Creating A International Album

I posted a while back on what paper to use. Well.....

I started my international collection (1840-1940) back in January, I have now printed roughly 800 pages. I am using the Steiner pages by country.

Here are a couple of pictures.

My question is.... So currently I have the pages in 3 cheap Walmart binders, I was debating on purchasing Scott International Albums with slip covers. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use, or should I separate the collection by country and just use many small binders/folders.

It depends on the look you're going for. Do they sell 3-Ring Big Blues? I think you are better off sticking to the 3 ring binders, a lot cheaper and more versatile. What you got there is fine. Now when you expand to 2026...

If you're using cheap Steiner pages, no need to dress them up in expensive binders.

Any binder will work but it is up to YOU based upon your preferences (looks, cost). Do you want a slip case (dust cover)? Wide binders get heavy if you load them up and hard to handle with one hand. No one else is likely to see your albums (except for critics here) and will not affect the value if that is a consideration so all personal preference. D-rings work best for a lay flat album. Another aspect is paper used. The thicker the paper the more likely the holes will get damaged if used a lot but means fewer pages per binder.

I probably spend more on a binder/slip case than others but it is my money.

@angore I agree, the wider binders are hard to work with. One thing is now that I have filled alot of the pages the book is starting to bulge out in the middle.

I was also thinking maybe of using 1 1/2 d binders.

There is an upcoming stamp show in my area coming as well. Sometimes you can find nice used binders at them as well. I was hoping to find 3 or 4, with slip covers, last show the binders went pretty quick.

Greetings Hello --- Nice to see that your on the right path . Like what you shown ,looks good .

Looks good Hello123

I use have been using ordinary binders for my collection using steiner pages for over 20 years. :)

Dianne

Those look nice and if they work for you that is fine. I started using Lighthouse binders with Scott pages for 4 countries that I collect ,except Ireland ,which is housed in a Scott Specialty binder. It's all personal preference. My method is a little bit more expensive but it makes my biggest viewer, critic,(me), happy. They do get heavy when you load them up.

I've bought Vario "F" size and the larger "G" size binders for different collections where I've printed my own pages from Album Easy. They're not cheap, but they're very nice.

@Mainer, yes those are very nice, I was also thinking of using these as well. they are a very nice option.

I started with Lighthouse Grande 3-ring binders. I currently have 35 as well as 7 Lighthouse FDC binders. I design and print my own pages on 8½ x 11 cardstock. They can be expensive but I like the look, quality, and having slipcases.

For what it's worth, you should do what makes you happy.

Same here - but I have kind of moved to smaller binders (like Vario F) and stock books.for newer pursuits.

It looks to me like Hello123 is off to a great start!

John

Those Lighthouse Binders only hold about 60 pages each ? Is that correct ,so you would need 2 or 3 Binders to hold a France or Great Britain collection . So a $120.00 to $150.00 for binders .

The Vario G binders with slip case used to be $45 each with shipping but seems the seller is going out of business.

A set will cost about a dinner for 2 or a tank of gas. Most everything is getting more expensive.

Floortrader,

The Vario G Binders will hold at least 200 sheets of 28# or 32# paper, much more if lighter weight. The 60 (or 80) pages they refer to are for Vario Stock sheets.

John

To actually address one of the questions you asked (!), those 8.5 x 11" pages punched for three holes will not fit fit properly in Scott International binders. Those binders have two round holes for their pages.

And since Scott International pages are 9.25 x 11.25", your smaller pages might look a little narrow in them -- if you managed to punch the two holes in them.

I'm not a big fan of three-ring stamp albums which I think look a bit underwhelming and inelegant, but I appreciate how flat the pages look, how easy it is to remove pages, and how inexpensive even good binders can be.

I really like Lighthouse's upscale binders but they are not cheap. They're a pleasure to use. But I'm not at all a fan of Lighthouse's various three-ring binders. I find them too large, too unwieldy, and unpleasant to use. Their rings too often tear album pages. Lighthouse's "real" stamp binders are very nice, but these less expensive ones are clearly made to a lower price point. They seem cheap to me with their fancy "I'm not leather but I Imitate leather" look which looks unconvincing. With some I've used as stockbooks, their rings are awkward to use, tear pages, and I've even had the inside of the binder's hinge begin tearing on a few of them. To me, they're just basic three-ring binders fancied up. Your experience may differ, of course!

The narrower of the two versions of Scott's green Specialty 3-ring binders is nice. It sells for for $60, though. Not cheap, and the slipcase adds maybe $30 more expense. Being narrow makes it much easier to pick up and if it falls, it won't break your toes! But each one holds only maybe 80 pages, so you'd need a lot of them. At that price it's going to get expensive. Also your 8.5 x 11" pages may look a little lost in them.

A much better looking binder is the basic 3-ring padded binder Scott sells which comes with a slipcase. I think it's one of the best and nicest-looking bargains in stamp collecting at least for 8.5 x 11" pages. It will fit your pages as if they were made for it.

It's sold in blue or black and is much better than any cheap-o Walmart binder. I like the elegant padded cover (which doesn't pretend to be leather). It doesn't hold a huge number of pages (60? 70?) but it's only $22 which, compared to most stamp album binders, is a steal. Being "normal" sized and not filled with hundreds of pages, it will not be overly heavy and it's protected by a slipcase which usually costs $20-50 extra. I think it's a stone cold bargain.

If I were doing the world on smaller-sized home printer pages, I'd put them in a set of these binders. Even if I needed 20 or 25, they'd still be affordable, and they'd look good sitting on a shelf which cheap betters almost never do -- as they rip your pages and the huge rings look kind of bad.

How many Steiner pages are needed to cover 1840-1940, I wonder? Is it thousands?

My own worldwide collection is in Scott International binders with International pages which means it all fits together without a problem. I use slipcases I bought from Mystic Stamp Co. back when they sold a slipcase that fit this binder -- which they don't anymore, for some reason. My binders are copies of Scott's binders that were once sold by Subway Stamp Shop some years ago. They match the Scott International binders exactly but are narrower, thank goodness, so I can pick them up, about 2.5" instead of Scott's much wider binders that seem honestly too wide and unwieldy. If I could find 5 more of them, I'd buy them because I "only" have 30!