youpiao
Member 
APS #218885 IPDA #196
Posts: 131 
What I collect: Worldwide, mainly classic-era, Topicals: Classical music, Literature/Fiction Writers, Accordions, Novelty stamps.
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Post by youpiao on Jan 22, 2022 15:32:31 GMT
When looking for loose-leaf stock sheets (as opposed to bound stockbooks), There are several styles to choose from. Some are made of manila card stock and utilize card or glassine strips to secure the stamps. These are generally used only for storage and not as the primary means of displaying stamps because the lower portion of the stamps are obscured.
Here, I am going to look at the so-called Vario-style and Hagner-style stock sheets, which use clear plastic strips or pockets which display the whole stamp. Pages are made with different numbers of rows, from one row pages for full panes or large souvenir sheets, to 2 rows, suitable for covers, and 3 rows, 4 rows, etc. on up to 8 rows, where each row is about 27mm high. Many collectors use these as their primary album pages. I will show, here, the differences among three brands which I have in my collection.
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youpiao
Member
APS #218885 IPDA #196
Posts: 131
What I collect: Worldwide, mainly classic-era, Topicals: Classical music, Literature/Fiction Writers, Accordions, Novelty stamps.
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Post by youpiao on Jan 22, 2022 15:33:00 GMT
Hagner Hagner stock pages are made of card stock and have plastic strips which have been welded to the page along the bottom edge only.  Here is a complete picture of a Hagner sheet. The strips have a slight waviness in them, which I only really noticed once I started doing this comparison. (Also, I only use stock sheets for temporary storage and for scanning stamps, so the slight waviness never caught my attention.)  |
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youpiao
Member
APS #218885 IPDA #196
Posts: 131
What I collect: Worldwide, mainly classic-era, Topicals: Classical music, Literature/Fiction Writers, Accordions, Novelty stamps.
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Post by youpiao on Jan 22, 2022 15:40:11 GMT
Vario-style Sheets Vario sheets are made of plastic, and have full width plastic pockets open only at the top.  Vario brand sheets lie virtually perfectly flat with no waviness in the plastic pockets. (The little bit of waviness you see in the top right corner is due to that corner being bumped.)  I also have a Vario-style sheet under the Vision brand, which I got from Hobby Lobby. They do not lie flat. They bow up a bit, from left to right. When you view them from the other side, there is a definite concaveness to them.  |
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youpiao
Member
APS #218885 IPDA #196
Posts: 131
What I collect: Worldwide, mainly classic-era, Topicals: Classical music, Literature/Fiction Writers, Accordions, Novelty stamps.
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Post by youpiao on Jan 22, 2022 15:48:51 GMT
A closer comparison of the Vario and Vision sheets show that the Vario is of much higher manufacturing quality. The weld along the bottom edge is neat and smooth, ensuring no waviness in the pocket.  As opposed to the Vision sheet, where you can see small bumps along the weld on the bottom edge, which creates specular highlights, and waviness in the pocket, which interfere with the full enjoyment of viewing your stamps.  |
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youpiao
Member
APS #218885 IPDA #196
Posts: 131
What I collect: Worldwide, mainly classic-era, Topicals: Classical music, Literature/Fiction Writers, Accordions, Novelty stamps.
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Post by youpiao on Jan 22, 2022 16:11:43 GMT
One more consideration, especially for dealers scanning stamps for sales listings, is that the Vario style sheets (both Vario and Vision) create a lot of reflection along the welds, which can be cropped out, for the most part, in single-stamp scans, but which can prove annoying and intrusive in scans of sets covering 2 or more rows. The Hagner sheets are the best in this regard, creating very few reflections. Vision  Vario  Hagner  |
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youpiao
Member
APS #218885 IPDA #196
Posts: 131
What I collect: Worldwide, mainly classic-era, Topicals: Classical music, Literature/Fiction Writers, Accordions, Novelty stamps.
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Post by youpiao on Jan 22, 2022 16:17:10 GMT
Conclusion:
For use as your primary album pages, I think the Vario sheets are probably most suitable, as the pockets being welded on three sides creates a little tighter fit for the stamps, holding them more securely. The Hagner sheets tend to allow the stamps to move more when handling them.
I only use stock sheets for temporary storage, and for scanning stamps for sales listings. I find the Hagner sheets far superior for my needs. The stamps are easier to insert and remove, and I don't get the annoying scanning reflections as I do with the other sheets.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
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pattib
Member
Posts: 80
What I collect: Anything France but especially semi-postal. Worldwide to 1920.
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Post by pattib on Jan 22, 2022 21:00:35 GMT
youpiao Thank you for these very informative posts. I have actually been meaning to ask about the different stock sheets for a while now. I purchased brand new Vario sheets when I first started collecting thinking they would be a great place to house my stamps. When I began using them, I noticed that the stamps don't like to stay upright and move around quite a bit. Another issue I have is that they seem to collect fingerprints very easily. I am curious if others feel the stamps move around more in the Hagner stock sheets than the Vario ones.
