissatisfaction with G mounts too, they are a pain for insert or replace a stamp. They are at risk with an old brittle stamp too. I will never use a G mount in my Scott Int. I replace stamp way too often. But for an Album like my Lighthouse Canada with barely only mint stamps. I don't replace them too much, but every time I open it I have to place back stamps that move because of the open top design.
As for the 3 rings, here again they are no perfect solution, 3 rings pages have tendency to tears at the holes, 2 posts binders are a real pain in the … to open an insert a page. Lighthouse are good quality, but you can't print your own page unless you have a $ 2000+ laser printer that accept the size of the pages. Ink jet printer will give you poor performance on the Lighthouse pages, I try it, the paper spread the ink, it's not looking sharp.
The Mystic albums will have be great albums if Mystic has not cut corners and use larger papers with 2 post binders. But that's my 2 cents, I hate 3 ring binders since I I start to use them at High School a very long time ago.


The most important is to like your albums, Scott International albums have poor binders who damages in weeks, many missing stamps, but hey it's my favourite I like them, this is why I now collect the album not the stamps, so I care less with the missing one. But the comment is good only up to 1950 may be 1960, after I'm better with Steiner's page.

As for the downgrade comment, to take it too seriously, it's just that I fallow your story since the start and you were looking for the best quality album and …

The type of mount used by a collector is a personal preference.

The one advantage to Showgard-type mounts is that the stamps are held securely in place, but sometimes too securely, not to mention the possible damage to stamps when inserting/removing them in the mounts.

I prefer and use top load mounts. As I mentioned in another thread, yes sometimes the stamps shift a bit, but I don't see that as much of a problem. It is easy to reposition the stamps with tongs. Actually, it is also a chance to revisit your stamps that need repositioning.

In addition, top load mounts are more flexible as they can also be trimmed at the top, cut to shape for triangular stamps, or used in strips for multiple stamps.

That's my preference, but I understand that every collector has his or her own preference.

Now for whether we should use black or clear mounts...

I solved the mystery of the mounts used by Lighthouse hingeless albums.
Yesterday I attended the ASDA Spring Postage Stamp Show held in NYC.
I spoke with the Lighthouse USA dealer.

Dealer wasn't aware that the Volume 1 USA 1847 to 1935 album used top-loading mounts (which I prefer and wanted). Lighthouse had sent me a sample page from their 2004 USA hingeless supplement and it uses back split mounts (referred to in this thread as "G" mounts).

If Lighthouse had communicated in their catalog or on their website that the mounts are different in the earlier volume I would have purchased the Lighthouse album. The 2015 Lighthouse catalog only shows photos of stamps being inserted into top load mounts. The catalog also references "the SF mount" but does not explain what that is. These decisions are made in Germany where the Lighthouse products are manufactured and the catalogs are designed.

I also spoke with a collector who owns the Volume l US Lighthouse album was interested in. He confirmed his album uses top load mounts which he loves and has very little stamp shifting. We figured out that "SF mounts" refers to hingeless mounts in German. The "F" stands for "Falzlos" as seen on Lindner T Falzlos Albums.

So, going back to my reason for sharing my hingeless album comparisons...collectors currently are forced to deal with totally inadequate online product information to make their buying decisions. In my case, I ended up not buying a superior quality Lighthouse album because the sample page sample the sales department sent me didn't represent the type mounts I wanted.

Below is the DRAFT article I developed from the conversations on this thread. Article is an effort to share the album comparisons for US Hingeless Stamp Albums which many members have helped inform.

I would like to include quoted comments from many of the SCF members as noted because there is a great amount of wisdom and a variety of preferences that could be very helpful to any collector who seeks info on hingeless products. Please feel free feed back any thoughts or suggestions. My intention is to offer this information to various websites that maintain reference support articles for collectors.

