Schaubek Hingeless Pages And Binders

Hi,

I am interested in Schaubek products. But the non-standard binders are a turn-off for me. I have two questions...

First, is it possible to add a center hole to allow using a standard 3-ring binder?

Second, what are the page dimensions?

Thanks!
Gene

Hi Gene

Pages are 10 7/8 inches wide and 11 1/2 inches tall.

You would have to find an album big enough to hold them and 3 hole punch the pages.

Why just not buy the pages and the 6 ring binders with slip cases.

That is what I have done with any Schaubek albums I have

Each album manufacturer makes ring or peg binders that are not interchangeable with others - Schaubek, Lighthouse, Lindner, Yvert - they're all different. Three-ring binders are not standard anywhere other than North America.

GeoffHa, thanks for the info. I am a Californian, deep in the land of the 3-ring binder, and prefer to have binder options if possible...hence my question about adding a hole to the page to make it compatible with a standard 3-ring binder. Lighthouse and Scott have high-quality standard 3-ring binders in their catalogs.

dutchman1948, thanks for the input...I figured that Schaubek had added about an inch to the page width of a Scott National page, and I was correct. In a different thread on this site, there is a discussion of various stamp albums, and someone made the comment that the Schaubek binder quality was disappointing.

How do you find the quality of the Schaubek pages, mounts, and binders?

Thanks!
Gene

There are various types of Schaubek binder. My preference is for the two-peg binder, which is bound in cloth and has high capacity. The pages are good too. I haven't used ready-made hingeless pages, so I can't comment on the mounts, which are, I think, split-back. If you're going to buy them, it may be cheapest to do so direct from Germany.

You're calling Schaubek binders "non-standard" but they're certainly not non-standard for users of Schaubek albums. You ask about adding a center hole to make the pages fit three-ring (U.S.) binders, but this assumes that the other two holes are spaced at the same distance as U.S. three-ring binder holes. I'd guess they aren't. And, no, Schaubek has not "added an inch" to their pages to make them larger than Scott pages. Their pages are the size they are without relation to any other publishers' pages. Your questions seem to be based on the idea that U.S. albums are the standard for the world and that every other publisher tries to make their pages just a little different from U.S. pages. That's not true. Your U.S.-centrism is showing!

Each manufacturer produces albums and pages to suit their own market, and as noted above they are all somewhat different -- for a reason. They want you to continue to use their pages and not someone else's. Schaubek is a very old German album maker which sells mainly in Germany and the rest of Europe. As you are discovering, the entire world does not revolve around the U.S. three-ring binder which is only available in the U.S., as far as I know.

If you want to see some Schaubek pages and a matching binder, which would be the best approach, you can find them at a number of sellers including some in the U.S. One of these is IHobb near San Diego which has a good binder/slipcase/blank pages deal for not too much money. Alternately, buying a used album or just some used pages (on ebay) would at least give you a sample. Some dealers will even send you a single sample page if you ask nicely. The Schaubek album and blank pages are an excellent value, in my opinion, a better value than the Scott album and blank pages by a big margin. I've done the math. Schaubek pages are well made and of very high quality. I suppose the one worry would be whether or not you can get them easily in the future, but as the world shrinks through the internet, I imagine that foreign products like these will continue to be available without much difficulty. Good luck.

DrewM, your response was presumptive and insulting. You know nothing of my background or outlook on life other than I live in the US. My desire to understand the hole configuration is because I prefer not to be locked into a proprietary binder system, and that's a personal choice, thank you very much. I don't have any desire to be relegated to using a single manufacturer's design of a binder, regardless of that manufacturer's location on the planet. 3-ring binders are ubiquitous where I live...in the US...and come in many varieties of style and quality. I would rather, if possible, punch one extra hole in each page by hand than be limited in that way. Again, my choice.

I have noted a lot of crotchetiness in many answers generally on this website, not directed just at me as by DrewM, but everywhere. Many folks (such as dutchman, who has answered nicely -- thank you dutchman, by the way) want to help, but others taint their "helpfulness" with a dash of rude. If you folks really want the hobby to thrive, start policing your ranks. Nobody wants to hang out with a bunch of rude grouches. This is supposed to be fun.

I do believe I will quit this site and move on with my life. I enjoy stamp collecting, but this site is tainting my attitude. I don't deal well with rudeness. Perhaps it's the US-centricity in me.

Gosh, Gene, if my comments sounded rude, I apologize, but calling what I said "insulting" seems a bit much. You made me feel so bad that I reread what I wrote looking for what upset you. Honestly, though, it all still seems accurate to me. Were you upset by my joke about "U.S. centrism"? Maybe I should have added a smiley face. I did add an exclamation point as I was trying to be a bit jokey there. Or was it upsetting to say, "As you are discovering, the entire world does not revolve around the U.S. three-ring binder"? That's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. You know, slap on the back, nudge nudge. You're not supposed to take it personally. No thanks for the good advice I gave you?

Yes, 3-ring binders are common in the U.S., but they aren't the standard in most places. You seemed to think they were. You said "non-standard binders" were a "turn-off". Germans do things differently from us. They just do. Germans have been making their frustratingly non-standard binders for as long as we have, often better than us. I think the Schaubek albums are some of the best in the world, myself. If you just meant Schaubek albums are not what you're used to, just say that.

You assumed Schaubek's hole punch was set up relative to the U.S. 3-hole punch so that adding one more hole would solve the problem. I said that the other two holes are not likely to be spaced at the U.S. distance. I don't think punching another hole will make Schaubek 6-ring pages fit in U.S. binders.

I should add that there's also a large difference in page size between Schaubek pages and most U.S. 3-ring binders, so most likely one wouldn't fit into the other. I'm further answering your original question.

Do German collectors assume that the Schaubek 6-hole system is "standard"? Or do they think the German Lighthouse 13-ring system is standard? The British seem to favor a 22-ring system. But they also have a 4-ring system, as well. It's a little confusing, so I sympathize. Clearly there is no standard album binder. Scott used 2-post binders for generations, and only recently added a 3-ring binder.

If your use of "standard" to describe U.S. binders or your being "turned off" by foreign binders were not what you intended to say, that is nevertheless what I responded to. If my reaction seemed presumptuous or you felt insulted or you don't like my sense of humor, I apologize for making you feel bad, Gene.