New Stamp Collecter!

i have the heirloom 3 volume binders OK so here are my dilemma's. I don't ever plan on selling my collection when its done they are going to my kids in a very long time I i just started collecting stamps its so much fun I love it right now i'm only doing the commemerative year sets so I have quite a few Se tenant sheet and the way that they are printed I cant put them in my albums without seperating the stamps individually so since my collection is going to my kids and never getting sold down the road do I seperate the stamps and mount them individually or leave them whole in a sealed ziploc baggie and have a bunch of empty album pages????? some one please help what do I do???

In my experience, the first rule of stamp collecting is to collect stamps as you choose to collect them and in whatever manner you decide. You will undoubtedly hear from both sides on this issue but the decision rests with you. Personally I like my albums to look well-organized and, as a result, if I have se-tenants stamps that won't fit in the boxes provided, then I'll create my own modified pages. (Mystic also sells blank pages for the American Heirloom album). Apastuszek, one of the other SCF members, has created a number of these pages and you should be able to find these using the site's "search" key. Others on SCF might tell you that the majority of US stamps post-1940 aren't likely to appreciate drastically, and tell you to go ahead and break them up if you like. Again personally if the se-tenants form a cohesive picture as with the Santa and Sleigh issue, I would not even consider breaking them up - as Mystic did with 4711-14 this year. I still can't figure out why they did that. Welcome to SCF. Hope you enjoy it even half as much as I have.

Hello turtleshoney, welcome!

I am not sure exactlyhow big the sheets are but you could look at trying some Vario pastic display pages like the full page one shown below.

A BIG to SCF turtleshoney.

The basics 1st matter a great deal. It is very important not to damage your stamps. When you are breaking down your stamp sheets or stamps jointed together. It is very important to fold the stamps a couple of time along the perforations(all the small holes)And make sure where you start the separation is well foldered.

If you crease, bend or damage a stamp perforation etc it makes the stamp worthless for collecting.

You have used some stamp terms in your writing so maybe you already know about what I have said.

What sort of help are you after?

Always Happy Stamping.KGV

thank you to all who replied to my question I found everything useful thank you all again puzzlers vario pockets seems like a good idea not to seperate my stamps

Greetings turtleshoney, you could buy pre-sized mounts, such as showgard, Prinz, etc. They have mounts for almost any size of setenant, but that could get expensive. You can also make your own pages using Word or Excel, or use the search function on this forum to find pages available from your fellow collectors. I myself would not want to break up any setenants, but as was mentioned, it's your collection. Stay active in this forum as I am sure you will enjoy it. regards, yakboomer.

and to show how user friendly we are, here is that thread (in case you have not already found it)

https://goscf.com/t/25883

Hi,
I'm also a returning collector (after 40 years away)and wish to welcome you to the Forum - and tell you that it is definitely the place to be if stamp collecting is your interest.

Like many other hobbies, a feature of stamp collecting is that you can (and should) do your own thing. If you want to collect US stamps as I do, fine. If you want to collect world wide, fine. If you want to collect red stamps or large stamps or stamps with animals or literally "whatever", well that is fine too.

So if you want to break apart sheets for mounting, go ahead and do it. If you don't, don't. Oh, there is another alternative, and that is to buy two sets of the stamps, one to keep whole, and one to break apart.

ENJOY,
Mobilman4