(DRAFT) Selecting the right Stamp Album for your needs
A comparison of available Hingeless US Albums
Compiled and edited by Dan Carazo, April 2015

GOOD LUCK FINDING DETAILED STAMP ALBUM DESCRIPTIONS!
Shopping for a new or better stamp album? If you're shopping for your ideal stamp album, you'll need to be patient. What may appear to be a simple shopping comparison can easily morph into many weeks as you are forced to gather bits and pieces of information about the available products frequently making multiple inquiries by email and/or phone.
Three things make shopping for your ideal stamp album particularly challenging:
a) Dealers tend to only carry a small number of the brands available. That means much of your research will rely on contacting the album manufacturers.
b) Nearly all online sources provide terrible websites that are quick to provide product pricing and shopping carts, but universally lack adequate product descriptions or details.
c) Universally inadequate images that fail to illustrate the page designs, binder construction,
or hingeless mount system used.
After spending weeks searching for online information I became aware of the nearly total lack of good quality illustrations and descriptive details that should be made available by dealers and manufacturers. That's when I joined an online community of knowledgeable stamp collectors to seek experienced advice.
What criteria should be used for a good album review? This article provides some suggestions based on recent comments in a lively online discussion between members of the Stamp Community Forum (SCF) (www.StampCommunity.org ). The entire online thread with dozens of observations can be viewed at https://goscf.com/t/17127&whichpage=1 . Comments in this article made by other members of the Stamp Community Forum appear in italics with the member's SCF user name.
My hope is that this album comparison will help other collectors make better informed decisions without the need for extensive research. Just keep in mind that my search was for a particular type of album – a hingeless US album specifically for my classic US and BOB collection from 1847 through the 1930's. Also keep in mind the order of importance of the criteria compared here is meant as only a guide. In the end, every stamp collector must set their own priorities guiding their particular collecting interests in order to select the album solution that best suits their individual needs.
Run into a term you're unfamiliar with? Use this handy resource shared by Hieronymus…
The Linn's Glossary of stamp collecting terms: http://www.linns.com/reference/terms/terms.aspx
WHAT EXACTLY AM I BUYING?
Both manufacturers and their dealers make it next to impossible for us to understand what the collector will receive if we actually place an online purchase. This may not be much of an issue for the beginner or very young stamp collector. But many better albums – especially the hingeless products – retail for hefty sums and many stamp collectors seeking higher quality presentations invest the equivalent of hundreds or thousands of dollars in their albums, pages, binders and supplements. Prices mentioned in this article are estimated costs for new album pages, binders and slipcases specifically for my classic US and BOB collection from 1847 through the 1930's. Many albums may be purchased used, in auctions, or at special sale prices.

ALBUM MARKETERS SHOULD PROVIDE BETTER PRODUCT INFO
Wish list for online album info posted 3-23-15 by apastuszak
I find the websites of album manufacturers to be severely lacking. At a MINIMUM they should have:

