Getting Started

What Should I Collect?

Now that you have decided that you want to collect stamps, the first question
that comes to mind is what? Many people will tell you to collect what you
like, but that is of limited help if you do not know what that is.

So, how do you find out, without spending a lot of money on the wrong
stamps, what you like?

A good starting point is to go through some, or all of the collections on this

website and make a note of the stamps that draw you in. Make a note of what
specifically drew you in:

1. Was it the design?

2. Was it the colour?
3. Was it the freshness?
4. Was it the historical significance of the stamp?
5. Was it a paper or tagging variety?
6. Was it an error or misprint?
7. Was it a cover?
8. Was it the age of the item?
9. Was it the printing technique?

After you have done this for 100 or so stamps, you should start to see some
patterns emerge:

1. If you find yourself drawn mostly to the designs, then there will likely
be some commonality to those designs: are they all modern, graphic
 designs, or are they ornate 19th century designs, with lots of scrollwork
and fine ornamentation?
2. If you find yourself drawn to many different colours, there will usually
be a pattern to that as well: are they deep rich colours? cold or warm
colours? pastel colours? Do you find yourself drawn to different shade
varieties of the same stamp? If the answer is yes to the last question,
then you are probably a shade collector and what colours you are drawn
to will dictate those sets you would be happiest to collect.
3. If you are drawn to very fresh, crisp and clean stamps, then you
probably will want to collect mint stamps rather than used.
4. If you are mostly drawn to the historical significance of the stamp, then
that suggests that design is a secondary consideration for you.
5. If you are drawn to mostly modern paper and tagging varieties, this is an
indication that you will enjoy collecting modern stamps more than
classic stamps.
6. If you are drawn to mostly errors and misprints, then this is the area you
should consider specializing in.
7. If you find yourself drawn mostly to covers, then you are definitely
someone who would be happiest collecting postal history. Then, you
need to probe further to determine which postal history to collect.
8. If you find yourself being drawn to mostly older, classic stamps, then
you should choose something within the classic period.
9. If you are drawn almost exclusively to engraved stamps, then you
should try to limit yourself to areas in which the stamps are engraved.

The fact that your tastes may follow clear patterns with respect to the above
attributes is the main reason why I think single country collecting is often not
the answer for many collectors: because the material from an entire country
will contain a lot of stamps that the collector does not actually love.

Once you have determined the patterns that your general tastes follow, it is
time to make a list of possible collecting areas that fit the bill. You can do this
with a little research by looking in the Scott Catalogues for countries, issues
and time periods that match your tastes. You can also consult a dealer. The
advantage to consulting a dealer is that they can make suggestions to you
based on your tastes that you may not have considered.

If your tastes do not seem to follow any strong pattern, then this is an
indication that your tastes are highly eclectic and specific to the stamp issue.
Therefore, it probably makes little sense to try to determine ahead of time,
what your collecting area will be. Rather, it is probably best to decide on an
album and simply collect whatever you like that comes along.

Narrowing Down The List

At the end of this process, you will have a long list of possible areas to
collect, and will need to narrow it down to pick one or a few areas to collect.
How do you go about doing this? The best way to start is to consider what
type of collector you are, and then the constraints you face as a collector.
These two considerations will help you narrow your list down into a few ideal
areas.

The first consideration is to determine what kind of collector you are:

1. Do you like following a pre-set script?

2. Do you prefer a lot of variety, or do you prefer to zero in on one
favourite stamp, or group of stamps and learn everything you can?
3. Is completeness important to you?
4. Do you need to have a large collection, or are you happy with a more
limited range of stamps?
5. How important is condition to you?

As you run through those questions in your head, many of the possibilities on
your list will drop off either because they are too broad, too narrow, too
detailed, not detailed enough, impossible to complete or not available in the
condition you want to collect.

After you have considered what type of collector you are, the next step is to
consider your constraints. Things like:

1. What is my annual, monthly or weekly budget for stamps?

2. How much time can I devote to my hobby?
3. How much space do I have to store my albums and stamp accessories?

The answers to these three questions will narrow your list down even further,
so that hopefully at this point you have only a half-dozen or so possibilities.
Once you get to this point you will have to decide on one of those
possibilities, or all of them, if your constraints will allow you to choose them
all. Usually by this point the choice will be obvious to you. But if it isn't, then
consulting with a professional dealer will be important. Your dealer can look
at your list, and the answers to your questions and can make suggestions to
you that you may not have considered, as they have had exposure to a wider
range of material and have a better understanding of how collections take
shape and develop.

