Stock Pages?

My worldwide stamp collection is very haphazard, because I only collect stamps I like, not everything from every country (For example, I don't collect people's heads, unless they're composers or something) So no albums seem to work for me, there will be too many empty spaces and odd layouts. Also, Since I collet cheaper used stamps mostly, the cheapest way to mount them would be to use stamp hinges. But if I wanted to change stamps around later on, it's too much of a hassle to peel off the hinges and put on new ones. Plus its hard to save spaces for stamps I don't know if I'll ever get. (Not to mention the fact that I'm too lazy to lick all those thousands of stamp hinges!) So I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use stock pages. I don't like stock books, but the loose stock pages with black backgrounds and clear pockets. Do you think that is a good idea, or will it be too expensive?

Hi Connie
I think for what you've described the stock pages (Vario) are a good idea. I've got a small side collection of stuff I just like and I use the black Vario pages with the clear pockets. They are easy and you can move things around as you like. I also print labels to put beside each stamp with a description. The only problem with these I find is dust. If you move things in and out a lot, you will start to get dust specks and other schmutz which can get unsightly. I don't know if they're too expensive in the grand scheme of things, considering you're not paying for album pages and mounts as well. A simple binder will do.

I'm actually contemplating same thing- I have a can/ usa album I do hingeless but rather enjoy my miltiple copies and cancels on same stamps and like to be able to expand and detract as needed. I currently have over 20 stock books but all are white page which I just can't handle. Great for plain ole storage but not for display. I also have a few black page stock books that are nice but again you are limited to X amount of room. Unfortunatly the leap is costly but you can get bulk black pages from a few sellers on ebay for 50 cents a page in bulk.

I love Vario stockpages. I use a few thousand to house parts of my collection.

I think they are great! However, be forewarned of the following potential problems:

1. One sheet may seem thin and light. But get up to 100+ and you will realize they really bulk up your collection and can get quite heavy. Make sure you have strong bookshelves and strong binders (avoid going past 1½" binders, as it gets heavy and bulk turning of pages can be difficult when there are too many. My Varios take up about 5 linear feet of shelf space, and I pretty much have to use minimum 1¼" thick solid wood shelves (not particle board).

2. The page layout is rather fixed for each strip. You want the strip to cover each stamp completely. This can be rather difficult when there is a mix of stamps and souvenir sheets within a set. So if you collect a lot of modern stamps, it can get rather jumbled. On the other hand, classic era stamps tend to be of uniform small size, and many commemoratives of the 1940s-1960s also tend to be uniform medium size.

3. Stamps are easy to insert, but can be difficult to pull out because the page surface is so smooth and hard. Sometimes you have to slightly flex the sheet and get a minor bend so that the edge of the stamp lifts up.

4. Sometimes the pages do attract dust. So keep your binders in a dustcover, or at least put a piece of cardboard or lint-free cloth over the tops of your binders.

Best wishes!

k

Thanks everybody for the replies. are Vario pages the best (for the money)? They seem to be the most popular.
KHJ, thanks for the warnings. I'll probably have to get one of my brothers to make me a good solid bookcase; I never thought of the weight. As for the strips covering the stamps completely, I was wondering (for newer, or odd sized stamps), if it would be OK to let the stamps stick up out of the strip, if I used those glassine page protectors between pages.