To Hinge Or Not To Hinge That Is The Question

Have you considered attaching the mount to the page before inserting the stamp? It removes one more possible avenue for trouble (moisture migrating through the split).

A good idea, though it's a risk I am willing to take. I find it difficult to fumble with the mount (and center the stamp inside) when the mount is already on the page. It's easier for me to align stamps if I put them in the mount first and then attach it to the page.

I generally use a small brush to wet the glue on the back of the mount, and I just swirl it along the top so it avoids the edges. I have never had a problem thus far with this method!

Heh, I put the stamp in the mount then hinge the mount to the page using the modern 'hinges of steel'. I can then handle page redesigns without wasting the mount.

I personally never use hinges. In the long term, the stamps finally are bent, or deteriorated. I don't like to see my stamps deteriorated, it is not a matter of the value of the stamp.

If I used hinges, I would NEVER used it on MNH, MH, or CTO, as all of them have, at least, partially, gum.
It is difficult to remove the hinges. If the stamp is used, you have to soak it again, if not, you have 50% possibilities to damage the stamp. There are artifacts that are used to moisten the gum so that the hinge can be easilly removed.

On the othe hand, mounts usually cost more than the stamp itself, so, what to do with the 1c stamps?
well, maybe the best solution are the stockbooks, used as definitive collection.

Mounting the stamps in Steiner pages (10 stamps/page) and mounts cost 1c per stamp in paper and printing, and 4-5c in mounts, total 6 c per stamp, far enough their own value.

in stockbooks, you can insert 40 stamps/page, it means 1c/stamp, for a 64 pages stockbook.

regards

Stockbooks are a stock books, something to place duplicates or stamps to be classified, or whatever, it's not a display solution. For the 1 cent CTO you put hinges, the gum at the back add 0 values to them. Mostly collector want Mint or cancel stamps that been use in the postal service, not CTO, and please spare me that some CTO have more value, I'm talking about the scrap from ST-Vincent, Antigua and some Arabic countries and other .. Actually on Steiner pages, I more than often moist them and glue them directly on the pages, if I want to move them, I just soak the full page and it get rid of this stupid gum at the back once for all.


By the way it cost me 1½ cents to print a Steiner pages, including toner, paper and replacement drum. If you print a lot you invest on a laser printer. If you need color and don't want invest on a laser color, just get a B&W laser and a cheap color inkjet.

I've been slowly but surely filling in a 1958 Minkus Comprehensive Worldwide Album. I started this endeavor about 20 years ago and now I'm over 50% of the way there. It has expanded into 4 binders now due to the thickness of the stamps and mounts. What I didn't realize when I started was how many of the spaces had stamps with CV >$10 (up to $500 in a couple places! - I cheat a little on those and find something similar to put there). Since I've caught the "filling spaces" bug, I can't quit now!

I have a basic system of hinging anything that has a CV of <$1, clear split mount for anything >$1 but <$10CV, and a black split mount for anything >$10 CV. Problem is I use a 2008 set of Scott Catalogs so I'm probably way off on the CV's (finding this out for filling in Italy and Russia these days!)