To help customers who are new to collecting or who want a little more information we have produced this handy glossary of products and explanations of their uses. We have also added quick links to the relevant products.

Approval Cards

Ideal storage for stamps, before transferring into your album. Made of card or semi rigid PVC with different strip configurations. Approval cards or Stockcards are a very popular and cost effective way of storing your stamps. Also ideal for sending stamps through the post.

Arrows and Indicators

Used for pointing out errors on stamps or cover, arrows are usually adhesive and can be stuck onto a finished album page. Also known as Arrowcators

Banknote Albums

With a choice of black backed or clear leaves, albums designed to store Banknote in a secure environment. Make sure pages are acid free and softener free for optimum protection.

Children Starter packs

Available for budding Stamp, Coin & telephone card collectors. They each offer a Perfect introductory gifts for children of all ages.

Cigarette Card Albums

Still as popular as ever Cigarette Card albums can be supplied with a variety of different format pages to take Cigarette cards, Trade cards, Pokemon cards, Typhoo cards and many more collectables.

Clear Faced Bags

Very popular among stamp collectors clear faced bags, of glassine bags, are ideal for storing single sets of stamps, First Day Covers, Sheets or album pages.

Coin Accessories

Essential coin accessories include gloves, coin tweezers, coin scales and measuring callipers. Also look out for hard plastic coin cases and commemorative cases for coins, sometimes called sandhill cases. Also very popular are clear plastic coin envleopes, available in several sizes and also as double format coin flips - sit in the coin in one side and a write up or description on the other side. Coin scales are available in two basic formats, one which will weigh up to 50gms with 0.01gms accuracy or to weigh coins upto 300gms with 0.1gm accuracy.

Coin Albums

Suitable for storing smaller collections, coin albums offer the versatility to expand your collection by adding an extra page to the album. Pages are usually made from acid free, softener free plastics, and can also accommodate card coin holders.

Coin Capsules

The ultimate protection for your coins, coin capsules are made from high quality clear plastic, snap shut design to shut out dust and dirt that can affect the condition of your coins over time.

Also available coin insert systems, which can enhance the display of your coins.

Coin Cleaners

Coin cleaning will help remove any harmful dirt or grime that is on the coin. Coin cleaners are biological and help to avoid other harmful methods of cleaning your coins, simple submerge your coin into the coin cleaner, usually for 1 or 2 minutes, remove, rinse with water and dry with a lint free cloth. Coin cleaning machines that gently vibrate or use sonic waves further enhance the cleansing actions of the cleaners. We also now offer an ultrasonic cleaning machine from Lindner to further enhance the cleaning of your coins.

Coin Holders

Made from acid free cardboard, with a clear foil window, 2 inch square (50mm approx) coin holders are available in sizes from 15mm to 53mm. Choose between economy (non adhesive) coin holders, simply place the coin in the holder close and seal with a staple, or standard (self adhesive) coin holders - place the coin in the holder, peel back the adhesive backing paper, close and seal the coin into a dust free safe environment. These types of coin holders are used by collectors and dealers as the cardboard outer can be written on to allow simple descriptions of the coins to be added.

Coin Trays

First introduced by Lindner the standard coin tray consists of a clear hard plastic outer sleeve, red velour insert, which sits in a grey bottom tray. The bottom tray slides in and out of the outer sleeve. With over 80 different format inserts and the choice of smoked glass finish or the standard clear glass finish this style of coin tray is one of the most popular methods for storing and displaying coins. All of the materials in these coin boxes have been designed to offer archival quality protection for your coins, yet allowing for easy access to your collection. Because of the handy size these coin trays can be stored in a safe. Many museums use this system to archive their numismatic collections.

Corner Mounts

Also known as photo corners or transparol corners, these are available in either clear plastic or paper formats and self adhesive or gummed versions. Used to hold large items such as First Day Covers, Postal History or Photographs.

Country Titles

To create your own album page headings, or to index your stockbook pages, these country titles or country labels are usually self adhesive allowing you to easily affix them to your desired page. Also available are coats of arms or country flags.

Cover Protectors

Available in a range of sizes from telephone card size to A4 sheet size (could be used for the Royal Mail Generic sheets). Cover protectors are usually made from high quality, acid free, chemical softener free plastic foils. Designed to protect your covers. We would always recommend that any item stored in plastic protectors or pages should be checked periodically to ensure that the humidity and temperature the item is stored in is suitable for these types of protectors. If you are in a high humidty region of the world please contact us for more information on suitable storage methods.

Cutters and Guillotines

Used to cut stamp mounts to size cutters and guillotines are an essential tool for any stamp collector. Look out for self sharpening steel blades or even rotary cutters - which offer excellent results time and time again.

Davo Albums

Made in Holland the DAVO brand of albums offers printed country albums in standard (without mounts) luxury (with stamp mounts affixed). Each page is printed with illustrations of the stamps with frames to allow you to build up your country collection. Album updates are printed each year to keep you up to date. Davo also produce a range of blank album pages to compliment the country album range.