Another way to discover what you like, without being so analytical is to just
buy a small kid's collection or carton of remaindered collections of worldwide
stamps at auction for $100 or so and just spend several months poking around
and see what catches your fancy. Take those areas and begin to acquire more
stamps to expand your collection of those stamps and see if you are able to
maintain your interest level. The only drawback to this approach is that you
may wind up spending money on stamps you ultimately don't want.

Of course, if you find yourself in this position, you can always bring your
stamps to us. We will either purchase them, or help you sell them.

What Do I Need To Get Started?

There are really only two things that you need to get started in collecting
stamps, other than the stamps themselves:

1. A pair of stamp tongs, so that you can pick up your stamps without
getting them dirty or damaging them.
2. A place to display and store your stamps.

I have written a separate article about the many options open to you for
displaying and storing your stamps, and you can reach this article by
clicking here. However, I will quickly discuss the different types of stamp
tongs available and then I will briefly discuss some other accessories you
might want to consider buying, depending on how you are planning to collect.

Stamp Tongs
[Link]

The very first piece of equipment you will need as a stamp collector is a good
pair of stamp tongs, like the one shown above. A good pair of stamp tongs
will slide easily under a stamp that is on a flat surface, without damaging the
stamp and allow you to easily pick it up and hold it firmly. Thus the tips need
to be made from smooth metal, that has no raised areas, which might
otherwise damage stamps. The tips need to be thin enough to get under a
stamp that is laying on a flat surface. This is why I do not recommend regular
tweezers. For one, the tips are not thin enough to get underneath a stamp
without risk of damage. Secondly, they do not press together very easily
compared to stamp tongs and thirdly, the feet on tweezers usually contain
minute raised grooves, which can place an imprint in a stamp that is held with
them.

There are generally three types of stamp tongs on the market:

1. The best and most expensive kind are about 1/3rd to 1/2 longer than the
ones shown above, and have very pointed tips that are about half the
width of those shown here. Because of their length, it is very easy to
press them closed. Because the tips are so thin and small, they can slide
underneath stamps on the thinnest possible paper, even when they are on
a flat surface.
2. The mid-range priced tongs, which I use, are shown above. They have
moderate, rounded tips that are thin enough to get underneath almost
any stamp easily. They are relatively easy to press closed, but not so
easy that they can damage the stamp by being pressed out of shape.
3. The cheapest tongs have a broad spade shaped tips that are a little
thicker than that shown above. They are usually fairly good at getting
under most stamps, but are not generally suitable for the more delicate
stamps.

One of the dangers with the expensive tongs is that you can accidentally
pierce the stamp if you press them closed too hard, causing the tips to slide
past one another. This doesn't happen often, but can be devastating when it
does. However, they are simply the best when you have to pick up and
examine stamps on very thin and fragile paper, such as Canada #1. I like the
mid-range tongs, and have used them for most of my life. The spade tip tongs
are perfectly fine if you are not working with fragile stamps and are just
getting used to using tongs. The cheapest tongs will generally cost around $3-
5 a pair. Mid-range will be $8-10, and the most expensive tongs will be more
than $20. However, it is well worth the investment, as you will generally find
that you do not ever need to replace your tongs, unless you lose them!

Other Accessories

The other accessories shown here are not essential for the beginner, though
having them will enable you to more closely study your stamps and learn
about them, thus opening up new avenues of collecting, that you may not have
previously considered.

1. Colour Key
[Link]

A colour key like the one shown above is a must if you plan on collecting
shade variations and want to give definite names to colours that other
collectors can understand. The best known is the Gibbons colour key shown
above. This key includes 200 colour swatches, and covers most of the colours
you will encounter as a collector. A less expensive version is available that
has 100 colour swatches, but the one shown above isn't too expensive.

However, a colour key is only as good as the person using it. So, before you
start using your colour key, it is a good idea to gain a full understanding of the
language of colour, as well as how to use the key effectively. I have written
all about it here.

2. Watermark Tray and Fluid

[Link]

You will need one of these if you are collecting stamps that were issued on
watermarked paper. Most stamps issued prior to the 1970's from around the
word are on some type of watermarked paper, so this is an important piece of
equipment for most collectors. Even if you are collecting unwatermarked
stamps, it is also useful for detecting thins and tears in stamps.

There are other alternative accessories available for detecting watermarks that
may be more suitable than this, depending on what types of stamps you are
collecting. I have written a separate article discussing this, which you can
access by clicking here.

