Opinions On How To Approach A Partial Scott Jr International

So I have my great grandmother's Scott Jr International and am nearing the point of being overwhelmed back into inaction. I plan on keeping the stamps, I'm not wanting to sell them. I am interested though in hearing some opinions on how to address a few things (excuse the pun)....

Is the book safe to keep them in? Do they need to be moved to something else in order for me to still have them around to pass along someday?

Just in random browsing, I've discovered many stamps have fallen off the pages. They are all on the right pages, just not stuck down. I should probably re-hinge them?

Looking closer at some stamps, I've found some have been attached in the wrong places...not even close to what the illustration below is showing. Should I take these off and find where they go?

The album stops in the late 30's early 40's depending on country, all the random stamps after this date are stuck to the blank spaces along with many duplicates. Leave them as they are or start a 'stock book'?

Some of the stamps have penciled notes below them which I have found to [usually] be the Scott number (sometimes incorrect) and either a dollar or cent value; these do seem to be ones that have a higher than average CV. Would these be worth verifying the correct Scott number (not concerned with CV (unless its $1000+)).

Does anyone have a hard and fast 'rule' about what CV would warrant something being placed in a mount or moved to a 'safer' location than the book?

Thank you all for your opinions

Here are my answers to your (excellent) questions. I've found over the years that most general worldwide single album collections which is what yours seems to be consist of mostly fairly common, and therefore minimal value stamps, with the caveat that minimal value is in terms of their resale value, and not their worth to the original owner, or to you,the subsequent owner. That said, I believe that the paper that Scott International Junior albums were printed on is fine for long term storage. I had an old 1940's one for over 50 years and just changed it for a newer one (probably 1960's) and saw no damage to stamps mounted in it for most or all of those 50 years. I would, going on my original assumption, that they are mostly more common material, definitely put the stamps in their correct place in the album as far as possible, and there is certainly nothing wrong with using hinges even on unused stamps. You are not going to vastly reduce the "value" of a stamp worth Scott minimum price by putting a hinge on it. As for where you would start using mounts, my own personal preference in my general WW collection is $5, but I'm sure I've missed a few of those,and every stamp I own that is in a single country collection is in a mount and in an album. If you have access to a Scott (or other) catalogue, I would definitely look through the collection to see if you have any "sleepers". So many stamps have lookalikes that can be worth either pennies or thousands of dollars depending on variables such as watermarks, perforation, color shades, printing method, mint or used, etc. etc. For the later material, assuming you don't want to purchase the other 39 volumes (or whatever number they're up to) of the Scott series and for the duplicates, I'd say yes, go ahead and put them in some sort of order in a stock book. Good luck with the collection, and I hope you do continue to organize it, add to it, and most of all, enjoy it

I concur, great to see you asking questions and planning a direction.

First, I think you should consider if you want to retain the album as a family heirloom. Part of the value may be in preserving the album exactly as your great grandmother laid her hands on it. In the future, it may be most meaningful to family members to feel like they are looking at it just the way your great grandmother made it. You can conserve it, remounting the loose stamps and leave the rest the way she had it. If you want to pursue the hobby you can start with a new album and build your own memories with it.

Alternatively, if you want to dig in and evolve what your great grandmother began, then I would encourage you to take digital photographs of each page and at least retain your great grandmother's work that way. Once this is in place, you can have at it and change things as you see fit.

Don

Hey Eric,
I started collecting the Scott International #1 1840-1940 about 2 1/2 years ago, and the Scott JR evolved into the International after 1943. I've bought now well over 10-15 of these off ebay, taken what I needed, and have sold some of them, and then I still have some to sell.

I'm using for my pages, my 1947 original. I wish that when I started that I would've found better pages, or newer (1969 are sometimes avail), but I may have had to look for a longer time. But the stamps are OK, and for me to move the collection would take a long time (over 21,000 and counting).

