The ABC’s of Displaying Your Stamps: Hinges and Mounts

If you are a serious or novice stamp collector, looking at the details of a stamp, both front and back, is a lot of fun. Handling stamps repeatedly, however, can damage them, so you have to be careful how you store and display your stamps to you can look at them over and over without harming them.

Although people have been collecting stamps ever since the first ones were minted, there is still a debate on the best way to secure your stamps so you can look at them. Traditionally something called a “hinge” has been used. These are small folded pieces of gummed paper. One of the flanges of the hinge is generally wetted and then stuck to a piece of paper and the other is stuck to the stamp. This holds the stamp in place, but still allows you to look at both sides of the stamp by flipping the stamp over on the hinge.

Hinge marks on stamps are not necessarily a bad thing, and sometimes they can add to the value of a stamp, but other times they can detract from its value. Most old stamps that have come from old collections have hinge marks on them. In the last few decades, collectors have moved away from hinges and now many are using mounts instead.

Mounts were initially used in the 1930’s. These are pockets that have a gummed back that you stick on a piece of paper and have a clear or semi-clear sleeve into which you can slip your stamp. Like hinges, mounts also need to be used with care because depending on the materials and how they are used, they can also produce marks or other damage.