Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Despite the poor quality of this stamp collection, I really like the way I took notes about each stamp, where I got it, when, etc. I know this isn’t typically what stamp collections are for, as lots of the discussions on here seem to be about finding the rarest stamps; however, I like the idea of stamp collecting for memories.
So my question is, is there any recommended way to store stamps so that you can still take notes alongside them? I saw online that you can use stamp hinges, but can I attach these to any type of paper in any type of binder? Or is there a specific paper/binder/etc. I should use in order to keep the stamps in the best condition possible?
Thanks in advance for any help!
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Welcome back!
Regarding paper, you want to make sure it is acid free. Plenty of it is nowadays.
Yes, the hinges will attach to the paper.
You can make your own pages, and print them out. Nothing wrong with that. Many do that. remember it's your hobby. Do what you want with it, not what someone else does or tells you to.
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Maddy,
collecting for its emotional appeal seems as potent as any Quixotic quest for the rarest stamps.
Writing them up to highlight that emotional connection is a piece of brilliance.
Glad to have you here.
David
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Consider a stock book - no hinges necessary, and there is room to add identification and commentary.
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@pogopossum, I've seen the stock books, but they look like they have really short pockets, only about the height of the stamps, so I'm not sure how well taking notes beside it would work. But thank you!
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Maddy,
You could also use a D-ring binder and use your choice of Vario pages;
they have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 pocket pages to choose from. you could go with
all the same or mix and match.
They can be seen here, but keep in mind that you can purchase them from many
other sources;
https://www.ihobb.com/c/VARIO-STOCKPAGES.html
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There is no single way of arranging a stamp collection, as you will have found out by now, and your collecting for memories is probably just as good as any other. For designing your new albumpages, any word processing or text publishing software will be your friend. Print boxes just a little larger than your stamps are, and put your write-up next to them, and it will look quite neat. I just hope you have used water-soluble glue when you pasted your stamps on the old pages - anything else is difficult to get rid of.
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Since you are restarting, I also recommend stock books and avoiding hinges. Modern hinges are awful anyway. The stick too well to stamp and page.
After a while you will get a feel of what you really want to do and a stock book is an investment (can be repurposed).
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"For designing your new albumpages, any word processing or text publishing software will be your friend. Print boxes just a little larger than your stamps are, and put your write-up next to them, and it will look quite neat."
Or you could use dedicated stamp album page layout software such as AlbumEasy which is free, see the link in my signature.
Clive
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To clarify, you may want to look into stock pages: they come in different sizes for storage and may meet your needs.
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Hi all, thanks for the help 
I got an acid-free scrapbook, some acid-free cardstock, and stamp hinges today. On the subject of acid-free, I was wondering (per recommendations to print the pages) if printer ink tends to be acid-free or if I need to also purchase that?
Also, re:the hope that I used water-soluable glue... who knows! I was 7, most likely used whatever I could find. I’m not planning on trying to salvage those stamps anyways. A third of them are ripped with a piece of scotch tape over them.
Thanks again
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I'm relatively new to collecting but think the Vario System of stock-pages makes the most sense. You can easily move pages around as you build the collection.
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Printer ink should be OK - it cannot be too acidic, anyway, as it might lead to corrosion in the printer mechanism otherwise. Besides, printed documents are supposed to last a while.
A scrapbook might not be ideal for a stamp collection. Better use a ring binder (file folder), then you can change the order of your pages or add some in between. There are also ready-made album pages and binders, but they can be a bit on the expensive side.
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@jmh67 Thanks! And I think the scrapbook will be alright. It is one you are able to add pages and move them around in.
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Maddy, you went against all the advice to use stock pages, and are going with hinges! As a paper album man myself, I admire your spunk.
You can find lots of past discussions about how bad modern hinges are, and were much better in the old days, which I agree with. The reasons posited about why they used to be better are intriguing - the old glue worked well but was dangerous, there are patents involved, the old timers knew better what they were doing, etc.
If you're using hinges now, you have the choice of paying $20 or so online to get a pack of hinges from 50 years ago, or use the modern ones. I find the modern ones work OK as long as you just put the TINIEST DOT of moisture on them. I find if you give them a good dollop of moisture it is that much harder to peel them off smoothly. Of course sometimes I err on the side of caution too much and the stamp comes loose, but I just put it back in again. I'm sure others here might have some other advice for you on this. It also sounds like you might have hit on the next big thing - a stamp collecting/scrapbooking hybrid.
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You have to start somewhere and learning is part of the process.
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i absolutely love Al's comment. well said.
I find that virtually all of my mistakes have paid off after an initial loss of time, money, product, hair, or some combination of above.
David
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Chiming in, if the stamps are used (not mint) then use hinges, even the modern ones. If they need moving when you finally decide how you wish your collection to look, then they can be soaked and dried again.
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If the stamps are used, modern and US, leave them on paper, trim them close,
and use hinges!
After all, who cares if the hinge damages the paper on the back!?
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If you leave the stamps on paper and don't want to keep the whole envelope, trim it so that the postmark remains whole. In my humble opinion, that looks much more interesting than a stamp with only part of a postmark.
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09:47:25pm
I recently found my old stamp collection from when I was a child (hoping to attach some photos once I figure out how to make them the right size!) and decided I wanted to give it a go again. But this time, correctly. As you can see if I manage to upload the photos, I messily slapped stamps to a page with whatever adhesive I could find.
Despite the poor quality of this stamp collection, I really like the way I took notes about each stamp, where I got it, when, etc. I know this isn’t typically what stamp collections are for, as lots of the discussions on here seem to be about finding the rarest stamps; however, I like the idea of stamp collecting for memories.
