Many years ago (it must have been 1937) I bought my first Omnibus Issue of the British Empire, the issue commemorating the Coronation of George VI. I had not yet moved to Maryland so I had never been a Stamp Club member. I knew nothing about and cared less about keeping my mint stamps unhinged, so these were hinged and added to my album. Since then I have added the Elizabeth Coronations as well as the low values of the George VI Silver Wedding issue. All were hinged and added to the album.

Recently I started a loose-leaf album devoted solely to Omnibus Issues. I have made the pages using acid-free paper, printing from layouts made with the computer, and enjoying every minute. There are separate pages for a collection of mint copies and one for used copies for each of the early Omnibus Issues. Every stamp has been mounted with a hinge except for one or two sets which I bought separately along with the mounts, probably from the APS books.

Perhaps I am being foolish for disregarding the higher values associated with being MNH, but I do get my money’s worth by admiring the beautiful stamps that fill my lovingly made pages. I, as do some others, collect for the fun of it.

I have to confess that, like Jack Cope, there are some items for which I use mounts. These might be MNH, unused, or even used. Souvenir sheets, blocks, booklet panes, and the like are much less likely to become damaged if protected. Some of these mounts I make by cutting pieces of page protectors to fit and securing them to the page with tape. I also use mounts for some of my higher valued stamps as protection.

These two items, Mounts and MNH, often go together. I, too, believe the decision to collect stamps in MNH condition and whether to use mounts lies with the individual collector. It does, however, seem wasteful to feel that it is necessary to use a mount that costs as much as the stamp which it is supposed to protect. That is the very reason I try to collect used stamps if I can find them. Stamp collecting is a hobby where the saying “To each his own.” holds true.