3. Perforation Gauge
[Link]

This device is used to measure the perforation of a stamp. The gauge shown
above is called an Instanta gauge, and is the best on the market, in terms of
accuracy. There are cheaper aluminum and plastic gauges available on the
market that only measure to the nearest 1/2 perforation. These are generally
fine if the stamps you are collecting do not require decimal accuracy.

Many collectors do not use gauges like the above correctly, and using it
correctly is critical to obtaining accurate readings. I have written a separate
article about how to use the above gauge to correctly measure perforations.
You can access that article by clicking here.

4. Magnifying Glass or Loupe

[Link]

This is another important piece of equipment for most collectors, although

specialists who are studying plate flaws on stamps and re-entries will make
the most use of one. However, it comes in handy for detecting alterations and
repairs on stamps, as well as hidden defects. Collectors specializing in
fluorescent papers will also need it to examine the fluorescent fibre pattern in
papers.

There are many types of magnifiers on the market. I like the one shown above
that retracts into the housing and is deployed when the button is pressed. It
contains a small battery powered LED light as well. I find that I don't use it,
as I have a strong light at my desk. However, it has been very useful in
situations where I do not have a strong light source.

The above loupe is a 10x magnification, which I find to be plenty. There are
microscopes on the market, produced by Lighthouse that give much greater
magnification. However, I find them difficult to use because of how difficult
they are to focus properly. Unless you are expertising early US 1851's or
Great Britain #33 from plate 77, I do not think you will generally need any
power greater than 10x.

5. Ultra Violet Lamp

[Link]

If you collect modern stamps to any degree of specialization, then you will
absolutely need one of these, as most differences in paper, tagging and ink
will only show up under ultra-violet light.
There are two types of ultra violet lights:

1. Long-Wave UV, also known as Black Light - this is the type shown
above. The term "black" is a misnomer, as the light appears violet. This
type of light works for Canadian, Australian and many European stamps
with fluorescent tagging. It is completely safe for the eyes, which is
why there is no protective shield on the lamp shown. The actual light
shown above is about twice as long, being 18 inches long and about 4
inches wide.
2. Short Wave UV - this type is extremely dangerous to the eyes, and
because of this, the models on the marketplace are usually sold with
assemblies that shine the light down directly at the stamp while
completely shielding the eyes from the harmful rays. Unfortunately, it is
the only type that will work for the stamps of United States and Great
Britain.

Short wave models are produced by Stanley Gibbons and Lighthouse and are
quite expensive, being in the $200-$300 range. You can buy equally
expensive long-wave models, but there is no need. You can buy the 18 inch
model shown above at a housewares store like Canadian Tire for around $40,
and it it works much better than any model in the philatelic marketplace, I
find.

6. Micrometer

[Link]
v=1535672370

A micrometer is used to measure the thickness of paper to the nearest

thousandth of an inch, though the above model is also calibrated in metric
units. It is the only way to reliably measure the thickness of stamp paper, and
is a must if you are planning to collect in a specialized manner where studying
papers will be important.

These devices used to be very expensive, with the Lighthouse model costing
several hundred dollars in the early 1990's. However, it is now possible to
source models from China that work very well for less than $20.
How Should I Store and Display My
Stamps?
Once you have decided what to collect, and what you need to get started down
the path of collecting, you have to decide how you will store and display your
stamps. Your storage system serves essentially 3 purposes:

1. To protect your stamps from moisture, dust, dirt mold and stains, as
well as unnecessary handling.
2. To organize your stamps and keep them together.
3. To allow you to display your stamps so that you can look at them.

Depending on what type of collector you are, and what type of collection you
are building, the above three purposes will have different priority levels, at
different times in the life of your collection.

The question of how to store one's stamps and display them is a daunting one,
as there are so many choices available to the collector. The main ones are:

1. Printed country or world albums.

2. Blank looseleaf albums.
3. Black or clear "Vario" or "Hagner" pages.
4. "102" or "107/109" cards.
5. "102" or "107/109" cards combined with "Vario" or "Hagner" pages.
6. Stockbooks or looseleaf stockpages.

I will discuss the pros and cons of each one, in terms of how well each one
fulfills the above three purposes, as well as cost, aesthetic appeal, flexibility
of display and how well each accommodates adding notes about your stamps.