So my question is, is there any recommended way to store stamps so that you can still take notes alongside them? I saw online that you can use stamp hinges, but can I attach these to any type of paper in any type of binder? Or is there a specific paper/binder/etc. I should use in order to keep the stamps in the best condition possible?
Thanks in advance for any help!
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10:27:15pm
re: How to Start Organizing?
Welcome back!
Regarding paper, you want to make sure it is acid free. Plenty of it is nowadays.
Yes, the hinges will attach to the paper.
You can make your own pages, and print them out. Nothing wrong with that. Many do that. remember it's your hobby. Do what you want with it, not what someone else does or tells you to.
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Start Organizing?
Maddy,
collecting for its emotional appeal seems as potent as any Quixotic quest for the rarest stamps.
Writing them up to highlight that emotional connection is a piece of brilliance.
Glad to have you here.
David
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
12:00:09pm
re: How to Start Organizing?
Consider a stock book - no hinges necessary, and there is room to add identification and commentary.
Login to Like
this post
01:20:02pm
re: How to Start Organizing?
@pogopossum, I've seen the stock books, but they look like they have really short pockets, only about the height of the stamps, so I'm not sure how well taking notes beside it would work. But thank you!
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Start Organizing?
Maddy,
You could also use a D-ring binder and use your choice of Vario pages;
they have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 pocket pages to choose from. you could go with
all the same or mix and match.
They can be seen here, but keep in mind that you can purchase them from many
other sources;
https://www.ihobb.com/c/VARIO-STOCKPAGES.html
4 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
08:19:30am
re: How to Start Organizing?
There is no single way of arranging a stamp collection, as you will have found out by now, and your collecting for memories is probably just as good as any other. For designing your new albumpages, any word processing or text publishing software will be your friend. Print boxes just a little larger than your stamps are, and put your write-up next to them, and it will look quite neat. I just hope you have used water-soluble glue when you pasted your stamps on the old pages - anything else is difficult to get rid of.
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Start Organizing?
Since you are restarting, I also recommend stock books and avoiding hinges. Modern hinges are awful anyway. The stick too well to stamp and page.
After a while you will get a feel of what you really want to do and a stock book is an investment (can be repurposed).
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Start Organizing?
"For designing your new albumpages, any word processing or text publishing software will be your friend. Print boxes just a little larger than your stamps are, and put your write-up next to them, and it will look quite neat."
Or you could use dedicated stamp album page layout software such as AlbumEasy which is free, see the link in my signature.
Clive
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
01:05:41pm
re: How to Start Organizing?
To clarify, you may want to look into stock pages: they come in different sizes for storage and may meet your needs.
Login to Like
this post
08:30:00pm
re: How to Start Organizing?
Hi all, thanks for the help
I got an acid-free scrapbook, some acid-free cardstock, and stamp hinges today. On the subject of acid-free, I was wondering (per recommendations to print the pages) if printer ink tends to be acid-free or if I need to also purchase that?
Also, re:the hope that I used water-soluable glue... who knows! I was 7, most likely used whatever I could find. I’m not planning on trying to salvage those stamps anyways. A third of them are ripped with a piece of scotch tape over them.
Thanks again
Login to Like
this post
11:12:55pm
re: How to Start Organizing?
I'm relatively new to collecting but think the Vario System of stock-pages makes the most sense. You can easily move pages around as you build the collection.
Login to Like
this post
07:54:29am
re: How to Start Organizing?
Printer ink should be OK - it cannot be too acidic, anyway, as it might lead to corrosion in the printer mechanism otherwise. Besides, printed documents are supposed to last a while.
A scrapbook might not be ideal for a stamp collection. Better use a ring binder (file folder), then you can change the order of your pages or add some in between. There are also ready-made album pages and binders, but they can be a bit on the expensive side.
Login to Like
this post
06:53:10pm
re: How to Start Organizing?
@jmh67 Thanks! And I think the scrapbook will be alright. It is one you are able to add pages and move them around in.
Login to Like
this post
11:58:50pm
re: How to Start Organizing?
Maddy, you went against all the advice to use stock pages, and are going with hinges! As a paper album man myself, I admire your spunk.
You can find lots of past discussions about how bad modern hinges are, and were much better in the old days, which I agree with. The reasons posited about why they used to be better are intriguing - the old glue worked well but was dangerous, there are patents involved, the old timers knew better what they were doing, etc.
If you're using hinges now, you have the choice of paying $20 or so online to get a pack of hinges from 50 years ago, or use the modern ones. I find the modern ones work OK as long as you just put the TINIEST DOT of moisture on them. I find if you give them a good dollop of moisture it is that much harder to peel them off smoothly. Of course sometimes I err on the side of caution too much and the stamp comes loose, but I just put it back in again. I'm sure others here might have some other advice for you on this. It also sounds like you might have hit on the next big thing - a stamp collecting/scrapbooking hybrid.
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Start Organizing?
You have to start somewhere and learning is part of the process.
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: How to Start Organizing?
i absolutely love Al's comment. well said.
I find that virtually all of my mistakes have paid off after an initial loss of time, money, product, hair, or some combination of above.
David
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Start Organizing?
Chiming in, if the stamps are used (not mint) then use hinges, even the modern ones. If they need moving when you finally decide how you wish your collection to look, then they can be soaked and dried again.
Login to Like
this post
re: How to Start Organizing?
If the stamps are used, modern and US, leave them on paper, trim them close,
and use hinges!
After all, who cares if the hinge damages the paper on the back!?
Login to Like
this post
02:41:05am
re: How to Start Organizing?
If you leave the stamps on paper and don't want to keep the whole envelope, trim it so that the postmark remains whole. In my humble opinion, that looks much more interesting than a stamp with only part of a postmark.
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