Stamp albums are important because they enable you to keep your stamps safe

Stamp Collecting Tools

Stamp collecting albums are important because they enable you to keep your stamps safe while at the same time permitting you to organize your collection and to display your stamps in an attractive manner. The highest quality albums should contain plenty of space for your stamps and have strong binding with thick pages made from good quality acid-free paper.

Stamp hinges are small, folded, rectangular pieces of glassine or paper coated with gum. One end of the hinge is moistened and gummed onto the back of a stamp and then the other end is gummed onto the album page - thereby firmly holding the stamp on the page. Stamp hinges are very inexpensive and 1000 hinges can be purchased for a few dollars. Stamp mounts hold stamps onto the album page without disturbing or damaging the original gum on the back of a stamp. The front of a stamp mount is clear plastic with "sleeves" where a stamp is inserted. The back of a stamp mount is coated with gum and affixed to the album page. Stamp mounts are much more expensive than hinges and are usually reserved by most collectors for the mounting of expensive stamps.

Save money on mounts by buying the long strips and cutting them to size yourself. You may think that you can cut your mounts just fine with a simple pair of scissors, but you'll be mistaken! Stamp mount cutters will make the task much easier and give you professional, straight cuts that will not shift attention from your stamps, but will show off your collection in style.

A stockbook is a book where the pages have several strips running across the page. You slide your stamps under the strips and they are held there. You can store a lot of stamps in a stockbook and there is no set format so you can lay out your stamps in any fashion you want. Stockbooks are generally used to store your duplicates, or stamps for which you are waiting to purchase an album.

Stamp tongs look like tweezers and are specially designed for picking up and handling stamps. Always handle stamps with tongs (particularly expensive stamps) as handling stamps with your fingers may crease or stain a stamp. Tongs are made of either stainless steel or plastic. Either type will do but make sure you choose tongs that do not have very sharp edges to avoid tearing a stamp.

A stamp catalog will help you to identify a stamp and will also give you a rough indication of its current value. Many catalogs also provide useful reference information on the stamps covered in the catalog. Should you decide not to purchase a stamp catalog, most public libraries should have one or more stamp catalogs on their shelves.

A small magnifying glass is useful in order to closely examine the inscription and design features of a stamp as well as its condition. In particular, a magnifying glass will enable you to spot small creases, tears or printing errors on a stamp - all of which may have an impact on a stamp's grade and hence its value.

Many modern stamps are "tagged," which means that the stamp has a special coating on it that reacts and glows when viewed under ultraviolet lighting. Stamps are tagged mainly for the operation of sorting and cancelling machines that handle the mail. Stamps that have the same design are different when they have different tagging, and are therefore valued differently.

Glassine envelopes are the easiest, least expensive and most popular temporary storage solution for all of your stamps. Glassine is a semi-transparent material similar to waxed paper without the wax. These envelopes are open at the top and have a flap along the top. There is no adhesives on the flap and there is no writing on the envelopes. These thin translucent envelopes are available in a variety of sizes and are useful for sorting and storing stamps prior to placing them in an album. They are also useful for mailing stamps to someone else.

Perforations are the series of tiny holes between blocks of stamps in a sheet or booklet that facilitate the separation of the individual stamps. A perforation gauge measures the number of holes per 2cm length of the perforations. Since two stamps which look alike and are of the same issue may have a different perforation "count", a perforation gauge is useful in distinguishing between (and hence identifying) each stamp. In addition, identical stamps may differ in the number of perforations each has and, in some cases, this could influence the relative rarity and hence the value of one stamp relative to its "twin".

The purpose of a color gauge is to provide stamp collectors with a dependable, convenient & accurate standard of comparison of the many colors, the various shades and tints. The color gauge properly identifies 200 shades and colors, covering almost the entire range of colors used in the printing of postage stamps worldwide. In some cases the color gauge may vary a bit from the actual color being matched due to inking of the roller in the primary printing process. All in all the color gauge is a valuable accessory for serious collectors, whether you are new to collecting or a seasoned expert.

A watermark detector enables you to view the hidden embossed or imprinted pattern that was made on the paper when a stamp was printed. Not all stamps have watermarks but some stamps which look identical may have different watermarks. Watermarks are useful in detecting forgeries and in identifying stamp varieties.

