I Wanna Learn From You!

hello stampies!! I am a total no0b to this forum, and a kind of no0b to the art of stamp collecting. I have been collecting stamps for a while now, but I dont do it 'officially' like, I dont really have any idea whats what or anything, I just keep as many as I find. I was wondering if y'all could help me??
i started off with putting them into a sticky back photo album, but the collection is outgrowing it, so I bought an actual stamp album from W H smith, thinking it would have I dunno, pockets or adhesive or something to safely display stamps. however, when it arrived, it is just sheets of normal paper, but with grids on.(see attached photo) I emailed w h smith asking how im meant to do it, and they said that the grid pages are so I can line up where I want to display my stamps. I get that, but how do I actually ATTACH the stamps?? I dont want to glue them in coz that would damage them I think?!
im probably being totally stoopid, but I just wanna make sure i'm doing it all the proper way! so wonder if you could assist me in what i'm meant to do!! does anyone else have an album like this?
may the LORD bless you all :D

Most people have albums like this. You attach the stamps using hinges or mounts. Adhesive photo albums destroy stamps - or photos for that matter!

Examples (you'll be able to find cheaper sources)

https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/prinz-...-75327-p.asp

https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/hawid-...s-2161-c.asp

Electropterodac

Collecting for the enjoyment of collecting, whatever that might be, is the name of the game. Don't hesitate to ask questions especially if you need basic information and especially more advanced sources of information for any possible topic. You should be able to find folks on this board a little further along on their collecting journey glad to share experiences. Russ

Welcome.
Warning!!!! The 'photo stick' pages will ruin your stamps. The lines of adhesive will permanently stain/damage the stamps. You should remove them as soon as possible. NOTE; if when you remove them, the lines of adhesive stay on the back of the stamps, you will have to remove the adhesive. I am not sure what you would need to use to remove the adhesive and it may be the stamps need to be replaced.
Don

Prinz Hinges are the best alternative if you consider price. Dennison Hinges are the best but expensive. You can find both on eBay,

Jack Kelley

Welcome!

As others have said, skip those photo albums. I ruined a bunch of cheap stamps as a kid by using one of those. Luckily those same cheap stamps are still cheap nearly forty years later.

You could also consider a stockbook, which would have a number of rows of glassine or plastic strips on each page. They have become my preferred approach for countries where I don't have many stamps or where I am not yet ready to begin mounting them in an album.

Dale

Welcome to the forum.
I suggest that you search around the site that GeoffHa posted above to see Stockbooks, Accessories, Hagner pages, etc. Once you check all of that out, feel free to ask more questions. You can and should also use the search function above to find out a lot about any subject that you can think of related to stamps.
One last but important thing. Use of more specific titles for your posts is a good idea. It will help others to find your questions when they use the search function.

thank you all very much for your helpful replies and kindness ^o^ I very much look forward to chatting with you soon :) may the LORD bless y'all !

i am not sure how I directly reply to one person! haha I have no idea about technology
aaanywho, I want to ask, I have seen some people mention something called stock pages, what are these and are they any good? I was wondering if that may be a better alternative? I ams a bit worried because I have seen some people say that they have found stamp hinges to leave peel and stuff. I dunno :p

Basically if you read the rules you can' post to individual members until you've posted fifty things on the site. Look at Robert Murrays website as well. His shop won't be open of course but he has a lot of basic info on the website. If you google something like Robert Murray stamps Edinburgh, you'll find him. If you can get to Edinburgh when things are more normal his shop is well worth a visit.

First of all, welcome to stamp collecting. I am new to these forums but have been collecting for over 50 years.

I'm replying to your question about stock pages vs. hinges.

Hinges are inexpensive and the most commonly used method for mounting stamps on blank pages or in albums. It's true that they can leave a remnant, and also that they can damage the stamp by taking a thin layer of the paper on the back of the stamp with it if the hinge is removed by hand. Also mint stamps (meaning the original gum is still on the back) have less value if a hinge has been applied to them. (The hinges they made in the old days were much easier to remove cleanly.)

I've seen collectors deal with the hinge issue in several different ways. The most expensive route is to buy a hingeless album. These have clear plastic sleeves in which you can display each stamp. But you have to buy a separate album for each country you collect, and so it's probably prohibitive for new collectors.

A less expensive (still fairly expensive) route is to buy stamp mounts with black or clear backing. They come in various sizes, and in long strips, so once you have the right size for the height of your stamp you can cut to the width you desire using scissors. The front of the mount is clear plastic, so you can see the stamp, and the back of the mount has an adhesive so you can affix it directly to the page (or use a stamp hinge on the mount). You can easily buy these from any stamp dealer or online. I have seen collectors use these mounts for every single stamp they have, which makes it pretty expensive if you're trying to display thousands of stamps rather than a few hundred.

Clear stock pages are a third option I've seen people use if they want to go hingeless. These are plastic sheets with 15-20 rows that can be mounted in a 3-ring binder. They allow you to see the entirety of the stamp image. (If you buy the stock pages made of thin cardboard, you won't be able to see more than the top half of your stamp -- these are truly for "stocking" and not for displaying.) I have people use this method and have a separate page for each country. One drawback is that, on a stock page, the stamps may shift a little because they're not permanently affixed to anything. I have even seen people use heavy plastic pages that you can buy from a hobby store and might have a number of small individual sleeves on the page, into which you can insert individual stamps.

Personally, I use hinges for inexpensive used stamps or inexpensive mint stamps that already have been hinged. If never hinged (NH) or over a certain value (whether used or mint), I use the mounting strips to better protect the stamp.

Good luck with your stamps!