Storing Large Used World Wide Collections

Since the coverage in the BigBlues is worse for the early years, and get progressively better in the later years, I'm currently supplementing my 2-volume BigBlue with the first volume of the Brown Vintage Reproductions, which covers the 19th century.

So now I have two binders covering the 19th century and two binders that cover 1840-1940, which I will also supplement with quadrille pages to mount items that do not have a dedicated space. There are generally so few 19th century stamps in BigBlue (and/or the ones there are generally inexpensive), I can fill those in with duplicates.

I may or may not expand with more Vintage Brown volumes in the future (or perhaps get Part II covering the 1940s instead), but for now, I still have a lot of real estate in my BigBlues to work on

I agree with landoquakes; the illustrations are a nice timeline for where to put stamps and create a nice timeline. You can always add blank pages for duplicates.

Well since my last post on this particular thread I've started collecting the entire world to date, which of course means revisiting the storage/album question. I'd been using Steiner pages for the 3 dozen or so countries I'd been collecting, housed mostly in Lighthouse Vario G and F binders as well as a few standard office binders. When I decided to collect WW, Steiner was out of the question (too much space) and I initially settled on 64-page Lighthouse stockbooks. They are simply the most economical storage method I've found, both in terms of money and shelf space. I figure the storage cost is between 1-2 cents per stamp in a full stockbook of average sized stamps.

That being said, I'm in the process of migrating at least part of my new WW collection to Vario pages as it didn't take me long to tire of moving stamps around in a stockbook. I'm starting with just classic era stamps for now, beginning with colonial issues. I'm going to continue using stockbooks for more recent issues as it's easier to mix and match different sized stamps on the same page without wasting space. Classic era stamps don't vary in size as much, so a classic-era collection lends itself a little better to Vario pages, in my opinion. All that being said, I actually prefer the aesthetic of a black-paged stockbook to Vario sheets, however. For whatever reason, stockbook pages just look a little classier in my opinion, but that's just me. Vario pages kind of have a flimsy feel to them as compared to stockbooks and in my opinion the entire aesthetic binder full of Vario pages falls short of the look and feel of a good stockbook. It's hard to beat Vario's flexibility, though.

TheArtfulHinger - thanks for bumping this most interesting thread!

Your approach is very interesting for me, as I am kind of in the same boat as you in terms of deciding on a better storing solution for my WW collection. Your solution seems very sensible and well argumented - arguments built on your past experience including Steiner, stockbooks and Varios. I really hope you'll remain satisfied!

I have considered this myself now for more than one year - and have yet to make up my mind !

Steiner
First of all the Steiner seems very convenient because it's cheap, quick and easy to print the pages. It looks nice - and you would easily see what you are missing. However I would find it difficult to be restricted 'by the book' - need more flexibility for extra material, varieties etc. Modifying the pages is an option - but that would ruin the argument that the Steiner pages are quick and easy. Then again the Steiner will require hinges or mounts - which I would like to avoid.

Stockbooks
As posted earlier in this thread - my collection is now stored in a 'mountain' of Lighthouse stockbooks, plotting out space for all the stamps issued until 2000 according to Scott. I was very satisfied with this solution in the beginning - however as my collection is growing and I am getting more and more specialized material - and also getting more comprehensive catalogs - I am getting increasingly dissatisfied with my stockbook solution. Unfortunately...because it seems like a daunting task to be re-arranging 150k stamps..

Varios
Seems to me the absolutely most flexible solution, which is find very attractive. Also the stamps would be stored in safest possible way, without need for hinges or mounts. However I tend to agree on ArtfulHingers opinion on the aesthetic of a black-paged stockbook versus the Vario sheets. I am also slightly concerned that over the years the black and static plastic of the Vario pages would pick up dust etc, which will migrate down into the pockets. I have also seen some old vario pages that seems to get a greyish / cloudy appearance. I hope this has simply been caused by the user not being careful to protect the pages - and that it will not happen if the albums are properly stored in cassettes. In another forum DJCMOH kindly advised me I should not be concerned - do any other Vario users have any experience on this particular concern? It also appears to me that it's easier to insert and line up the stamps neatly in stockbooks than in the 'deep pockets' of the varios - seems like you will need to use one hand to open the pocket and the other for the tweezer. Or not?

Mixed storage
TheArtfulHinger has argumented very well for a mixed storing solution, seems to me very clever . Personally however I would prefer one uniform solution and conformity in the appearance throughout the entire collection - and also on the shelves.

So - for now I am considering to replace my 160+ stockbooks for Varios - housed in lighthouse Vario Classic binders. However I find it very hard to decide! Does any Vario users have any arguments or advise why I should not take the leap ?

@blaamand... Early Varios and their predecessors had some bad materials, thus some of the really old pages look quite sad these days . AFAIK there are no issues with modern ones (but ask me again in a decade or two ;) )

One possibility not mentioned here is use of large sized 'stock card pages' such as these: http://www.nordfrim.com/stock-card-...ithout-mount , there are at least few different ones on the market. I got a batch of white pagers few years back from the Netherlands, they've got even glassine interleaves on both sides. So they are one-on-one with regular stock book pages, except loose leaf and slightly larger. Two downsides though - there is no way to put them on binder, so you need a storage box (works with limited amount of pages) and they were pretty expensive (I paid closer two 2€ per page).

-k-

Happy Vario stockpage user here. I only got back into the hobby 4 years ago and after a brief flirtation with hinges, I have been using Vario 7S. I notice no difference between a 4 year old page and a new one. I would like to use the Vario binders but economics dictate that I just use regular 3-ring office binders.