Printed Country or World Albums

[Link]

[Link]

For the longest time in the history of the hobby, the printed country and world
albums, such as the Scott International album shown above, were the most
popular way to display stamp collections. Typically, the more expensive
albums would cover one country, such as Canada or US, or a group of
countries in several volumes, and would include a space for every major Scott
Catalogue Number from those countries. The spaces were laid out in a
visually appealing nature, and not just crammed into the pages. The album
bindings were generally a post system with a mechanism to "open and close"
the album, so that pages could be added or removed. These bindings were
generally designed so that the albums would lay relatively flat when open,
which is a real plus if you are trying to view your collection. Blank pages with
the same border styles, but otherwise blank are often available, as are yearly
supplements covering the new issues for each year, so that such albums could
be kept up to date.

The cheaper, beginner albums will generally allot between 1/4 of a page to 6
or 8 pages per country and would generally only include spaces for the more
common stamps from each country. So, sets would not usually be complete,
for instance. Printing is usually double sided, and all space on each page is
generally taken up with illustrations or blank spaces. The bindings are usually
a screw and post style, which may be opened and closed as before, but
generally, these albums do not lie perfectly flat when open.

The pros of these types of albums are as follows:

1. They provide a ready, built-in framework to structure your collection, so

that many collectors who have these albums collect to try to fill the
album. This way, they do not get too bogged down in the minutae of
each stamp issue.
2. They provide a nice layout for the stamps in your collection, and the
completed pages on the more expensive albums look quite nice when
complete.
3. There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from completing a page.
4. They are relatively inexpensive compared to the other options, when
you consider the capacity of each album, especially if they do not
include stamp mounts. Hingeless albums, containing pre-cut acetate
stamp mounts on the other hand, are quite expensive.
5. They avoid going into too much detail, as they are generally covering a
broad range of issues. This is an advantage to the collector who does not
want to get into a lot of detail.
6. You can achieve some flexibility for items not illustrated, with blank
pages.

The cons of these types of albums include:

 1. Flexibility is limited, in terms of how you display your stamps. The
page layouts are set, and cannot be changed. Also, although you can put
unlisted items on blank pages, you will still need to find a way to print
wordings in a font that matches the rest of the album, which can be
difficult.
2. The paper used for the pages of the larger albums and cheaper albums is
of lower weight and quality, which can cause the pages to buckle when
a large number of stamps are mounted on them. This is especially so if
you are mounting stamps on both sides of each page. The buckling is
not really a serious problem, per-se, but many collectors find it less
appealing visually.
3. These albums tend to emphasize what is missing, with the blank spaces
on each page, rather than encouraging you to celebrate and appreciate
the stamps you already have.
4. They do not go into much detail, and so they are not really suitable if
you plan to collect in any kind of a specialized manner, unless you are
willing to use and design a lot of blank pages, in which case, they are
just fine.
5. Although the initial album purchase is relatively inexpensive, the cost of
annual supplements can become quite high, with many years costing
upwards of $30-$50 now. So they are an expensive option if you want to
keep them up to date.
6. They do not offer the stamps complete protection from moisture in the
sense that if they are kept in a humid room, the stamps will become
stuck to the pages.
7. Your stamps can get "caught" on one another if you mount them on both
sides of the album pages. As a result, your stamps can sometimes get
creased or damaged.
8. If the hinges or mounts come loose, stamps can fall out of the album.

If you decide to go with this option, you will need to decide on a brand. The
leading manufacturer for world albums in North America is still Scott
Publishing. Minkus and Harris used to be big names, but they are no longer in
business, though you will find no shortage of used albums around. The used
albums may be a good solution if you are not planning on collecting right up
to date. If you want hingeless albums that already contain the mounts, then
Lindner, Lighthouse and Davo are all good brand names, that produce albums
for almost any country you could want.
Once you decide on a brand, you will have to decide on whether you wish to
mount your stamps using stamp hinges, or whether you want to use acetate
mounts. Hinges are little rectangular, pre-folded pieces of gummed glassine
paper, which are moistened and attached to the back of the stamp on one end,
and then affixed to the album page on the other. Acetate mounts come in
strips that are of different widths, that open either at the top, or from the
centre on the back outwards. The strips come in different widths, depending
on the height of the stamps you are trying to mount. You place the stamp in
the mount and then cut it to the desired width. I find that scissors don't
generally give straight cuts. If you are going to use mounts, it is best to invest
in the small guillotine cutters that are available from Lighthouse to cut them.

