Show/Tell Me The Difference Between Album Brands

Please, please, before you go any further, buy some stamp hinges, bisect them, moisten them very gently and mount your stamps with them. There are lots of threads here containing advice about how to do so. Photo corners are not designed for mounting individual stamps, will bulk out your album and may damage the stamps over time.

Thanks Geoff - ok - I get the bulking up - but did not realize they could be damaged. I have only place two stamps in the album :) trial and error (obviously error) and ones where I have dups. ok for my MINT stamps - I guess I will not be-able to use this album? I do not want to hinge them. Just keep them in VARIO for now?

Phew! Those albums are made for hinged stamps. If I hinge £30 stamps, why won't you hinge penny stamps? Try it, do it carefully, you'll find they look good.

Ok. I will try - it is just that if they are used and already a bit roughed up - I was afraid the Hinges could make it worse in the long run. But what do I know -nada. I have purchased some nicer mint stamps. for now - they will stay put in the VARIO. Glad I posted. Glad you added this thread CJ. Nora.

I'm a shy person too, but I figured the worst that could happen is somebody could tell me I had a stupid question.

I appreciate all input :)

Good point CJ - I will not learn unless I ask. I have definitely been active on here -and so far people have been helpful and patient with me - I have learned a GREAT deal in a short amount of time as a budding collector. I am excited to get out of work today to see which of my newly purchased stamps arrived - yippy.

At the level most of you are at any of the major Worldwide albums would be find ,it is just personal choice . It is when your stamps start numbering over 100,000 that is when the pros and cons come into play .

When a collector pasts over 250,000 different worldwide ,then it gets a lot simpler to decide .Then for anyone who goes further it gets into a weight issue and room issue ,that's when your looking for a house that has a first floor room for your collection because the weight is too great for the upper levels .

Vario pages are great while you figure out what you want to do.

There is an art to using hinges, and you should consider practicing on stamps you don't care about, on paper you don't care about, before tackling a real "installation."

If you're picky about visuals, you'll find it takes a bit of effort to get five stamps squarely centered within their spaces, lined up on one line across a page.

My 2d.

@floortrader good thing my husband hates stairs ;)

@cjd yes I watched plenty of YouTube before attempting. And I am a perfectionist so when I get my mind and stamps sorted the way I like so they're ready for display, I can't wait to show everybody the improvement.

Hopefully it'll be like a stamp version of a home renovation. Stamp Album Renovation!

There are many topics covering the various albums and related pros/cons and I would recommend you take enough time to figure out what you really need. I would also recommend that anyone starting a collection consider buying a used collection and building on it. Nice used collections with stamps often sell for less than the cost of the new albums and a lot of the work is done for you.

I saw this on ebay today;

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1639954657...l_noapp=true

It looks like a clean collection with nice binders and 20,000 stamps for a reasonable price. It would give you a nice head start on building a collection and if you change your mind you can resell it for about the same as you bought it. I often see similar items at the auctions at good prices. If you know what you want and are patient you can find some great deals.

Yes once I organize the stamps I have I am definitely going to look at expansion. Those albums look great! I wish..

KRelyea

Do you think the collection will sell anywhere near the minimum bid?

As a buyer I love items like this ie a high starting price that is less than I am willing to bid. The high starting price scares away a lot of the competition thus making a bidding war unlikely. Here's my super secret bidding strategy (don't tell anybody). I'd put in an opening bid of $1805 and then use a last second bid of $1850 (or my top bid). This tells the buyer there is interest so he is not tempted to cancel the auction and flushes out any other potential bidders. Often a competitor will get nervous and bid to see how high I've bid and once he tops my $1805 he sits back thinking he's a winner. This has worked for me several times.

I messaged the seller and asked if he knew the publishing dates of the albums and he got right back to me (a very good sign) but he didn't have the title pages so he didn't know.

I'd also check out lots 1815 & 1816 from Dutch Country and Harmer Shau 2199 & 2204.

There are lots of big Scot Collections out there.

Great strategy. I used to sell designer clothes for extra cash in college on e-bay, and e-bay is a great way to get a deal if you know what you're doing and what to look for.