Donau System

Produced by Schaubek in Leipzig Germany the Donau stock page system is a popular album system for collectors of all sorts of philatelic material. Look out for the wide range of Schaubek binders to compliment this album system.

Drying Books

Used to dry stamps that have been soaked off, Drying books are essential for anyone building up a collection from Kiloware stamp packs bought from your local stamp shop. After soaking off the backing paper of your stamp, place the stamp face down in the back of the drying book, fill up the page, being careful not to overlap the stamps, if your drying book has a clear laminate divider this will reduce the build up of residue gums from the stamp, simply wipe the laminate with a damp cloth when finished. When you have filled the page, go to the next page and repeat, the special qualities of the drying books will allow you to safely dry your stamps without the worry of them curling.

Duchy Albums

Made in the UK the Duchy range of stamp and first day cover albums offers excellent value for money. The Duchy 22 ring binder is one of the best quality binders available and almost half the price of similar binders. 22 ring binders have been popular among collectors for some time, ideal if you need a firmer hold, if you have bulky items stored in your album.

Exhibition Protectors

Used to protect pages exhibition protectors are available in several different quality materials. The Venus protectors are one of the most popular, offering short term protection to your pages - if you are looking for a longer term solution we would recommend one of the harder foils. Which have better archival qualities. See the note on cover protectors regarding storing items in plastic foils.

FDC Albums

Available in single format or double page format FDC or First Day Cover albums are one of the most popular products for Cover collectors, allowing you to store, sometimes in excess of 100 covers in one album. For excellent value the Kestrel album is very good, or if you have a large budget the Lindner range offers archival quality materials for those special collections. 

FDC Blanks

Want to create your own First Day Covers, we can supply Stuart or Cotswold FDC blanks. Create your own FDC with these blanks printed with designs that represent the topic of the issue. We also have a stock of older issues. Please contact us for details as these items are not listed on our website.

Frank Godden Albums

Made in England the Frank Godden or FG range of albums, pages and page protectors is synonymous with quality. With the option of guilt edged pages, archival quality paper, hand made albums and storage boxes the Godden range has long been a favourite among discerning collectors.

Frank Godden Protectors

Made to archival quality standards Godden protectors are designed as the ultimate protection for your album pages and philatelic material.

Hawid

Stamp mounts, with semi matt transparent top foil and choice of clear or black backing.

Kabe Albums

Now made by Lighthouse in Germany the Kabe album range is seen as the luxury range from Lighthouse. Offering a range of printed country albums, blank album pages, ring binders, springback binders and turnbar binders, many of the Kabe album pages have double lined hinged pages allowing them to lie completely flat when the album is opened, with no visible holes or cut-outs to distract from the luxury of the album.

Lighthouse Albums

Another German brand of albums, the Lighthouse range of albums is extensive. Popular products include the Lighthouse Great Britain album and the Vario plastic stock pages.

Lindner Albums

A German manufacturer producing albums and accessories to the highest standards, Lindner is a family run business that now boasts some of the world's most popular collecting systems. Many of the core products are still manufactured by hand in the Lindner factory, using a combination of traditional bookbinding methods, with modern tools and equipment. Lindner is recognised in Germany as a leader in high quality stamp albums. They also produce an extensive range of coin collecting products which have also gained world-wide recognition.

Loose Leaf album System

For collectors who want to build an album, loose leaf album systems are where it is possible to insert extra pages into your album, for example if you find a new set or cover that you want to add to your album, simply mount up your item and insert the page in between existing pages. Popular binders that are suitable for loose leaf pages are springback, ring, turnbar and screwpost binders. Almost every album manufacturer offers this type of album. Including Stanley Gibbons, Prangnell Rapkin, Frank Godden, Prinz, Lindner, Kabe, Lighthouse, Safe & Schaubek. Look out also for some own brand albums from Vera Trinder or the Duchy range.

Magnifiers & Microscopes

A vast choice of optical instruments now means that there are magnifiers for almost every purpose. Handheld magnifiers are usually held away from the item being viewed, while linen testers and static magnifiers need to be placed on top of the item, some also are illuminated. Magnification from 2x to 10x is normal. For extra detail inspection Microscopes are the answer. 30x or 60x, and even digital microscopes allow precise inspection.

Medal Albums

Designed to hold medals and thicker pages are usually made from clear acid free plastic to allow all of the medal and ribbon to be viewed from both sides.

Micrometers

For measuring the thickness of stamp paper, these precision instruments can also be used in other paper related fields. Some versions are digital.

Mint Sheet Files

Larger files or folders for holding large sheets of stamps or even complete sheets. Usually made with glassine pages these are ideal for storing those larger items.

Multi Master

Polyprotec pages in a wide variety of formats make this type of album system very popular.

