I have a friend who always answers your question with a question. Were I to ask him about what kind of album I should look for, he would probably ask in return, Do you want to buy stamps or do you want to buy albums?

That is an important question for any collector to ask. Stamp collectors are a cross section of our society. They run the gamut from the ultimate cheapo to the looks-are-everything type. There is nothing wrong about where you are in this range, but where you are is how you should proceed. The frugal types like me are going to opt for homemade albums or used albums. That way more funds are left for stamps, for collecting stamps is the goal. To others, the appearance of a fine, high quality album that will please them by its appearance every day is very important. Most everyone has to find their place in this continuum.

As a beginner, you are not at this point of thinking of how you want to collect. You just want to get going. So I will leave the discussion of what comes later for later. There are basically two ways for a beginner to go. One is to make your albums, and the other is to use commercial albums.

Making your albums is fairly simple. You need binders and you need paper. You will also need a few tools. Three-ring binders are the cheapest way to go. You can scrounge used binders from friends, from businesses or you can buy them new. If you are willing to spend a little money, buy good quality binders. Plastic binders will not hold up as long as better quality cloth ones do. Finding good quality binders is not easy unless you have unlimited resources. For paper, buy yourself a ream of 25 to 40 pound paper. Printers will often have this in stock and most are willing to sell it to you. Copier paper is generally 20 pound and does not hold up over a long period of time. As far as tools go, you will need a three-ring paper punch and hole reinforcements. Don't worry about using acid free paper. For the most part, you will be long dead before you notice anything. However, if you are in a humid and warm climate, you should consider acid free paper. Initially making your own albums could cost you more than a used album, but you will have a lot more flexibility in how you collect and how you arrange what you collect. Now we arrive at the how you do it part. You just get your stamps and some hinges and put them in your books the way they look good to you. You can use a catalog with which to arrange your stamps by catalog number, topic or you can just stick them in as you get them. You can even mount them in designs. It's your call.

The next alternative to making your own album if you are frugal is to buy collections in used albums. You take these collections and remount the stamps in them and then start using them as your own. However, don't pay more for a collection because it is in an album. If the dealer starts running on about how great the album is, start wondering if maybe he isn't asking too much for the stamps. A fair price for a small to medium (10,000 to 20,000 different) worldwide collection in an album is at most 2 cents per stamp (1998). If you are collecting only US, then consider buying a remnant of a US collection in a used Scott National album. You can usually get a well-picked over collection that still contains lots of stamps fort less than what a new album costs.

For most collectors starting out, buying a new album is the way to go. Don't invest a lot of money in a comprehensive album or set of albums when you are starting out. It will lock you into something that you may be unhappy with later on. For US collectors an album like the Scott Minuteman is a good start. For worldwide collectors, some of the two to six volume Minkus albums are the best bet. Write dealers and ask for literature. Call Scott on their 800 number. You can always move up to a bigger and better album later on. Most of the beginning albums can serve your needs for years. Later on, if you specialize, you can buy something else. Whatever you do, if you are not sure that you have really been bitten by the stamp bug, don't invest in a top-o-the-line album. It only takes a week or two to transfer your stamps to a bigger album when the time comes. It is not the unpleasant task that you may think it will be; it is a great opportunity to enjoy what you have collected and think about what you may want to obtain. The other major reason you don't want to move into the top-of-the-line album at the beginning is that most collectors, over time, change what they collect. Don't tie up money in something until you are sure.

If you are not sure what you want to do or how to do it, join your local stamp club. Here is a ready-made opportunity for you to conduct an advice interview with some experienced collectors. Just join the club. When you get there, spend the evening talking to other members and asking their advice on albums. Most everyone has an opinion and is more than happy to dump their opinion on anyone who asks. Take advantage of this opportunity. You don't have to do what they say, but you can usually get good advice out of a session like this. Some of the members may show you what they use. Someone at the club may bring used copies of stamp publications, which have phone numbers and addresses where you can get albums. Most of the publishers have web pages you can go to. Shop around and don't be afraid to price shop. For instance, if you subscribe to Scott Stamp Monthly for less than $20 per year, you not only get a fine publication but you can buy Scott albums and supplies by mail for up to 40% off list price. Many supply dealers sell other brands of albums for a discount. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO ADD IN THE SHIPPING CHARGES WHEN COMPARING PRICES.

You have been collecting US for a number of years and your first album is getting filled up. What to do? If you are going to continue to collect US without specializing, your choices are fairly limited. You can buy a Scott National album or you can opt for an expensive hingeless one if you are into mint never hinged (MNH) stamps. As far as I am concerned, I hinge everything so the National was the way to go. There are all kinds of supplemental additions to expand this album into revenues, post cards, booklets etc. It can get as big as you want it. It is a nice album, printed on one side of the page on heavy paper. If the National is not comprehensive enough for you, then you have already specialized and you really need to do your own thing. If you are into MNH collecting, then there are many beautiful, fancy, hingeless albums out there. Hingeless albums come with mounts. I would suggest that you write the various makers and ask for a sample album page and literature. Then after you have an idea what you want, shop for price. There is a drawback to most of the hingeless albums and that is they are pretty much limited in scope to the major number stamps. If you are collecting lots of stuff that is only listed in the Scott US Specialized Catalog, then you will have to go with the National and buy lots of mounts.

Worldwide collectors have other problems to face when it comes time to upgrade. The first option is to go with the Scott International album. This album is so big that it seems like it will fill 20 feet of shelf space. Its drawback is that the albums are chronological; and if you want to change to alphabetical, you have a lot of work on your hands. It does not have spaces for all major varieties, but it does have a lot of them. Another alternative is to buy specialty albums. You can do this piece meal as certain countries in your old album overflow. This is the route I took. Most of the specialty albums I own, I obtainedt when I bought collections in them. You save a bit of money buying used albums this way. Never figure the value of the album into what you are willing to pay. Waiting until you get it for free is part of the joy of the hunt. Occasionally you need a country for which you can't get a used album. In this case, you can make one or buy a new one. Minkus has a line of specialty albums as does Scott. I personally feel that the Scott are of better quality, but they cost more. There are also many fine ones available from Europe. Often the European albums have spaces for specialty stuff that you may have picked up over the years.

There is another choice for collectors, but it can be costly and requires a considerable amount of effort. There are several lines of fancy albums that come with blank pages. The binders are high quality that will last for years and the pages are made from heavy duty and top quality paper. These albums are generally used for a few favorite collections. If you have the right kind of printer, you can even do some fancy design work to make them even more impressive and spectacular. This kind of album building takes lots of time and considerable money, but it is an intriguing option.