Plate Block Storage Ideas Needed

I bought a friend's plate block collection that was his father's. Nothing too special and it starts in 1930 and ends in 1985. He brought the first binders going from 1969 to 1985. We worked out a ratio of 70% of face value. The only real issue was the stamps were mounted in those old clear mounts and some in glassline and envelopes. Both had started to breakdown. Even the glassline had started to turn colors at the seams.

So I spent a few hours last night breaking down the album's. Ok got pretty lucky as I only lost a few stamps to a combination of stains and glue issues. The good news is they are ok to use for postage but just too damaged to save.

He did have one of those folders put out by the post office in the 70's and like most I have seen they stuck to the black paper.

I really have no idea how I will end up saving these but I need to have a storage solution until I work with them this winter.

Does anyone have a cheap storage solution as these years really varry in the size of the plate blocks. In addition I have some full sheets.

I thought about manila stock folders but I think since the pockets are thicker they might damage the stamps. Maybe new glassline is the way to go.

Anyone have any ideas?

I have loads of US airmail plate blocks stored in glassine envelopes. I haven't noticed any issues with them. For album display, I use Vario pages. In the pages with 5 rows, each row is large enough for a typical plate block but the plastic leaves about 3/16 of an inch uncovered. For odd sized plate blocks I will sometimes use 3 row or 2 row Vario pages, as appropriate. I am usually displaying both FDC's and plate blocks on the same page and find that the 5 row pages work best for that.

I have a large collection of plate blocks that I have stored in glassines for over 30 years, in some cases. I've had no problems at all. It is probably more important that you avoid a location with high humidity. At high humidity the stamps will stick to most anything.

I have plate blocks stored in large mounts, in stock books, in a loose leaf binder with stock pages, and, for the very large plate blocks, in acid-free archival sheet protectors. Some have been in same for over 40 years. I haven't found any problems with storing any of them. However, like the previous poster said, keep them dry!

You could try sales cards, size 106 or 108. Those sizes should be big enough to fit plate blocks of 4 or larger.

Robert

I keep most of mine in 106/108 cards.

I prefer stock books for less expensive material. All the ones I use have the glassine interleaves readily available on ebay. Another option is 3 ring binders and 4 or 5 row vario pages but I'm not sure I'd spend that kind of money to house modern plate blocks. But also I don't know what your idea of "cheap" is, might be different than my definition which is as mentioned glassine envelopes.

I bought a couple of good condition, used, Harris plate block albums a year ago. I have up to three hundred of those 1940s-1970s plate blocks that I inherited from my late father. I'd like to mount them. But it seems foolish to buy expensive mounts for stamps that are worth, at best, face value of 12 cents, 16 cents, etc. What about hinging in the selvage, or lightly on top if no selvage there? I have Dennison hinges for this, as needed.

I am going to try Vario pages for some plate books and bought a couple packs to see how I like it. I have a bunch in an old Minkus album and in 105 cards but not likely go through the trouble to remount on steiner pages.

I don't actively collect plate blocks but like other posters I've accumulated a lot of them.

I use a 4-pocket currency page to store my blocks. It isn't elegant but they are easy to rearrange, label and keep in binders. The currency pages are acid free and no PVC.

I buy the pages in bulk so my cost is 19 cents a page.




Dan

No thoughts then on just hinging cheap plate blocks?

To hinge, or not to hinge, is the question...

With modern material, especially from the period 1945-1990ish, there is an awful lot of it out there, so the philatelic value is pretty non-existent.

The only problem I see lies far into the future. Looking back at price lists and what dealers put on their mail 70-80 years ago, they were using Columbians, small bank notes and Trans-Mississippi issues... Unless severely damaged, would anyone use those today?

How long before the issues of the 1945-1990ish period become collectible again and have philatelic value. I know there was a time when you would find 1920's-1940's blocks and partial sheets in dealer discount lots at shows, but those are in there much anymore.

It's all a matter, at the end of the day, as to what you want to do. They are still postage if nothing else, and a hinge doesn't change that. If it bothers you to know the stamps are hinged, then you might want to spend the money on mounts. If it doesn't matter to you what the back looks like, then hinges are the way to go.

Again, it's your choice.

I have been migrating some to Vario sheets. The best thing about Vario sheets is that they can be repurposed so not like wasting money on one time use mounts. If you spend the time to place in and print labels, it can be very attractive.

Thanks guys. I'll make a decision over the upcoming winter. The plate block project isn't real high on the philatelic priority list, but wanted to get some good info now.

(side note for Angore: I've left the other SCF, even deleted the bookmark on my system. I greatly prefer the "peace and quiet" here and would be tempted to "jump back in" if I stayed on the other SCF)

I agree with Angore- I was going to suggest Vario pages. Not the cheapest option but very safe and nice looking.

IIf you don't want to look at them, glassines are fine, or if you're just storing them for later.

If you do want to look at them, buy Vario pages. If you buy them on ebay or Amazon, it's possible to find a dealer who will sell you a hundred or more pages at a steeply discounted "professional" price. I bought a few hundred Vario pages for FDC's (three pockets per page), and the per page cost was extremely low. They would make your blocks look very elegant, I think, providing you can keep them from "tilting" all the time as you can see in the examples above.

If all that plastic doesn't appeal to you, and I can understand why, you can mount them in large stamp mounts on blank album pages. But that's going to take quite a while to do and be more expensive for all those mounts. That would also look good and be perhaps a little more sophisticated looking than Vario pages. Sometimes stamps in mounts "tilt" as well, of course.