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Post by gillian on Oct 7, 2023 21:19:18 GMT
Not sure if this is the right place for this, but here goes.
Over the years I had a lot of trouble with hinges hardening, then someone sent me a packet of hinges, which were great and didn't harden, ;Around about the same time i saw a message giving the hint of storing stamp hinges n a metal box. I don't remember who sent me the hinges, but they were great and lasted until I ran out of them recently.
Now that I've run out of hinges, I don't know where to get more, or what brand to get. Any thoughts?
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renden
Member
Posts: 8,714
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Oct 7, 2023 21:29:16 GMT
I have the old ones from the 60s (Dennison 1000 for 25¢) - they do not stick that much and leave just a Light Hinge remnant - but I do not hinge stamps in 2023
René
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hdm1950
Member
Posts: 1,604
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Oct 8, 2023 0:08:10 GMT
Not sure if this is the right place for this, but here goes. Over the years I had a lot of trouble with hinges hardening, then someone sent me a packet of hinges, which were great and didn't harden, ;Around about the same time i saw a message giving the hint of storing stamp hinges n a metal box. I don't remember who sent me the hinges, but they were great and lasted until I ran out of them recently. Now that I've run out of hinges, I don't know where to get more, or what brand to get. Any thoughts? The hinges most popular today are vintage ones by Dennison. They are popular enough that packages of 1000 are selling for over 25.00 on eBay. Check there and you will see them being offered at most any time sometimes at fixed prices and sometimes in the auction format.
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DrewM
**Member**
Posts: 26
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Post by DrewM on Oct 9, 2023 20:39:54 GMT
I've read a number of places that all hinges today are made by one manufacturer in Europe. They're sold under various brands but they are all supposedly from the same factory which makes them all the same hinges. To test this claim out, I purchased a packet of every major stamp hinge I could find for sale, even obscure brands, and mounted stamps using a dozen or more of each brand on an album page. After a few days, I then removed each of them.
Verdict: All hinges sold today not only look the same, they behave the same. All the hinges -- every single one -- tore the album page or left a very obvious hinge mark in exactly the same way. And they tore the back of the (old, cheap) stamps I used them on. There was no "better" brand among all of them. So, it does seem as if all modern brands of stamp hinges are the same hinges. And they are very aggressive, doing damage to album pages and to stamps.
Older hinges (like Dennison's which are no longer made) used a less aggressive adhesive which removed much more easily and did not tear the stamp or the album page. Too bad they're no longer made.
If you must use modern hinges, I suggest two things:
1. Consider cutting them in half vertically as you use them. A bit tiresome, but this reduces the damage if you need to remove them. And since the glue is aggressive, they will still hold the stamp on the album page well. AND you get more hinges that way!
2. Try to use less moisture. It's not easy to do, and I haven't mastered this very well, but if you can moisten lightly or moisten less of the hinge, it will be at least a little less damaging if you need to remove it later. Doing #1 above is one way to use less moisture on a hinge, of course. One technique I use with hinges is after moistening (licking, usually), I wait a bit and maybe wave it in the air for a few seconds to dry it a little. That might help by evaporating some of the moisture -- but I haven't really tested this to be sure. And, yes, you will look silly, but what can you do . . . ?
Stamp mounts which most collectors use today cost at least $0.06 each (or slightly more) to use. That's a package with 22 strips from which you cut 4 mounts from each strip (88 mounts, perhaps a little more) for about $6.00 a package.
On the other hand, a packet of 1,000 modern hinges costing about $4.00 works out to less than 1/2 a cent per hinge ($0.004) per stamp, a fraction of the cost of stamp mounts. BUT if the hinges damage your stamps, what is the point? I mean, you might as well use scotch tape if you're cheap and don't care about damaging your stamps.
(Don't tell anyone, but there now is Scotch removable double-sided tape that might be worth experimenting with. I wonder . . . . In fact, I'm currently experimenting with a page of cheap stamps mounted with this tape over a year ago to see if the adhesive migrates into the page or into the stamp, or if the tape stains or otherwise damages the stamp, and if the tape really removable after a few years, and so on. We'll see, but so far, so good. However, no, I do not recommend this. Tape is generally very bad for stamps. And who knows how "neutral" the adhesive is? But you might also want to try your own test page of stamps mounted this way to see what you find. If you do, be very sure you use the "removable" version of this tape, not the "permanent" type. They look similar but one you can't remove later. Imagine doing that to your stamps!)
Finding old Dennison's on Ebay is not impossible, but expect to pay $25-30 currently for just one package, as unbelievable as that is. That's close to $0.03 a hinge which isn't so much less than the cost of a stamp mount. And it's a great deal more than modern stamp hinges. But the mount will protect the stamp a lot better and may make your album pages look better, as well.
In my albums, I hinge early stamps that have already been hinged. That's usually to "around" the 1920s or 1930s. But I use stamp mounts for all later stamps -- and for all mint unhinged stamps of whatever year. Any really valuable stamps, including really early ones, also go into a mount just to be a good caretaker. So most of my country collections are about 25% hinged at the beginning of the album and then all the rest are in mounts. In fact, sometimes I feel as if I'm personally keeping mount-manufacturers in business!