1. High res pictures of the pages.
2. High res pictures of the binders, including pictures of the rings (or mechanism).
3. A detailed write up of the paper type, including weight, color, size, and paper composition (cotton, acid-free wood pulp, etc.).
4. A downloadable PDF that contains 3-5 pages you can zoom in on.
5. The ability to leave questions and have them answered. For example, if you ask (by email) if the album has room for officials. And you now know the answer. But no other potential customer sees the response.
6. A YouTube video showing off the album
Pre-folded Hinges? Or Hingeless Mounts?
This is an easy choice. Many collectors are happy with the traditional stamp hinge and use these little folded adhesive strips to position their stamps by adhering the stamp directly to the paper album page. But I think it's safe to say that a growing number of collectors are embracing clear or black-backed hingeless mounts. The greatest benefit of hingeless mounts is the elimination of affixing the glued hinge directly to the stamp. This can reduce potential damage to the stamp and also can maintain unused mint stamps as "Never Hinged" which can protect the stamp's frequently higher value.
When I purchased some stamps mounted on hingeless album pages I admired the clear stamp mounts positioned over each illustration. That's when I decided to consolidate my US collection into a new hingeless album. But which album?
HINGELESS STAMP ALBUM FACTS:
#61656; Stamps placed in a hingeless album are less likely to be damaged because they are not affixed with a glued hinge that impacts the stamp surface
#61656; Stamps are easier to quickly insert or remove from a hingeless album than when using either loose mounts (pre-cut or cut-to-size strips mounts) or traditional hinges
#61656; Once inserted into a hingeless album, stamps are protected by a crystal clear plastic sleeve that shields them
#61656; Hingeless stamp albums cost more than comparable traditional albums.
Excerpt on album costs 2-28-15 by TheArtfulHinger
The old saying is, the bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price has faded.
I have to remind myself of that sometimes when I'm trying to talk myself into being a cheapskate, which is nearly always. There are limits to anyone's budget, however, and some of the higher-end hingeless albums can, for many collectors, represent several months worth (or more) of their stamp budget.
WHICH HINGELESS MOUNT SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Several different "hingeless mount" systems:
1. Pre-cut Mounts are available in packs in many popular sizes to accommodate stamps of differing sizes; these can be used with any standard stamp album.
2. Strip Mounts come in bulk packages to be trimmed by the collector using a Mount Cutter; these can be used with any standard stamp album.
3. Both Pre-cut and Strip Mounts are available clear or with a black background
4. Mounts have glue on the back surface and adhere to the album page when lightly moistened.
5. To allow for stamp insertion mounts may be split horizontally along the back surface, or are open along the top edge for "top loading".
Hingeless Stamp Album pages with pre-installed mounts
There is no need to purchase Pre-cut or Strip Mounts when selecting a Hingeless Album. But you do need to choose from several variations of available Mounts (see more details below comparing album brands):
1. Most hingeless albums come with individual clear mounts affixed over each stamp position.
2. Most brands use mounts split across the back surface and glued to the page along the top edge
3. Some brands use top loading mounts split along the top edge
4. Some brands utilize a second clear overlay sheet with "pockets" for the stamps
DO YOU NEED CATALOG NUMBERS?
Some stamp collectors prefer to have catalog number references on their album pages. If this is a concern for you, be aware of two points: 1) there are multiple stamp cataloging systems used depending on the market served; and 2) most stamp albums don't include catalog numbers primarily because of licensing requirements and costs.
In North America, Scott Catalogue Numbers are generally accepted as the choice identification and pricing system. In Europe and other regions, Michel and Stanley Gibbons catalog systems play a similar role.
I you collect older US stamps, studying the Scott Catalogue illustrates the amazing numbers of different perforations, grills, watermarks, secret marks, multiple printings, and diverse color inks used to print many variations of the same design. For this reason alone, I value having Scott numbers in my new album to differentiate the variations.
Scott Publishing limits the use Scott numbers in their albums except to publishers that pay royalties, claiming the numbers are copyright. Currently, Scott numbers will be found only in Scott albums, e.g., the Scott US National Album, Schaubek / Scott National Hingeless Album and Mystic American Heirloom Album. Most collectors manage by writing in the various stamp catalog numbers themselves.
WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT TO YOUR COLLECTING?
Excerpted album selection criteria posted 2-28-15 by dbuss
dcaraz1949 your comments about the frustrations in choosing an album are quite appropriate. Collectors have varying needs and resources that make a difference in the kind of album they believe is best. I have found album company representatives a bit flustered by the questions raised on this forum topic -- a typical response: "we'll get back to you on that." I wish the philatelic press would take the hint and do album reviews.

What criteria should be used for a good album review? Here are some suggestions based on previous comments (and in no particular order of importance). Some may think of others.
1. Color, weight and chemical balance of paper.
2. Degree of complete coverage of existing issues (are all types illustrated? perforations, watermark, and color varieties as well as back of book).
3. Binder design and construction -- ring, post, turn bar, or spring-back mechanism -- capacity, quality of materials and construction, and whether album pages lay flat or not when the binder is open.
4. Years covered for each volume.
5. For hingeless albums, type of pre-affixed mounts (some are strips some are individual mounts; are they split across the back or open at the top edge? Clear or black background?)
6. Arrangement of issues based on particular catalogue system (Scott, Michel, Gibbons, etc.)
7. Use of issue dates, descriptors and illustrations.
8. Presence of background commentary on stamp issues.
9. Stamp mounting system -- with or without mounts (hingeless).
10. Page appearance - balanced, crowded.
11. Arrangement of issues based on type of stamp -- regular/definitives, commemoratives, semi-postals, airmail, postage due, special mail service, official agencies, revenues, newspaper, duck stamps, etc.
12. Availability of extra blank and/or quadrille pages.
13. Whether multi-designed se-tenant blocks, strips, or sheets are illustrated as in tact only or broken out into singles or both.
14. Whether or not pages are numbered.
15. Most appropriate for mint collections or used/cancelled collections or FDCs or postal stationary.
16. Cost (binder, slip case, pages, mounts) including supplement prices.
COMPARING HINGELESS US ALBUM BRANDS
A major determining factor for me was a ring binder design that lies flat when open. Another critical point was the total number of pages dedicated to house my US collection from 1845 to 1930's. While the layout and quality of several album manufacturers was very impressive, the number of pages varies greatly.
The hingeless albums I compared offered between 171 and 54 pages. Fewer album pages means either fewer illustrated stamp issues, or more crowded pages. Understanding how many issues can be housed in a specific volume has a direct impact of the visual presentation of the stamp collection. I expected to include certain BOB issues and as many variations of older issues as possible, so the choice between an album with more rather than fewer pages was important.
Also, several album publishers do a great job printing full color stamp images, seeing pages with color illustrations helped me decide that black and white stamp illustrations allow me to better appreciate the my mounted stamps on the page and more easily identify missing stamps.

