I collect the world from A to Z. My albums are arranged by country with the USA first, then UN and then Abu Dhabi forward. The album pages are Scott, so they follow Scott order. Stamps that are not listed by Scott I place on Steiner album pages following the Scott pages.
ty, interesting
In the mid-seventies I bought a used Minkus Supreme/Master Global set of albums and began the process of moving my collection from the two Harris Citation binders I had started with when I resumed collecting ten years earlier. For about three years I bought the annual updates until, being frustrated with all the junk that was included, I pared things down to about twelve volumes of favored countries.
So that accounts for the postally used stamps up to about 1975.
After that date, about 1975, each favored country, Germany, Japan, France, China, Austria, Oz, Eire, The Netherlands, India, the Scandinavian countries and a few other were put in their own binders.
USA, Canada, Israel and the UK binders start at the beginnings and stretch into multiple binders.
Other nations are also in separate binders after the mid-70s but by geo-political area, such as the Channel Islands, the Baltic nations, North Africa and the Palestine area, Turkey and Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy, Switzerland and Austria, The Middle East, Central Europe, Russia and the former Soviet states, British Commonwealth Islands and Colonials areas, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, the Far East. South and Central America is in three Scott Internationals. Topics; Ships, Birds, Flags, Lighthouses and WW II are in several additional binders as are several other subjects.
The Machin Specialized collection now reaches into three large loose leaf binders.
Within most of the country post 1975 albums the stamps are arranged mostly in the traditional chronological order, but sometimes I choose to put similar related subjects together.
Stock sorting book follow the same patterns.
The one thing that I recommend to others is that their collections should be arranged in a way that pleases them and not subject to some arbitrary arrangement created by an album manufacturer.
I categorize by country, and within each country in chronological order. But as cdj, I sometimes put similar issues next to each other.
If you are collecting by country, then sort first by country, then by catalog number/date issued. If you collect by topic (people, places, events, etc) then country has no particular status as per your specific interest.
Roger
Charlie, interesting that you and I were doing the same thing with our collection at the same time! I was moving stamps from the Harris Standard Album into Scott International. Preferred countries were going into Scott Specialized albums. Several years ago, I put all the pages together as I saw it cost too much to buy supplements for the Scott Specialized and the Internationals. All my album pages (Scott Specialized, Scott International, Steiner and blank) are now alphabetically in Scott Specialized binders (G&K version actually which hold more pages) as I described previously.
I get the Scott International pages each year, except for the Scott National for the USA. It's been working out quite well.
In what order?
1. country - I think this is the default for anyone who keeps multiple countries, obviously
2. Date of Issue - I've changed from Catalog # to this... (With one exception, as I think I'm going to keep postage due's in their own "topical" binders.). This means mixing air mail/definitives/semi-postal etc. I think it has to do with the fact, that if you catalog something by date, you've got a consistent catalog.
3. Varieties - This mixes sort of with #2, so you can call this 2a. But it makes little sense to me, for example, if you're working with the Ireland Crown and Cross Series (scott 65-76), to then 120 spaces later throw in Scott #225 and 226, when it makes more sense to put the "sword of light" stamp with the previous Sword of Light stamps, as long as they're marked off to identify the different variations.
SO get the opening series in (and sorted as you see fit), then put the similar varieties with the types in that original series.
In fact, while I still use Scott to search, for my reference sheet purposes, I've been considering defining my own listing system for the above set up. (Will it work for everything? I dunno yet...)
I collect 2 countries which I can define by eras. Each year is defined by order of issue date (I'm not a fond lover of Scott's system of dividing airmail/semi-postals, etc). The only time I don't follow the date of issue is in definitive series, which I put together & then list with their specific date of issue. Each of these countries span roughly 6 albums each. I keep the mint separate to the used/ctos.
The other part of my collection is topical & each topic has it's own binder (or two). Within these albums, I follow alphabetical order of country issues.
Every person has their own method & often change methods as years pass & interests change or as the collection grows. What may have been perfect for my collection 20 years ago is no good now. I'm actually in the midst of completely redesigning my albums. So as you can see, nothing is set in stone. Go with the flow & you will find an inspiring & perhaps unique way of designing your collection.
My advice is don't get hung up on Catalogue #s, etc. The Catalogues are only there as a guideline & reference point. That's one reason I design my own write-ups - my collection is mine, not some company's pre-stamp pages (only my opinion).
Enjoy your stamps, that's the best advice I can offer.
Kelly
As you can see by some of the posts, several of us through the years have changed the way our collection was compiled. No doubt you will do the same. Follow Kelly's advice, and look at the suggestions posted. Just remember that it's your collection, so do as you want, but be open to change as your collecting habits/needs evolve.
One other point to add:
My method of sorting:
I sort years into glassines - once I have finished getting my years together in order, then I sort them into issue date and put them into a stock book. I leave spaces for copies that I know I will be getting soon or easy to find to fill the spot.
My collections are "complete" so with the exception of extremely off the wall priced issues that I'll never be able to afford (which thankfully in my two country collections there are only a few), I'm always able to fill the spots. Once I have everything sorted into stockbooks, I move them into Vario sheets and then start doing my write-ups. At this time I have a massive job ahead of me with redesigning my two countries as I'm a big history fan and I want to research every topic as much as I can to put a really good write-up together for each particular set.
I'm not a big fan on having one page with one stamp with two words on it to say when it was issued. Everyone is different of course. For my albums that have already been put together by previous owners, at this time, I've decided to leave them as they are and if there are any issues missing from the collection, I will later be able to fill them in and perhaps at that time do some changes in the setup of the albums.
All the best to you and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy - your stamps are there to be loved in a way that only you can love them
Kelly
Thank you everyone. I've decided to sort/arrange by country.. then topic (people, places, things, etc.) Then sort by issue date.
Since I live in So Ca., I will have a section just for stamps depicting local/state.
I also want to do a section with "old" state stamps side by side of "new" state stamps, for comparison.
Clayton
"I'm not a big fan on having one page with one stamp with two words on it to say when it was issued"
The only time I'd have a "single" on a page is if it's a souvenir sheet that is either too big to fit on the same page as it's corresponding stamp set or was issued alone (as happens with DDR & USSR).
My pages always include info on the event (commemoratives), date of issue & each stamp is itemised with a description. If it is a single issue, generally speaking I can include the previous issue or following issue on the same page as my collection follows exact chronological order of issue.
In terms of my topical collection, the albums I have purchased with omnibus issues, I often see a single stamp on a page with the country name only. That does bug me because I think it's a waste of paper when several countries could be represented on a single page quite nicely & neatly.
So I'd say minimum 3 stamps based on size, write-up, etc. but of course there are exceptions in every situation.
Kelly
If you take the printed album pages, annual supplements often have on stamp on a page, especially with back of book items. Whenever I do a rework of a country, I look at those pages, and when warranted I print out full Steiner pages and discard the printed Scott pages. Cuts down on several pages per country, which is a big deal when collecting the entire world. Shelf space is very valuable!
It's fascinating to read how different collectors approach this question especially amongst collectors of world-wide stamps. Clearly there's no single best answer.
I arrange my stamps first by date within country (including regular issues, postage dues, officials etc. in a single date sequence) then have pages for telegraph & telephone stamps, revenues, savings stamps, Christmas/Easter labels and other cinderellas where I have examples. I then arrange countries geographically so that as much as possible countries close to each other on the map are close together in my albums.
I've obviously had to make compromises as the countries set out on the surface of the globe don't map naturally to a linear sequence but this works well for me.
I admire the organizational abilities of most other stamp collectors in comparison with mine; particularly the obsessive-compulsive traits of some Stamporama members. How on earth do you collectors toe the line over the accumulating years?
Spent the afternoon looking through some of my albums and it is readily evident to see how my organizational
plan for displaying stamps has changed over the years as I have "matured" and as different (better?) ideas
for displaying my stamps have come to mind and have been adopted. Within an album of mine, a viewer can calculate my chronological progression down life's road (and it's not a long, straight road that knows no turning).
It's not practicable for me to reorganize my stamps according to my latest idea - too many stamps, too little time.
I have had occasion to look at two collections of stamps that were virtually micrometre-perfect, including the album covers embracing them; enjoyable and educational to examine but their faultlessness was, for me, a fault. (Don't mean this as a criticism, merely an observation.) The owners of those "perfect" stamp collections politely suggested I may be in the wrong hobby.
Have borrowed many ideas and practical tips from Stamporama members and other stamp collectors. I really enjoy seeing the many beautiful, imaginative stamp displays that members share with me on our "discussion" page.
May not be perfect, but I love collecting stamps.
John Derry
P. S. Saint Agnes, the patron saint of stamp collectors, was not perfect.
I collect everything that is in Scott. At one time I had all of the specialty albums but finally realized that I was tieing up more money in the albums and supplements then the stamps so I remounted everything and sold the albums. I now use 1 inch three ring notebooks and mount in pure Scott order. I mount on 8 x 11, 25 space approval sheets in Scott number order. If I do not have any stamps for a given set of 25 numbers there is no page. If I get stamps for that page, I store tem in souvenir sheet sales page until I feel there are enough to make a page. That number is arbitrary depending on my available time. I put all "A" counties in one binder to start and as I got many stamps for a country, I gave it a separate binder. So it is now , for example, all "A" countries except Argentina and Australia which have their own binders and if necessary two or three binders.I now have 250 plus binders and many of those are in need of being split into two binders. Canada is now in seven binders and needs to be split into at least two more. When I first started this I put 1 25 on a page and then 25-50 on the next page even if it split sets. I now start a page and do not run a set over onto the start of a new page unless it has more than 25 stamps in the set. thus I have some pages that have less than 25 stamps on them. It works great for me unless I buy a collection in other than Scott format like Minkus. Then it can become tedious going back and forth for the transfer of stamps. I am also lazy so if I buy a collection where the pages are in good condition and the stamps on the page are in Scott order, I will trim the page, three hole punch it and mount it where it goes in my scheme of mounting.
Jack
Jack:
You have more stamp albums than some collectors have stamps.
Perhaps you would consider sharing a photograph with us
illustrating how your albums are stored/filed or otherwise
organized and preserved for posterity.
John Derry, who sometimes has to use a flashlight to find
a misplaced stamp album
On the pages I create I tend to add minimal information, things that are important to me and would not be obvious to the viewer.
For instance a set of three or four stamps each showing a locomotive do not need the word "Locomotive" beneath each one, nor actually beneath the set. Just about any fool can usually see that they are showing trains from a particular country. One of my friends in out local stamp club is enthralled with Lighthouses, more or less by country and when looking at his accumulation it is quite obvious what his topic is, but beneath just about each and every one he has carefully written the Scott number and the magic word "Lighthouse".
A few pages where each stamp is not so identified has the title at the top and his outside cover is festooned with a couple of pictures of lighthouses.
Oh, yes, if I recall correctly each and every stamp or set has a lightly penciled notation with the most recent Scott listing which he updates from time to time.
The only ones that he has added the name and location of the lighthouse to his identification are where the name is plainly inscribed on the stamp already.
It is truly a labor of love but to the casual viewer boring and tedious. (Not that I'd ever say that to discourage him. )
Since I primarily collect USA in bulk, Canada & Japan in specialized, I draw and print out my own books. I collect MNH and canceled (used). I like to have covers of each stamp also. On stamps after 1920 I have all the plate blocks, line pairs, and I also print out a short history of the particular stamp. I like to collect memorabilia associated to these stamps too! My 1 and a half inch books (all 12 of them) are full and I currently need a couple more. Since each book is a different color it's difficult to find new colors and I do not wish to go to the 2" books as they do not fit in my safe. The 1847 to 1899 book is dark red as I seem to collect the best only and I have plenty of room for additional pages. The fire engine red (1900-1919) book is bulging at the seems. All the other books are very full but I allowed for expansion as I expected to acquire much more material for this era. Some pages have only a FDC, Plateblock/LP, MNH, and used attached with a short write up about the significance of that stamp. I currently have 1,554 pages completed in the US collection alone. It's been a labor of love, something I'm passing down to my family when it's it's time for me to check out!
You know its tough on a stamp collector when their memory starts to go..but anyway,who arranged this guys stamp collection? He could have all the money in the world..but we all have the same amount of time..not to mention energy !
Nothing exceeds like excess.
John Derry
P.S. At least he could have smiled.
Poor guy took his last ride in the back of a Ranchero...i wonder if there was an auction house that could handle it ??
I only collect US, and for some reason I got in the habit of separating definitives from commemoratives. Probably the old Minkus album I started with!
Back of Book (BOB) was originally Airmail and other stuff, but I finally segregated the Airmail out. I have recently added a section for examples of things I don't collect, so I have:
1. Definitives
2. Commemoratives
3. Airmail
4. BOB (Parcel Post, Postage Due, Officials, Priority/Express, etc.)
5. Beyond BOB (Examples of revenues, joint issues, etc.)
Lars
Lars,
You must be my twin. Your arrangement is an almost exact duplicate of how I collect US.
Cheers, Mel
Once upon a time my life was simple. I had two large albums, one containing Yugoslavia 1919-2003, the other the constituent parts (Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia, Kosovo, Fiume etc). The stamps were in ordered lines following the catalogue, and occasionally interleaved with perfins, fiscals, fakes/forgeries, specimens/trials etc. In addition there was a single large folder of postal stationery.
Then I started to do shows, exhibitions and competitions. For these purposes stamps were removed, and afterwards never replaced. They lived with their companions in a separate section along with any new material I obtained relating to that particular specialist topic.
