"Labeling Technique" US Stamp Album

So I am frustrated with US stamp albums. (actually all stamp albums)
Many debates in this community on best albums, ways to organize, etc
I have used my own quadrille pages for other countries, and have seen Scott National, SAFE, White Ace etc
I have stock books
Nothing works for me
I considered generating my own pages via computer with own design.

My main issue is that once a page is created and stamp is mounted, there is no going back. I keep adding as I collect and then there is no room to place, difficult to replace without removing mount or hinge that is adhered etc. I like stamp varieties and keep adding with no way to exhibit on page without starting all over. I started experimenting with labeling (labels that could be removed using SAFE album that does not require mounting. I like to place my stamps in black mounts because just laying them on page doesn't do it for me visually without the black background making the stamp pop more. So now I put the stamps in mounts, but do not adhere them. I just lay them in pre made pockets of SAFE album. Then I create labels on computer that can be adhered but easily removed. I initially was penciling in Scott numbers and information onto album but looked bad

so I came up with this method. experimenting with fonts, size of labels, etc.

With this technique it allows me to move the stamps out of album easily within their mounts and rearrange without damage to page.

Kind of wish an album company would come up with album with pre made label spots and labels

Any advice? I haven't decided yet whether to move forward with this for more of my collection, or just go back to old school.

If that is what you like, go for it.
But I do not believe this will catch on in a big way!


Peter

Same problem as every collector of varieties and errors. Only two way to handle it, IMO. Either print custom page revisions using AlbumEasy or something similar on a regular basis (every June, or every five new stamp varieties for example), or by just doing what you're already doing.
I generally collect to Lighthouse (which is mostly Michel), while my Commonwealth is SG. Anything that doesn't have a pre-defined space goes into a stockbook or Vario pages with a label until I figure out how to present them (probably in supplementary albums designed to mimic Lighthouse or SG).

As for pre-made labels, you could use a label-maker or guillotine cutter, that would up the neatness factor with straight edges (no offense meant). Nothing else is really practical since the variety of things to label would be infinitely… variable.

Album pages covered in velcro?

I am not familiar with SAFE, but it always appeared to me they had more or less the same type of pages as has Lindner. Linder T Blanko is a page with a transparent page with pockets glued to it. Between the transparent and paper page, you can place a text sheet you can replace at will.



The finished product can look like this, but can be changed.

Thanks for replies so far

Yes I need to work on cutting labels straighter so less sloppy
Rodgcam. Tiny piece of scotch tape. It's pretty easy to remove without damaging pages but crude for sure

Omg …NSK that is awesome idea that I did not think about. I'm going to experiment with this and see if works out.

If you're using the Safe or Lindner systems, you don't need a mount as well - as NSK's pages.

Yes. I know mount is not needed but I think stamps "pop" more in black mounts. It's my opinion I guess but when I compare pages with stamps in black mounts versus just placed in built in sleeves… my eyes like the black mounts better. Others may have a different opinion

If you have a printer with white ink or white pen, you can use the black inlays.
Alternatively, you can print thick black frames. It takes some measuring, but essentially is how SAFE makes its preprinted pages. The difference is they print it on the backpage and not an inlay.

I really like the Lindner page look but they are so expensive.

The closest I came was using Vario pages and then putting inserts in alternating
rows. Here was a prototype. Don recently posted something similar.

Angore: yes I like that. Actually I like the black . Perhaps no black mounts if on black background? I have to experiment

Two more approaches....

1. Consider using the dual sided stock pages (such as the Vario shown earlier) but then create all your text and labeling on an adjacent facing paper album page. Your stamps will alternate left-right facing because of the dual side Vario pages - and your descriptive two-sided album pages act as "descriptive interleaves." I did that with my Big Blue collection and actually just used the Scott album pages as the two-sided "descriptive interleave pages." The result for my Big Blue albums is I have the stamps showing cleanly on black background (and no mounts) and still get to see all the Scott International Part I album page info on the facing pages.

2. For my US collection I do a similar design concept - except no stock pages. On this approach the left-facing page (what we think of as the back-side of a page) contains all my descriptive info with the corresponding stamps mounted on the right side of the album (what we think of as the front-side of a page). To me, that presents a clean "stamps only" presentation page and lets me say whatever I want on the left-facing page. When I view my albums as I like the result.

So that I can easily move stamps around when I have new items (since this approach does not use stock pages), I mount clear mounts onto archival colored backing and then mount that "mounted stamp" onto the album page with two-side removable tape. That way I'm only messing with the physical stamp once and lowering damage risk to the stamp. I use different colors of backing for "used, unused, proofs, extremely rare, etc" similar to how many exhibits are presented.

I've never had the removable tape come loose from the album page, but time will tell. I also don't know what chemical effects may occur with tape, but I also don't know what chemical effects stamp mount glue has. Scotch advertises this tape for pictures and archival scrapbooking, but we all know that archival often isn't archival.

Page Al mentioned above..


I like the Vario page solution, especially when the collection is in the 'growth' mode. After 30 years, I got tired of 'redoing' album pages; I was spending significant amounts of time and money each year on 'redoing' various album pages as my collections evolved.

I also have developed a set of printable Vario page labels which are available to download here
https://stampsmarter.org/learning/F...rioHome.html

Don

Jbodo: thanks for ideas. Love to see a pic if possible .

Don: appears you have same frustrations as me and use labels . Thanks for picture. Curious how you got focused on collecting Greece?
Have a world wide collection and Greece is tough.

rgstamp,
My WW collection is my 'fun' collection and one that I have had since the 1970s. It is filled with 100,000+ stamps, the vast majority hinged. Over the years, whenever the opportunity came my way to secure better quality material, I would use specialize albums and not include the specialized material in my 'fun' WW albums (15 'Big Blues').

The Greek Hermes heads material was a recent opportunity and is perfect in the Vario pages since I have 1800+ Hermes stamps to organize. I am a Hermes Head noob and have much to learn so there is little doubt that I will be doing a fair amount of re-organizing. I start by using the previous owners IDs and as I learn more will start to move stamps that I am highly confident in.
Don

If I were just starting a collection, I think I would opt for stock books ... and then create a digital album. This would eliminate the need to frequently remount stamps & reprint album pages. It should make inserting new stamps, or even new pages, relatively easy & inexpensive. But too much effort & too much money has been expended on my current collection for me to change direction at this juncture.