THE "MINIMALIST" ALBUMS
Some album page designs include no printed historical notes, stamp catalog numbers, or descriptions. Lindner, SAFE and Davo albums for example include few stamp details other than perforations, watermarks and/or year. This ultra-clean page design appeals to some collectors, but may strike some as having a somewhat sterile look.
However, both Lindner and SAFE employ a crystal clear overlay "foil" with stamp pockets that lifts away from the printed album page. SAFE Album dual system includes two pages with a clear plastic overleaf with pockets aligned over the black & white stamp images printed on heavy off-white cover stock. Lindner-T System also uses a twin page format, but the clear plastic sleeve with stamp "pockets" is smaller than the full page used by SAFE, and the clear overlay is affixed and hinged to the Lindner album page.

These two systems are very similar and are very different from the other hingeless mount systems which are typically affixed to the page along the top edge with a split backing that can cause damage to the stamp when inserted if not done very carefully. This mounting system has a practical benefit. You place your mint stamp in the plastic sheet but you can also mount a used/canceled version on the corresponding paper page. Many collectors house their mint and used stamps in separate albums. With SAFE or Lindner, both collections can be housed together. You can also purchase additional blank pages for any special items.



SAFE HINGELESS
SAFE hingeless albums of Austria use a mounting approach similar to Lindner. SAFE #2461 holds all US regulars 1847 to 1937 + Special Delivery, Postage Due & Parcel Post arranged to follow Scott layout; SAFE uses full size clear overlay page "flap" with pockets for the stamps that positions over the printed pages. Rather than having individual mounts adhered directly on the album page paper, SAFE employs a separate clear plastic sheet that covers the entire printed album page. The stamps are placed in pockets on the plastic sheet positioned over the printed stamp illustration. Beautiful looking "minimalist" pages, precise 14-ring mechanism and choice of binders and slipcases. My US classics would require purchase of 3 different groups that total 81 pages; Officials, Postage Due, Parcel Post are included. Not sure why the stamp pages are broken out as they are in groups with different end dates: 41 pages for Regular issues 1847 - 1937, 21 Commemoratives pages 1893 - 1945, and 19 Airmails pages 1918 - 2012?
Cost approximately $412

LINDNER HINGELESS
Lindner hingeless T-Blank albums of Germany use a separate clear overlay flap with stamp pockets that is positioned on top of the printed album page; each clear overlay is adhered along the left edge so stamps may also be hinged to the paper page. Very clean "minimalist" aesthetics are similar to SAFE albums and provide no historical embellishment about any stamps; binders use quality 18-ring mechanism; US 1847 - 1936 is fit onto only 54 pages, so you need to also purchase Officials, Postage Due 1879 - 1992 ( I did not want 1940's - 1990's).
Cost approximately $397
Excerpted album owner review by Neeskens13
I own hingeless albums manufactured by Lindner (Channel Islands and Isle of Man), Palo (French Antarctica) and Lighthouse (Germany-Berlin). I am currently trying to decide which album manufacturer to use for my next purchase. I was thinking about Davo, but I'm not crazy about the 2-peg binder system they utilize. I much prefer the ring binder system where the pages lie flat and it's easy to remove pages from any part of the album.