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How you can begin collecting stamps

For those who start to develop a more serious interest in stamp collecting in the early stages, the collector can acquire stamps in packets from hobby shops and stamp dealers. Millions of beginners have purchased these relatively expensive packets (containing many different kinds of assortments; i.e., "1,000 stamps of the world", "500 20th century U.S. stamps," "250 stamps depicting a topic...such as birds, automobiles, sports, etc."). At the same time, the collector assembles some of the tools one needs to pursue the hobby. Included are:

• An Album. Basic albums that have illustrated spaces for worldwide stamps, U.S. stamps, topicals (animals, railroads, Olympics, etc.) and types of stamps like plate blocks and coils.
• Hinges or safe vinyl stamp mounts that are used to mount stamps into the albums.
• Stamp tongs (tweezers specially made for the handling of stamps). By handling stamps with tongs, the collector keeps from damaging the collectibles.
• Stamp catalogs. These comprehensive publications not only state the current value of stamps, but also help one identify them and receive basic instruction on collecting stamp.
• A magnifier that allows one to more closely examine not only a stamp's features, but also its condition.
• A perforation gauge. The perforations between stamps on a sheet not only aid one in separating them, but these perforations also come in different types and sizes---and determining them aids one in identifying which stamp is which. Sometimes two or more stamps may look alike, but each may have a different perforation type and/or size.
• A watermark detector which allows one to view the "watermark" (or hidden imprint) that was made on the paper on which a stamp is printed. Again, two or more stamps may look alike, but have different (or no) watermarks.
• A stockbook. In some ways similar to albums, except that these are simple storage devices where stamps can be placed in clear pockets on pages for easy sorting and viewing.
• Glassine envelopes. These come in many sizes and are used to store and help sort stamps.

Some of the different kinds of stamps that one can collect are shown at left. From airmails and definitives, to commemoratives, topicals, and even revenue stamps, there is something in philately to suit anyone's tastes.

Stamps are also collected "on cover", i.e., stamps that are still on the original envelope or mailing wrapper used when they were sent through the mails. For more information on this very popular specialty, see Postal History.

From Novice To Becoming A Serious Collector...

Serious philatelists have long agreed that one becomes a dedicated philatelist when one begins to actually purchase specific stamps to build, item by item, a stamp collection with a purpose.

At this point, the collector has begun to focus on a particular "specialty." For example, after gathering a small amount of knowledge about the stamps from around the world, the collector decides that he/she wishes to "specialize" in the airmail stamps of the United States. This collector will have examined the listings of all U.S. airmail stamps in one of the catalogs (i.e., the Scott or Krause specialized catalogs for U.S. stamps), become familiar with their types and variations, and begins to purchase an example of each stamp listed in the U.S. airmail section of the catalogs.

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stamp collecting albums

Looking for some unique series of stamp collecting albums, then you’ve just come to the biggest and top company providers of it.

Philstampcovers.co.uk started making stamp collecting albums during the time of the 2000 Stamp Exhibition at Earls Court, London. With loads of experience behind us we have developed an image in the cover market by producing our covers in both colour and the 'Classic' black and white versions. Working as a dedicated team we make every effort to provide our customers quality and meet deadlines.

With an attitude towards customer contentment and satisfaction has enabled more and more of our customers coming back to us for more work on stamp collecting albums. Our distinctive covers incorporate the fantastic artwork of J. Edward Oliver. These first day covers are 'official' and cannot be purchased anywhere else.

All our cartoon work for stamp collecting albums is carried out by the cartoonist J. Edward Oliver whose work has regularly featured in Buster comic. Cartoons illustrated complement the associated stamps in a bright, entertaining way.

For any further enquiries on stamp collecting albums, please contact a member of our staff. All your queries would be dealt with as quickly as possible.

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Stamp Collecting Albums for Preservation

Stamp collecting albums are a complete necessity if you are taking up philately. The fact is that you will probably wind up collecting more stamps than you ever dreamed imaginable, and as a result you will need proper storage for them. If you neglect to preserve your stamps properly, they can become torn and tattered, rendering them useless if and when you try to sell them or trade them.

Many people store their stamps in boxes or manilla envelopes when they are just starting out with their stamp collections. While this may work for a while, it is not the most fool-proof method of keeping your stamps in great condition. If water were to spill on your envelopes, your stamps could potentially get ruined if you were not there to immediately remedy the situation.

Another bonus to stamp collecting albums is that they allow you to better organize your stamps, either by category, year, or country. When you have all of your stamps organized in this fashion, it allows you to share them with others in an orderly manner. Furthermore, when others view your album, you don't have to worry about them handling the stamps themselves, which could ruin them over time.

People who have some rare stamps that are worth a great deal of money always keep them safe by putting them in albums that will protect them from wear and tear. Even if you do not own any rare stamps, you probably find each and every stamp in your collection special in some way. Housing your stamps in an album will keep all of your stamps safe from harm, and it is also a great way to display your treasures.

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Plentiful and Inexpensive

Welcome to my world wide stamp pages. This section deals with collecting world wide stamps in Scott International Albums. It is not a commercial for those albums, but rather a recognition that many collectors use them. So many, in fact, that dealers have a special category for "International Collections."

