Stamp Albums

Wondering If anyone who has made up their own stamp album using good quality binders and software for creating your own pages. I Collect world wide stamps and want to obtain as many as I can from as many countries possible

Any Ideas on good software programs or is it better to get good quality paper from stamp suppliers

Cheers Diann

There are a number of album software dealers out there and they all have a decent product from the pages I've seen other collectors use. I haven't used them but I did look at one free product - I think it was called WebStamp or StampWeb. You can try a Google search and find them, I'm sure.

In any case, the quality of the paper will make all the difference in the look and durability of your albums. If you use regular 8.5 x 11 paper and binders you will need to buy a good quality 65# paper from Office Depot or someone like that.

Have fun with it, and let us know how it turns out!

Thanks laswabbie

I'm guessing the paper should be of archival quality. I'm also a scrapbooker and I know acids and stuff can deterioate pictures and probably stamps as well

Dianne

Scott had a make your own album type kit a few years ago. It came with software, a binder, and 100 Scott style pages in their creamy off-white color but 8-1/2 X 11 inches in size. I don't see it in my Subway catalog but if you go to Linn's Stamp News and Amos, you might find it there if this interests you.

When I was seeing this offered, there were never extra pages being sold along with it. You might want to be sure pages are available because the 100 sheets that come with it may eventually not be enough for your needs.

About 25 years ago, I got fed up with not being able to find a decent album and having to move stamps when I found a new one that fitted into a page that was full. So I did away with albums and now use a card system. I mount the stamps onto cards and file these into drawers that I had made up. I have just about filled 6 drawers and need to get another set made up. I like this system because I can add new cards or header cards anywhere with ease.
If you are into valuable stamps, this may not be for you, but I collect for me, not for what it may be worth to my ancestors many years from now. LOL







Steve

That is a flexible system Steve. I usde a combination of albums for my collection of the best singles I have, and a card system holding all the duplicates I call my accumulation.

That's a nice looking cabinet you're using!

Thanks everyone

You gave me some great Ideas. Just got back from staples and found a realy nice leatherette binder in brown and black. It was only $12.95. Im going to start with that and see how it goes. Sorted out my stamps from Belgium the last three evenings and was surprised to find I had some from the 1800's.

Thanks again

Dianne

That's a nice system, Steve. I like those cabinet drawers too.

I have printed album pages but I also insert a lot of blank album pages in between them to mount items which don't go in the regular spaces provided, with a short write up about the items and why they are interesting. This lets me expand upon the single stamps to add varieties, freaks, different shades, proofs, blocks, covers and collateral items. So, just like Steve's index card system, this provides a lot of flexibility, and lets me do things my way. And I can remount the items anytime in a different way -- if I get some new items or just decide to do it differently.

Dianne,
I don't see why ,for our purposes, we can't use our scrapbooking albums and archival /acid fee album pages. The pages are protected too.

Gussyboy1

yes gussy I thought about that And I may end up doing that for some countries.

I bought some really nice linen paper but it is 81/2 x 11 so I Ordered spare binders for one of the canadian albums for $24.00 It has a slip cover and if it is of good quality I will get enought of them for my Candian collection I figure another two. I did purchase a set of three albums from Mystic. They are great for me but I have heard that some people don't like them.

I have also found a website on line than enables me to print album pages with the name of the country as well as a nice border. Once I have a couple of pages done I will post them .

Dianne

i use blank or quadrille pages in the back of my Guatemala and Canada albums...Canada issues a lot of different stamps, Guatemala does not !!