I find that good, peelable hinges are the best and cheapest way to mount used
stamps and stamps with no gum, if you are concerned with hinging mint
stamps. I don't mind hinged stamps myself, so I would use them on mint
stamps without hesitation. But, because they are not very popular now, most
brands of hinges on the market are not very good. For one thing, they are not
very peelable. What I mean by peelable is that the hinge can be removed
easily when dry, without fear of damaging the stamp. The best hinges in the
business in this regard were Dennison hinges. They are a bluish green colour.
Unfortunately, they have been out of production for decades. But, you can still
find packages of 1000 hinges on the market for $30-$50, so they are not cheap
anymore. Mounts can get expensive, but they really are the only one of these
two solutions that are readily available from any retailer and will avoid
disturbing the gum on mint stamps.

Blank Looseleaf Albums

This is similar to the above solution for printed albums, except that these
albums have completely blank pages. Stanley Gibbons is the market leader
here, with their Simplex, Senator, Utile and Frank Godden albums to name a
few. Generally, the quality of the pages is much higher than the printed
albums, and the bindings of the more expensive Godden albums are designed
to lie completely flat when open.

The pros of this type of album include:

1. Complete flexibility to arrange your collection in any way that you

wish, and can include as much or as little detail as you wish, in terms of
explanatory notes next to the stamps on the page.
 2. Relatively inexpensive for the less expensive albums, which can work
out to be about 50c per page.

The cons are:

1. You will have to find a way to print your borders and lettering on your
pages. There are many online software templates that you can use to
design your album pages, which you can find by clicking here.
However, you have to take care to ensure that the album pages are of a
size that are compatible with your printer. For example, much of the
software in North America is designed for 8.5 x 11 inch pages, whereas
many of the pages in the British Gibbons albums are A4 size, which is
slightly different. Another route you can go which is time consuming,
but very satisfying is to learn calligraphy and use special calligraphy
pens to write your own pages out by hand.
2. The more expensive albums can become a very expensive solution if
your collection is large and includes a lot of blocks, proofs and covers.
In addition to the album cost, you have to consider the cost of hinges or
mounts and the printing costs. When these are factored in, blank albums
can be quite expensive. But the nicest albums result in a beautiful
display that cannot be surpassed by any other solution.
3. As with all looseleaf albums, they offer only limited protection against
humidity. All the other drawbacks inherent to printed albums apply here
also.

Black Or Clear "Vario" or "Hagner" Pages

[Link]

Another attractive solution that I particularly like is the Hagner, or Vario

page. Vario pages are plastic pages that come either clear, or in black, and
contain acetate pockets, of different width. They are available as either single
or double sided pages. Hagner pages are similar, but are made from cardboard
and acetate strips, rather than being made of plastic.

The picture above shows Vario pages in the smallest 8-pocket size. These are
ideal for most smaller definitive stamps and most narrow horizontal designs,
like the 1937 Coronation stamps above. If you use double sided pages, then
you can print your explanatory notes on double sided pages that go between
each page. If you do this, you can have the notes refer to the stamps on each
page to the left, and right of the notes page. You can enclose your note pages
in plastic page protectors, so that there is no need to punch the paper pages.
As you can see, the Vario pages are punched to fit many, many different types
of binders. So, they are very versatile.

There are several advantages to these types of pages:

1. Because pages are available in many sizes, this solution affords you
almost as much flexibility as a blank album, without any of the work of
having to design pages.
2. You can arrange and re-arrange your pages easily.
3. Because they are made from inert plastic, your stamps are very well
protected from moisture and abrasion. Your stamps on one page, will
not get "caught" on the stamps on the opposite page, which often
happens on albums that are double sided.
4. You can add as many explanatory notes through printed pages as you
want, and you can thus take advantage of the cheap printing technology
available in a program like Word.

But, there are some disadvantages:

1. Although you can add as many notes as you want, it is not the best
solution to use if you are still studying the attributes of your stamps,
because it will be difficult to keep track of which notes relate to which
stamps on the page. Consequently, it will be difficult to shuffle the
order of the stamps around when the time comes to study attributes that
rely a lot on comparison, such as shades.
2. It is expensive. Most Vario pages cost around $1 per page, and a good
binder can run you $30 or so.
3. Although the pages come with different pocket widths, they are
generally always the same width, with one or two exceptions. So, if you
want to display items of varying sizes on the same page and have the
plastic cover them, you have to use the pocket size that corresponds to
your largest item. This will result in wasted space, as you will be using
a wide pocket to display stamps that do not require them. However, this
is not that significant a disadvantage, if you are willing to incur the cost
of displaying your collection out over a larger number of pages.