Omnia System

From Lindner these high quality stock pages, are available in black backed or white backed with a variety of page configurations. These pages will fit the Lindner 18 ring binders.

Perforation Gauges

To measure the perforations of your stamps, starting at a basic plastic gauge through to the electronic versions, being able to distinguish the different perforations on stamps helps to identify them.

Phonecard Albums

Designed to hold telephone cards these albums allow you to store 6 or more phone cards on one page. Pages are made from acid free plastic and allow both sides of the card to be viewed.

Postcard Albums

A wide choice of postcard albums for every budget. Simple 4 per page albums or large 12 per page albums all offer various formats for modern and traditional sized postcards.

Prangnell Rapkin Albums

A long established range of British made loose leaf stamp albums, the Prangnell Rapkin range consists of springback binders and ring binders.

Prinz System

Black card pages with clear foil affixed, are available in a variety of page configurations, now one of the most popular album systems because of its versatility and great value.

Ring Binders

2 ring, 3 ring, 4 ring up to 22 ring the range of ringbinders that are now available will offer a solution for every collector. Some ring binders offer D ring shaped ring mechanisms which are ideal for stock pages such as Prinz System.

Safe Albums

Another German made album produced, Safe albums offer a wide range of popular albums that are not duplicated in any other range. Large format albums especially. Safe also produce the Signoscope electronic watermark detector as well as the Perfotronic perforation guage, electric drying presses and many other gadgets for the collector of stamps.

Schaubek Albums

 Based in the former East German city of Leipzig Schaubek are known for there range of printed country albums for East Europe. Offering luxury quality printed albums, pages and binders the Schaubek range is popular among collectors looking for great value and fine detail. Also produce a range of coin accesoories.

Stamp Albums Blank

For collectors who want to build an album, loose leaf album systems are where it is possible to insert extra pages into your album, for example if you find a new set or cover that you want to add to your album, simply mount up your item and insert the page in between existing pages. Popular binders that are suitable for loose leaf pages are springback, ring, turnbar and screwpost binders. Almost every album manufacturer offers this type of album. Including Stanley Gibbons, Prangnell Rapkin, Frank Godden, Prinz, Lindner, Kabe, Lighthouse, Safe & Schaubek. Look out also for some own brand albums from Vera Trinder or the Duchy range.

Stamp Hinges

Still very popular the traditional stamp hinge should only be affixed to used stamps. Lightly moisten the smaller part of the folded hinge affixing it to the centre of the back of the stamp then moisten the larger section and affix it to your album page. Hinges can be carefully removed from the stamp.

Stamp Lift

For separating stamps from covers safely without the risk of inks running on the stamps.

Stamp Mounts Gard & Standard

Developed several years ago, stamp mounts are available in standard top opening, or Gard back opening. Made from pure polystyrol they offer archival quality protection forthe stamp. Stamp mounts are available in ready-cut sizes to fit most popular stamps or in strips which you can cut to size, these strips are available in sizes from 21mm up to A4 size 297mm x 210mm. Generally Stamp mount sizes are listed for the corresponding stamp size, for example if you have a 24mm high Machin stamp you will need a pack of 24mm mounts. Once you have established the correct size mount to use, to affix your mount simply lightly moisten part of the mount and affix it to your album page (avoid over moistening the mount). Cutters and guillotines are available to trim your stamp mount strips to size

Showgard

Back opening stamp mounts with clear or black backing with semi matt transparent top foil.

Stanley Gibbons Albums

Established over 150 years ago Stanley Gibbons has become the name of Stamp collecting in England. Producing a range of very popular albums, including Senators, Simplex, Devon, Universal and so on. Gibbons also print a wide range of stamp catalogues. We are proud to be able to offer you the complete range of SG albums, catalogues and accessories.

Stockbooks

These are a very popular method for storing stamps, available in various sizes but by far the most popular is the A4 size, available in various thicknesses from 8 page 16 side or to the larger 32 page 64 side. Available with white or black pages.

Tweezers

Avoid picking up stamps or coins with your hands, Tweezers or tongs help avoid skin coming into contact with delicate items.

Ultra Violet Test Lamps

A range of ultra violet test lamps is available to test the coatings and phosphor bands on stamps, Shortwave ultra violet lamps are used to look for Phosphors on stamps, Longwave ultra violet lamps are used to detect fluorescence on stamps. Never look directly at shortwave UV light!

Vario System

From Lighthouse this popular PVC album system offers a choice of page configurations and different binders.

Watermark Detectors

Used to detect watermarks with out using fluids these detectors all use similar principles: exploiting the different paper thickness in the watermarked section of the stamp. Simple pressure units such as the Morley Bright Inst-a-Tector, the pressure bar Lindner Stampscope through to the electronic Safe Signoscope.

Watermark Fluid

Simple to use just place the stamp face down in a watermark tray apply a few drops of fluid to the reverse of the stamp and the watermark will appear. The fluid will evaporate away without damaging the stamp.