So I now have two half-denuded albums, and everything else in separate albums or sections thereof:
Disputed borders
Postage dues and porte paye
Officials
King Aleksander I
Tito
Definitives
Etiquette labels and handstamps
Machine cancels
Single circle handstamps
Double circle handstamps
Bilingual cancels
Political labels
Military issues
Sarajevo Olympics
Hyperinflationary issues
UNEF
Rab
TB labels
MSs, se tenants and booklets
FDCs issued outside Beograd
thats ok as long as it does not get complicated, here are a few of my Guatemala scott 118 Waterlows..not showing the officials and perfins !
I would tend to classify myself as a hoarder vs collector :-) I collect stamps :-)… any country, any era, front of book, back of book.. telegraph .. match medicine.. revenues.. mint.. used you name it.. classics to wallpaper.
So organization is bit all over the board. I attempt to have scott specialty albums for anything that I am starting to get a significant chunk of .. Belgium and Colonies, france and colonies.. and anyplace I can start a new collection by buying an album already started with a fair amount of stamps.
For my specialties.. Dahomey, Iceland, Ethiopia, Russia, US Revenues I like Palo albums and would like to keep upgrading to these as I go.
My US collection is in 2 liberty albums for singles and 3 harris albums for PBs.
For the odd ball stuff telegraph.. match medicine ect. I do my own pages.
I believe the bottom line is always what works for you. My ADD keeps me jumping around so anything too complex or uniform would probably freak me out so the different styles and albums keep my entertained while creating some nice looking collections.
My collection is pretty straight forward.
British Royalty in their SG Royalty albums according to topic. When I ran out of SG albums, I just use my regular binders.
I recently found at the Dollarama just before school started some beautiful tan and dark blue and tan and black leatherette 2" hand-stitched binders, ultra sturdy (stand on their own even when empty). The spines look like the old fashioned leather books - absolutely gorgeous and for $3 a pop - well worth it - in fact they beat the other albums you spent $50+.
My German collection is divided into eras (a work in progress). Each era in a number of the above-mentioned binders in hand-made pages of antique parchment design archival paper from Staples (like Office Max in the US) inside archival sheet protectors. At the beginning of each decade I have an historical write-up of each issue (or mention of issues when no historical information is required). MNH are separate from used/ctos (which have yet to be done). Covers in their album. The used/ctos will probably end up just in regular binders.
My Russian collection is still being sorted so they are in varios (I only collect to the end of the USSR) and they will be housed the same as above and I'm really hoping that next year Dollarama will once again have these "once in a lifetime binders" or else I'll have to find something else to house Russia.
My QV are in their own simple binder. I have some Lighthouse Grande with slipcover but since finding these new binders, I've found they look more elegant and I really like them.
My Canada is a yet-to-do project. I have some Canada albums with slipcovers but I'll decide later if I want to use them - they are no longer being produced so I just grabbed them when they were available at the local dealer so that I'd have "Canada" albums.
Worldwide is only for trade so they just go into stockbooks.
The good thing about my collecting interests is each has their own easy way of putting them together.
My only "up in the air" issue is because I have all these beautiful albums from the dollar store that are identical is how to eventually label them without making the spines look cheap. Perhaps I'll find a method of labelling the spines using some type of stylus to match the "era" style of the albums.
Not a bad find at a dollar store eh? For the price of two or three "official stamp albums" I was able to get my paws on about 20 binders. If I had known they were there earlier, I would have bought them all. As it is, once I discovered them, I went to every Dollarama in my city and bought every one available except for two - one had a visible scratch on the cover (which really doesn't matter in hindsight because you only see the spines) and one had some loose stitching - but I like perfection.
I use a variety of album and binder types for my different collecting interests.
My omnibus series are in different types of albums. I keep the KE7 Silver Jubilee, KGVI Coronation, UPU 1949, and KGVI Silver Wedding in separate stock books; QE2 Coronation is in a White Ace album, and was my first omnibus issue collected; Roland Hill centenary, QE2 Silver Wedding, and Charles and Diana Wedding are in specialty binders that allow me to include blocks, booklets, souvenir sheets, and selvage issues; and everything else (Victory/Peace, Churchill 1966, Freedom from Hunger, UNESCO, ITU, etc.) are in stockbooks.
My British Hong Kong collections are in four different albums; all 1862 to 1997: All mint; all used; specialty cancels (including treaty port and foreign cancels on HK stamps); postal stationery and revenues (QV period only).
QV across the Empire/Commonwealth are in individual Scott International binders. One for GB alone, one for Canada, India, and Australian States; two for the rest.
I have several sizes of cover albums, mostly Lighthouse and Scott, for various postal stationery and covers that I've collected.
Last, I have stockbooks and 3-ring binders with the rest of my smaller collections, including Hawaii postal stationery and stamps, Paquebot/ship cancels, space theme stamps, and a special binder of marine mammal stamps for my goddaughter; it contains stamp issues I think she would like and I pass along to her at birthdays, Thanksgiving, etc.
Sure looks eclectic, and almost chaotic, with these different albums, binders, etc. but it works for the types of issues I collect.
Ppodle Mum - your binders sound really neat. Would you be able to post a picture? Are they all the same color? What a great find! Sally
Same here, Kelly. I would like as much detail as possible as they seem to be exactly what I have been looking for (in all the wrong places, apparently). I doubt that I will find them at the bargain prices you found, but whatever I pay it has to be better than the hugely inflated prices carried by the brand name album makers.
Bobby
My wife and i use binders that take up to 3 inches of pages ..we bought them at Walgreen drugs for in the neighborhood of 5 dollars each..that might have been a sale price..the thing is i tend to overload them with pages..they open fine..but when i have to close them i have flip flop the pages..you would have to attach a glued label to identify the contents as they have no slot to insert a label...my friends lighthouse albums (color coded by area) do look a lot better on the shelf...but i am more interested in the contents than the outward appearance !
Not a bad find eh? If anyone has any ideas of how to label them without ruining them or making them look cheap, I'd love to hear all suggestions.
It's interesting to see the leatherette binders next to the Lighthouse ones - you can clearly see the "old-fashioned" binding on the leatherette ones and the simulated lines on Lighthouse ones. What a big difference.
Kelly
Kelly,
Those really look nice! Years ago, I had some gold foil stuff that could be held down on a surface (think old fashioned photo albums). While holding the leaf/small page steady, you could write whatever you wanted and it would transfer to wharever you were holding it against. I do not remember what it was called but it might still be available in craft or hobby stores.
Two drawbacks: you must have a very sure and steady hand and you must not make any mistakes because it doesn't erase. At one point I had a pen that wrote with metallic gold ink but the same issues would apply.
Don't think you would want to use a cheap label maker but maybe some of the newer models would do ok.
We have one made by "Brother" at work and it is pretty nice. You can pick whatever typeset you want, size of print, etc... And they stick nicely. I used to use the same kind at a library I volunteered at; the labels held up great. I agree with you - these are too nice to ruin.
Thanks for posting photos....
Sally
Thanks Sally
Kelly, I use an adhesive clear label holder with a paper label that I can change. The illustrated one below is from Print File dot com, a photo supply store I use; $3.95 for a packet of a dozen. You peel a paper backing and stick the holder to the spine of the binder. Once stuck, it can't be removed though, but you can change the label easily.
The holder part is about 1.5 x 3 inches.
Peter
Poodle_Mum’s comments on her dollar-store album “findsâ€
are simply over the top in a wonderful sort of way. As she
likes perfection, I’ll never make it to her radar screen.
It hypnotically bewitches me to see some of these
breath-taking assemblies of stamp albums, every bit as
intriguing as their content. Upon reading Poodle_Mum’s
dollar-store shopping odyssey, I just had to go and look
at my collection of album covers for stamps. Grabbed
one typical (representative) binder and took a snapshot:
Even here, on Vancouver Island, I can sense the
cringing and apallment of Stamporama’s cultured
membership - here’s hoping I won’t be blackballed
from the club.
In self-defence, I will admit to owning some pricey
brand-name albums - not at all worth the money - and some
albums which I purchased at thrift shops (goodwill stores).
My postage stamps appear indifferent to all this hullabaloo
so why should I be concerned?
Truth in advertising: I photoshopped the image above to remove
my smile of smug satisfaction; and, Stamporama
members who read the fine print are already aware that
“perfection†is not a part of my stamp collecting hobby.
John Derry
John, i love it..Vancouver Island is great as well !!!!
I am using 3 ring binders which had a plastic on the covers and on the spine in which you can place a title.
John - that is a beautiful album (No sarcasm intended - it's beautiful because it's yours.)
I just have a thing about books in general. Most of my books are Jewish Law books and are very well used inside, but I keep them in pristine condition - you'd never know some of them have been studied for 20 years looking at them, you'd think they were bought yesterday at the store. I actually go bananas if a page gets slightly bent (yeah I know - extreme OCD!!). The Rabbis at school used to just shake their heads and one of the Rabbis told me that my books are for study and they should look well worn - I said they are well worn - the information goes into my head and is worn out well in there!
When I saw those binders, I just melted and thought oh those are wonderful. My stamps are the most important part of course, but I like the "old-fashioned" look and also that I use parchment designed paper inside (which I had started using before I ever laid eyes on these beauties) and thought - what a wonderful combination.
That's just me though.
There is a label on one of those SG albums that I've been meaning to take off for years (it came on it - just taped on) - I'm going to go pull that off right now - what an eyesore for me!
The importance is that every person's collection (inside and possibly out) reflects that individual's interests and personality. When people see my collection, how it's arranged (with the exception of some of the SG albums that were bought almost complete - I do plan to re-do them though and make them my own), they get a feeling for who I am. Those who know me well take one look at them and see that I'm a history buff. I think that's one of the reasons why these dollar store binders caught my attention. I was going for that idea when I got the Lighthouse ones and before these binders came into my possession, I thought they were the most beautiful ones I had. I've also had that obsession with the padded binders which leads me to the SG binders.
I'm not one for buying "albums" that have pre-made pages, that's not me. It wouldn't ever be *my* collection because I didn't re-create my personality within the pages.
The outside is just the ribbon on the package
Kelly
LOL John!
Everyone who knows me (or who has walked through my house) are well aware that I firmly believe that if it cain't be fixed with Duct tape, it ain't worth fixin'!
Bobby
It seems it doesn’t matter what is collected the collector interjects his or her personality into the collection. I tend to be the opposite of OCD with what I call functional disorganization. My collection makes perfect sense to me but probably nobody else. About the only consistency in the collection is chronological order. I am always adding an interesting tidbit to my collection whether it is an article, postcard, cover, or some other related object. There are more interesting tidbits than stamps in my albums.
I was bored a couple weeks ago and drove an hour and a half to check out my first stamp club meeting. After seeing the albums presented I would be embarrassed to bring any of mine to show. Hopefully I am not the only hoarder that happens to collect stamps. Maybe I will take my stock books, they are kind of organized.
I use stockbooks for my collections. Most of them are Lighthouse, but I use whatever is available or that I can get my hands on. This means that it is a bit of a mess: new and secondhand, 16 pages, 32 pages, 64 pages, white paper, black paper and about all colours of covers available: red, brown, black, blue, grey, green...
I also have 3 Davo albums, hingeless but these are so expensive I cannot afford these for all the countries I collect. So for the moment my first goal is to upgrade all stockbooks to Lighthouse. Black pages if possible, and then each country in books of the same colour. Now I have Belgium in three books: a brown one and two red ones. Australia in one green, one red and one black, etc.
Garage sales are great for finding binders on the cheap. Also, keep an eye out on the dumpsters around office buildings. When businesses close or move, they toss alot of their items that they don't want to move or need. That often includes binders and other items that are good to use. They'll often just leave them in boxes alongside the dumpsters.
John Derry - great photo! Brings to mind the phrase: "You can't (or shouldn't) judge a book by its cover". Thanks for posting the picture and making some of us feel better for having things in boxes and envelopes as well as an album or two....... Sally
http://www.paperwishes.com/scripts/relevance_search.php?query=letters&project_search=0&x=0&y=0
Kelly, have you thought about self adhesive letters. The link above is for a company called, "Paper Wishes". It's for scrapbooking. These are expensive to buy multiple pages of letters, but I am pretty sure you can get them in the dollar store as well. Or try WalMart or Target. They come in a variety of sizes and styles.
Or I wonder if you could stencil on the titles with a gold pen. The pens are also in dollar stores. I use them all the time. Just make sure that each letter dries before doing the next letter, or you will smudge the gold ink from the previous letters.
Forgot to say that your albums look great. Well done. Wish I could find some as nice as yours.
I use the Steiner classic era pages 1840-1940 for my WW collection to 1940. They are housed so far in 35 1 1/2" Avery binders up through San Marino. ( I am still working on Sarawak through Zululand ;-)
I haven't counted the printed out pages, but Bill Steiner's website says 6500 pages for the classic era. The Steiners provided a space for every single major Scott number. Yes, I have a spot for the 1c blue Franklin "z" grill. ;-)
I usually put 1-3 countries per binder (. I use the Vario G binder. I also keep my GB Commonwealth collection in a Vario G binder (It's mostly just Australia, Canada and New Zealand with bits of others as I acquire them.) My GB collection is just in a slim plastic binder as I do not collect QE2 stamps. I haven't figured out how to label the Vario G binders yet so for the time being they are not in any particular order.
My main World Wide Postally Used stamps from 1840 (or so) to about 1970 -'75, whatever seems to be a good break point for a particular country, are in Minkus Master or Supreme Global albums with the most abusive Iron Curtains, Sand Dunes and a few other Jam Jar Labels having been consigned to the appropriate dustbin.
The US, UK and Canada are in those wide white three ring plasticized binders. The USA in two but with the dates reversed so that new pages are added in front as I get the stamps and mount them. Originally they were on Scott National Pages, but the last twenty years or so are on the Scott blank pages.