In fact I notice one significant additional benefit - the page seems to act like a press and the appearance of my stamps seems to improve the longer they are in these pages. I have learned to carefully insert any new addition to my collection so that any bent perforations are straightened out before going into the "press". I use a fingernail on one hand to just open the Vario plastic sleeve enough to pop in the stamp with tweezers in the other hand. I snug the stamp down to the bottom of the plastic sleeve to maximize this press effect.

I am a worldwide collector so total shelf space is a future consideration. I know stockbook users have strategies like only half filling their stockbook pages. To me that is having 50% of the shelf space unused but with stockpages I only need to add a page as required with minimal rearrangement.

I am in North America and use Scott catalogues (6 volumes). My collection is still quite modest at 18,000 but it fits conveniently into 6 three-inch office binders - one for each Scott volume. I am just beginning to consider adding a new binder as my Scott volume 5 (N-SAN countries) is almost full.

Yes, glad this topic got going again. I can see how Vario pages would have a lot of advantages, but I really like having some information (subject, year, etc) about the stamps. And it seems like quite a lot of work to type up little labels for each stamp or set of stamps, which also limits the space available for your stamps on a page.

Guess we can't have it all

The main reason I don't think I want to put my entire WW collection into Vario sheets is simply that I don't think they're as efficient with space, plus you have to add the cost of binders Let's say you have a souvenir sheet that measures 6" x 4". You'd need to use a Vario 1s/1c page for it, which would waste a very large portion of the space on the page. Using a stockbook, you' have close to half that page still available to place various other stamps on it. Same situation applies if you're talking about things like se-tenant blocks or jumbo stamps, etc. With modern issues and Vario pages, there are just too many times where you'd either be wasting large amounts of space or, if you want to maximize the space used, would have to go with an arrangement that's well out of chronological order - i.e. you'd be organizing stamps by size rather than issue date or some other factor. This is much less of an issue with using stockbooks.

Thanks guys - lots of valuable inputs concerning the Varios - what a friendly and helpful community we have

@keijo - I was not aware about the earlier quality issue with the Varios, thanks a lot for pointing this out! So I presume I can put that concern aside then
Wow, have you started to use the Varios as well?
The stock card pages - yeah that could have been the ultimate solution - but I abandoned the idea long time ago due to the $$$.

@Conker - Good to have a "Happy Vario stockpage user" aboard

@chris2015 - You're pointing to a very relevant challenge with any DIY pages. For my point of view tough, I already have the labels made in my stockbooks - would 'only' need to transfer it all ...and when relevant replace the labels with more detailed info available in more comprehensive catalogs than Scott.

@theArtfulHinger -
That's really valuable experience from a Vario user, something to consider. In the example of the souvenir sheet - would it be possible to utilize the leftover space for another souvenir sheet? Even tough it's only a 1s page - would another sheet stay in position if 'tucked' into the right or left edge of the pocket? Also I am curious if it is a problem if a stamp/block is a little too big for the pocket, so it will sit partially outside the pocket as in regular stockbooks (with small pockets). I realize there is no glassine between the pages - will that create conflicts - anyone tried this?

I had a go with stock-books, as others have found them useful. Didn't like them for this purpose. Fine for Victorian issues. But modern stamps, with their much larger size, take up a large chunk of the page if properly laid out. Same for stick pages of the Hagner or Lighthouse type. Using quadrille enables you to get the right lay-out, and is, of course, much cheaper than buying either Lighthouse stock-books or pages. But each to his or her own, of course!

You could put two such souvenir sheets in a 1s page if you don't mind overlapping them somewhat. I overlap such sheets in stockbooks at times, although I try to keep it to a minimum. One other observation I have is that placing stamps neatly is a little bit more difficult using Vario pages than it is in stockbooks. This is not a big deal if you're just placing a few stamps, but if you're doing dozens or hundreds of them, you definitely notice the difference.

I don't mind a couple millimeters or so sticking out, but I'd hesitate to let much more than that stick out for fear of catching on something. Interleaving for Vario pages are available, but I've never used them and I don't know how much they would help.

@blaamand...




I've used them pretty much always for misc purposes (organizing, mailing etc). Still relying with stock books otherwise. Old habits die hard ;)

-k-

Hmmm...and I'm intending to do somewhere north of 150k, so I will notice. Thanks TheArtfulHinger, all good points you're making.

Valid point geoffa. And as much as I love the look of others collections on quadrille - my handwriting is simply not up for it


Thank you all for good feedback. I guess I am still basically pretty much undetermined considering several options
1) 'cut the junk' - set cut off after WW2, QEII for GB - except for a few selected countries. All in Varios.
2) Accept a mixed storage solution - Varios until 1940, stockbooks after
3) Collect all WW until 2000 in Varios, accept some overlapping etc on modern material
4) Do nothing, keep my present setup in stockbooks. I don't find the stockbook storage optimal - but in the end neither storage solution is optimal. They all have their ups and downs. As Chris2015 said - Guess we can't have it all

Don't forget the rule that you'll make a decision and then change your mind in five years time! I can't believe how many systems I've tried!

I have spent years thinking about the best solution to this exact 'problem'.

I have gone through them all: 5 meters of shelves with Steiner albums. Stockbooks. Commercial albums. Varios. Plain white paper.

My current solution is grande Varios (majority being 8S - with 33mm pockets)

A key thing for me is the 'enjoyment factor'. When I have stamps in stockbooks I tend not to enjoy them as much. Can't explain why. It's very easy to work with, and super cheap, but I rarely look at the stamps.

Commercial albums & Steiner pages are nice, but when they are complete, then I have the same problem as stockbooks. They just sit on the shelf - I don't enjoy them.

With Varios, I'm continously looking to expand my collection / add descriptive text etc. I know I could just add extra pages to Steiner whatever, but somehow I never get there. It is as if Varios 'encourage' me to continue working - pages never get done

Logically - No.