Opinions On Palo Albums?

Hi Geoff,

Oh Yeah, I'll catch the Dickens for this one. On another note, I have a question about the 1037-47 definatives. (Here I am filling the pages before I even get the album) Near as I can figure, there are 15 of them SC 234-248. Are these the "dark" colored ones. Where are the light colored ones. I have a 1840-1970 Gibbons catalog on order but not yet received. Very confusing.

Jack

Jack

I don't have a Scott catalogue, but I'm guessing that you mean the GVI GB definitives that appeared from 1937. The same design was used from 1941-42 for the 1/2d-3d stamps, but in a lighter background to use less printing ink during WWII. The Palo will have spaces for both sets.

Geoff

Those are the ones. How many are there in the dark set? How many in the light set? SG Numbers? I promise this will be my last question (of the day), Geoff.

Thanks,

Jack Kelley

Lou can you show us the 1938-54 Presidential issue, if Palo as usually fallow Steiner's the set should be split on 2 pages

here the Lighthose Layout



and here the coil

First lot: SG 462-475 in my (2007) catalogue. Fifteen plus watermark etc varieties. Second lot: SG 485-490 - six of them, plus watermarks etc

Thank you, Geoff. Good night.

Happy Day. My KGVI Palo pages arrived. I ordered 6 binders to house them. My first impression is one of disappointment. The pages (black and white) seem somewhat "washed out" and I noticed that at least one binder has a "ring problem". That is, the rings are not properly aligned. I didn't expect this. So much for quality control.

Jack kelley

Regarding Palo Premium----assuming based on Steiner since that is what I've read. I have also read there are gotchas when printing out Steiner pages and one has to be very careful or the sizing will be messed up.

So I bought premium binder/slipcase and hingeless black and white pages for Czech Republic 1993-2011.

Somewhere around 2006 things go haywire. Until then there is a nice clean border around each stamp. After that spaces for most stamps are too small with the perfs touching or even extending beyond the border.

The owner, Paul, had me take some measurements and stated he figured it was a printing rather than sizing issue. He priority mailed replacements. Unfortunately the replacement have the same exact issue. I am wondering if Steiner somehow just got the measurements entirely wrong for this country starting around 06.

Anyway I placed every issue in there anyway as I doubt if the issue gets rectified. For years 2012 on I may just get quadrille lined pages and a binder from Palo and buy mounts. I can assure there wont be any sizing issues. And the dealers I have been buying Czech republic stamps from often include panes with interesting minutae that the pre-printed Palo albums provide little flexibility for.

So with the album completely finished 1993-2011, put the album about max capacity as far as number of pages (around 100). The pages def hump in the middle from all stamps being present. I agree the pages CAN be difficult to turn. It takes some care. Actually one day I even had a page slip out of one of the rings. Luckily no damage. Also the binder in real leather really is just not as luxurious as I was expecting. The price is HUGE.

So if I knew earlier what I know now I may have tried Linder-T.

Probably devising one's own system is the way to go. I notice a lot of the latter Czech Republic issues are coming as self adhesive---meaning they have thick backing to them. The thicker backed items do not take well to staying in place on a hingless system where the opening is at the top and only closed at the bottom.

Palo and perhaps other abum makers need to keep innovating. But I guess with less and less collectors we might be talking 300$ binders vs 150, and 6$ hinelss pages versus 3 or 4.

Anyway that's my long review. I am not disappointed but also not enthralled...by any stretch.

I have the King George VI Palo albums. They are costly and overrated.

Jack Kelley

I do not think they leave enough space to frame the mount unless they expect people to cover them up.

I use Steiner pages, but modify them to add additional text, overprints, etc. I use clear Hawid mounts so the stamps are framed nicely by the boxes.

Chris

It turns out I was asked to measure a stamp. The 2007 Modern Stoves issue that I have physically measures 27X45mm.

The UPU and the Czech Republic Postal Service lists the size as 23X40mm.

So therein lie the problem.

The questions become many...

Is the printing house that Czech Republic uses loose with their sizing? Does it vary? Is the postal service reporting erroneous sizing? Maybe entire mint year sets are being reproduced by unauthorized agencies..?

Sigh. I just got back in the hobby and certainly was not thinking such an issue as this would arise.

Palo is asking to borrow my collection so it can update its database and fix the pages.

I am not 100% sure that is the answer. Like I said what if there is inconsistency or unauthorized items out there.....

I do not think any page maker's intent is for the stamp to cover the entire "frame". There should be a clear border around the stamp.

The fonts are all changed so you do a lot of modifying.

True, but I'm only doing this for my classic airmail stamps as a separate collection, not my entire WW collection, which I still just keep in BigBlue.

Plus, still easier to modify the pages compared to designing your own

Finally I got Palo to admit they had been relying on Czech Postal Agency as the info for what size they should make the boxes. Well this agency is very inconsistent from year to year as to whether they provide a stamp design measurement or a total dimension measurement which includes perfs.

After I sent Palo proof of this (via Czech Out publication data) they admitted they had a total sizing issue.

Finally within hours of me submitting the proof I received email saying their sources had identified "correct" data and that they would print the pages for me a third time.

We will see how it goes. For 2013 and beyond I will be making my own.