Great Britain and Canada also start with White Ace pages but eventually I began to use white, acid free, 67# stiff paper so I can mount what I want where I want the stamps to stay.
The Specialized Machins are in another pair of three ring binders on Vario pages.
At first, I used whatever three ring binders for the other post mid-seventies countries mounted also on blank pages but recently I have been acquiring the two, or three inch, white three ring loose leaf binders that I can decorate front and rear with scenic pictures of the area concerned or special pages of extras stamps from the country or area.
They are identified on their ends similar to the three that Doug scanned, except when I come across an extra flag stamp from the nation contained, it gets inserted on the end as well for ready reference.
Most of my favored countries also have a binder of manila stock pages to assemble sets and pages as I acquire the stamps.
Topics that I like also are in three ring binders often from White Ace or those well made "K-line" binders that are all that emains of collections I bought and stripped of useful stamps.
I prefer simple self made pages with a minimum of necessary information or numbers since in my mind I already know the country when I open the album and the year from the date on the upper corner of the page. I am seldom unable to tell immediately if a set is of Butterflies from one of Sailing Ships or who the featured person is.
I limit technical information such as perforations to sets where there is more then one possibility. Significant differences may be noted where important.
My albums are for my pleasure and are seldom shown to anyone either not fairly knowledgeable of one of my family, so a lot of extraneous verbiage that already is available from nearby catalogs is, quite simply, redundant.
Then there are binders of covers from all over the world that show different rates, usages or simply stamps I like on cover.
Some day, probably around the next turn of the century I will probably have all the loose stamps from the glassines and 102 cards mounted in place and I will be able to lean back and rest.
.
Maybe sooner.
Oh yes, one other thing, I have a will in which there is mention of certain albums being bequeathed to certain children or grand children and each of those albums has a small label taped within on the inside of the binder, along with a short explanation of value; wholesale vs retail, as well as how to post sets and singles in on-line auctions.
Charlie, You are an optromotist !!
Charlie said:
"Oh yes, one other thing, I have a will in which there is mention of certain albums being bequeathed to certain children or grand children and each of those albums has a small label taped within on the inside of the binder, along with a short explanation of value; wholesale vs retail, as well as how to post sets and singles in on-line auctions"
I belong to the I.S.G.C. (International Society of Guatemala Collectors) When a member passes on..the survivors get a good price for their material thourgh auction or private sale to other society members. The good Guatemala material is in the hands the society members not the dealers. So that takes care of the Guatemala stuff...now all the rest..who knows ??? If the kids are ambitious enough to take a U haul down to Dutch Country Auctions it would probably be worth their while.
I still have the WW Harris Ambassador but have added blank pages and glassine interleaves. Then I have the South Africa and later countries a Harris style album with pages that I have added and consists mainly of my US stamps. I've purchased some stock books and two three ring binders with stock pages of various sizes that I plan to use for my duplicates (most of which are organized in glassine envelopes in boxes). The covers, first day cover, souvenir sheets are in US post office albums as are sheets that did not come enclosed form the post office.The sheets are in the Rubbermaid containers as are the annual sets.
I collect all the world postally used and boy I have made some errors ! The most difficult thing to get my head round is that one solution does not fit all ( governments and corporations please note ), but that has finally sunk in and life is much easier. With the exception of GB (Stanley Gibbons springback albums- 8 in total plus one boxfile) - I use 4 ring ( in the U.S. I think would be 3 ring ) binders and blank album sheets hand-written - I find printed albums too restrictive. I buy the best leaves I can afford, but I do economise on binders using commercial stationery, sample books and company instruction manuals among others.
Now large countries ( that is ones I have a lot of stamps from), have an album ( or sometimes more than one) while others are grouped as to what appears sensible e.g British Commonwealth Africa, Scandinavia, Balkans, Middle East etc. As these outgrow their binders they are subdivided for example Scandinavia has been divided into Norway and Sweden,Finland and Aland, and Denmark,Faeroes,Greenland and Iceland.Some advance planning is necessary so that at no time will you have to do large amounts of rewriting.
Within each country is where the efficiency savings can be made, and this is where every country has to be considered seperately. A few ( particularly Eastern Europe) are strictly in date order,but most are done, definitives first, then short term definitives(those not commemorative but limited issue in the same way) - then commemoratives proper. US issues further have airmails, NVI ( no value indicated ),"flag" definitives and greetings/Christmas stamps segregated into sections - some other countries do too. Likewise with some of the people above definitives of the same or similar design appear together - for example Norwegian posthorns ( even the most modern ) follow from the earliest version in date order, followed by the next oldest design.Flourescent or phosphorised sets follow the non-tagged directly even when other stamps have been issued between. Examination of the catalogues and your collection so far will almost always immediately suggest the "right" solution -which will almost certainly be slightly different for each country. You also have to judge the likelihood of obtaining other stamps to decide what "gaps" you are going to leave. When your collection is small you are almost certain to have to rewrite and rearrange some countries, but as it grows this becomes less likely. My rewriting now is almost entirely of pages from the very earliest times of my collecting,which now do not have sufficient space.
In the end you have to make your own decisions, but the old military adage " Time saent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted" is very true.
Malcolm,
I looked and found the web site for Dollarama. Apparently they don't have online shopping. I would have ordered a dozen of those binders like Poodlemum posted in a heartbeat. I did fill out the question box so I should hear something from them tomorrow.
I looked this year when the school supplies were in but it kind of was a hit or miss last year. If my brain had been functioning a bit more I would have bought more the minute I saw them. I love them a lot!!
Kelly
Yea just think PoodleMum you could have sold them for $2 each here on SOR and made a buck on each one but even better yet. We all would have been able to get in on a great deal.
For anyone with a Hobby Lobby nearby, this SUPERSAFE brand album is sold there for around $15. They have an eternal 40% off one item coupon on their website, and you can just show the cashier your phone. That brings it down to less than $10 after sales tax.
The album is 16 page, (8 pages double side) and each side has a protective glassine leaf. I see this album on eBay averaging $20, so this is a good deal. Hobby Lobby nearest to me only stocks one of these at a time, so anytime I go in there and can't find anything I need for my model car fixation, I'll use the coupon to get one of these.
And before someone responds that those aren't stamps, they are not! I use this album to sort my model car decals. They require the same type of dry and organized storage as stamps, so why not?!
I collect Hong Kong upto 1997
Album 1 - Definitives
Album 2 - Definitive blocks & errors etc
Album 3 - Commemoratives
Album 4 - Commemoratives blocks & errors etc
Album 5 - Treaty Port Cancellations
Album 6 - Local Hong Kong cancellations
Album 7 - Ship Cancels, foreign arrival cancels
Album 8 - Perfins & other Security markings
Album 9 - FDC's
Album 10 - Postal History entires....
Album 11 - works in progress - ie things waiting to be written up or identified etc...
At the moment I use inexpensive acid free stock books. I don't like that hinges can damage the stamps. I have it arranged alphabetically by county and then postage denomination. It's a little different right now then most people, but as they are stock books and not hinged it will be easy to arrange when I decide what to do. I keep mint separate from used.
For My mint sheets, and Souvenir sheets I have a cheap binder with Avery protective sleeves. I need to get more sleeves and organize by country. I also want to put black acid free paper behind the sheets so the other stamps aren't showing through. At this point it is more about keeping them Protected.
For FDC I have FDC albums and arranged by date of issue. Again organized by country with the exception of a joint country issue (Like the Australia/USA Koala issue)
If I don't have an album for a country yet I keep the stamps in glassines by country separated by mint and used.
Hi Everyone;
@ xstitchalanna;
Welcome to Stamp-o-Rama, it looks as tho you have a great start on organizing your collection.
Hope you enjoy yourself on here, and glad to see you aren't too shy to join our discussions. We
get 50-60 new members a month, but only a fraction of them post on our discussion board. So
we will all look forward to getting to know you and learning about what you collect and why you
collect.
@ Everyone;
I house all my collection alphabetically in preprinted albums. Seven Scott blue internationals of
20-000 - 30,000 stamp capacity. The other half of my collection is housed in 26 volumes of Scott
green specialty albums. With capacity for about 250,000 stamps.
Those awaiting further sorting are in five boxes of 20,000 - 30,000 each. So I'll never run out
of stamps to sort.
Just Chillin'....
TuskenRaider
I use the Devon Album's which are produced by Stanley Gibbons I think. The pages are good quality white paper with a light squared background. They fit into the album with two pegs.
I use them because I can use my printer to print out pages to fit.
I found it too difficult to line up the pages exactly so I print out pictures and text but add the little corner marks for the stamps with pencil afterwards.
I collect both used (which I attach with hinges) and mint (which I attach with mounts).
the finished result is very nice.
Very interesting thread as I'm just returning to collecting and agonising on what/how to put my stamps in! I've been wondering about making my own pages but fear the computer software skills are a bit lacking.
GibChris your pages I really like but was wondering exactly what you mean when you say...
"I use them because I can use my pinter to print out pages that fit"
I thought you bought the 'ready-made' pages for the album and that typed your comments on to that? Or am I missing something and you actually make the pages with your computer that then fit this album?
Trevor
When I first began making my pages, I was as green as you purport to be. But even old dogs can learn, and the experience is fun and rewarding! Try it, you'll like it.
Bobby
Hi BobbyBarnhart!
You're probably right but I've had a go before at making and then printing out various things from my computer and they've never really been much good. This seemed the best idea so far i.e. using ready made sheets with the squares already on and then just copying and even pencilling in some borders. Even I (I think) could manage that!
I think I just need to get on and give it a go.
I buy pages for my Album. They have a squared grid printed onto them. I then use Excel, which is a spreadsheet program, where I have a template setup. I have rows and column widths the same as the grid on the blank pages.
I can then add text and pictures as I like. I add boxes for the stamps to fit but remove them before printing as they never match exactly the grid on the sheet. I add the boxes again afterwards directly onto the page with Pencil.
I hope this explains the process. Below is a page I have yet to print.
Thanks for that GibChris,
I see what you are doing now. I should explain perhaps that I've had a couple of strokes in the last few years that haven't helped working out spread-sheets, programmes etc with computers. However, I must admit that even before I had the strokes I wasn't exactly an expert with them anyway!
I think the best thing to do is to have a go and see what happens.
Tregeor
GibChris - I really like your self-designed album page - Nice work! I have been making some pages myself for my 'digital collection' (by 'digital collection' the stamps are scanned and digitally presented on proper pages while the stamps themselves are actually stored in stock books, some samples below)
I am using Powerpoint for making my pages, would absolutely recommend powerpoint rather than excel for designing purpose.
Jon
Nicely done, Jon!
Bobby - Thanks for the compliment!!
I have really enjoyed reading this thread, lots of interesting different approaches for arranging collections. I'll share some more off my organised chaos!
The example pages are from a new project I have started - to create similar digital pages for all WW pre-1900 (or any other natural cut-off year). It takes lots of time, but I enjoy the process to create the digital pages and add scans of the stamps. However it should be clarified that my collection is in real life not organised on album pages but in stock books (160 of them). A-Z. :
Then all comes chronological, including officials, P due, etc in same chronological string. (I dislike the concept of hiding all the old, beautiful so-called BOB items in the back of the book where they are seldom 'visited'). As in this 1st page Sweden sample, the 1856 and 1862 local post issues come 'where it belongs' in the timeline, not hidden as BOB:
I dedicate space both for the stamps/variants I have and what is missing. Where possible I include the miniature sheets directly into the album, or even mount them on the glassiness interleaving if not sufficient space:
I am satisfied with the combination of storage in stock books and digital presentation of the classics on virtual (non-existing) album pages - this way I get the 'best of both worlds', in my opinion. Even space for duplicates!
However, if I was to start again from scratch I would have used black Vario stocksheet pages (double-sided) from start - which offer more flexibility than the hard bound stockbooks. Guess it's too late to start on a complete new storage system now, it would simply be too time-consuming!
Looking forward to see more off your stuff out there!!
Jon
Wonderful looking! Very neat and well organized!
I commend you!
Randy
Thanks Randy!
My wife keeps telling me that my need for organizing things (read:stamps!) is because I am completely unorganized inside my head. And she is probably right
Love seeing all these pages and hearing how everyone is arranging their stamp collections. I am currently using black Vario stock pages for mint inscription blocks and mint Canada. But have an early Lighthouse album for my used Canada collection, and use lightly gridded album pages to create my own pages for newer used Canadian material. I store them in a 3-ring binder.
I set up the pages with my own hand writing, which is okay, but not great. If I was into exhibiting my work it would definitely need a makeover. I am waiting to go to my first stamp show and look at exhibits before I decide if I want to redo my recent Canadian album and how.
Rearranging my collection - I was making album pages with pretty boxes, etc and since things have changed for me, this method is just too tiresome and tedious.
SO - I've changed my methods.
I've got my complete DDR collection that I was working on. I research the info on the stamps and before the stamp pages per year, have a writeup on each stamp.
I want to enjoy my stamps and I haven't been able to do that. So change in method. Thus far in the past, I've created and mounted up to 1959 of DDR. But everything has just been sitting on the shelf.
With some new skills I've learned in lieu of my eyesight, I've taken the one album 1949-1957 and simply made blank pages that have a nice border and at the top I've listed the year. Since every stamp is detailed with a writeup ahead of each year, I took all the stamps from the first album and with the blank pages, lined up my ruler and mounted the stamps in chronological order with no boxes - just straight lines of stamps. I've reduced the amount of space in my album tremendously AND the pages look great. I can enjoy looking at a page of stamps nicely mounted in straight lines.
I can't believe how quickly I can mount my stamps and I can do the research on each event and include all the info I need in the writeup section. I'm really excited. I'm actually getting back to my stamps, working on my albums and albeit I'm really sore from doing all of that without a proper table setup, I'm really proud of my work.
