The Ultimate Stamp Album Debate

It’s not a question with a straight answer, but working within the business of philately, the question always springs upon us - so, what really is the ultimate stamp album?

A huge factor in the answer to this question is purely just a matter of preference, but we know that whether you’re a beginner philatelist or consider yourself a fine-tuned collector, finding the perfect way to store and organise your collection can be a tough decision to make. With so many options available, finding the perfect stamp album can be tough!

Therefore, we put the question to some of our Stanley Gibbons philatelic experts, and we hope that they can bring some light to one of our most frequently asked questions!

Scott Bradley, Head of Great Britain:

"Like many others, I am probably guilty of the stockcard in an envelope stashed in a drawer trick, but I always feel that items written up on nice quadrille pages enclosed in exhibition protectors in an exhibition box would suit any specialist collection. "

Victoria Lajer, Managing Director:

"At the moment one collection is just in a stock book, sadly in no particular order, my chicken collection however has been mounted on exhibition pages." (Ed: If you have no idea what Victoria is on about, check out her bizarre but fascinating chicken collection).

GEORGE JAMES, HEAD OF COMMONWEALTH:

"I use Stanley Gibbons Philatelic Albums because their large page size complements the revenues I collect which are often large format for Ceylon. Smaller albums would make it difficult to store and display sets and documents."

Edward Barrow, Specialist Auction Describer:

"My pick would be the Stanley Gibbons Sandringham Binder, the simple classic design is appealing and does not compete with the stamps. It also lays flat, which may sound trivial, but does make looking through your collection a more pleasant experience.

For older albums I like the “The Black Cat Album”, circa 1910. It is basically a stamp album made to advertise cigarettes, which very much captures the spirt of that age."

“I'm not organized enough to use albums!”

OSCAR YOUNG - SPECIALIST AUCTION DESCRIBER:

"I use the Frank Godden, now Balmoral albums. I rather like to have all my stamps well presented on faced gilt edges pages within a leather-bound album."

DICKON POLLARD, SENIOR PHILATELIST:

"I’m not organised enough to use albums!"

PAUL MATTHEWS, SPECIALIST AUCTION DESCRIBER:

"I use various albums that include, "The Oriel Postage Stamp Album" because the album lays flat when open and the Lighthouse cover album because it is easy to move my covers."

Dean Morris, Stanley Gibbons Strand Store

“Personally, I like the new pre-printed albums but it's the Sandringham range that is proving most popular with our customers”

GRAHAM SHIRCORE, CEO:

"I like to use a stock book - I like to move them around a lot."

To conclude, even some of our most senior staff do not use stamp albums! If you are a beginner, it’s not something you have to find a preference for straight away, it can take a while to discover the perfect fit for your collection.

Take a look at our full stamp album range - SHOP STAMp ALBUMS