2 websites you'll want to check out and one of them "Big Blue", you'll want to spend a lot of time with. Jim Jackson has laid out a foundation for all who want to collect the World up to 1940 with his blog-- he has a checklist for one of the later versions (pretty close to the '47, and his blog will outline all of the differences), and has a blog entry with several pages for each country and how to tell types differences, colors, and even how to determine if your stamp is real or is a fake or reprint in some cases. So valuable a reference, and Jim is also a contributor to SCF here. Find him at:
http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/

Another site is "Filling Spaces" where a collector named Bob has chronicled his journey with Scott International #1 at:
http://globalstamps.blogspot.com/20...ialized.html

Bob's blog is a lot about the Album and different years, and comparisons with other WW albums, and also outlines his plan of attack for trying to complete a Big Blue. Jim's blog has all of this, plus the checklist and great reference for each country.

The only thing I'd mention about your JR, will depend on which JR you have. The earlier JR's were bound versions and the later versions were loose leaf in a 2-post binder. If you have the bound version you will have difficulty in keeping stamps on both sides of the page facing each other from falling off. In the loose leaf versions, this can be solved with using glassine or poly interleaves between every page, separating the stamps facing each other. My advice would be to consider purchasing a used Big Blue on ebay at some point and combine the collections into the loose leaf International #1, where you'll be able to use interleaving and will be able to expand.

I expanded quickly at about 10,000 to 2 volumes and separated the album in half, so it wouldn't be so bulky. I recently expanded to 3 volumes splitting everything in 3rds. Still using my original pages, but as one fills the album, it does get thicker!

Good luck and enjoy! I really thought that Don had a great idea when he suggested that you make a digital copy of each page once you've got everything organized and mounted the loose stamps- GREAT idea if you want to be able to ever see what your grandmother's original collection looked like, and then compare what you turn it into.

Most of all, ENJOY!
Hope this was helpful! Ray

Have experienced exactly as Raymac has described including the use of interweaving pages. As described, the volume gets big and heavy. Have not split it though.
I would reattach the stamps that have loosened, relocate those misplaced but not otherwise undo what your grandmother did. For more valuable stamps you have option of mounting in the album or transferring to either stock book or small dealer 6 ring sales pages ( my preferred). I have no problem using hinges for low value stamps whether used or unused, but I do not hinge stamps with higher catalog value, whether used or unused anymore. Everyone has to decide for him or herself what that cutoff value is.

Thank you for the input so far! I would like to retain the book "as is" as a family heirloom so I don't think I'll be separating it into two volumes. Still not sure if I want to start adding to the book. I will definitely re-attach the ones that have fallen out and will start going through and making sure they are in the right places. I think too I will take the haphazard entries on the margins/back pages and put them in a separate stock book to keep with "the big book". Seems like this way I'd be continuing the collection rather than breaking it or claiming it as my own. I'll let my kids or grand kids some day figure out what to do with it

This is clearly a bound album, not a looseleaf album. That requires a different approach which does not involve replacing pages as you might do in a modern looseleaf album. The pages you have will stay as they are, and you can't add new pages. You also can't add "interleaving" to a bound album. I'd preserve it and leave it alone for future generations to look at.

I'd avoid using stamp mounts in any bound album where the thickness of the mount will both weigh down the page as you turn the pages and also expand the thickness of the overall pages beyond the capacity of the binding to cope. I'd just use stamp hinges. They get a bad rap nowadays from all the mount-aholics, but they're just fine on used stamps (even today!) and won't hurt an older already-hinged unused stamp. As for stamps that are "mint" and never hinged, who cares if they are lower value stamps. On them a hinge will be fine just like on the other stamps.

Use the best hinges which are older Dennison (with an "o," not an "e") hinges at their very inflated prices on ebay. But they're worth buying as you'll only need one or more packets of hinges, and they are the best in holding stamps and still allowing them to be removed. Second best is Fold-O-Hinges (but not the ones sold now in Canada which are very different). Buy the hinges, then remount the fallen stamps.