Working on my stamps is fun again, it's not a job that appears to be a dark abyss.
Alongside my new world albums, I know I'm going to have fun. Trying to follow the "norm" for creating album pages is just going to turn me off rather than make it fun.
I can't see my computer. I can't see details of anything unless it is within 3" of my eyes. But with my new glasses and my stamps mounted this way, I can open the album and SEE my creation.
â¤â¤â¤â¤â¤
Oh - forgot to mention - remember how I was wondering how to label the dollar store leatherette binders? Problem solved ---
I have paper that is clear and has a sticky side. I'm going to emboss each album with clear labels written in Braille so I can just run my finger down each of the dozen identical albums, quickly find the one I want to use or see and there will be a nice fancy yet subtle label! No messing up my beautiful antique looking binders!
"Necessity is the mother of invention."
Bravo, Kelly.
I've shown how I'm managing my US collection on the board, but I'll add it to this thread...
I have the USA hoard from my youth, and I collected a lot of stuff. Singles, blocks, plate blocks, covers and unusual items. I have always hated having everything for the same stamp issue in different places. Here's my single album, here's my plate block album and here's my first day cover album. So I came up with a way to show everything I have for each specific issue in one format. It doesn't matter what I have for each issue, if I have something representative that's cool.
I decided on a two pocket clear archive page. I back up everything with white card stock cut to fit the pockets. It gives the pages rigidity and a nice background, so you aren't looking through the page at what's behind it. I run these through my printer for the album text.
Take for instance the NRA issue of 1933. I have a mint single, but I also have a plate block of 20 that I think is cool and unique. I also have a very nice registered cover usage... not a first day cover. And in my world that makes for a nice representative page.
For the Apollo 11 issue, I had a plate block, a Mr Zip single and a first day cover for a nice display.
As far as the National Defense issue of 1940, I had a plate block and a selvage single that was no doubt on the top of a 100 sheet pack. I also thought the meter cover with the related slogan was cool to display in that spot. I can add anything I want, pretty much like a stamp display. And if I find more things I like for any one stamp issue, I can add a page.
I chose to use colorful 1" binders. I have bought the clear pages on eBay in 500 page lots so they are pretty cost effective. Some of them hold 5 years worth of stamps, while some of the years where I had a lot of covers and such are 1-2 years. I like that thickness since I don't have a lot of pages to flop around as I'm paging through a binder and enjoying the contents! And I don't care how much space it all takes!
So that's my perspective. Eventually I may design album pages to hold it all, but for now I'm enjoying this format. It doesn't take a lot of time to make the pages, and I can move stuff around at will. And for the first time in my philatelic life I feel organized!
i know what you say about thickness..the 2 inch binders are large...but they fill up quickly and become bulky.
This thread was started in September 2012 with a simple question'
" .... Ok. so I start with country...??
How do you categorize your stamps?
In what order?
1. country ?
2. then size?
3. people?
4. places? ...."
There are some 83 posts and it has generated almost 11,000 views and we still wonder, "Who was that masked man ?'
My base is the Scott International world albums, which follow scott order: regular, semi-postal, air etc. I originally purchased these - volumes 1-6 in the 1970's, and decided to collect through that period- basically 1968. At that time I created a specialty collection of Nazi Germany and separated those from the main volumes in a Scott specialty binder on blank pages.
I continued that set up until my 50's, when, after my divorce, I decided to create a specialty collection of colonial Africa. Since that time I have gradually acquired secondhand Scott specialty pages for those areas housed in Scott binders. Naturally these areas were taken out of the world wide albums.
I also become much more active with my mistress stamp collection. As my depth progressed in the world wide collection I removed overcrowded pages and created my own on quadrille or blank pages. The remaining WW collection has thereby expanded from the original 6 to 13 volumes.
This past year I separated my extensive colonial Africa covers from the albums and created special presentation in two per page clear pages, so as to make both sides available for inspection. This is now in two 3inch loose leaf binders with well over 200 covers.
That is my journey to date.
Charlie, I seem to remember tuscany4me making a one word post about a year ago. It simply said, "goodbye" and I don't think he's made a post since.
For me, the journey into housing a collection has been just as involved as collecting the stamps themselves. After getting back into collecting,(much deeper then ever before) it didn't take long to figure out that my Harris "Statesman Deluxe" was never going to do. Even upgrading to a "Senior Statesman" fell way short of where I wanted to be. For one thing, I very much dislike the double sided pages, the stamps were constantly hanging up on each other and needing remounted. On some of the more extensive collections, I tried putting in blank divider sheets between the pages, but that was getting out of hand, too. Then, there were never spaces for all the stamps, not even within the same set. There had to be a better way.
While I still use the Harris albums for smaller collections, I decided on the Steiner pages for my expanded collections. Used and low value stamps, I hinge. High value and MNH, I use mounts. The best of the best, I put in mounts, but also protect the pages themselves with sheet protectors. I print my own pages and house them in 3 ring binders that have the clear-vue covers. In the outer binder, I always put in a duplicate stamp from the respective country to identify it. Sometimes, if I have a duplicate ss/ms, I'll center it in the front cover, just for looks.
Overall, I'm gaining on it, but there are still times when I wonder if I need to try something different.
WB
I went through the Non-Philatelic Discussion Topic this morning, and moved a large number of posts to more appropriate topic sections. You may find many older threads like this one that actually belonged in different spots.
The posts remaining in the Non-Philatelic Discussion Topic are related to other hobbies and collectible interests.
This is a great discussion. It's fun to see pictures of people's collections and to hear about the different approaches folks have.
I've been back in the hobby for only a year and a half (after 30 years away), and during that time, I've bought a couple of albums (typically one quarter to one third full) online, along with stray groupings of stamps here and there. Decided early on that I wanted to collect worldwide but not beat myself up over all the stamps that would NOT, for various reasons, end up in my collection. (Most of us can't buy all the stamps we might want.). I'm doing this for fun, after all; I buy what I like...mostly because I like it. I'm slowly but surely migrating stamps from those albums to a nice set of Lighthouse stock-page albums I picked up used. I've got about 20 countries set up on stock pages, with a little informative sketch of the country that I craft for each nation (which means I have an excuse to read up on the history and culture of lots of different places). I create a divider page to separate the groupings of stocks pages from one another, a pretty simple thing.
Here's the part where I'm rather unorthodox. I don't have time at this point in my life to be really religious about putting each stamp in perfect chronological order, nor exact catalog order. I do my best to get stamps in the right order by approximate decade, but I leave the task of more precise arrangements for when I will retire, which is more than a decade off. In the meantime, I want to use my stamps as an excuse to learn more about the world, and I enjoy the "eye candy" aspect of my stamps a great deal. Countries whose stamps I find to be more attractive get more attention from me than those of countries whose stamps I deem to be bland...a totally subjective standard, I'll admit!
I also have a separate stock book in which I mount stamps that are in a fairly random order, but I've decided I want to get them out of their glassines sooner rather than later, and I want to be able to thumb through those pages. I end up moving a few of these stamps to dedicated pages in the more organized country stock books periodically, as the mood strikes me. Liechenstein and Dahomey have grabbed my attention during this past month. I am completely enjoying the "no rules, just enjoy it" aspect of this hobby. My job is stressful right now, and it's nice to play around with my stamps, even if that means my collection might not pass muster for a more serious collector. That's fine; to each their own. But it really is fun to learn about others' collections. Thanks to the original poster for getting us all talking about this.
Steve,
Thanks for posting here!
It's nice to hear from collectors returning to the hobby after a long hiatus.
I did the same thing just over 10 years ago - only difference is I elected to go with just U.S. this time around.
As you said - to each his own! I'm glad you've returned to "the fold!"
I/We hope to hear from you again.....often!
Randy
My US singles collection is in Mystic albums so in Scott order. My Straits Settlements/Maylaysia collection (not much there) is on Steiner pages.
Here are my Albums with Pengüins stamps, S/S's, FDC's, etc.
I am Organizing my Mexico Classic (Specially Maximilian Stamps) and another Topics .
Regards!
Rodolfo
Thats beautiful rtvstamps, thanks for sharing the images. Always fun to see other's organization layout etc.
" .... Here's the part where I'm rather unorthodox. I don't have time ...... (to be) ..... putting each stamp in perfect chronological order, nor exact catalog order. I do my best to get stamps in the right order by approximate decade, ...... I want to use my stamps as an excuse to learn more about the world, and I enjoy the "eye candy" aspect of my stamps ....
And you are not alone, Steve, remember it is your collection and was created (I hope) for your enjoyment and not for any rigorous and actually quite arbitrary, "right order".
I for one have tried different schemes for different circumstances. First off the foundation is in Minkus Master Supreme Global Galactic Universal All-Encompassing World Wide Albums up to about year 1976, Earth Time, or thereabouts, depending on the country and how I feel about it politically, morally and emotionally. I think emotionally outweighs the other two. Most countries albums pick up there while a few were completely removed from the Minkus MSGGUAEWWA system and are in separate albums. Israel and Canada were grounded in White Ace albums but at some point were continued on heavier blank paper that continue as I fill in sets somthe order is not actually completely chronological.
As a for instance, Great Britain starts on blank pages in chronological order with my Penny Black and her most intimate associates, spaced out and annotated, the Minkus pages were removed and cast into the darkness. The spacing is more or less traditional except the added sections showing common definitive with clear circular date stamps in alternating rows of six or seven. Then as the UK began to produce issues of eight or ten related stamps they began to be assembled in a regimental formation four or five in line across the page depending on their actual size. They still remained in a somewhat chronological sequence up to a few years ago when for some reason the stamps were mounted as I completed, or nearly completed, a set.
However certain topics within the UK issues were similar enough that I felt they should all be friends. The Charles Darwin set of five were joined by similar sets showing dinosaurs and the issue devoted to Carolus Linnaeus. Then I could not resist adding some Darwin stamps from other countries on adjacent pages along with the Swedish Linnaeus set. A set of primeval beasts are nearby.
The recent Merchant Navy setamps were on a separate page that also holds a duplicate US Merchant Marine set of four. I've added some of the Danish stamps illustrating their tradition of a strong Merchant Navy as well.
The US album is similar starting with Scott Minuteman Pages up to about 2000 after which I have used blank pages. But Scott's layout leaves many pages with but four or five stamps on a page. When I come across a duplicate from some other country that relates to some US Issue, I often attach that foreign stamp next to the US stamp in the many blank spaces that Scott leaves between stamps.
Other countries after the mid-seventies are in their own album or related albums such as Scandinavia, Baltic states, the former Jugoslavia or Central America on blank pages which I start out in as close to chronological order as possible, one year to a page until that page is full at which time a second blank page is inserted in place and usually filled. If I suddenly discover a stamp which should be next to one I already mounted, it is not that difficult to remount them together pretty close to what might pass for chronological order.
I have a set of level one Machins ( differences visible to the naked eye) arranged on blank pages in the main UK all in value sequence four or five in a row leaving space here and there where a new issue can be inserted, but the main Machin set is in a separate album, ( Actually two binders.) of Vario eight row sleeves. Rather than chronological order they are in value order following the Deegam System. Of course, there is a cover album showing singular Machins used for postage during the time a specific rate was current.
I realize that many members prefer a more traditional approach according to the order set by Scott, Michel or Stanley Gibbons and company, and I find that impressive, but it would be like trying to force my square peg into their round hole.
I like to have the several sets of US Lighthouses all on one page, all the autos on another page even though they were issued years apart.
So create your own albums or use a pre-printed one, it is all up to you to determine what pleases you.
I collect the world, 1840-1979.
I am about to switch from Minkus Supreme Global binders (10 of 'em), to heavy duty three-ring binders (22 of 'em). I have already punched my Minkus pages, several years ago, for the three-ring potential. The problem with three-ring binders is that even large, heavy duty binders find Minkus' 9X12 pages protruding out of the long-edge side of the binder (i.e., about 1/4" too wide). However, I find that Bindertek Barrister 3" binders are slightly wider than most and there is no page protrusion. To that end I will be ordering a bunch of these soon, and putting my Minkus Supreme Global collection in them.
It will be organized as follows:
1. United States, US Possessions, United Kingdom and Channel Islands
2. British Africa
3. British North America I
4. British North America II
5. British Europe
6. British Central & South America and Antarctica
7. British Middle East and Egypt
8. British India and South East Asia
9. France, French Office, and Monaco
10. French Africa
11. French America, Asia and Oceania
12. Netherland, Belgium and Luxembourg and Colonies
13. Spain and Portugal and Colonies
14. Italy and Colonies, San Marino, Vatican City
15. Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland)
16. The Balkans (Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania)
17. Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia, Poland
18. Scandinavia, the Baltic States
19. The Orient
20. South America and Independent Caribbean I
21. South America and Independent Caribbean II
22. Independent Asia and Africa
- Since the Global pages are double sided, I use glassine interleaving on adjacent pages with heavy coverage.
- I use acid-free, photo-safe, double side, removable tape (thin sheers), instead of hinges. Been using for many years, no problems; it leaves stamps 100% easily removable and without any of the damaging affects of hinges.
And that's my collection.
Great posts..tuscany4mes posts seem to last forever...i always like to know what goes on in another collectors world. I have a minor penquin collection...two binders.
My New Jersey postmark collection pages..
Tom, that's pretty cool. Had you shown us that set up before? I like it.
"Tom, that's pretty cool. Had you shown us that set up before? I like it. "
Ok. so I start with country...??
How do you categorize your stamps?
In what order?
1. country ?
2. then size?
3. people?
4. places?
