Hinge Mounting Orientation

So, this isn't really a question. It is more me venting - squawking and moaning, if you will. I bought a semi-decent German and Area collection in an album so I can fill in spaces in my WW collection. It was described as "Mint and Used hinged in a Minkus Specialty Album", which I liked since I also hinge my stamps in my Int'ls. I really don't like buying NH, knowing that I will hinge them. The photos of the collection showed a bunch of items and countries that I didn't have well covered. Right coverage, right mounting, right price (bought at auction, so I set the price) - GREAT!!!

It turns out that the previous collector hinged the stamps so that they 'flip up' in any random orientation! Some flip up, as I find normal, at the top. But some flip down at the bottom, some to the left, and some to the right. And..... I kid you not one iota...... many flip halfway or a quarter-of-the-way between any of the four 'main' directions. Truly random. And, it is random within countries and eras and even within the same sets. What this means is that when I stick my tongs under the stamp to grab it to remove it from the album, many times I am poking them thru the hinged end of the hinge, rather than the open end. AND.... when the hinge is on catty-wompus, it bends that corner of the stamp when opening up the hinge.

Sheesh!!!

Thanks for putting up with my rant.

Sorry to hear that! That's a weird one I'd say. It'd drive me a little nuts too. Good luck and be careful. One of the joys of buying used collections - really makes one wonder what the previous owner was thinking.

My favorite is when the collector has obtained both used and unused copies of a stamp, and hinges them into the same space of an album page at a slight vertical offset, with the two hinges overlapping and often affixed to one another.