I wouldn't worry about putting stamps in their "correct" spaces. Leave it as your ancestor organized it so it can tell the story best. Most collectors who use or used bound albums put the "wrong" stamps in spaces because there was no other acceptable space for them, or because they knew they'd never find that valuable a stamp so why not put in a similar but less expensive stamp. Those decisions made by your gt-grandmother are part of the history of the collection and I don't think they should be changed.

As for transferring the collection to another album, I wouldn't even think of doing that. To me, and you may differ, the value of an old stamp album that is passed on in a family is the album with the stamps in it. It's the object itself, not the supposedly valuable stamps, that matters. That you still have your great-grandmother's stamp album, whatever condition it's in, is pretty amazing.

So don't ruin what you have by trying to "improve" it. Just reattach stamps that have fallen off the pages, and tidy it up as best you can. Use no scotch tape and make no other thoughtless repairs. If necessary, you can use library tape for paper repairs, but do so sparingly. And avoid reinforcing the binding with "duct tape" and other disasters waiting to happen. They work for awhile until they disintegrate and the glue leaks out and ruins the whole album. I've seen it over and over. When I was much younger, I reinforced some family photo albums (thoughtlessly) with black duct tape, thinking I was doing a good thing. After some years, the glue leaked and the tape came apart, and all I had then was a mess. Do nothing if you're not 99.9% sure it's safe and will last for decades.

When you're satisfied it's in as good a shape as you're can get it which may mean doing almost nothing to it except remounting fallen stamps, it's important that you put the album in a safe archival storage box that fits it well, something that can hold the album safely for many more years. It's rough handling that does the most damage as pages get ripped, the binding fails from poor handling, and so on. So keep it away from young children. The best condition older albums I see have always been handled carefully and stored carefully in a cool, dry place (not the garage or basement ever!).

Good luck.

Each to her/his own, but ... an alternative view.

If you're leaving the album for your children or grandchildren to worry about, rather than to use yourself, it may be worth asking why you're keeping it. If we keep all of the stuff our parents, grandparents etc acquired, we won't be able to move around our homes. I have a few things of my maternal grandmother's because they're useful or I like them - I use her pre-WWI dinner service every day, for example. I have some things that belonged to my parents for the same reasons, plus a few that have a personal connection between them and me. But I don't retain things that were of interest solely to them, rather than me. To me "heirloom" conveys a sense of value - primarily financial, but also personal - rather than random, common survivals from the homes of my relatives.

If it is a family keepsake (like a museum piece) just for sentimental value I would not do much with it. But, what will you do with it - now and later to pass it on? What do you expect the next owners do?

It does not sound like you are going to collect stamps - starting with this collection or a new one. However, after going through the collection you may want to migrate it to a new album and continue with it.

If everything was hinged, it really will not change anything (value) if you hinge them again. I would not put money in expensive hinges unless you want to expand the collection as your own.

I would absolutely re-hinge any stamp deemed necessary. Doing so would preserve the collection "as-is". I wouldn't even move the improperly mounted stamps.

If you decide you want to pursue the hobby, you can start your own collection. Just my two cents.

Jack Kelley

Again, thank you all for the input; it has really made me think with some reflection about the book like I have never done. Angore nailed it that I'm not really a stamp collector and probably won't be- at least on a comprehensive WW scale! I like the collecting part, not so much the organizing part Remounting the loose stamps does seem like a good idea to preserve the collection but I'm not going to move the odd-ball extras to a new stock book...my G-grandmother played by her own rules and I've realized this is just another example of it. They are doing no harm and are not needed anywhere else as far as I can tell so I think it's best to leave them as they were laid down.

My daughter has gotten into the hobby of her own volition (which is how I ended up here) and has no real interest in WW stamps (all about the colors and art of the 60s-70s US) but someday that may change. She knows about the Jr International book but not about the bulk of the rest of her G-G-grandmothers stamps...that's a different post

Stamp collecting has many different aspects. One can be a general collector or focus on a specific country or topic. Topics can be like bridges on stamps or historical aspect even commemorated on stamps.