"102" or "107/109" Cards

[Link]
These cards are used mostly by dealers for their stock, but they work just as
well for collectors. They generally come in a small size, shown above, which
is about 4 inches by 3 inches, and a larger size, which is about 6 inches by 4
inches. They are available with an all white background, or with the black
background shown. There is a small space at the top for notes, and usually the
back of the cards are white, so that you can write notes on the back related to
the stamp, such as the perforation measurements, paper type, shade and any
plate flaws. These cards are generally stored upright in large rectangular
boxes that are available at most stamp dealers, and are specially designed to
fit them. You can generally fit about 850-900 full cards in a box. The cards
generally cost about $45-$50 per 1000 cards.

There are several advantages to using these cards:

1. These are the best solution by far, when you are studying the attributes
of your stamps, because you can record all the relevant information on
the cards. Then when you want to compare papers or shades you can do
so by shuffling the cards into whatever order you want.
2. They are acid-free and the plastic covers the whole card, so they protect
your stamps against most forms of wear, dust, dirt and provide
relatively good protection from humidity, even though they are made
from card.
3. They are relatively inexpensive at 5c per card.
4. They can accommodate most single stamps, and most smaller plate
blocks.

But, there are some disadvantages too:

1. Because you have to store them in boxes, viewing your collection can
be more cumbersome. There is no page by page display, as such.
2. Because they are made from card, they are not suitable for very humid
environments.
3. They are not suitable for most larger multiples, plate blocks, booklets
and souvenir sheets.
4. Although you can place more than 1 stamp inside them, you will find
that the cellophane tends to come apart from the cards if you try to store
more than 20 stamps in one card.

"102" or "107/109" Cards Combined With "Vario" or "Hagner" Pages

 [Link]

This, for me, is the ultimate solution when you are studying your stamps, but
still want to display them to look at easily. This solution involves using larger
Vario pages to hold the 102 or 107/109 cards that contain your stamps. You
keep all your notes on the back of the cards and arrange the cards on the
pages. Then, when you are finished, you can either leave them they way they
are, or you can move the stamps to pages with narrower strips and transfer all
your notes to double sided printed pages.

This is the most expensive solution though, as the only Vario pages that will
work are those with 4 rows, so you can generally only display 8 stamps per
page.

Stockbooks or Looseleaf Stockpages

[Link]

Another very popular method for storing stamps are stockbooks. Stockbooks
generally come in 8, 16 and 32 double sided pages. Each page usually has
between 8 and 9 pockets, with a glassine interleaving page between each page
to protect the stamps on one page from getting caught on the stamps of the
opposite page. These books are generally either available with white pages
and glassine strips for the pockets, or black pages with acetate strips. The
picture above shows a white stockbook used for a collection of 1/2c Small
Queen stamps from Canada.

The advantages of stockbooks include:

1. Complete flexibility in the sense that you can display anything that fits
on the page, as long as it will at least fit on the bottom row. You can
arrange, and rearrange the pages to your heart's content.
2. You can add small notes to the pages in pencil on the white stockbooks.
3. Relatively inexpensive you can buy a 32 page (64 side) stockbook for
about $35.

The disadvantages include:

 1. Very limited ability to add any notes to describe of identify your
stamps. You could place little printed tickets in the pockets on the
pages, or use sticky labels, but you cannot add any pages with notes.
2. The same problems you can encounter with albums in humid climates
will apply to stockbooks as well.
3. The white glassine strips in the white stockbooks partially obscure the
designs, so that they are more of a storage solution than a display
solution.

In addition to stockbooks, there are looseleaf manila stockpages, as shown

below:
[Link]

These manila pages usually contain 12 rows of open pockets, and are ideal for
storing large numbers of stamps. Although the page above has the stamps
placed side by side, you can actually overlap up to 10 stamps on top of one
another and fit them into the pockets.

The main advantage to these type of pages is that they are cheap: about 35
cents a page, and they can hold a lot of stamps, when the stamps are
overlapped. They are really only a storage solution though, as the stamps are
partially obscured. However, you can add notes in pencil or pen on the pages,
so they can be an ideal temporary solution when you are studying your
stamps. Of course, being made from card stock, the limitations that apply to
albums in humid climates apply to these as well.

To summarize:

1. If you are living in a very humid climate and collect mint stamps, then
Vario pages are really the safest way to go, despite being the most
expensive.
2. If you are interested in displaying your stamps, with minimal extra
notes, and your collection is straightforward and from a country, then a
pre-printed album may be the best solution for you.
3. If you want to display your stamps with no notes, and want flexibility,
then a black stockbook with acetate pockets is probably your best bet.
4. If you are studying your stamps and have a lot of notes and are not
ready to display them yet, then 102 or 107/109 cards are likely your best
solution.
 5. If you want maximum flexibilty of display, your collection is
specialized and does not conform to a standard printed album, then
Vario pages are probably your best solution.
6. If you just want a place to store duplicate used stamps and want to store
a lot of stamps, then manila stocksheets are the best and least expensive
solution by far.

