Ireland Stamp Question

Ok, so I am getting ready to finally do something with the 2011 stamps I bought from anpost and I had a few questions:

The Year of Craft 2011 booklet

Are these kinds of stamp typically mounted with or without selvage?  There is nothing on the selvage.  it's just white.



Hermit Crab Definitive

Anpost sold me a a verticle pair.  Is there some value in collecting the pair?  How much selvage should be kept around a self-adhesive stamp?


Chirstmas 2011

According to The Collector, The Christmas stamps were issued in the following format:  55c Self - adhesive promotional (26m), Self - adhesive strip of 2 (20k), SOAR strip of 2 (20k).

Anpost sent me a pair of the self adhesive promotional, and a vertical strip of two rectangular stamps.  Are the SOAR stamps the same design, just in a horizontal strip?  The rectagular stamps do not touch, and the backing paper between them is connected, but is perforated.  Should these stamps be mounted connected?

7th Definitive Series

Vertical strip with squirrel on top and dolphin on the bottom.  Again stamps are not connected.  There is selvage between them.  Do most collectors mount them connected or split?

I also have 8 stamps of a similar rectangular style to the vertical Christmas strip.  Can these be seperated or should they remain conncted in the two strips of 4 that I got?

My preference is to keep the stamps in the condition they were received. Unfortunately that doesn't always match the albums, but since I'm primarily using Steiner pages, it's quick and easy to print a blank page with a few headers for the stamps in question.

I personally don't have any problem with mounting strips/blocks of stamps. The second would most likely be placed in a glassine envelope for storage if I only use one, so I don't mind the extra stamps and space.

I would never cut anything from a booklet. Mount as it is. As for the other stamps, I would put on the album, as An Post sent to you. But,this is just my view...

Steiner pages have the Christmas stamps and Hermit Crabs as single stamps and not pairs.

Well, if Steiner was an Irish album editor, perhaps I would follow him... What do Irish catalogs editors or An Post publications say about it? I'll rather follow them. But, I'm just an European collector and my view might be somewhat different from "the other side of the pond "...

I have no Irish catalogs. That's why I am here, asking questions.

I would keep them intact, the way they were issued.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Andy, I would leave them intact for now at least. You can never put them back the way they came!

Peter