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,348
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Jan 22, 2022 21:11:08 GMT
What I would like is a white or cream Hagner to go into an album. I could make one using mount strips but that gets expensive.
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stanley64
Member
Posts: 1,825
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Jan 24, 2022 9:19:54 GMT
Pages are made with different numbers of rows, from one row pages for full panes or large souvenir sheets, to 2 rows, suitable for covers, and 3 rows, 4 rows, etc. on up to 8 rows, where each row is about 27mm high. Great posting Ted youpiao and I appreciate the diligent 'compare & contrast' effort on your part.
I just ordered a 'whack' of the Vario pages myself and would clarify that the rows do vary in height depending on the number contained on the sheet, e.g. 4 rows : 63 mm, 5 rows : 51 mm, 6 rows : 39mm, etc.
In which case, it would make sense to have an idea of what you intend the sheets for before making your purchase...
Happy collecting!
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,348
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Jan 24, 2022 13:54:11 GMT
There is another aspect of Vario pages - static cling. Stamps can disappear by clinging on the back side of the pages!
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djcmh
Member
Posts: 772
What I collect: Worldwide
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Post by djcmh on Jan 24, 2022 14:25:30 GMT
I use Vario pages exclusively to house my collections - I love them for their flexibility for organizing collections. Just whip up page keys using Album Easy so I know where to put what on the page and I am all set, and if I need to tweak a page to fit a new variety, it's a quick remake of the specific page layout and done - no re-hinging/re-mounting to worry about.
Plus the cost at least here in the USA is not too bad - you can get packs of 25 of a specific size for around US$30.00 or so (was even cheaper a few years back, I know I was paying only US$20.00 a pack at one point from one dealer on Amazon, but prices the last couple years have gone up - though not as much as for the Vario F ad G Binders!) BTW if anyone has gently used binders with slipcases they are looking to unload, I am always in the market for those.)
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Post by dgdecker on Jan 24, 2022 15:45:23 GMT
I use only Vario. I like from the beginning and they suit my simple needs. It is great to have a comparison should I ever want to change or if my needs change.
Thanks for the information.
David
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alanl
Departed
Rest in Peace
Abbotsford, B.C., CANADA.
Posts: 1,670
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Post by alanl on Jan 24, 2022 18:45:23 GMT
My experience with Vario pages is that they are dust collectors.
Dust builds up in the pockets.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Jan 24, 2022 19:17:39 GMT
I prefer the Vario, as i think they hold together better. They do suffer from static cling, but as i'm aware of it, I will check the back side to see if there are any Klingons!
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eggdog
Member
I want a new Harley!
Posts: 464
What I collect: It's complicated....
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Post by eggdog on Jan 25, 2022 2:33:00 GMT
Another brand popped up a couple of years back: Anchor. I bought a few packages in 2020. They look almost identical to Varios - the corners aren't as rounded, and there may be insignificant differences in the row heights - but they cost about 15% less, or they did at the time. Of course, a few packages isn't really a good enough sample size to render a definite opinion, but I had no quality problems with the ones I've used so far. (I kind of overbought sheets a few years back, and I'm breaking down some collections and reusing the sheets from them, so I haven't had to buy any since.)
I've never seen them advertised. The only place I've ever found them is an eBay dealer named "firstamps".
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,348
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Jan 25, 2022 12:45:54 GMT
Yes. I use the Vario G binders for my printed album pages and noticed the price increase. The seller on amazon/ebay no longer sells a set of 5 at a discounted price.
Back to the Vario sheets, I had purchased quite a few single pocket Vario pages that fill multiple binders with the intention of using these for US mini-sheets. I had the goal of trying to find someone to trade for multiple pocket ones.
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pattib
Member
Posts: 80
What I collect: Anything France but especially semi-postal. Worldwide to 1920.
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Post by pattib on Jan 25, 2022 14:17:36 GMT
I found that I have two Hagner stock sheets from a bulk lot that I purchased a while ago. I tried the upside-down test, and the stamps didn't budge. I think I will switch to the Hagner sheets. I am wondering if those that use the Hagner sheets have a preference for the single- or double-sided sheets? The obvious advantage to the two sides would be they hold more stamps, but maybe there is a disadvantage that I am not aware of. Also, the Hagner binders do not seem to be readily available in the US. Does anyone know which Vario binder would work the best with the Hagner sheets?
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Post by clivel on Jan 25, 2022 18:41:18 GMT
My experience with Vario pages is that they are dust collectors. Dust builds up in the pockets. My experience as well. I bought a whole pile of Vario pages in place of stock books to use as temporary storage, but the Varios attracted so much dust due to static that I soon switched back to stock books. Perhaps it is the air in BC 
Clive
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,348
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Jan 26, 2022 13:46:06 GMT
I received this plastic stock sheet in a purchase recently. It is made by Lighthouse but not a Vario brand. It is a stiffer plastic than Vario, only 3 hole punched, and right corners rounded. It lays very flat. The stiffness is closer to Hagner.    |
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