Storing Large Used World Wide Collections

trying to post the rest of the images, including my inventory system to keep thing organized but the image uploader being a bear.

here is the remainder of the pages I scanned and the inventory/locator pages I created. Basically maps out each page according to cat # (this is based on the Maury Afrique catalog) and then as I get stamps all I have to do is highlight the number and I know I have it :) Just need to get a maury/scott translator page or have spaces show both numbers.

In USA it seems vario pages can be sourced more cheaply than stockbooks, and they give you so much flexibility.]]

the pages between the two posts are pages 4-14 on my inventory.

DJCMHOH,
Very nicely presented indeed, well done! Like your pre-determined set-up in excel sheet, clever

I love the look of the stamps on those vario pages. I might have choosen this storing option if starting from scratch. Easy and flexible, yet very neat. Especially compared to my own stock albums, not having the clear pockets.
I have only concern with the vario. I have experienced the stamps are somewhat easily shifting position in the pockets, so they get misaligned. Do you have the same experience?

Blaamand I have not found it an issue with stamps slipping....but I've only been doing my albums this way for a couple years. But the stamps seem to stay put for me.

The excel idea really works well. Just remember that each row across in a Vario page is 195 mm across (height varies based on # of strips per page...6 strip have pockets 39mm high, etc.) At 195 you can fit 8 regular vertical defins (a touch tightly), horizontal commemoratives fit 4 across, vertical commems can fit up to 7 (tight - 6 look better)

Since stamp sized tended to be fairly regular for most nations up to 1960 or so...easy to do layouts

A-RA,
Saw your post here briefly. The details with the small red dots for facsimiles was clever, didn't realize. Your collection is simply above outstanding and a major inspiration. Really adore your classic Finland. All this being achieved on low-budget is even more impressing. Really appreciate that you're having your collection available online, I will certainly use it for future reference. Thanks for sharing - keep it up!

DJC really great looking mint stamps! All look fresh and well-centered. Many issues in this time period are poorly centered. You definitely have an eye for and focus on quality. Are these stamps hinged?

One thing I notice is that many of your vertically oriented stamps are taller than the clear protective sleeve. I've always been superstitious about the stamps jutting out past the mounts and potentially getting bent edges or pulled perfs. What are your thoughts and experiences in this regard?

Blaamand I also find that stamps do move around in Vario pages. Haven't figured out how to prevent this from happening.

Shermae,




Well, as I am not using the Vario myself, I cannot offer the precise experience you are asking for. However the pockets in my stock books certainly do not offer full-face protection either, so I can reply based on that experience. I have never had a problem with bent edges or pulled perfs. Probably due to the double protective interleaves, so the stamps will never really be exposed to anything but the soft and even surface of this interleave. I have only experienced the problem you are pointing at in 'regular' double sided album pages. If there are hinged stamps on two pages facing each other, I have seen them coming into conflict when turning the pages. The problem gets worse if the stamps are hinged on one side and in mounts on the other - I have seen the more rigid mounts damaging the unprotected stamps on the other side. Probably most of us have seen the same?



Suggest using quality stock books with double interleaves. If the stamps are put properly down into the pockets, they will not move unless James Bond comes around asking for 'shaken not stirred'...

Excuse me ......but you guys are showing and talking about a few hundred to a few thousand stamps .Putting them in neat rows on a black stock sheet . Just doesn't make it to the title of this page ,how about STORING LARGE WORLDWIDE COLLECTIONS ......can we get to the subject of LARGE .
I want to see your discussion of a few hundred thousand to maybe one or two million stamps in a collection that is three to four tons of collectible stamps depending on how they are stored . NOW WERE TALKING LARGE .

Large is a relative word and to many, a few thousand stamps is a large collection. You'll probably wind up talking to yourself if you're looking for someone to discuss storing one million stamps. Some people collect quantity, others quality. Like I said, it's all relative and this has been a very interesting thread about different storage methods.

I agree with Floortreader, few pages of vario don't make the cut of the title of the tread.

The thread is "how do you do it?"

Showing an album page, or a Vario page, or a stockbook page, is precisely "how you do it."

I agree with Jenny2U - (edit:) and Cjd
Guess Einstein nailed it when claiming everything is relative. Some might understand 'large' differently from others in here. I am only at 130k different and I certainly recognize it's very far from complete. Mine is probably peanuts compared to other of you good people in here, still others might consider it large. In all respect - I guess this thread is about how to organize and store a full WW collection, and not intended as any sort of competition. I believe anyone collecting WW - or even only intending on collecting WW - would have different viewpoints on this. I do not think one would not need many tons of material in order to qualify for having an opinion. I find this thread that Shermae initiated very interesting, and as long as someone keeps sharing examples of their stuff, we could all continue getting inspiration from each other.

I see nothing about vario pages that would prevent a collection- even a very large one- from being stored that way. Yes, it would be a lot of vario pages for a large collection, but so would other storage solutions.

I have my 1840-1940 classical era on 6,500 Steiner pages.

For a larger WW collection, it would be more like 80,000+ pages.

All storage ideas for a large collection will need to scale up to a very large number or volume, by necessity.

Vario storage? No reason it wouldn't work for a large collection also.