Storing A Stamp Collection

I have been doing some serious thinkering about how to store/present my World collection where I have maybe 20 or so stamps per country where it is not worth printing out a whole stamp album for the country, I am currently sticking them in those dealer cards and glassines and labeling the contents (Date, catalog # etc). If I want to more thoroughly collect the country, I think I'll go for an album. So I can just quick flip through a box to see my stuff.
How do people store collections of say under 100 stamps per country?
Stockpages?

On April 30 you said:


So why are you asking "what y'all do?" You make me tired, Joe.

I am talking about world stamps in this case, I could not find anything relating in the search, I will edit the original message to be much more clear so Im not seen as a drag.

Stockbooks

And that, Virginia, is why I no longer ask anything in this forum. What is the big deal with the question, anyway? Find it tiresome? Scroll past without doing anything! Sheesh.

Stock pages, stock books, and Vario pages all work.

Stockbooks for countries I have relatively few stamps from. Vario pages if I have a larger collection.

Plus a Scott "Specialty" for Austria.

Dale

Now THAT is a (revised) question worth answering. I second (third?) using a Vario binder and pages. Certainly the sturdiest, and most flexible option. Start with two countries on a page (about $1/page), and it'd be easy to expand if you find a few countries you really favor, or reorder as you see fit.

I like stock pages as well because you can readily see the material without digging it out. I have fallen victim to the "out of sight, out of mind" trap where I had material that just disappeared to me because it was in a card within a red box and forgotten about. Sometimes seeing something can bring inspiration especially if a recent topic brought more depth to it.

JoeTheLucky

Vario pages in binders works fine for me. I find 1/2 inch and 1 inch binders more manageable.

Fine, Case closed, I guess I'll make use of my 8 slot varios, I regret not getting a larger size because alot of the Worldwide Commems pop out.

For stamps that came to me in small packages(eg glassines) I transfer them into 102 cards for uniformity. The 102 cards are filed alphabetically in 11 red boxes. Stamps that came to me in large stock cards or pages are left intact and filed alphabetically in appropriately sized containers.

It is good to have a range of sizes available. Just as soon as you get 6-pocket for those pesky large commemorates, you'll get a small souvenir sheet, then a large one.

I'm a quick and dirty kinda guy, so my stamps are in archival-grade 3-pocket 8.5x11" "flips" set into basic presentation folders with different-colored removable spines so I know which part of my collection is which. I get them at the grocery store Office Supply section for cheap. I also have to scissor off the holed album nubs of the flips so the sheets fit in my small fire safe, but there ya go.

But within each pocket, my stamp/s are in a Safeco 5.75x3.25" holder, tucked within a glassine because I live in the tropics and every little bit to stave off the humidity helps, even tho the glassines might be considered overkill in most places where it's not 85 degrees surrounded by an ocean every single day.

So yeah, storage is an issue here.

This is a philatelic quandary best resolved early in your collecting history!

I absolutely love the look of printed pages with mounts. Thing is, I dislike mounts of any kind. Hinges are substandard nowadays - unless you spring for vintage DENNISON or FOLD-O-HINGE (@ $12-$20 per 1000). Black backed mounts take extra care, clear mounts are easier to work with. Both of which make no sense for cheaper stamps... Unless you get your mounts with rewards points or something - they are expensive...

After much thought and study, I decided to go with black, double-sided Vario stock pages (default for me is the 6 strip).
I use Vario-F 3-ring binders for countries I have a special interest in, and Vario-G 3-ring binders for worldwide.
Layout can be a problem. For "near complete" countries I use a chronological approach, side-by-side. It saves space and
is easy to follow in the catalog. Anything specialized gets a small info tag next to it. For general worldwide I use
a "layout by Steiner page approach". I have a complete set of PDF Steiner pages, and use it as a guide. A tag with the
Steiner page number is in a lower corner. That makes it easy to refer to the Steiner PDF file for identification and
description. Not the best approach, but it works for me. Vario pages purchased in quantity are cheaper than printed
pages with mounts and decent hinges.

This quandary is a personal one, and subjective. I don't want to be concerned with substandard materials (paper or other
products which may harm the stamps and covers), and don't want to use mounts or hinges.

Now, I have to get back to converting my printed albums to Vario stock pages.

John

For countries I actively collect, I use Steiner pages and print on demand. I have some countries with juts 1 or 2 pages. Everything else goes on Vario/Hagner pages. I have tried dealer cards and glassines but not as easy to browse quickly (one at a time vs multiple at a time).

@angore: You're likely correct. As I said in an earlier post, I use Safeco (dealer) cards inside a glassine, which makes review less than ideal. But I live in a tropical environment where humidity is a major issue, so I just kinda live with it :)