Stamp Mounts - Safe and Beautiful

Stamps can be mounted in a stamp album in several different ways, but the two most common methods are (1) by using stamp hinges, and (2) by using stamp mounts.

Stamp hinges, which have been around in one form or another for almost as long as stamps themselves, are extremely inexpensive and very easy to use. With one exception, they're an almost perfect choice for mounting used stamps, mint stamps that have already been hinged at least once, and inexpensive stamps. But for mint never hinged stamps and stamps that have some significant value,
aren't such a hot choice.

Why?

Hinges, no matter how lightly applied, always leave a mark on the gum side of a stamp. You don't want that to happen if you're mounting mint never hinged stamps because using hinges will significantly devalue the stamps. This isn't a concern with used stamps because they have no gum to leave a mark on, and it isn't really a concern for mint stamps that have already been hinged, because a hinge mark is already there. But you also shouldn't use hinges on expensive stamps, even if they're used or have been hinged already: hinges allow the mounted stamps to move a bit, and sometimes they can get tangled up with each other with the potential for damage. So our advice is to only use hinges to mount used or mint hinged stamps that are common or fairly inexpensive.

Stamp mounts provide more protection for your valuable stamps, and they're also more appealing to look at. They preserve the pristine state of mint never hinged stamps because unlike hinging, no salvia or hinge material is ever applied to the stamp itself. And when mounts are used, the stamps don't lift up from the stamp album pages as much as they can when hinges are used, so the potential for damaging valuable stamps is significantly reduced.

Appearance is another factor in favor of stamp mounts. Appearance is important for two main reasons: (1) the sense of pleasure a stamp collector experiences when looking at an attractively presented stamp collection; and (2) if the stamps are eventually to be sold, an attractively and safely mounted collection will almost always fetch a higher price than a collection that's been haphazardly or
unsafely mounted. And stamps are an investment that sometimes require waiting several years before a significant profit can be made. Keeping the stamps in a collection in their best condition during the waiting period is essential. Mounts are ideal for these purposes - they provide an attractive little frame for the stamps and they protect them at the same time.

All stamp mounts have a clear front, but some come with a black background (our favorite) and others with a clear background. Other than that, there are two styles of mounts: top-opening mounts and center-opening mounts. The top-opening style might be slightly easier to use, because you can easily slide a stamp into the mount from the top, using your stamp tongs. But the center-opening mounts are better: although you have to lift up both ends of the mount in order to insert a stamp, there is almost no chance that the stamp will ever
slide out of the mount and become damaged. Whether you use top-mounts or center-mounts, the backs of the mounts are pre-gummed and ready to be applied to stamp album pages once the stamps are inside.

Stamp mounts are sold in pre-cut sizes to fit individual items and also in strips of varying sizes, from sizes to fit the smallest stamps to large souvenir sheets and mini-sheets. Mounts can be trimmed to size with a guillotine-type mount cutter, an inexpensive but essential tool.

Safe and beautiful, mounts are well worth their extra expense, protecting your treasured stamp collection over the years.

Stamp Hinges vs. Stamp Mounts Revisited

A few months ago we did a four-part post that discussed the relative merits - and disadvantages - of using stamp hinges and stamp mounts in stamp collections.

Well, we recently came across a great idea (although a bit more expensive than using mounts or hinges) so we thought we'd pass it along.

One of the disadvantages of stamp mounts that we discussed was that it is sometimes difficult to remove a mount from a stamp album page without damaging the page itself.

In short, the idea is this: place your stamps inside stamp mounts. Then, instead of licking the back of the mount and adhering it to the album page directly, use one or more stamp hinges to do that. In other words, hinge the mount to the album page.

Using the stamp mount protects the gum of the stamp, and using the stamp hinge to attach the mount to the page protects your album pages - the best of both worlds!

The only downside that we see for those who use stamp mounts already is a slightly increased cost - but it's negligible because stamp hinges are so inexpensive.

This great idea was published in the December 3, 2007 edition of Linn's Stamp News, contributed by a reader in the "Reader's Opinions" section. Thanks, reader!

Should I Use Stamp Mounts or Stamp Hinges For My Stamp Collection? Part 4 of 4 Parts.