In my opinion, the pros and cons of each album are as follows:

1. Construction of album is top-notch. I use the "Standard" ring binder, which has a padded vinyl-type material. It's easy to open and close and the pages turn smoothly. Price is $89 for the album/slipcase combo. If you want to upgrade to "leatherette" or genuine leather, the price moves to $135 and $210, respectively. Cons: Each album can hold only about 50 pages, so they take up a lot of shelf space. Also, it's a little difficult to flip the pages from the back because of the hingeless mounting technology. You have to grab both the paper page and the plastic mount to make sure everything moves as one.

2. Stamp layout is done according to the Michel catalog. This is optimal if you collect Germany, Austria and other western European countries, but obviously less so for USA and Great Britain. As an example, for Channel Islands and Isle of Man, there are no spaces for (i) the regional stamps issued by GB prior to postal independence and (ii) miniature sheets that were re-issued with overprints from stamp shows and the like. These items are included in the Stanley Gibbons catalog, but not in Michel.

3. Pictures of stamps are in black/white with a surrounding black border. This makes the stamp and perfs "pop" when placed in the mount. Con: There is absolutely no description for any of the stamps. Only the year date is listed at the bottom of the page. This makes it a little difficult to distinguish gummed stamps and self-adhesive stamps that look identical.

4. Stamps are laid out strictly according to their year of issue. If there is a definitive set that has been issued over a period of years, the stamps will not be kept together on one page. This is the opposite of how Lighthouse does it. I prefer the Lighthouse method because I think it looks really cool when all stamps of a set are exhibited on one page.

5. Album Pages: The paper Lindner uses for its album pages is the best quality and the thickest of the three manufacturers I've listed above. They have a great feel when you turn them. The mounting technology is easy to use and the stamps stay in place. You can also lift the plastic mounting sheet to examine the back side of the stamps without having to remove the stamps from the mount.


LIGHTHOUSE USA HINGELESS
Lighthouse USA distributes pre-printed country albums featuring Michel catalog layout, the SF hingeless mount system on cream off white cover stock and produced in Germany. Some Lighthouse albums use top load clear mounts, and others will ship with split back mounts. If the type mount maters to you, be sure to request a sample page from the album(s) you wish to buy.
Album of the United States Volume 1 covers 1847-1964 in 103 pages, and includes the BOB, Coils, Airmail, Commemoratives and Regulars. This volume uses the top load clear mounts. The BOB issues are separate pages, not mixed together; this allows the collector to arrange them as you like. US Hingeless 1847 - 1935 is spread across 60 pages; Officials, newspaper stamps and duck stamps are separate supplements. Design and quality is equal to the best European made albums; elegant pages. In 2004 top-load mounts were replaced with split back "G" mounts that are closed at top and bottom with a slit across the back; choice of a variety of 13-ring mechanism binders and slipcases available.
This link provides Lighthouse catalog: http://www.stanleygibbons.com/image...amp-2014.pdf
Cost approximately approx $285


SCHAUBEK SCOTT NATIONAL HINGELESS
The joint effort between Schaubek and Scott Publishing produced a German-made hingeless US album that includes the Scott National stamp page layout plus Scott Catalogue numbers. Volume 1 covers 1845 - 1934; quality Euro pages; 6-ring mechanism lays flat when open; design follows Scott National layout including Scott catalogue numbers. Vol 1 utilizes 97 pages and includes most BOB issues except Revenues; however, the paper stock is a lighter weight compared to other albums. The clear mounts are split back type.
At one point, the new Schaubek Scott National US Hingeless Album seemed to combine the most benefits I wanted:
> Large capacity -- 97 pages with space for all major issues
> Most issues between my collecting dates – 1847 through 1930's
> Includes Scott Catalogue numbering
> Ring system that lays flat
> Most BOB included (I use an old Scott Specialty album for my Revenues)
Cost approximately $273 (Senator multi-ring binder and slipcase)

Excerpt album review by Hieronymus
Mystic US Heirloom hingeless or Schaubek US Hingeless uses the Scott National Album pages under license and is hingeless all the way. The Mystic is not expensive up to 1984, but it will cost a bit for the remaining decades. The Schaubek / Scott National is a steal at $1500.00 for coverage through 2013. If you want to stop at 1976, you'll only need to spend about $500 with shipping, or go to 1993 for only $750.

