Lighthouse USA Album

If any of you use this, can you give me your take on it- what do you like and dislike about these pages? I am a little puzzled as I cannot seem to determine if postage dues are included with each section, assume they are but would like to hear from a user for sure.

Hi 1962,

I don't own a Lighthouse US album. But I can share my observations which might be helpful.
Recently, I happen to have done a fair amount of research into US albums. While I was looking for hingeless albums, I came across an excellent comparison of US Albums on this Forum. I joined that very educational chat and the group stimulated many more recent album experiences. Check it out: https://goscf.com/t/17127

RE: LIGHTHOUSE US STAMP ALBUMS

> Beautiful quality materials and workmanship; over-sized pages are heavier cream off-white stock

> Reasonably complete set of US albums for regular postage, definitives, commemoratives and some BOB.

> Unique 13-ring binder / page system offers smooth turning and pages lay flat

> Stamp images are black & white; text descriptions printed outside the ruled box; but no Scott numbering is allowed

> US Album Volume 1 has Howid-type top-loading clear stamp mounts (had I known this I would have purchased the album); the more recent US albums switched to split-back mounts which I was sampled and so I passed on the Lighthouse album.

Check out the US Album Comparison -- there are plenty Forum members using Lighthouse with hands-on experience. Best of luck!

Just a guess- the split back mounts may be in use for pages after about the year 2000, perhaps because the self adhesives are a bad match for the top open style of mount.

I recently purchased the Lighthouse hingeless pages for a 20-year period, 1976-1995. I don't (yet) have older pages, so I'm not sure if I can address your concerns vis-à-vis how older issues are handled in the album, but for the pages I have:
I'm quite impressed. I like the layout (this applies to other Lighthouse album countries that I own) -- not cluttered and aesthetically quite pleasing. The Lighthouse US album in particular is fairly "specialized" -- for example, there are spaces for tagging and perforation varieties in the Americana and Great Americans series, and even for commemoratives (where those varities exist). Coils are provided for as pairs, up to a point -- then Lighthouse switches to showing them as single stamps, and they even explain why they're doing this on one of the pages.

Looking at the page inscriptions (at the bottom -- copyright, etc.) it's apparent that Lighthouse has re-edited and/or replaced some pages years later. One reason for this *appears* to be that all se-tenants, at least in the page range I have, are shown as "joined", i.e., no spaces for component singles. I know that I've seen, on ebay, some Lighthouse pages that *did* show those singles, so I suspect that at some point the pages (and numbering, sequencing, etc.) were revised when that changed. So if you like to collect used stamps, this might not be the best choice.

Yes, postage dues are provided for.

In recent years, Lighthouse has added descriptions (in small type) by the stamp illustrations. Earlier years don't have that, though.

I hope this helps -- any more questions?

Great posts- thanks to both of you! Just one niggling question; at one time I think Lighthouse ran all stamp types together in sequence. In other words, airmails were just shown on the same page as regular stamps. From their publicity it seems they now say they use Scott sequence. I think in the past they used Michel.

Happy to provide a "niggling" answer: at least in the page sets I have, airmails are kept separate from other stamps. (For example,in the 1976 - 1987 pages, there are page numbers A10 and A11/12, with airmails from 1976 - 1985. Spaces are provided for two perf varieties each of the Philip Mazzei stamp and the 40 cent Olympics se-tenant block of 4. And immediately following those pages is page PD 5, which shows Postage Dues from 1959 - 1985.)

In other Lighthouse country pages that I have, though, airmails are combined with regular stamps, though they're at least sometimes marked as airmails and grouped with each other on the page.

(Besides US, I have some Lighthouse pages for Denmark, Netherlands, Great Britain, and each of the three Baltic countries.)

I should also add: in the pages that I have, the mounts are the open-top (i.e., Hawid-type) mounts, except for larger items (e.g., the 1976 Bicentennial souvenir sheets) -- those are the center-back-cut "gard" style.

Newf222 is correct, Lighthouse HQ in Germany has made changes to the US page sets over the years.
I was confused by the 2015 Lighthouse product catalog (produced in Germany). Catalog included photos of top-loading mounts, but the page sample I was mailed had split-back mounts. I passed on buying the Lighthouse Vol 1 US hingeless album. A couple months later at a stamp show I met the local US Lighthouse folks. They were not aware that the Howid top-load mounts were used in the Volume 1 album until they unwrapped a new album. The company had switched to back-split mounts for the newer US albums. This is one of the challenges to collectors...most online descriptions of albums and pages and mounts are sparse at best, and frequently totally inadequate for the buyer. Thank God for this Forum which always adds to my knowledge!
Happy album shopping!

I took the plunge today and ordered a binder and USA pages part one from Subway- they will special order these for me and I should have them in early August. I am anxious to see what sort of mounts I get. Their catalog illustrates open top mounts in all their pics of the US album. I have to wonder if they are using split backs for their US market because they think we all want them? I sort of hate the split backs. The stamps NEVER seem to lie flat on the pages. Got fingers crossed.

One thing I now notice upon getting part one of this album: coils are presented in pairs. I do not mind that so much but for the Washington-Franklins this will mean some spaces unfilled unless I make my own supplemental pages. Notice also the have Scott #505 presented as a pair with attached copy of the two cent stamp. That's tough.

The part one pages at least are open top mounts. Despite the above I think I will enjoy working with it.

Just finished remounting into part one to 1935. Some pages appear to be missing in what I got. I have just two pages for airs- they stop at 1929, no provision for the 50 cent Zepp or any others 1930-4.
Also no postage dues after 1930, think I am missing a page there too.

Anyone else using these pages who can advise if I got an incomplete set?

You should have a total of 60 pages in part one. They did split the air, postage due, etc into weird sections and much of what should be in part 1 is in part 2. If you want I can check what I have as I do have the complete set. I think air mail is pages A1 and A2.

If you like, I can bring the 1st set up to my computer and compare pages.

My 1st set regular pages go to page 42 (1935)
Air mail is A1 and A2 to 1930 only
Special Delivery is SD1 to 1917
Postage due is PD1 to PD3 up to 1925 with unwatermarked issues at bottom of page
Parcel Post Stamps is PP1 and PP2 to 1929

Certainly not 60 pages but see if it matches your 1st set

There are also sub pages throughout so could be 60 pages after all, but as I said, they break up back of book very different then regular pages.

dutchman- it looks like I got the pages I should have. I actually would have been surprised if I had not. It seems odd they show this as being 1847-1935 then put s-paces for airs dfrom 1930-35 in part two. But that has to be what they are doing. Many thanks!