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I collect the world from A to Z. My albums are arranged by country with the USA first, then UN and then Abu Dhabi forward. The album pages are Scott, so they follow Scott order. Stamps that are not listed by Scott I place on Steiner album pages following the Scott pages.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
ty, interesting
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
In the mid-seventies I bought a used Minkus Supreme/Master Global set of albums and began the process of moving my collection from the two Harris Citation binders I had started with when I resumed collecting ten years earlier. For about three years I bought the annual updates until, being frustrated with all the junk that was included, I pared things down to about twelve volumes of favored countries.
So that accounts for the postally used stamps up to about 1975.
After that date, about 1975, each favored country, Germany, Japan, France, China, Austria, Oz, Eire, The Netherlands, India, the Scandinavian countries and a few other were put in their own binders.
USA, Canada, Israel and the UK binders start at the beginnings and stretch into multiple binders.
Other nations are also in separate binders after the mid-70s but by geo-political area, such as the Channel Islands, the Baltic nations, North Africa and the Palestine area, Turkey and Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy, Switzerland and Austria, The Middle East, Central Europe, Russia and the former Soviet states, British Commonwealth Islands and Colonials areas, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, the Far East. South and Central America is in three Scott Internationals. Topics; Ships, Birds, Flags, Lighthouses and WW II are in several additional binders as are several other subjects.
The Machin Specialized collection now reaches into three large loose leaf binders.
Within most of the country post 1975 albums the stamps are arranged mostly in the traditional chronological order, but sometimes I choose to put similar related subjects together.
Stock sorting book follow the same patterns.
The one thing that I recommend to others is that their collections should be arranged in a way that pleases them and not subject to some arbitrary arrangement created by an album manufacturer.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I categorize by country, and within each country in chronological order. But as cdj, I sometimes put similar issues next to each other.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
If you are collecting by country, then sort first by country, then by catalog number/date issued. If you collect by topic (people, places, events, etc) then country has no particular status as per your specific interest.
Roger
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Charlie, interesting that you and I were doing the same thing with our collection at the same time! I was moving stamps from the Harris Standard Album into Scott International. Preferred countries were going into Scott Specialized albums. Several years ago, I put all the pages together as I saw it cost too much to buy supplements for the Scott Specialized and the Internationals. All my album pages (Scott Specialized, Scott International, Steiner and blank) are now alphabetically in Scott Specialized binders (G&K version actually which hold more pages) as I described previously.
I get the Scott International pages each year, except for the Scott National for the USA. It's been working out quite well.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
In what order?
1. country - I think this is the default for anyone who keeps multiple countries, obviously
2. Date of Issue - I've changed from Catalog # to this... (With one exception, as I think I'm going to keep postage due's in their own "topical" binders.). This means mixing air mail/definitives/semi-postal etc. I think it has to do with the fact, that if you catalog something by date, you've got a consistent catalog.
3. Varieties - This mixes sort of with #2, so you can call this 2a. But it makes little sense to me, for example, if you're working with the Ireland Crown and Cross Series (scott 65-76), to then 120 spaces later throw in Scott #225 and 226, when it makes more sense to put the "sword of light" stamp with the previous Sword of Light stamps, as long as they're marked off to identify the different variations.
SO get the opening series in (and sorted as you see fit), then put the similar varieties with the types in that original series.
In fact, while I still use Scott to search, for my reference sheet purposes, I've been considering defining my own listing system for the above set up. (Will it work for everything? I dunno yet...)
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I collect 2 countries which I can define by eras. Each year is defined by order of issue date (I'm not a fond lover of Scott's system of dividing airmail/semi-postals, etc). The only time I don't follow the date of issue is in definitive series, which I put together & then list with their specific date of issue. Each of these countries span roughly 6 albums each. I keep the mint separate to the used/ctos.
The other part of my collection is topical & each topic has it's own binder (or two). Within these albums, I follow alphabetical order of country issues.
Every person has their own method & often change methods as years pass & interests change or as the collection grows. What may have been perfect for my collection 20 years ago is no good now. I'm actually in the midst of completely redesigning my albums. So as you can see, nothing is set in stone. Go with the flow & you will find an inspiring & perhaps unique way of designing your collection.
My advice is don't get hung up on Catalogue #s, etc. The Catalogues are only there as a guideline & reference point. That's one reason I design my own write-ups - my collection is mine, not some company's pre-stamp pages (only my opinion).
Enjoy your stamps, that's the best advice I can offer.
Kelly
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
As you can see by some of the posts, several of us through the years have changed the way our collection was compiled. No doubt you will do the same. Follow Kelly's advice, and look at the suggestions posted. Just remember that it's your collection, so do as you want, but be open to change as your collecting habits/needs evolve.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
One other point to add:
My method of sorting:
I sort years into glassines - once I have finished getting my years together in order, then I sort them into issue date and put them into a stock book. I leave spaces for copies that I know I will be getting soon or easy to find to fill the spot.
My collections are "complete" so with the exception of extremely off the wall priced issues that I'll never be able to afford (which thankfully in my two country collections there are only a few), I'm always able to fill the spots. Once I have everything sorted into stockbooks, I move them into Vario sheets and then start doing my write-ups. At this time I have a massive job ahead of me with redesigning my two countries as I'm a big history fan and I want to research every topic as much as I can to put a really good write-up together for each particular set.
I'm not a big fan on having one page with one stamp with two words on it to say when it was issued. Everyone is different of course. For my albums that have already been put together by previous owners, at this time, I've decided to leave them as they are and if there are any issues missing from the collection, I will later be able to fill them in and perhaps at that time do some changes in the setup of the albums.
All the best to you and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy - your stamps are there to be loved in a way that only you can love them
Kelly
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Thank you everyone. I've decided to sort/arrange by country.. then topic (people, places, things, etc.) Then sort by issue date.
Since I live in So Ca., I will have a section just for stamps depicting local/state.
I also want to do a section with "old" state stamps side by side of "new" state stamps, for comparison.
Clayton
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
"I'm not a big fan on having one page with one stamp with two words on it to say when it was issued"
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
The only time I'd have a "single" on a page is if it's a souvenir sheet that is either too big to fit on the same page as it's corresponding stamp set or was issued alone (as happens with DDR & USSR).
My pages always include info on the event (commemoratives), date of issue & each stamp is itemised with a description. If it is a single issue, generally speaking I can include the previous issue or following issue on the same page as my collection follows exact chronological order of issue.
In terms of my topical collection, the albums I have purchased with omnibus issues, I often see a single stamp on a page with the country name only. That does bug me because I think it's a waste of paper when several countries could be represented on a single page quite nicely & neatly.
So I'd say minimum 3 stamps based on size, write-up, etc. but of course there are exceptions in every situation.
Kelly
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
If you take the printed album pages, annual supplements often have on stamp on a page, especially with back of book items. Whenever I do a rework of a country, I look at those pages, and when warranted I print out full Steiner pages and discard the printed Scott pages. Cuts down on several pages per country, which is a big deal when collecting the entire world. Shelf space is very valuable!
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
It's fascinating to read how different collectors approach this question especially amongst collectors of world-wide stamps. Clearly there's no single best answer.
I arrange my stamps first by date within country (including regular issues, postage dues, officials etc. in a single date sequence) then have pages for telegraph & telephone stamps, revenues, savings stamps, Christmas/Easter labels and other cinderellas where I have examples. I then arrange countries geographically so that as much as possible countries close to each other on the map are close together in my albums.
I've obviously had to make compromises as the countries set out on the surface of the globe don't map naturally to a linear sequence but this works well for me.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I admire the organizational abilities of most other stamp collectors in comparison with mine; particularly the obsessive-compulsive traits of some Stamporama members. How on earth do you collectors toe the line over the accumulating years?
Spent the afternoon looking through some of my albums and it is readily evident to see how my organizational
plan for displaying stamps has changed over the years as I have "matured" and as different (better?) ideas
for displaying my stamps have come to mind and have been adopted. Within an album of mine, a viewer can calculate my chronological progression down life's road (and it's not a long, straight road that knows no turning).
It's not practicable for me to reorganize my stamps according to my latest idea - too many stamps, too little time.
I have had occasion to look at two collections of stamps that were virtually micrometre-perfect, including the album covers embracing them; enjoyable and educational to examine but their faultlessness was, for me, a fault. (Don't mean this as a criticism, merely an observation.) The owners of those "perfect" stamp collections politely suggested I may be in the wrong hobby.
Have borrowed many ideas and practical tips from Stamporama members and other stamp collectors. I really enjoy seeing the many beautiful, imaginative stamp displays that members share with me on our "discussion" page.
May not be perfect, but I love collecting stamps.
John Derry
P. S. Saint Agnes, the patron saint of stamp collectors, was not perfect.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I collect everything that is in Scott. At one time I had all of the specialty albums but finally realized that I was tieing up more money in the albums and supplements then the stamps so I remounted everything and sold the albums. I now use 1 inch three ring notebooks and mount in pure Scott order. I mount on 8 x 11, 25 space approval sheets in Scott number order. If I do not have any stamps for a given set of 25 numbers there is no page. If I get stamps for that page, I store tem in souvenir sheet sales page until I feel there are enough to make a page. That number is arbitrary depending on my available time. I put all "A" counties in one binder to start and as I got many stamps for a country, I gave it a separate binder. So it is now , for example, all "A" countries except Argentina and Australia which have their own binders and if necessary two or three binders.I now have 250 plus binders and many of those are in need of being split into two binders. Canada is now in seven binders and needs to be split into at least two more. When I first started this I put 1 25 on a page and then 25-50 on the next page even if it split sets. I now start a page and do not run a set over onto the start of a new page unless it has more than 25 stamps in the set. thus I have some pages that have less than 25 stamps on them. It works great for me unless I buy a collection in other than Scott format like Minkus. Then it can become tedious going back and forth for the transfer of stamps. I am also lazy so if I buy a collection where the pages are in good condition and the stamps on the page are in Scott order, I will trim the page, three hole punch it and mount it where it goes in my scheme of mounting.
Jack
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Jack:
You have more stamp albums than some collectors have stamps.
Perhaps you would consider sharing a photograph with us
illustrating how your albums are stored/filed or otherwise
organized and preserved for posterity.
John Derry, who sometimes has to use a flashlight to find
a misplaced stamp album
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
On the pages I create I tend to add minimal information, things that are important to me and would not be obvious to the viewer.
For instance a set of three or four stamps each showing a locomotive do not need the word "Locomotive" beneath each one, nor actually beneath the set. Just about any fool can usually see that they are showing trains from a particular country. One of my friends in out local stamp club is enthralled with Lighthouses, more or less by country and when looking at his accumulation it is quite obvious what his topic is, but beneath just about each and every one he has carefully written the Scott number and the magic word "Lighthouse".
A few pages where each stamp is not so identified has the title at the top and his outside cover is festooned with a couple of pictures of lighthouses.
Oh, yes, if I recall correctly each and every stamp or set has a lightly penciled notation with the most recent Scott listing which he updates from time to time.
The only ones that he has added the name and location of the lighthouse to his identification are where the name is plainly inscribed on the stamp already.
It is truly a labor of love but to the casual viewer boring and tedious. (Not that I'd ever say that to discourage him. )
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Since I primarily collect USA in bulk, Canada & Japan in specialized, I draw and print out my own books. I collect MNH and canceled (used). I like to have covers of each stamp also. On stamps after 1920 I have all the plate blocks, line pairs, and I also print out a short history of the particular stamp. I like to collect memorabilia associated to these stamps too! My 1 and a half inch books (all 12 of them) are full and I currently need a couple more. Since each book is a different color it's difficult to find new colors and I do not wish to go to the 2" books as they do not fit in my safe. The 1847 to 1899 book is dark red as I seem to collect the best only and I have plenty of room for additional pages. The fire engine red (1900-1919) book is bulging at the seems. All the other books are very full but I allowed for expansion as I expected to acquire much more material for this era. Some pages have only a FDC, Plateblock/LP, MNH, and used attached with a short write up about the significance of that stamp. I currently have 1,554 pages completed in the US collection alone. It's been a labor of love, something I'm passing down to my family when it's it's time for me to check out!
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
You know its tough on a stamp collector when their memory starts to go..but anyway,who arranged this guys stamp collection? He could have all the money in the world..but we all have the same amount of time..not to mention energy !
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Nothing exceeds like excess.
John Derry
P.S. At least he could have smiled.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Poor guy took his last ride in the back of a Ranchero...i wonder if there was an auction house that could handle it ??
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I only collect US, and for some reason I got in the habit of separating definitives from commemoratives. Probably the old Minkus album I started with!
Back of Book (BOB) was originally Airmail and other stuff, but I finally segregated the Airmail out. I have recently added a section for examples of things I don't collect, so I have:
1. Definitives
2. Commemoratives
3. Airmail
4. BOB (Parcel Post, Postage Due, Officials, Priority/Express, etc.)
5. Beyond BOB (Examples of revenues, joint issues, etc.)
Lars
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Lars,
You must be my twin. Your arrangement is an almost exact duplicate of how I collect US.
Cheers, Mel
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Once upon a time my life was simple. I had two large albums, one containing Yugoslavia 1919-2003, the other the constituent parts (Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia, Kosovo, Fiume etc). The stamps were in ordered lines following the catalogue, and occasionally interleaved with perfins, fiscals, fakes/forgeries, specimens/trials etc. In addition there was a single large folder of postal stationery.
Then I started to do shows, exhibitions and competitions. For these purposes stamps were removed, and afterwards never replaced. They lived with their companions in a separate section along with any new material I obtained relating to that particular specialist topic.