Some people - especially older stamp collectors and those who collect used stamps - prefer the old-style gummed stamp hinges that until the 1950s or 1960s were just about the only thing available for mounting stamps.

Other people would never even consider using hinges in their stamp collections.

Each mounting method has its good points and its bad points. This post will discuss the disadvantages of using stamp hinges.

Disadvantages of Stamp Hinges:

• As a general rule, stamp hinges should not be used with mint (unused) stamps, as doing so will damage the stamps' gum and reduce their value accordingly. Because of this, stamp mounts are more appropriate for mint, unused stamps.
  

• Stamps can usually be removed from a stamp fairly easily, at least with high-quality hinges. But please take care when removing a stamp hinge from a stamp, otherwise there is at least some risk of creating a hinge remnant, thin or even a tear in the stamp.

• Hinged stamps sometimes get tangled up with each other when leafing through a stamp album that has double-sided pages with stamps on both sides. And stamps sometimes fall off or pull away from their hinges. Either way, there is a serious risk of one or more stamps being damaged.
  

Should I Use Stamp Mounts or Stamp Hinges For My Stamp Collection? Part 3 of 4 Parts.

Some people - especially older stamp collectors and those who collect used stamps - prefer the old-style gummed stamp hinges that until the 1950s or 1960s were just about the only thing available for mounting stamps.

Other people would never even consider using hinges in their stamp collections.

Each mounting method has its good points and its bad points. This post will discuss the advantages of using stamp hinges.

Advantages of Stamp Hinges:

• Stamp hinges are very inexpensive when compared to the cost of stamp mounts. A pack of pre-cut stamp mounts will cost at least $3 at most stamp shops and will usually only contain 25 or so mounts. In contrast, a pack of stamp hinges will only cost $5 or $6 but typically contains 1,000 hinges.

• Stamps can usually be removed from a stamp fairly easily, at least with high-quality hinges. But please take care when removing a stamp hinge from a stamp, otherwise there is at least some risk of creating a thin or even a tear in the stamp. And because they're usually easy to remove, stamps can readily be moved to a different location on an album page without damaging the album page either. Although stamps mounted in stamp mounts can be very easily removed or relocated, the mounts themselves can be difficult to remove from an album page without causing damage to the page. This can make it very difficult to re-orient / change the layout of stamps on a given page.

• Stamp hinges are great for beginners, for those working with a limited budget, or for those who collect postally used stamps, since there's no gum to be damaged.
  

Part 4 - the disadvantages of stamp hinges - will be posted tomorrow.

Should I Use Stamp Mounts or Stamp Hinges For My Stamp Collection? Part 1 of 4 Parts.

Some people - especially older stamp collectors and those who collect used stamps - prefer the old-style gummed stamp hinges that until the 1950s or 1960s were just about the only thing available for mounting stamps.

Other people would never even consider using hinges in their stamp collections.

Each mounting method has its good points and its bad points. This post will discuss the advantages of using stamp mounts.

Advantages of Stamp Mounts:

• unlike hinges, a properly used stamp mount will leave no mark on the stamp. This preserves the "mint never hinged" condition of unused, unmounted stamps. Hinging a previously mint never hinged stamp can significantly and adversely affect its value. Thus, using stamp mounts instead of hinges can preserve the value of your unused stamps.
• stamp mounts, unlike hinges, can help protect your stamps. When stamp mounts are used, the stamps are enclosed in a protective plastic-like layer. The stamps are much less likely to fall off the page or get tangled up with each other
• if a collector acquires a "better" copy of a stamp that he or she already has, it's very easy to do a switch and replace: simply slip the stamp to be replaced out of the mount (leaving the mount in place on the album page) and slip the new stamp right in. No muss, no fuss, and no damage to either of the stamps.
• stamp mounts are available in dozens and dozens of different sizes, and can be purchased in strips to be cut to size as needed (a bit less expensive) or in pre-cut sizes (very convenient and time-saving). The larger sizes allow a collector to place large items such as souvenir sheets or stamp panes into an album without having to use multiple hinges.

Part 2 - the disadvantages of stamp mounts - will be posted tomorrow.