One does not need any special stamp album. Telling someone here is an album so start filling in the spaces would be a big inhibitor for some. You give up before you get started.

If I may. I too have a Blue Jr. copyright 1935. It belonged to my father. And yes, I fully understand there is zero financial value at the end of this rainbow. This is solely family fun to frustration. Interestingly, I also have my Mother's Scott Modern Postage Stamp Album copyright 1937 with dust cover even. And, a box of all things "Stamps" that fall under the accumulation category.

My son actually collected it all together. Got a bit overwhelmed and moved on as goodness knows none of his peers are doing anything stamp related. He is now 21. I have started to catalog in Excel all stamps across all albums and accumulation and intend to embark on adding to my Father's effort in the Blue Jr. I plan to remove any stamps that my Mother's album has to complete what seems to be the more 'significant' Blue Jr. album. (This could be a bad plan but I see nothing in the forum about my Mom's album) I am not a stamp collector, I am 57. You will all forget more than I ever learn about stamps. But I do find the hobby fascinating. Just one I never pursued up to this point. It is really too late do do anything but dabble in it as a distraction from the real world.

So, the question or advice desired you ask. Given the OP's post, it would seem "hinge away". I do worry for a moment about putting a hinge on a 114 cancelled with grill and learning later "that was unfortunate". So, I do nothing and continue to read and learn. I think the OP used the term "inaction". Good descriptor! And what to do with all the post 1936 stamps? My plan in this area has been to put them in sandwich baggies by denomination. As I learn, I may create baggies by Scott# range say 601 to 620. 621 to 640 etc. Keep them listed on my worksheet which I am tediously creating using the "Stampsmarter" printed pages. And that has created yet more questions which I will save for another post.

That is my plan. Any online advice appreciated. I do have international stamps both in album and in accumulation, but I am keeping that "out of scope" as I assume they are all valueless like their USA stamps. I, like the OP, will never become a true stamp collector. I do have some desire to work on what my parents started years ago and pass to the third generation.

I attach an image more to validate my progression to better images and for fun. I enjoy looking at real images of real stamps that others post and thought I would share my own. This is one of my favorites from the "early years" of the collection and happens to be in the "accumulation" category and thus easy to scan.

Love the color on that issue, it's so vibrant. It looks though like your copy has been 'enhanced' by redoing the perforations at the bottom, likely to help minimize the tear. I had a friend, since passed away, that had what I assume was a copy of the original painting the vignette was based on. He had that as a reference to show that the locomotive was on a bridge and the stamp therefore matched his bridge topical collection. :)

Well, I was not expecting of having the authenticity of the scanned image challenged. I guess a response is required. All my stamps are from some young pre teen, early teen collectors from the mid 1930's, East Coast. I suspect it was "the thing" to do with children and doting parents. These stamps have not seen the light of day since after the war. Many things came into perspective post WWII. I don't think stamp collecting continued post war.

I just went through the various "tear offs" and the latest is 1948.

I am off topic. I did my best to measure the stamp from the most narrow measurement possible. Deepest perf to deepest perf. I am sure you have an expression for this measurement. Top to bottom, 21mm. Side to side, 21.5mm. Not 22 but not 21 either.

Not sure what an unaltered one looks like.

Truth is, more interested in the best path forward with the collection as a family artifact. One album is not that much to manager. 3 albums and a box of "stuff" is a challenge.

They were perforated one line at a time so the stamp size can vary widely. It was (and likely still is with some dealers) pretty common to fix the centering by trimming off a bit and reperfing a side, or just cleaning up existing perforations by punching only a few holes. In your case it was likely due to the tear at bottom left, it make the stamp look much better. Unfortunately it's also considered a fault, so detracts from the value. 19th century US is rife with stamps that have been adjusted to look better...