So I now have two half-denuded albums, and everything else in separate albums or sections thereof:
Disputed borders
Postage dues and porte paye
Officials
King Aleksander I
Tito
Definitives
Etiquette labels and handstamps
Machine cancels
Single circle handstamps
Double circle handstamps
Bilingual cancels
Political labels
Military issues
Sarajevo Olympics
Hyperinflationary issues
UNEF
Rab
TB labels
MSs, se tenants and booklets
FDCs issued outside Beograd
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
thats ok as long as it does not get complicated, here are a few of my Guatemala scott 118 Waterlows..not showing the officials and perfins !
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I would tend to classify myself as a hoarder vs collector :-) I collect stamps :-)… any country, any era, front of book, back of book.. telegraph .. match medicine.. revenues.. mint.. used you name it.. classics to wallpaper.
So organization is bit all over the board. I attempt to have scott specialty albums for anything that I am starting to get a significant chunk of .. Belgium and Colonies, france and colonies.. and anyplace I can start a new collection by buying an album already started with a fair amount of stamps.
For my specialties.. Dahomey, Iceland, Ethiopia, Russia, US Revenues I like Palo albums and would like to keep upgrading to these as I go.
My US collection is in 2 liberty albums for singles and 3 harris albums for PBs.
For the odd ball stuff telegraph.. match medicine ect. I do my own pages.
I believe the bottom line is always what works for you. My ADD keeps me jumping around so anything too complex or uniform would probably freak me out so the different styles and albums keep my entertained while creating some nice looking collections.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
My collection is pretty straight forward.
British Royalty in their SG Royalty albums according to topic. When I ran out of SG albums, I just use my regular binders.
I recently found at the Dollarama just before school started some beautiful tan and dark blue and tan and black leatherette 2" hand-stitched binders, ultra sturdy (stand on their own even when empty). The spines look like the old fashioned leather books - absolutely gorgeous and for $3 a pop - well worth it - in fact they beat the other albums you spent $50+.
My German collection is divided into eras (a work in progress). Each era in a number of the above-mentioned binders in hand-made pages of antique parchment design archival paper from Staples (like Office Max in the US) inside archival sheet protectors. At the beginning of each decade I have an historical write-up of each issue (or mention of issues when no historical information is required). MNH are separate from used/ctos (which have yet to be done). Covers in their album. The used/ctos will probably end up just in regular binders.
My Russian collection is still being sorted so they are in varios (I only collect to the end of the USSR) and they will be housed the same as above and I'm really hoping that next year Dollarama will once again have these "once in a lifetime binders" or else I'll have to find something else to house Russia.
My QV are in their own simple binder. I have some Lighthouse Grande with slipcover but since finding these new binders, I've found they look more elegant and I really like them.
My Canada is a yet-to-do project. I have some Canada albums with slipcovers but I'll decide later if I want to use them - they are no longer being produced so I just grabbed them when they were available at the local dealer so that I'd have "Canada" albums.
Worldwide is only for trade so they just go into stockbooks.
The good thing about my collecting interests is each has their own easy way of putting them together.
My only "up in the air" issue is because I have all these beautiful albums from the dollar store that are identical is how to eventually label them without making the spines look cheap. Perhaps I'll find a method of labelling the spines using some type of stylus to match the "era" style of the albums.
Not a bad find at a dollar store eh? For the price of two or three "official stamp albums" I was able to get my paws on about 20 binders. If I had known they were there earlier, I would have bought them all. As it is, once I discovered them, I went to every Dollarama in my city and bought every one available except for two - one had a visible scratch on the cover (which really doesn't matter in hindsight because you only see the spines) and one had some loose stitching - but I like perfection.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I use a variety of album and binder types for my different collecting interests.
My omnibus series are in different types of albums. I keep the KE7 Silver Jubilee, KGVI Coronation, UPU 1949, and KGVI Silver Wedding in separate stock books; QE2 Coronation is in a White Ace album, and was my first omnibus issue collected; Roland Hill centenary, QE2 Silver Wedding, and Charles and Diana Wedding are in specialty binders that allow me to include blocks, booklets, souvenir sheets, and selvage issues; and everything else (Victory/Peace, Churchill 1966, Freedom from Hunger, UNESCO, ITU, etc.) are in stockbooks.
My British Hong Kong collections are in four different albums; all 1862 to 1997: All mint; all used; specialty cancels (including treaty port and foreign cancels on HK stamps); postal stationery and revenues (QV period only).
QV across the Empire/Commonwealth are in individual Scott International binders. One for GB alone, one for Canada, India, and Australian States; two for the rest.
I have several sizes of cover albums, mostly Lighthouse and Scott, for various postal stationery and covers that I've collected.
Last, I have stockbooks and 3-ring binders with the rest of my smaller collections, including Hawaii postal stationery and stamps, Paquebot/ship cancels, space theme stamps, and a special binder of marine mammal stamps for my goddaughter; it contains stamp issues I think she would like and I pass along to her at birthdays, Thanksgiving, etc.
Sure looks eclectic, and almost chaotic, with these different albums, binders, etc. but it works for the types of issues I collect.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Ppodle Mum - your binders sound really neat. Would you be able to post a picture? Are they all the same color? What a great find! Sally
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Same here, Kelly. I would like as much detail as possible as they seem to be exactly what I have been looking for (in all the wrong places, apparently). I doubt that I will find them at the bargain prices you found, but whatever I pay it has to be better than the hugely inflated prices carried by the brand name album makers.
Bobby
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
My wife and i use binders that take up to 3 inches of pages ..we bought them at Walgreen drugs for in the neighborhood of 5 dollars each..that might have been a sale price..the thing is i tend to overload them with pages..they open fine..but when i have to close them i have flip flop the pages..you would have to attach a glued label to identify the contents as they have no slot to insert a label...my friends lighthouse albums (color coded by area) do look a lot better on the shelf...but i am more interested in the contents than the outward appearance !
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Not a bad find eh? If anyone has any ideas of how to label them without ruining them or making them look cheap, I'd love to hear all suggestions.
It's interesting to see the leatherette binders next to the Lighthouse ones - you can clearly see the "old-fashioned" binding on the leatherette ones and the simulated lines on Lighthouse ones. What a big difference.
Kelly
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Kelly,
Those really look nice! Years ago, I had some gold foil stuff that could be held down on a surface (think old fashioned photo albums). While holding the leaf/small page steady, you could write whatever you wanted and it would transfer to wharever you were holding it against. I do not remember what it was called but it might still be available in craft or hobby stores.
Two drawbacks: you must have a very sure and steady hand and you must not make any mistakes because it doesn't erase. At one point I had a pen that wrote with metallic gold ink but the same issues would apply.
Don't think you would want to use a cheap label maker but maybe some of the newer models would do ok.
We have one made by "Brother" at work and it is pretty nice. You can pick whatever typeset you want, size of print, etc... And they stick nicely. I used to use the same kind at a library I volunteered at; the labels held up great. I agree with you - these are too nice to ruin.
Thanks for posting photos....
Sally
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Thanks Sally
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Kelly, I use an adhesive clear label holder with a paper label that I can change. The illustrated one below is from Print File dot com, a photo supply store I use; $3.95 for a packet of a dozen. You peel a paper backing and stick the holder to the spine of the binder. Once stuck, it can't be removed though, but you can change the label easily.
The holder part is about 1.5 x 3 inches.
Peter
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Poodle_Mum’s comments on her dollar-store album “findsâ€
are simply over the top in a wonderful sort of way. As she
likes perfection, I’ll never make it to her radar screen.
It hypnotically bewitches me to see some of these
breath-taking assemblies of stamp albums, every bit as
intriguing as their content. Upon reading Poodle_Mum’s
dollar-store shopping odyssey, I just had to go and look
at my collection of album covers for stamps. Grabbed
one typical (representative) binder and took a snapshot:
Even here, on Vancouver Island, I can sense the
cringing and apallment of Stamporama’s cultured
membership - here’s hoping I won’t be blackballed
from the club.
In self-defence, I will admit to owning some pricey
brand-name albums - not at all worth the money - and some
albums which I purchased at thrift shops (goodwill stores).
My postage stamps appear indifferent to all this hullabaloo
so why should I be concerned?
Truth in advertising: I photoshopped the image above to remove
my smile of smug satisfaction; and, Stamporama
members who read the fine print are already aware that
“perfection†is not a part of my stamp collecting hobby.
John Derry
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
John, i love it..Vancouver Island is great as well !!!!
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I am using 3 ring binders which had a plastic on the covers and on the spine in which you can place a title.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
John - that is a beautiful album (No sarcasm intended - it's beautiful because it's yours.)
I just have a thing about books in general. Most of my books are Jewish Law books and are very well used inside, but I keep them in pristine condition - you'd never know some of them have been studied for 20 years looking at them, you'd think they were bought yesterday at the store. I actually go bananas if a page gets slightly bent (yeah I know - extreme OCD!!). The Rabbis at school used to just shake their heads and one of the Rabbis told me that my books are for study and they should look well worn - I said they are well worn - the information goes into my head and is worn out well in there!
When I saw those binders, I just melted and thought oh those are wonderful. My stamps are the most important part of course, but I like the "old-fashioned" look and also that I use parchment designed paper inside (which I had started using before I ever laid eyes on these beauties) and thought - what a wonderful combination.
That's just me though.
There is a label on one of those SG albums that I've been meaning to take off for years (it came on it - just taped on) - I'm going to go pull that off right now - what an eyesore for me!
The importance is that every person's collection (inside and possibly out) reflects that individual's interests and personality. When people see my collection, how it's arranged (with the exception of some of the SG albums that were bought almost complete - I do plan to re-do them though and make them my own), they get a feeling for who I am. Those who know me well take one look at them and see that I'm a history buff. I think that's one of the reasons why these dollar store binders caught my attention. I was going for that idea when I got the Lighthouse ones and before these binders came into my possession, I thought they were the most beautiful ones I had. I've also had that obsession with the padded binders which leads me to the SG binders.
I'm not one for buying "albums" that have pre-made pages, that's not me. It wouldn't ever be *my* collection because I didn't re-create my personality within the pages.
The outside is just the ribbon on the package
Kelly
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
LOL John!
Everyone who knows me (or who has walked through my house) are well aware that I firmly believe that if it cain't be fixed with Duct tape, it ain't worth fixin'!
Bobby
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
It seems it doesn’t matter what is collected the collector interjects his or her personality into the collection. I tend to be the opposite of OCD with what I call functional disorganization. My collection makes perfect sense to me but probably nobody else. About the only consistency in the collection is chronological order. I am always adding an interesting tidbit to my collection whether it is an article, postcard, cover, or some other related object. There are more interesting tidbits than stamps in my albums.
I was bored a couple weeks ago and drove an hour and a half to check out my first stamp club meeting. After seeing the albums presented I would be embarrassed to bring any of mine to show. Hopefully I am not the only hoarder that happens to collect stamps. Maybe I will take my stock books, they are kind of organized.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I use stockbooks for my collections. Most of them are Lighthouse, but I use whatever is available or that I can get my hands on. This means that it is a bit of a mess: new and secondhand, 16 pages, 32 pages, 64 pages, white paper, black paper and about all colours of covers available: red, brown, black, blue, grey, green...
I also have 3 Davo albums, hingeless but these are so expensive I cannot afford these for all the countries I collect. So for the moment my first goal is to upgrade all stockbooks to Lighthouse. Black pages if possible, and then each country in books of the same colour. Now I have Belgium in three books: a brown one and two red ones. Australia in one green, one red and one black, etc.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Garage sales are great for finding binders on the cheap. Also, keep an eye out on the dumpsters around office buildings. When businesses close or move, they toss alot of their items that they don't want to move or need. That often includes binders and other items that are good to use. They'll often just leave them in boxes alongside the dumpsters.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
John Derry - great photo! Brings to mind the phrase: "You can't (or shouldn't) judge a book by its cover". Thanks for posting the picture and making some of us feel better for having things in boxes and envelopes as well as an album or two....... Sally
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
http://www.paperwishes.com/scripts/relevance_search.php?query=letters&project_search=0&x=0&y=0
Kelly, have you thought about self adhesive letters. The link above is for a company called, "Paper Wishes". It's for scrapbooking. These are expensive to buy multiple pages of letters, but I am pretty sure you can get them in the dollar store as well. Or try WalMart or Target. They come in a variety of sizes and styles.
Or I wonder if you could stencil on the titles with a gold pen. The pens are also in dollar stores. I use them all the time. Just make sure that each letter dries before doing the next letter, or you will smudge the gold ink from the previous letters.
Forgot to say that your albums look great. Well done. Wish I could find some as nice as yours.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I use the Steiner classic era pages 1840-1940 for my WW collection to 1940. They are housed so far in 35 1 1/2" Avery binders up through San Marino. ( I am still working on Sarawak through Zululand ;-)
I haven't counted the printed out pages, but Bill Steiner's website says 6500 pages for the classic era. The Steiners provided a space for every single major Scott number. Yes, I have a spot for the 1c blue Franklin "z" grill. ;-)
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I usually put 1-3 countries per binder (. I use the Vario G binder. I also keep my GB Commonwealth collection in a Vario G binder (It's mostly just Australia, Canada and New Zealand with bits of others as I acquire them.) My GB collection is just in a slim plastic binder as I do not collect QE2 stamps. I haven't figured out how to label the Vario G binders yet so for the time being they are not in any particular order.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
My main World Wide Postally Used stamps from 1840 (or so) to about 1970 -'75, whatever seems to be a good break point for a particular country, are in Minkus Master or Supreme Global albums with the most abusive Iron Curtains, Sand Dunes and a few other Jam Jar Labels having been consigned to the appropriate dustbin.
The US, UK and Canada are in those wide white three ring plasticized binders. The USA in two but with the dates reversed so that new pages are added in front as I get the stamps and mount them. Originally they were on Scott National Pages, but the last twenty years or so are on the Scott blank pages.