Cheers! Have fun.
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rod222
Member
Posts: 9,911
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Oct 9, 2023 23:18:51 GMT
Hi Gillian, this is a personal approach to hinging, that I employ, and have for years. 1. I do not understand your hinges "Hardening" can you explain? 2. I hinge over 5000 stamps a year These are the hinges I use, available on ebay, I try to buy at around $5 per 1000 Now: the BIG IMPORTANT thing that is a caveat with these. Slobber or wet lick these hinges, will result in disaster, the hinge cementing itself to the stamp and the page ripped stamps and pages result. The trick is simple, you need to (with practice) barely moisten the hinge gum, so the gum is just malleable (tacky) This takes some expertise, you almost feel like the gum is dry and the stamp will fall off, it won't. If you perfect this regime, your stamps should be peelable, by stamp tongs. Try perhaps first dabbing a barely moist finger on the hinge I use inside of my lip Once perfected, you'll wonder what the fuss was all about PS: Depending on your environment, these hinges will begin to curl, some drastically, (Humidity) I pick up a curled lot of 10 or so, in my pointy tongs, lengthwise, and fold over one leg of the tongs (so they are creased lengthwise) this straightens them easily, and makes it easy to pick up each individual hinge with a dab of the finger.
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sudbury12000
Member
Posts: 315
What I collect: Canada, Great Britain, Germany, World Pre 1925
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Post by sudbury12000 on Oct 10, 2023 16:38:19 GMT
Thank you all for this information. I hinged for many years without thinking of the damage they may cause. When I started buying old collections, I found out. Some hinges from the past held up well, many did not. I have even found the use of selvedge for a hinge. I was lucky that my father in the 60's stopped hinging Mint stamps, and that practice stuck with me. I have even stopped hinging stamps with a CV of over £5 and use mounts for my albums. I had an old dealer tell me never remove a hinge from a mint stamp or I will cry. Only took one mistake for me to learn. For my non valuable stamps I use 'Dennisen' brand. If you have to remove they come off fairly easily when dry, off of used stamps. For older stamps with hinges I will soak, make sure the stamp does not have fugitive ink, or use my stamp lift. I use the stamp lift on Mint stamps with hinges; there is an art to it so best to practice on stamps of little or no value. I have found in old collections packs of "Dennison" hinges and they are still the best I have found. But will try the Prinz to see how they are. Similar price to the Dennisen, note the slight change in spelling, maybe that was done on purpose.....
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madbaker
Member
Posts: 693
What I collect: (Mark) General worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
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Post by madbaker on Oct 10, 2023 17:23:11 GMT
For my non valuable stamps I use 'Dennisen' brand. ... I have found in old collections packs of "Dennison" hinges and they are still the best I have found. But will try the Prinz to see how they are. Similar price to the Dennisen, note the slight change in spelling, maybe that was done on purpose.....
You're right, the change in spelling is intentional. The good, old hinges are 'Dennison' with an 'o'.
The hinges with the 'e' (Dennisen) are new, manufactured by a US dealer (Subway Stamp Shop?) They did a bunch of research and tried to work with the Avery Company (who owned the rights to Dennison) to reproduce the glassine and gum used in the classic hinges.
I have some of the new Dennisens and they aren't much different than any other modern hinge in my experience. Which is sad, because I think they tried very, very hard over several years to crack the code on this.
It's tragic that there isn't enough profit to keep these things going, much like Polaroid film, water activated stamps or, heck, postage stamps themselves!
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rod222
Member
Posts: 9,911
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Oct 11, 2023 0:03:53 GMT
DENNISON HINGES CANADA Be aware the genuine Dennison hinges, appear in a least 5 differing packaging designs from their factory in Bowman Ontario Canada Revenue Perfin of the Dennison Company (Dennison Manufacturing Co)
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Post by nick2302 on Oct 17, 2023 15:22:41 GMT
I learned long ago to spend the money on Showgard mounts. I use the clear type but they have the black available as well. My expensive stamps (now please don't laugh, cause I am cheap) anything over 2.50 I would never hinge no matter what. I have purchased stamps advertised as MNH only to find a hinge mark on the back of the stamp which irritates me to no end. My experience with hinges has been a big NO vote. Nick
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Post by viking1234 on Nov 24, 2023 20:18:22 GMT
I use mounts for my collections, I have seen old collections with mounts that had accid in the gum and damagede the stamps. I know today the hinges is acid free. I always had trouble with hinges espicially when buying stamps on papper, collectors seems to place the hinges which make no sense to me, that means sometime i tear the stamp instead of getting it of the pages they are attached to.
Hinges is smart when setting up sales pages as long as the stamps is postmarked, do not use hinges at MNH stamps it is a no go.
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djcmh
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Posts: 773
What I collect: Worldwide
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Post by djcmh on Nov 24, 2023 20:50:29 GMT
This is one of the main reasons why I switched to Vario pages for my collections. No hinges or mounts to worry about. The other was greater flexibility in arranging collections, easily able to work in variants not shown on pre-printed album pages.
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