Album Advice

I need a new album to store some new stamps I bought and most of it are MNH I did some search and found lighthouse stock-books so are they any good ? and another question that might sounds stupid do I need stamps hinges or mounts with these albums? I have no idea how to use these albums as the only ones I used was like simple papers that I hinges with stamps hinges

Lighthouse albums are good; they are essentially acetate strips that will hold the stamp(s) in place on a page -- no hinges or mounts needed. However, they can be costly depending on the number of stamps you have, so many collectors attempt to catch them when on sale and/or seek out used items on the secondary market (i.e. ebay, BidStart, etc.).

The other alternative are Vario pages (Lighthouse and several others make them, too) which are drilled to fit into standard loose leaf binders so you can customize your album to meet your needs. I use the term "customize" as both the Lighthouse binders and Vario pages come in an array of sizes for small definitive issue stamps (up to 8 rows of stamps per page) to commemorative, jumbo sized stamps and even large enough for souvenir sheets and/or covers. The advantage to the Vario-type pages is that they can easily be moved around as your collection expands.

One word of caution if you choose the bound Lighthouse albums -- some of the larger capacity albums have a tendency to break their bindings with heavy use, so most prefer the smaller capacity albums for long term storage, but then again, a lot depends on your specific use and how often you expect them to be handled.

Either way, the choice is yours.

thanks Wt1 so one more question will it affect the gum IN MNH stamps by putting it this way I meant by the contact between the stamp and the album

Usually, there is no damage to MNH stamps using the Lighthouse albums. However, one must still be very careful, as many stamps have been damaged because of the way a collector may carelessly remove the stamp from the album page. You should use tongs (and not the pointed ones, either). Of course, any gummed stamp may stick to a page if left in high humidity for an extended period of time, so care must be taken to keep these albums in a cool, dry place.

Hi,
Trust me on this.......... check out as many options as you can before you buy. That album(s) will be with you a long time, and putting one together only to find there is another out there you prefer can be frustrating and/or a lot of work to empty and fill another.

Gee, do I sound like "been there, done that"? I have.

The folks on this website have tons of suggestions and advice. Take time to pore over it before you buy.

wt1:I thought stamps tongs just differ in length and the tip angle or is there more things I should look for before choosing a tong,and yeah I understand the humidity part and I did a post before about this problem and learned about it
mobilman44: well stamps accessories are very rare in my country and pretty hard to find so I think I will get this one now and will try to get a new one in the future
so In case I wanted to buy a new one in the future and ship it which one would you recommend

I have been thinking of a new album for some time. But rather than moving close to 1500 stamps from one album to another, I am considering a "custom" album set, by getting several archival binders, rather than "stamp albums", and moving the pages from my album to the new binders.

Getting to a page within a 3" thick stack in one album is getting unwieldy. Splitting my collection into several binders solves this problem. I am now working mostly in the front of the album (older stamps) now anyway. The other binders would serve primarily as storage.

Those old #@%& Scott mounts where you slide the stamp in either side, tend to let the stamps try to slip out when the pages are turned often. I am always having to have my stamp tongs readily available in case a stamp has tried to slip out. Most pages in my album in the middle part still have these mounts. Not having unnecessary pages turned when turning pages, lessens this problem. The newer pages at the end and the older pages at the front have the mounts that are split horizontally in the back.

Slip cases too... because I want the "D-Ring" style binder, and these will keep the binders from falling over constantly on the shelf. And with the "D-Ring" whenever the binder is opened the pages don't move, especially the pages in the back. The rings won't further damage the holes on the back pages.

It will be quite an investment, but I highly prize my collection. Now all I need is the dough.


-IBFS

I am using Lighthouse stockbooks this time around. My first collecting period back when I was in my teens and twenties I used regular printed Scott Albums, and had a pretty nice collection based on the international, which I sold in my early 30s to fund a business venture. The venture failed in the end, but the collecting bug never died. This time though, I figured the cost of mounts and the time mounting stamps were not worth the extra hassle.

Stockbooks give you a great deal of flexibility at a very competitive price. An 8-page stockbook (16 sides) I figure can hold about 500 or so stamps. As I am collecting worldwide up to the mid-1960s or so (a few countries later) that works out perfectly using 8-page or 16-page (32 side) stockbooks for each country. The only country I currently use 32 page (64-side) stockbooks is the USA, which takes 2 of them for issues up to 1996. (Haven'd decided if I am gonna continue the USA further than that, I inherited my dad's dealer stock, and he has some, but not all, of the issues from 96 to about 2003. The reality is the number of issues you can fit in a stockbook decrease with more modern issues and all those small panes, which take up most of a page).

As for your concern about the gum, I take 2 precautions. First, I do not overlap stamps but leave space between. Makes the pages look more like an album that way and ensures no chance gum from one stamp gets in contact with another stamp. Second, I store my stockbooks vertical, as I have read that if they are stored flat there is a slight chance that the acetate strips can create a line across the gum if the stamp sticks up over one row height. (Not ever seen that myself, but apparently this is an issue only if you store the stockbooks flat, not upright like a traditional album.

Aboauf: This is worth a re-read on the subject of both tongs and stock book pages:

http://www.linns.com/howto/choosing...ngtongs.aspx

As for the various types of stamp tongs, here's a link to a catalog page from one vendor to show some of the vast array of different types and sizes available:

http://www.showgard.com/results.cfm?id=38

Hi,
On the subject of tongs........
When I got back into the hobby I picked up a 4 inch set of tongs with a shovel head. I worked an awful lot of stamps with them in putting together the USA collection. When I began the WW collection, I decided to try out a "professional" set of tongs - 6 inches long. Well, once I got the 6 inch tongs I hardly ever touched the 4 inch set.

Of course, that's just my experience, and others may not have the same.

I highly recommend Lighthouse.

More costly, but worth it, in my opinion.

Get the binders that flex and easy release and the pre-printed pages.

but its all subjective

thanks for the replies I think I will try a lighthouse one and In the future I will get Mint Sheet Album..
tommy:I don't like any pre-printed albums I tried them before and wasn't good at all or maybe I got some of bad quality and also It won't work for me now as I have some stamps blocks
mobilman44:I am thinking in buying this tong (Stamp Tongs GOLD Plated 12 cm Hypoallergenic by Lighthouse)not sure if I can post links to stores here but the price is $8.99

Hey, good luck to you !

Over the next couple of months you will likely come to some conclusions ..........
- you will find out how dedicated you are to the hobby (or not)
- decide on how much money you want to invest in it
- find out more about what you want to collect - and present it.

Looking forward to hearing of your progress!

mobilman44:thanks a lot I will share my progress in the future and I always post inquiries in the forums and really the members here are very helpful