Great Britain and Canada also start with White Ace pages but eventually I began to use white, acid free, 67# stiff paper so I can mount what I want where I want the stamps to stay.
The Specialized Machins are in another pair of three ring binders on Vario pages.
At first, I used whatever three ring binders for the other post mid-seventies countries mounted also on blank pages but recently I have been acquiring the two, or three inch, white three ring loose leaf binders that I can decorate front and rear with scenic pictures of the area concerned or special pages of extras stamps from the country or area.
They are identified on their ends similar to the three that Doug scanned, except when I come across an extra flag stamp from the nation contained, it gets inserted on the end as well for ready reference.
Most of my favored countries also have a binder of manila stock pages to assemble sets and pages as I acquire the stamps.
Topics that I like also are in three ring binders often from White Ace or those well made "K-line" binders that are all that emains of collections I bought and stripped of useful stamps.
I prefer simple self made pages with a minimum of necessary information or numbers since in my mind I already know the country when I open the album and the year from the date on the upper corner of the page. I am seldom unable to tell immediately if a set is of Butterflies from one of Sailing Ships or who the featured person is.
I limit technical information such as perforations to sets where there is more then one possibility. Significant differences may be noted where important.
My albums are for my pleasure and are seldom shown to anyone either not fairly knowledgeable of one of my family, so a lot of extraneous verbiage that already is available from nearby catalogs is, quite simply, redundant.
Then there are binders of covers from all over the world that show different rates, usages or simply stamps I like on cover.
Some day, probably around the next turn of the century I will probably have all the loose stamps from the glassines and 102 cards mounted in place and I will be able to lean back and rest.
.
Maybe sooner.
Oh yes, one other thing, I have a will in which there is mention of certain albums being bequeathed to certain children or grand children and each of those albums has a small label taped within on the inside of the binder, along with a short explanation of value; wholesale vs retail, as well as how to post sets and singles in on-line auctions.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Charlie, You are an optromotist !!
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Charlie said:
"Oh yes, one other thing, I have a will in which there is mention of certain albums being bequeathed to certain children or grand children and each of those albums has a small label taped within on the inside of the binder, along with a short explanation of value; wholesale vs retail, as well as how to post sets and singles in on-line auctions"
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I belong to the I.S.G.C. (International Society of Guatemala Collectors) When a member passes on..the survivors get a good price for their material thourgh auction or private sale to other society members. The good Guatemala material is in the hands the society members not the dealers. So that takes care of the Guatemala stuff...now all the rest..who knows ??? If the kids are ambitious enough to take a U haul down to Dutch Country Auctions it would probably be worth their while.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I still have the WW Harris Ambassador but have added blank pages and glassine interleaves. Then I have the South Africa and later countries a Harris style album with pages that I have added and consists mainly of my US stamps. I've purchased some stock books and two three ring binders with stock pages of various sizes that I plan to use for my duplicates (most of which are organized in glassine envelopes in boxes). The covers, first day cover, souvenir sheets are in US post office albums as are sheets that did not come enclosed form the post office.The sheets are in the Rubbermaid containers as are the annual sets.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I collect all the world postally used and boy I have made some errors ! The most difficult thing to get my head round is that one solution does not fit all ( governments and corporations please note ), but that has finally sunk in and life is much easier. With the exception of GB (Stanley Gibbons springback albums- 8 in total plus one boxfile) - I use 4 ring ( in the U.S. I think would be 3 ring ) binders and blank album sheets hand-written - I find printed albums too restrictive. I buy the best leaves I can afford, but I do economise on binders using commercial stationery, sample books and company instruction manuals among others.
Now large countries ( that is ones I have a lot of stamps from), have an album ( or sometimes more than one) while others are grouped as to what appears sensible e.g British Commonwealth Africa, Scandinavia, Balkans, Middle East etc. As these outgrow their binders they are subdivided for example Scandinavia has been divided into Norway and Sweden,Finland and Aland, and Denmark,Faeroes,Greenland and Iceland.Some advance planning is necessary so that at no time will you have to do large amounts of rewriting.
Within each country is where the efficiency savings can be made, and this is where every country has to be considered seperately. A few ( particularly Eastern Europe) are strictly in date order,but most are done, definitives first, then short term definitives(those not commemorative but limited issue in the same way) - then commemoratives proper. US issues further have airmails, NVI ( no value indicated ),"flag" definitives and greetings/Christmas stamps segregated into sections - some other countries do too. Likewise with some of the people above definitives of the same or similar design appear together - for example Norwegian posthorns ( even the most modern ) follow from the earliest version in date order, followed by the next oldest design.Flourescent or phosphorised sets follow the non-tagged directly even when other stamps have been issued between. Examination of the catalogues and your collection so far will almost always immediately suggest the "right" solution -which will almost certainly be slightly different for each country. You also have to judge the likelihood of obtaining other stamps to decide what "gaps" you are going to leave. When your collection is small you are almost certain to have to rewrite and rearrange some countries, but as it grows this becomes less likely. My rewriting now is almost entirely of pages from the very earliest times of my collecting,which now do not have sufficient space.
In the end you have to make your own decisions, but the old military adage " Time saent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted" is very true.
Malcolm,
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I looked and found the web site for Dollarama. Apparently they don't have online shopping. I would have ordered a dozen of those binders like Poodlemum posted in a heartbeat. I did fill out the question box so I should hear something from them tomorrow.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I looked this year when the school supplies were in but it kind of was a hit or miss last year. If my brain had been functioning a bit more I would have bought more the minute I saw them. I love them a lot!!
Kelly
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Yea just think PoodleMum you could have sold them for $2 each here on SOR and made a buck on each one but even better yet. We all would have been able to get in on a great deal.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
For anyone with a Hobby Lobby nearby, this SUPERSAFE brand album is sold there for around $15. They have an eternal 40% off one item coupon on their website, and you can just show the cashier your phone. That brings it down to less than $10 after sales tax.
The album is 16 page, (8 pages double side) and each side has a protective glassine leaf. I see this album on eBay averaging $20, so this is a good deal. Hobby Lobby nearest to me only stocks one of these at a time, so anytime I go in there and can't find anything I need for my model car fixation, I'll use the coupon to get one of these.
And before someone responds that those aren't stamps, they are not! I use this album to sort my model car decals. They require the same type of dry and organized storage as stamps, so why not?!
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I collect Hong Kong upto 1997
Album 1 - Definitives
Album 2 - Definitive blocks & errors etc
Album 3 - Commemoratives
Album 4 - Commemoratives blocks & errors etc
Album 5 - Treaty Port Cancellations
Album 6 - Local Hong Kong cancellations
Album 7 - Ship Cancels, foreign arrival cancels
Album 8 - Perfins & other Security markings
Album 9 - FDC's
Album 10 - Postal History entires....
Album 11 - works in progress - ie things waiting to be written up or identified etc...
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
At the moment I use inexpensive acid free stock books. I don't like that hinges can damage the stamps. I have it arranged alphabetically by county and then postage denomination. It's a little different right now then most people, but as they are stock books and not hinged it will be easy to arrange when I decide what to do. I keep mint separate from used.
For My mint sheets, and Souvenir sheets I have a cheap binder with Avery protective sleeves. I need to get more sleeves and organize by country. I also want to put black acid free paper behind the sheets so the other stamps aren't showing through. At this point it is more about keeping them Protected.
For FDC I have FDC albums and arranged by date of issue. Again organized by country with the exception of a joint country issue (Like the Australia/USA Koala issue)
If I don't have an album for a country yet I keep the stamps in glassines by country separated by mint and used.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Hi Everyone;
@ xstitchalanna;
Welcome to Stamp-o-Rama, it looks as tho you have a great start on organizing your collection.
Hope you enjoy yourself on here, and glad to see you aren't too shy to join our discussions. We
get 50-60 new members a month, but only a fraction of them post on our discussion board. So
we will all look forward to getting to know you and learning about what you collect and why you
collect.
@ Everyone;
I house all my collection alphabetically in preprinted albums. Seven Scott blue internationals of
20-000 - 30,000 stamp capacity. The other half of my collection is housed in 26 volumes of Scott
green specialty albums. With capacity for about 250,000 stamps.
Those awaiting further sorting are in five boxes of 20,000 - 30,000 each. So I'll never run out
of stamps to sort.
Just Chillin'....
TuskenRaider
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I use the Devon Album's which are produced by Stanley Gibbons I think. The pages are good quality white paper with a light squared background. They fit into the album with two pegs.
I use them because I can use my printer to print out pages to fit.
I found it too difficult to line up the pages exactly so I print out pictures and text but add the little corner marks for the stamps with pencil afterwards.
I collect both used (which I attach with hinges) and mint (which I attach with mounts).
the finished result is very nice.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Very interesting thread as I'm just returning to collecting and agonising on what/how to put my stamps in! I've been wondering about making my own pages but fear the computer software skills are a bit lacking.
GibChris your pages I really like but was wondering exactly what you mean when you say...
"I use them because I can use my pinter to print out pages that fit"
I thought you bought the 'ready-made' pages for the album and that typed your comments on to that? Or am I missing something and you actually make the pages with your computer that then fit this album?
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Trevor
When I first began making my pages, I was as green as you purport to be. But even old dogs can learn, and the experience is fun and rewarding! Try it, you'll like it.
Bobby
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Hi BobbyBarnhart!
You're probably right but I've had a go before at making and then printing out various things from my computer and they've never really been much good. This seemed the best idea so far i.e. using ready made sheets with the squares already on and then just copying and even pencilling in some borders. Even I (I think) could manage that!
I think I just need to get on and give it a go.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I buy pages for my Album. They have a squared grid printed onto them. I then use Excel, which is a spreadsheet program, where I have a template setup. I have rows and column widths the same as the grid on the blank pages.
I can then add text and pictures as I like. I add boxes for the stamps to fit but remove them before printing as they never match exactly the grid on the sheet. I add the boxes again afterwards directly onto the page with Pencil.
I hope this explains the process. Below is a page I have yet to print.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Thanks for that GibChris,
I see what you are doing now. I should explain perhaps that I've had a couple of strokes in the last few years that haven't helped working out spread-sheets, programmes etc with computers. However, I must admit that even before I had the strokes I wasn't exactly an expert with them anyway!
I think the best thing to do is to have a go and see what happens.
Tregeor
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
GibChris - I really like your self-designed album page - Nice work! I have been making some pages myself for my 'digital collection' (by 'digital collection' the stamps are scanned and digitally presented on proper pages while the stamps themselves are actually stored in stock books, some samples below)
I am using Powerpoint for making my pages, would absolutely recommend powerpoint rather than excel for designing purpose.
Jon
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Nicely done, Jon!
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Bobby - Thanks for the compliment!!
I have really enjoyed reading this thread, lots of interesting different approaches for arranging collections. I'll share some more off my organised chaos!
The example pages are from a new project I have started - to create similar digital pages for all WW pre-1900 (or any other natural cut-off year). It takes lots of time, but I enjoy the process to create the digital pages and add scans of the stamps. However it should be clarified that my collection is in real life not organised on album pages but in stock books (160 of them). A-Z. :
Then all comes chronological, including officials, P due, etc in same chronological string. (I dislike the concept of hiding all the old, beautiful so-called BOB items in the back of the book where they are seldom 'visited'). As in this 1st page Sweden sample, the 1856 and 1862 local post issues come 'where it belongs' in the timeline, not hidden as BOB:
I dedicate space both for the stamps/variants I have and what is missing. Where possible I include the miniature sheets directly into the album, or even mount them on the glassiness interleaving if not sufficient space:
I am satisfied with the combination of storage in stock books and digital presentation of the classics on virtual (non-existing) album pages - this way I get the 'best of both worlds', in my opinion. Even space for duplicates!
However, if I was to start again from scratch I would have used black Vario stocksheet pages (double-sided) from start - which offer more flexibility than the hard bound stockbooks. Guess it's too late to start on a complete new storage system now, it would simply be too time-consuming!
Looking forward to see more off your stuff out there!!
Jon
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Wonderful looking! Very neat and well organized!
I commend you!
Randy
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Thanks Randy!
My wife keeps telling me that my need for organizing things (read:stamps!) is because I am completely unorganized inside my head. And she is probably right
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Love seeing all these pages and hearing how everyone is arranging their stamp collections. I am currently using black Vario stock pages for mint inscription blocks and mint Canada. But have an early Lighthouse album for my used Canada collection, and use lightly gridded album pages to create my own pages for newer used Canadian material. I store them in a 3-ring binder.
I set up the pages with my own hand writing, which is okay, but not great. If I was into exhibiting my work it would definitely need a makeover. I am waiting to go to my first stamp show and look at exhibits before I decide if I want to redo my recent Canadian album and how.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Rearranging my collection - I was making album pages with pretty boxes, etc and since things have changed for me, this method is just too tiresome and tedious.
SO - I've changed my methods.
I've got my complete DDR collection that I was working on. I research the info on the stamps and before the stamp pages per year, have a writeup on each stamp.
I want to enjoy my stamps and I haven't been able to do that. So change in method. Thus far in the past, I've created and mounted up to 1959 of DDR. But everything has just been sitting on the shelf.
With some new skills I've learned in lieu of my eyesight, I've taken the one album 1949-1957 and simply made blank pages that have a nice border and at the top I've listed the year. Since every stamp is detailed with a writeup ahead of each year, I took all the stamps from the first album and with the blank pages, lined up my ruler and mounted the stamps in chronological order with no boxes - just straight lines of stamps. I've reduced the amount of space in my album tremendously AND the pages look great. I can enjoy looking at a page of stamps nicely mounted in straight lines.
