Hingeless album page comments and a question (LONG)

I've tried a number of different methods for stamp albums over the
years, from good ole' hinges in traditional albums, to stock books, to
using mounts in traditional albums, to printing out my own album pages.
I found that while I might save money over buying hingeless pages
outright, I ended up spending far too much time on the damned pages
rather than with the stamps.

I've seen and used a number of different types of hingeless pages,
including Lighthouse, Davo, Lindner, Kabe, etc. Only recently have I
discovered a variety that I really like, the Safe Dual pages. Now that
I've started using these, I won't go back. They're the kind where each
page is essentially in two pieces: a printed page, and then a vinyl
sheet containing the pockets for the stamps that sits on top of the
printed page.

The vinyl pages are extremely sturdy; much moreso than traditional
mount-based hingeless pages, and they offer two major advantages over
other types:

1. You can view both the front and back of stamps without disturbing or
touching the stamp.
2. Since the pockets are laid out in rows, on most pages there are extra
places above and beyond those above printed spaces, sometimes entire
rows. This is *wonderful* having space to put extra color varieties,
both mint and used copies, multiples, copies on piece, etc.

They're actually cheaper than Lighthouse pages, but offer (in my
opinion) much more.

I've been getting mine through www.collecting-supplies.com, which is
basically a drop-ship operation. You order from them by referencing
Safe's (or Lindner's or Lighthouse's) web site. You are charged at full
list price, but then once they get their charges from the manufacturer,
they credit you back the discount (keep up on this, sometimes they lag a
bit on crediting back). When all is said and done, you wind up paying
roughly 75% of list (by comparison, ordering through Subway you,re
paying approximately 80% of list).

Then there's the question of binders, which in my mind is the biggest
racket in the hobby! Stamp album binders cost $25-50 each, depending on
variety. Far too damned much. The problem is that you cannot use
standard office supply or 8.5x11 binders with these pages, since the
pages are roughly 12x12. I've found a solution that works extremely well
that I'm quite pleased with:

I've been buying so-called "scrapbook binders" from a manufacturer on
Ebay. I prefer the burgundy color, but they are available in several
colors. 3-ring binders with a 2-inch ring, fully padded, with brass
corner guards, and a clear pocket on the spine for a label. Closed, the
binders measure 12.5" tall by 14" wide, so they actually extend about 2
inches beyond the page edges. Too deep for a standard bookshelf, but
absolutely a perfect fit for the little 4-shelf bookcase with glass
doors that I picked up at Walmart for $80 (a perfect storage unit for my
stamp albums; I love it).

I've been buying the binders 5 at a time, and including shipping it
works out to roughly $16 per binder, far less than hobby-specific binders.

You can see the exact binder here (this is the actual seller I buy from):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=33 977


Now here's the question: Does anyone here have the Safe Dual hingeless
pages for Great Britain? I've got a set of Lighthouse hingeless pages,
but am looking to switch. What I need to know is if the Safe pages have
spaces for not only different issues, but more importantly, for the
different plate numbers for the 19th-century surface printed stamps. My
lighthouse pages have spaces for the different plate numbers for Scott
#33, but not for the other issues.

I find myself only being able to put one, or at most two different plate
numbers in the album (if I steal one of the color variety spaces),
whereas I've been trying to get all the listed plate numbers for various
issues...

If Safe does not, do any of the other hingeless pages out there offer this?

Thanks,

-Dan

Dan wrote:
[snip]
Now here's the question: Does anyone here have the Safe Dual hingeless
pages for Great Britain? I've got a set of Lighthouse hingeless pages,
but am looking to switch. What I need to know is if the Safe pages have
spaces for not only different issues, but more importantly, for the
different plate numbers for the 19th-century surface printed stamps. My
lighthouse pages have spaces for the different plate numbers for Scott
#33, but not for the other issues.

I find myself only being able to put one, or at most two different plate
numbers in the album (if I steal one of the color variety spaces),
whereas I've been trying to get all the listed plate numbers for various
issues...

If Safe does not, do any of the other hingeless pages out there offer this?

If the Safe pages don't have spaces for each plate number, you could get
a few blank Safe pages to hold them. See
http://www.safepub.com/Catalog/stamps/dualblnk.htm for what they have
available.

= Eric