Presently I have my worldwide stamps on a "previously owned" set of Scott International pages which are kept in three-ring Scott Speciality Binders. The albums span the period from 1840-1995. There are around 10,000 stamps a year being issued, and Scott is keeping up to date with at least a volume a year. It is expensive to buy these albums new, which is why I'm getting them used.

Most recently I have begun replacing some of the Scott pages for the earlier issues with the "Brown International" pages which Subway offers for sale. Scott left out so many stamps from the early years that you often end up having long sets broken up with a few on the Scott pages and the rest on a blank page, or worse yet with the better stamps stuck on the Scott page but not in the correct spaces, or perhaps not in any space at all. These pages come in sections grouped by year. I got the 1840-1900 set for a bit over $100 (I don't have the price before me). They are printed on one side, never have more than one country on a page, and usually have separate pages for semis, airs, and dues.

Most stamps are not valuable and they are not expensive to buy. Certainly most that I have are not. I see in a current ad in Scott's Stamp Monthly offering 1000 different stamps for $16, or 3000 for $52, or 5000 for $88, and 10,000 with tongs and hinges for $197.16. I have seen 40,000 different worldwide for less than 3¢ each. They came mounted in order in booklets, so most of the price probably was the cost of sorting and mounting rather than the value of the stamps. I was recently offered a collection, in Scott Albums, of about 50,000 different for $1500. Much of that price was for the albums.

What does it mean to a collector that so many stamps are so inexpensive? It means you can have a huge collection with great variety of countries, subjects, and types of stamps for very little money. If you enjoy stamps, as I do, the inexpensive stamps are just as much fun to own as the great rarities. Certainly they offer the same panorama of history and culture that any stamp collection does. Here's some thoughts on buying stamps to get the most fun and stamps for your money.

Getting started How does one get started in world wide collecting? I'd suggest buying a collection in a Scott International album from a dealer at a show, or through ads in stamp mags or on the internet. (rec.collecting.stamps is a good source). Buy a cheap one. That is, one where the more valuable stamps have all been removed for sale. Remander collections of several thousand worldwide stamps in a Vol 1 album (1840-1940) can be had for $75-$200. I have bought several of these. Be sure to get the collection in a loose leaf album if you can. New the album to 1940 costs about $280 plus the binders which might add $100 more.

Why loose leaf? Because Scott leaves out a lot of stamps and you will get some of them. Scott and Subway make blank pages which are simple to add to loose-leaf binders and you can add whatever wonderful stamps you get that don't have printed spaces for. Another good accessory is interleaving - thin sheets of paper that go between the Scott pages to keep the stamps on facing pages from getting caught on each other as you look through the album.

I suggest buying a collection in an album because its so much easier to deal with stamps when you have them in an album. You can keep stamps on Hagner stock pages, but this gets expensive pretty quickly. As an alternative buy country collections "on pages" as they say. This will give you the pages for that country, for the period the collection covers. Punch these for a 3 ring binder and you've got your start on an album.

How many stamps are there? I don't think anyone knows, but Timothy P. Holls sent some interesting statistics to Stamp Collector, which published them as a letter to the editor in the Aug 13,2001 issue. Mr. Holls did a rough count of Scott listed major number stamps by adding up the highest catalog number in each country and category (eg regular, semi-postals, airmails etc) in the 2001 Scott. His total was 410,156 different stamps. Your total might differ, especially if you included minor varieties - many of which are listed in the Scott Classic catalog (1840-1940), or if you included locals. Still that's a good ball park figure. He did one other total which was staggering to me. He totalled the number of pages in his Minkus Supreme Global albums through the 1999 supplement. There were 22,014 pages, with spaces for 354,310 stamps (more or less).

Condition Most beginning collectors do not concern themselves greatly with condition. Collections you buy will reflect this. So too will packets, which are another great way to get stamps cheaply. The key for me has been to set myself some standards, and to try and upgrade the collection I have. In other words I take some stamps out of the collection because they are substandard. Others I replace when I can. However my basic criteria for admission to the collection are fairly low: if the stamp has its perforations, is not thin or creased, and the cancel doesn't wipe out the design, in it comes. I replace with copies that look fresher, have better centering or lighter cancels when I come across them. My collection is hinged. Hinges are cheap, and they work pretty well. The alternative is black mounts and the Scott pages, a least those I have, are too thin to hold them. The mounts gum bleeds onto the pages making them ugly and the mounts show through on the other side. I think the more recent Scott pages may be better suited to these mounts as the stamp collecting of mint never hinged stamps is most easily done with recent stamps.

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