PALO UNITED STATES
Among the manufacturers of hingeless albums, I think Palo has the most informative website, including full color page PDFs. Palo also provides a very flexible group of stamp album solutions. Palo's top of the line Premium pages are available for 5-ring binders that allow pages to lay flat. Pages available with stamp illustrations printed in ether color or black and white on 100 lb paper stock which is a lighter color than the other premium priced albums; Palo's mounts are top loading (open at the top edge) similar to mounts used by Mystic Stamp which allows for easier stamp inserting.
Cost with Tax and shipping, the order described below was $421.50

Excerpt from album review 2-1-15 by pk-short
I purchased a Palo album last month to house my US classic stamp collection. Prior to using the Palo album, I had my US collection split across 2 sets of albums: Mint issues were in a 7-volume set of Mystic Heirloom US albums. Used issues were in a set 5-volume set of "Steiner" albums. There was no way I could complete either collection for the "classic" pages, so I decided to upgrade 1847-1940 to a single hingeless Palo album.

Review:
• I purchased the following items
-- USA10 – United States 1947-1940 Hingeless (109 pages)
-- PB101 – Premium Binder with Slipcase (said to hold 100-110 pages)
-- 2 x LB101 – 2 Labels "United States" and "1847 – 1940"
-- 3 x QUAD – 3 Blank quadrille pages with "United States of America" heading
• The album arrived in approximately 2 ½ weeks from the order date (Palo states that hingeless albums are custom made and take approximately 2 weeks to ship)

Pros:
• Overall it's a beautiful album to house my most valuable stamps
• The paper is a light cream color – 100lb with rounded edges
• The pages are over-sized – 11 x 12 ½ creating a layout that is spacious with plenty room between stamps
• All the hinges are clear and sized to fit the full outline of the stamp "box" on the page
• Being hingeless, it's quick to mount stamps on the pages
• When pages are full the layout is excellent. Over the years I rarely read any of the "historical" information found on the Mystic albums and prefer the simpler layout of my Scott International and "Steiner" albums.
• The album covers both regular and "back of book" issues for the time period.
• The binder is well built – I suspect it's a covered wood composite with metal protectors on the corners. The labels match the binder. Overall, the quality and presentation of the binder rivals the Lighthouse binders I have been purchasing lately.

Cons:
• The price is steep – too steep for most budgets. For comparison, you can purchase a US #1 for less than I spent on the album. The Premium Hingeless Mystic is $109.95.
• Palo says 100-110 pages fit in the binder. I do not think this is realistic. I have 112 pages and binder is difficult to manage. I estimate 75 pages is more realistic.
• The binder is a unique 5 ring binder using 'O' rings. I would have expected 'D' rings for the amount of money spent.
• The pages sometimes get caught on the binder locks, making it difficult at times to move to the next page. Again, I would expect better rings for the price of the binder.
• The "Duck" stamps are not present in the "Back of Book" section.

Palo pages vs. "Steiner" pages
There has been discussion about Palo using "Steiner" pages. Here are my observations.
• The Palo album is based on the "Steiner" pages, but has made some adjustments.
• The layout is spread out to fill the larger pages. As I moved stamps from my Steiner album to the Palo album the Steiner album now appears crowded – especially once the mounts are added to the pages.
• The fonts and page borders have been changed
• The Palo albums move some of the stamp information out of the stamp space. For example "Type I" appears outside the frame of the stamp and can be seen after the stamps are mounted.
• The Palo album followed the "classic" US pages found on www.stampalbums.com with the exception of the Duck stamps. The following "Back of Book" issues are included: Airmail, Airmail Special Delivery, Special Delivery, Registration, Postage Due, Offices in China, Official, Newspaper, Parcel Post, Parcel Post Postage Due, Special Handling, and Confederate States.

