Album Types (White Pages Vs. Black Pages)

I was in a stamp shop in Paris recently and was told the following:

Albums with white pages and the vellum strips are best used for new stamps. Albums with the black pages and the plastic strip are for used stamps. The white makes the stamp's features come out better.

any thoughts on this?

Jero

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These are stock-books, rather than stamp albums. In terms of actual album pages, black pages look great, but are much more expensive and are not recommended for use in humid climates.

right, interesting answer. but still unsure as to where to put my new ones, and my used ones (if one were to choose between white and black)
just curious

I primarily use stock-books to store stamps, not to display them, but it seems to me that clear strips, whether on white or black pages, or in stock-books or on stock-sheets, will always allow you to see the stamp's properties more clearly.

My collecting interests are mainly coil stamps for which I use ivory album pages with black mounts. Makes the perforation stand out, since most stamps have a white background.

Peter

In my opinion, the most elegant albums are often on white or near white paper using clear mounts and minimal text but I would not necessarily have one.

You say "albums" but I think you're describing what we call "stock books" which are used mainly for storing stamps. I don't know if the black album pages ever transfer the black ink onto the stamps stored in such stock books, but I wonder? With that possibility, white pages might be safer, but I really don't know. I've certainly never seen, or heard of, black ink transferring onto stamps from a black page.

What you're also describing seems also more of an aesthetic consideration -- that white pages make the stamp's features clearer ("come out better'). I don't really understand that. Maybe the assumption is that the black page interferes with our eyes more than the white page does? I've never experienced this, so I'm inclined to think it's not true and is just one dealer's opinion.

HIs opinion about "vellum" strips (we say "glassine") vs. "plastic" strips also seems to be just his opinion. I much prefer the clear plastic (or is it "mylar"?) strips since they allow me to see the stamps. The glassine strips are more opaque -- also probably cheaper and they tear more easily. But they both work well.

I'd use whatever stock book you like best and not worry about it too much. I prefer black pages with clear plastic strips, and in decades of using such stock books, I've never had any problems.