For covers, the best solution is either single or double pocket Vario pages, or
the Lighthouse cover albums that are really large stockbooks for covers. These
albums can generally hold 200 covers per album, and are relatively
inexpensive at $50 or so per album.

Soaking Stamps
If you are just starting your collection, or are specializing in modern
definitives, and are collecting used stamps, one of the most economical
sources of stamps for your collection is killoware. Killoware refers to stamps
that have been clipped from envelopes and are still on the original envelope
clipping. If the clipping includes both the front and back side of the envelope
from which the stamp came, then the stamps are said to be on double paper.
Otherwise they are on single paper.

The question quickly arises as to what to do with the stamps on paper? The
conventional wisdom 30 years ago was to soak all of them in water to get the
paper off and then dry and press them. If you are not interested in collecting
cancellations (postmarks), then that still applies today. However, if you are
interested in collecting cancellations, then it is probably best to leave them on
piece, provided that the piece contains the entire cancellation, with a
reasonable border around. These can then be displayed in your album. If the
stamps are self-adhesives, it is also probably better to leave them on piece, as
these can be next to impossible to soak off, as the gum is often not water
soluble.

Once you have decided which stamps you wish to soak, there are a few
important points to note, so as not to damage your stamps:

1. For most stamps, it is generally best to soak them in cold water or

lukewarm water. You should never use hot water, as this tends to soften
the inks used to print photogravure stamps and can cause surface
wrinkling, or loss of colour from the stamps on the drying cloths.
2. Separate stamps on coloured envelope papers, such as yellow, green or
red from those on white paper and soak them separately. These
envelopes often contain water soluble dyes that will run in water and
can stain the stamps that are on them. One trick that I learned for
dealing with this when I was younger, is to add a bit of salt to the bath
water beforehand. This can help prevent the colour from soaking into
and staining the stamps. In any event, the coloured papers should be
further sorted and soaked separately: red with red, yellow with yellow,
etc.
3. Add the stamps to the bath water and when finished gently immerse
them by pressing down. It will take a good 30-40 minutes for the water
to penetrate the paper completely and loosen the gum enough to be able
to get the stamps off the paper. Generally the stamps are very fragile
when damp, so my preference is not to try and peel them from the
envelope paper at all. Rather, I prefer to go through the water and pull
out any pieces of envelope paper that have no stamps, remove the
stamps that have floated off and place these in a separate bath. This
separate bath helps remove any residual gum, which will prevent them
from sticking to the paper towels that you will be drying them on later.
Then, I will usually dump out the main bath water and re-fill it,
repeating the process. Eventually 90-95% of the stamps will have
floated off the envelope paper, leaving a small amount that you will
have to manually peel off.
4. In peeling the stamps off the envelope paper, the safest way to do this is
to hold the stamp firmly and starting from one corner, peel the paper
away from the stamp, and not the other way around. The difference is a
subtle one, but if you peel the paper away from the stamp, you have a
much lower chance of damaging the stamp. DO NOT force it. If you
encounter any resistance, stop and either place the piece back in a new
bath, or consider drying it out on piece and leaving it the way it was.
5. When you have all the stamps in the second bath, and you have changed
the bath water to the point that it is no longer murky, then you will
know that you have washed away all the gum and are now ready to dry
the stamps and press them.
6. There are two ways that you can dry and press your stamps. One way is
to get several layers of paper towel and a large heavy book, like a
dictionary or other heavy book, and make a drying area from paper
towel in the approximate shape of the book. Then place the stamps face
down on the paper towel, cover with 1-2 layers of paper towel and
repeat, until all your stamps have been placed on the paper towel. Then
 place the book, on top of the paper towel, add some other books for
weight, and wait 1-2 days. Then remove the book and the top layer of
paper towel. Depending on how wet the stamps were and how much
paper towel you used, you will either have flat, but very damp stamps,
or relatively dry, flat, but somewhat damp stamps. Depending on how
damp the stamps are, you will probably need to air-dry them before you
can put them away. Air drying them will be no problem if you have
removed all the gum, as they should dry flat, even after you remove the
book. After they have air-dried, you should be able to mount them or
put them away.
7. A second way to dry and press your stamps is to place them face down
on paper towels in a single layer, and air dry them. Once they are almost
dry, being slightly damp, you can then place them on paper towels with
the book on top to press them completely dry. The only drawback to this
is that if the stamps curl or shift when you are placing the book on top
of the paper towels, you can wind up creasing some of your stamps.
You have to be very careful when doing it this way. One advantage to
laying them wet on the paper towels is that they tend to lie flat, so there
is very little chance of creasing them when you place the book on top of
the paper towel. But if they are already mostly dry when you do this,
then they can curl unexpectedly.