I can't believe how quickly I can mount my stamps and I can do the research on each event and include all the info I need in the writeup section. I'm really excited. I'm actually getting back to my stamps, working on my albums and albeit I'm really sore from doing all of that without a proper table setup, I'm really proud of my work.
Working on my stamps is fun again, it's not a job that appears to be a dark abyss.
Alongside my new world albums, I know I'm going to have fun. Trying to follow the "norm" for creating album pages is just going to turn me off rather than make it fun.
I can't see my computer. I can't see details of anything unless it is within 3" of my eyes. But with my new glasses and my stamps mounted this way, I can open the album and SEE my creation.
â¤â¤â¤â¤â¤
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Oh - forgot to mention - remember how I was wondering how to label the dollar store leatherette binders? Problem solved ---
I have paper that is clear and has a sticky side. I'm going to emboss each album with clear labels written in Braille so I can just run my finger down each of the dozen identical albums, quickly find the one I want to use or see and there will be a nice fancy yet subtle label! No messing up my beautiful antique looking binders!
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
"Necessity is the mother of invention."
Bravo, Kelly.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I've shown how I'm managing my US collection on the board, but I'll add it to this thread...
I have the USA hoard from my youth, and I collected a lot of stuff. Singles, blocks, plate blocks, covers and unusual items. I have always hated having everything for the same stamp issue in different places. Here's my single album, here's my plate block album and here's my first day cover album. So I came up with a way to show everything I have for each specific issue in one format. It doesn't matter what I have for each issue, if I have something representative that's cool.
I decided on a two pocket clear archive page. I back up everything with white card stock cut to fit the pockets. It gives the pages rigidity and a nice background, so you aren't looking through the page at what's behind it. I run these through my printer for the album text.
Take for instance the NRA issue of 1933. I have a mint single, but I also have a plate block of 20 that I think is cool and unique. I also have a very nice registered cover usage... not a first day cover. And in my world that makes for a nice representative page.
For the Apollo 11 issue, I had a plate block, a Mr Zip single and a first day cover for a nice display.
As far as the National Defense issue of 1940, I had a plate block and a selvage single that was no doubt on the top of a 100 sheet pack. I also thought the meter cover with the related slogan was cool to display in that spot. I can add anything I want, pretty much like a stamp display. And if I find more things I like for any one stamp issue, I can add a page.
I chose to use colorful 1" binders. I have bought the clear pages on eBay in 500 page lots so they are pretty cost effective. Some of them hold 5 years worth of stamps, while some of the years where I had a lot of covers and such are 1-2 years. I like that thickness since I don't have a lot of pages to flop around as I'm paging through a binder and enjoying the contents! And I don't care how much space it all takes!
So that's my perspective. Eventually I may design album pages to hold it all, but for now I'm enjoying this format. It doesn't take a lot of time to make the pages, and I can move stuff around at will. And for the first time in my philatelic life I feel organized!
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
i know what you say about thickness..the 2 inch binders are large...but they fill up quickly and become bulky.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
This thread was started in September 2012 with a simple question'
" .... Ok. so I start with country...??
How do you categorize your stamps?
In what order?
1. country ?
2. then size?
3. people?
4. places? ...."
There are some 83 posts and it has generated almost 11,000 views and we still wonder, "Who was that masked man ?'
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
My base is the Scott International world albums, which follow scott order: regular, semi-postal, air etc. I originally purchased these - volumes 1-6 in the 1970's, and decided to collect through that period- basically 1968. At that time I created a specialty collection of Nazi Germany and separated those from the main volumes in a Scott specialty binder on blank pages.
I continued that set up until my 50's, when, after my divorce, I decided to create a specialty collection of colonial Africa. Since that time I have gradually acquired secondhand Scott specialty pages for those areas housed in Scott binders. Naturally these areas were taken out of the world wide albums.
I also become much more active with my mistress stamp collection. As my depth progressed in the world wide collection I removed overcrowded pages and created my own on quadrille or blank pages. The remaining WW collection has thereby expanded from the original 6 to 13 volumes.
This past year I separated my extensive colonial Africa covers from the albums and created special presentation in two per page clear pages, so as to make both sides available for inspection. This is now in two 3inch loose leaf binders with well over 200 covers.
That is my journey to date.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Charlie, I seem to remember tuscany4me making a one word post about a year ago. It simply said, "goodbye" and I don't think he's made a post since.
For me, the journey into housing a collection has been just as involved as collecting the stamps themselves. After getting back into collecting,(much deeper then ever before) it didn't take long to figure out that my Harris "Statesman Deluxe" was never going to do. Even upgrading to a "Senior Statesman" fell way short of where I wanted to be. For one thing, I very much dislike the double sided pages, the stamps were constantly hanging up on each other and needing remounted. On some of the more extensive collections, I tried putting in blank divider sheets between the pages, but that was getting out of hand, too. Then, there were never spaces for all the stamps, not even within the same set. There had to be a better way.
While I still use the Harris albums for smaller collections, I decided on the Steiner pages for my expanded collections. Used and low value stamps, I hinge. High value and MNH, I use mounts. The best of the best, I put in mounts, but also protect the pages themselves with sheet protectors. I print my own pages and house them in 3 ring binders that have the clear-vue covers. In the outer binder, I always put in a duplicate stamp from the respective country to identify it. Sometimes, if I have a duplicate ss/ms, I'll center it in the front cover, just for looks.
Overall, I'm gaining on it, but there are still times when I wonder if I need to try something different.
WB
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I went through the Non-Philatelic Discussion Topic this morning, and moved a large number of posts to more appropriate topic sections. You may find many older threads like this one that actually belonged in different spots.
The posts remaining in the Non-Philatelic Discussion Topic are related to other hobbies and collectible interests.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
This is a great discussion. It's fun to see pictures of people's collections and to hear about the different approaches folks have.
I've been back in the hobby for only a year and a half (after 30 years away), and during that time, I've bought a couple of albums (typically one quarter to one third full) online, along with stray groupings of stamps here and there. Decided early on that I wanted to collect worldwide but not beat myself up over all the stamps that would NOT, for various reasons, end up in my collection. (Most of us can't buy all the stamps we might want.). I'm doing this for fun, after all; I buy what I like...mostly because I like it. I'm slowly but surely migrating stamps from those albums to a nice set of Lighthouse stock-page albums I picked up used. I've got about 20 countries set up on stock pages, with a little informative sketch of the country that I craft for each nation (which means I have an excuse to read up on the history and culture of lots of different places). I create a divider page to separate the groupings of stocks pages from one another, a pretty simple thing.
Here's the part where I'm rather unorthodox. I don't have time at this point in my life to be really religious about putting each stamp in perfect chronological order, nor exact catalog order. I do my best to get stamps in the right order by approximate decade, but I leave the task of more precise arrangements for when I will retire, which is more than a decade off. In the meantime, I want to use my stamps as an excuse to learn more about the world, and I enjoy the "eye candy" aspect of my stamps a great deal. Countries whose stamps I find to be more attractive get more attention from me than those of countries whose stamps I deem to be bland...a totally subjective standard, I'll admit!
I also have a separate stock book in which I mount stamps that are in a fairly random order, but I've decided I want to get them out of their glassines sooner rather than later, and I want to be able to thumb through those pages. I end up moving a few of these stamps to dedicated pages in the more organized country stock books periodically, as the mood strikes me. Liechenstein and Dahomey have grabbed my attention during this past month. I am completely enjoying the "no rules, just enjoy it" aspect of this hobby. My job is stressful right now, and it's nice to play around with my stamps, even if that means my collection might not pass muster for a more serious collector. That's fine; to each their own. But it really is fun to learn about others' collections. Thanks to the original poster for getting us all talking about this.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Steve,
Thanks for posting here!
It's nice to hear from collectors returning to the hobby after a long hiatus.
I did the same thing just over 10 years ago - only difference is I elected to go with just U.S. this time around.
As you said - to each his own! I'm glad you've returned to "the fold!"
I/We hope to hear from you again.....often!
Randy
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
My US singles collection is in Mystic albums so in Scott order. My Straits Settlements/Maylaysia collection (not much there) is on Steiner pages.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Here are my Albums with Pengüins stamps, S/S's, FDC's, etc.
I am Organizing my Mexico Classic (Specially Maximilian Stamps) and another Topics .
Regards!
Rodolfo
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Thats beautiful rtvstamps, thanks for sharing the images. Always fun to see other's organization layout etc.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
" .... Here's the part where I'm rather unorthodox. I don't have time ...... (to be) ..... putting each stamp in perfect chronological order, nor exact catalog order. I do my best to get stamps in the right order by approximate decade, ...... I want to use my stamps as an excuse to learn more about the world, and I enjoy the "eye candy" aspect of my stamps ....
And you are not alone, Steve, remember it is your collection and was created (I hope) for your enjoyment and not for any rigorous and actually quite arbitrary, "right order".
I for one have tried different schemes for different circumstances. First off the foundation is in Minkus Master Supreme Global Galactic Universal All-Encompassing World Wide Albums up to about year 1976, Earth Time, or thereabouts, depending on the country and how I feel about it politically, morally and emotionally. I think emotionally outweighs the other two. Most countries albums pick up there while a few were completely removed from the Minkus MSGGUAEWWA system and are in separate albums. Israel and Canada were grounded in White Ace albums but at some point were continued on heavier blank paper that continue as I fill in sets somthe order is not actually completely chronological.
As a for instance, Great Britain starts on blank pages in chronological order with my Penny Black and her most intimate associates, spaced out and annotated, the Minkus pages were removed and cast into the darkness. The spacing is more or less traditional except the added sections showing common definitive with clear circular date stamps in alternating rows of six or seven. Then as the UK began to produce issues of eight or ten related stamps they began to be assembled in a regimental formation four or five in line across the page depending on their actual size. They still remained in a somewhat chronological sequence up to a few years ago when for some reason the stamps were mounted as I completed, or nearly completed, a set.
However certain topics within the UK issues were similar enough that I felt they should all be friends. The Charles Darwin set of five were joined by similar sets showing dinosaurs and the issue devoted to Carolus Linnaeus. Then I could not resist adding some Darwin stamps from other countries on adjacent pages along with the Swedish Linnaeus set. A set of primeval beasts are nearby.
The recent Merchant Navy setamps were on a separate page that also holds a duplicate US Merchant Marine set of four. I've added some of the Danish stamps illustrating their tradition of a strong Merchant Navy as well.
The US album is similar starting with Scott Minuteman Pages up to about 2000 after which I have used blank pages. But Scott's layout leaves many pages with but four or five stamps on a page. When I come across a duplicate from some other country that relates to some US Issue, I often attach that foreign stamp next to the US stamp in the many blank spaces that Scott leaves between stamps.
Other countries after the mid-seventies are in their own album or related albums such as Scandinavia, Baltic states, the former Jugoslavia or Central America on blank pages which I start out in as close to chronological order as possible, one year to a page until that page is full at which time a second blank page is inserted in place and usually filled. If I suddenly discover a stamp which should be next to one I already mounted, it is not that difficult to remount them together pretty close to what might pass for chronological order.
I have a set of level one Machins ( differences visible to the naked eye) arranged on blank pages in the main UK all in value sequence four or five in a row leaving space here and there where a new issue can be inserted, but the main Machin set is in a separate album, ( Actually two binders.) of Vario eight row sleeves. Rather than chronological order they are in value order following the Deegam System. Of course, there is a cover album showing singular Machins used for postage during the time a specific rate was current.
I realize that many members prefer a more traditional approach according to the order set by Scott, Michel or Stanley Gibbons and company, and I find that impressive, but it would be like trying to force my square peg into their round hole.
I like to have the several sets of US Lighthouses all on one page, all the autos on another page even though they were issued years apart.
So create your own albums or use a pre-printed one, it is all up to you to determine what pleases you.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
I collect the world, 1840-1979.
I am about to switch from Minkus Supreme Global binders (10 of 'em), to heavy duty three-ring binders (22 of 'em). I have already punched my Minkus pages, several years ago, for the three-ring potential. The problem with three-ring binders is that even large, heavy duty binders find Minkus' 9X12 pages protruding out of the long-edge side of the binder (i.e., about 1/4" too wide). However, I find that Bindertek Barrister 3" binders are slightly wider than most and there is no page protrusion. To that end I will be ordering a bunch of these soon, and putting my Minkus Supreme Global collection in them.
It will be organized as follows:
1. United States, US Possessions, United Kingdom and Channel Islands
2. British Africa
3. British North America I
4. British North America II
5. British Europe
6. British Central & South America and Antarctica
7. British Middle East and Egypt
8. British India and South East Asia
9. France, French Office, and Monaco
10. French Africa
11. French America, Asia and Oceania
12. Netherland, Belgium and Luxembourg and Colonies
13. Spain and Portugal and Colonies
14. Italy and Colonies, San Marino, Vatican City
15. Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland)
16. The Balkans (Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania)
17. Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia, Poland
18. Scandinavia, the Baltic States
19. The Orient
20. South America and Independent Caribbean I
21. South America and Independent Caribbean II
22. Independent Asia and Africa
- Since the Global pages are double sided, I use glassine interleaving on adjacent pages with heavy coverage.
- I use acid-free, photo-safe, double side, removable tape (thin sheers), instead of hinges. Been using for many years, no problems; it leaves stamps 100% easily removable and without any of the damaging affects of hinges.
And that's my collection.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Great posts..tuscany4mes posts seem to last forever...i always like to know what goes on in another collectors world. I have a minor penquin collection...two binders.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
My New Jersey postmark collection pages..
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
Tom, that's pretty cool. Had you shown us that set up before? I like it.
re: How do you arrange your stamp collections?
"Tom, that's pretty cool. Had you shown us that set up before? I like it. "