Conclusion – would I buy another?
Yes, I would and I'm considering purchasing the New Zealand and Canada albums based on the Stanley Gibbons catalogs. However, the price will limit these albums to a small segment of the stamp collecting community. I would recommend other albums to my fellow collectors unless they are looking for a premium album that comes with a premium cost.
DAVO USA HINGELESS
Davo albums are very high quality, and among the most beautiful binders, but I have not personally compared Davo hingeless pages. Some collectors dislike 2-post albums which Davo is a primary example, because the pages don't lay flat when the album is open. Davo does not offer a ring binder system. Also, Davo pages are a much brighter white which can appear visually harsh to some when compared to the more typical cream or off-white paper used by most album makers. Davo USA Luxe Hingeless Album Volume l, covers 1847 to 1944.
Cost approximately approx $187.50
Excerpt album review 1-13-12 by 1775mac
I keep my cream of the crop in a set of Davo Hingeless albums and have been very happy with them. The Slipcases are very sturdy and the binders are also. The coverings are thick and made to last. The stock sheet are a very heavy weight cardstock and will hold up for years to come. One issue I did notice is the pages do not lie flat on the opposite side. The sheets use the Scott numbering order but may skip on some of the minor variations. Also, from the Washington/Franklin series they do not have coil issues listed. But they do have blank sheets that match with a border. Then I use clear mounts to make my sets that I need. I have had no loose mounts yet and there are not rings but solid posts that hold the pages.
Excerpt album review 1-13-12 by apastuszak
The Davo is indeed a very nice album. I have never understood why albums as expensive as the Scott and Davo fail to include stamp descriptions, while lower end albums like the Minuteman, Mystic Heirloom, and Harris have descriptions.
Excerpt album review 2-22-15 by GeoffHa
I don't have US Davo, but I must say, having picked up quite a few for other countries over the years, they aren't my favourites. I'm not keen on the typeface or the harsh, brilliant white paper. My preference, amongst the single country printed albums I own, is for Lighthouse (sheer quality) and Schaubek (sheer capacity). I don't think criticism of lack of Scott numbers is fair, however. Most printed albums do not contain Scott, Michel, Yvert, etc numbers.
MYSTIC PREMIUM HINGELESS AMERICAN HEIRLOOM
The Mystic Premium Hingeless American Heirloom Collection is a multi-volume, 3-ring album design using letter size 8.5" X 11" pages printed on cover weight cream paper stock. Available only from Mystic Stamp Company, the new Premium Hingeless American Heirloom Collection delivered a solid mix of the features I wanted most in a US hingeless album, along with generous space across 346 pages in two albums.
MY ORDER INCLUDED:
#61656; Volume 1 covers all regular and commemorative issues, plus airmail from 1847 to 1934, and totals 182 pages
#61656; The matching Back-of-Book (BOB) album consists of 164 pages
#61656; Top-load stamp mounts on right hand pages only with stamp history printed on the left hand pages.
#61656; Two matching heavy-duty Premium hand-stitched binders with "D" rings in handsome dark green with gold accents
#61656; Two matching vinyl slipcases.
Total before taxes or shipping: $201.90
Deciding factors were my preferences for:
1) Mystic's mounts which are open at the top and allow easy, quick stamp insertion with less stress on the stamps than split-back mounts (I did not see this mount design style from other publishers).

2) Mystic's philatelic historical details on the pages opposite the stamp mount pages; While I admire the clean easier stamp insertion of the Lindner and SAFE overlay systems, I also find these albums very sterile offering little or no information regarding the various USA stamps. I began to value the added historical info included in the Mystic Premium Heirloom Hingeless USA Album set. In the end the European album designs seemed a bit too sterile to me.

3) Finally, I love having the Scott numbers especially for the older classics where there are multiple variations of "Types", colors, perfs, secrete marks, and watermarks; this may not be important when collecting modern years, but it's an imperative with the US Classics.
4) Great value: the 8.5" X 11" trim size pages are smaller than the over-sized premium albums, and the simpler 3-ring binder mechanism helps to keep the cost down, but there is nothing cheap about the cream color cover weight paper stock, quality printing, crystal clear mounts, or hand-stitched binder construction with gold accents.

Once I move all of my classic US issues into their new Mystic Premium Hingeless American Heirloom home, I'll decide if I'm still happy with my choice. But right now, it's a pleasure as I begin completing each new page.
I hope the comments, observations and experiences shared by members of the Stamp Community Forum help you find your ideal stamp album.

Well done, Dan! That was a Herculean effort. I hope you will post some images of your pages when you are able.