There are liquid "stamp lift" solutions on the market that will work on self-
adhesive stamps and some of the more stubborn gums. They are not cheap and
come in fairly small bottles. So, for general stamps that you are not planning
on mounting, I would be tempted to simply leave those on piece if they won't
soak easily. Some people have had success with organic solvents like lighter
fluid, or acetone (the active ingredient in nail polish remover). However, I do
not advise this generally, as it may also loosen the design. Whether it will or
not depends completely on the chemical makeup of the printing ink, and this
will be different for each stamp issue. So, unless you know for sure that an
organic solvent will not affect the ink, it is probably best to just leave those
stamps on piece.

Any Other Tips?

If there is only one tip to take away from this site in regards to your collection
it is this:

There is no "right" way to collect.

It took me over 40 years as a philatelist to finally internalize this lesson and
start collecting what I wanted to collect. There is no rule carved in stone that
says that you can only have one collection, and that it must be complete.
Completion, is an arbitrary term anyway. Complete according to what? A
collection can be complete, as far as having one of each basic stamp from a
country or a period, but can be woefully incomplete from a specialist's
perspective. You can have as many collections as you want, and I find that
having several different collections is an ideal way to get the most enjoyment
that you can from this hobby, for when you become frustrated or bored with
one, you can set it aside and pick up another. You may find that you have
several different "needs" as a collector, and that trying to have one collection
satisfy all needs is difficult.

For example, I like collecting modern paper varieties, but I also enjoy
collecting shade differences and plate flaws on classic engraved stamps.
However, because I am a dealer, I really do not want to collect expensive
material, because I want to be able to offer it to my customers. Therefore both
of my collections are comprised of relatively inexpensive stamps: British
Commonwealth Omnibus issues to the mid-1970's to satisfy my desire for
classic engraved stamps, with a splash of modern, and Canada from 1947 to
1997 to cover my desire to collect paper varieties.

So, you should collect what you like, and do not be afraid to start new
collections as your interest takes hold, and leave material you do not
particularly like out of collections you are forming. Unless you are planning
to exhibit competitively, there is no good reason to collect stamps you do not
love.

You also need to be patient, and understand that there is plenty to go around
for everyone, at least for the modern stamps. Unless you are collecting rare
stamps, there is more than enough in existence to supply most collectors,
especially if you are not a perfectionist. Therefore, you can relax, in the
knowledge that if you miss out on a stamp you wanted, you will see it again,
and will have many chances to acquire the stamps you want.

It is a good idea to watch your tendency towards perfectionism. With the

amount of ego involved in the hobby, and the status that tends to be conferred
on collections of stamps in extraordinary condition, it is very, very easy to get
drawn into being a perfectionist with your collecting. The problem with
perfectionism that gets out of control, is that it can seriously hamper your fun,
as you will tend to see only the imperfections of the stamps you have, and not
appreciate their beauty. A good cure for this is to collect an area for which
material simply does not exist in the higher condition grades. If you do this
for a while you will very likely find that you have just as much fun studying
and collecting stamps in fine or very good condition, as you do collecting the
higher grade material. There is nothing wrong with pursuing quality of course,
but you will find that you will have much more fun if you avoid getting
obsessed about condition - appreciating the extraordinary stamps in your
collection for what they are, rather than taking them for granted and expecting
all your stamps to be like them.

Another good idea to adopt when you are going through a "tight" patch with
your finances, is to spend time arranging your stamps, writing them up, or
researching the subject matter on the stamps. This is one aspect of the hobby
that often gets overlooked, as many collectors do not feel like collectors
unless they are constantly acquiring more and more stamps. But, the reality is
that there are only so many stamps that you can look at in one sitting. So,
having more stamps, while it is always nice, is not the only way to enjoy the
hobby.

Lastly, try to remember that at the end of the day, it is a hobby; nothing more,
nothing less. It is here to give us pleasure - a way to unwind and relax, while
still being connected to humanity on some level. If you keep that firmly in
mind, you will find that you don't take the hobby too seriously, and will have
much more fun with it over the long term.