Have you ever wondered what sticking a stamp hinge to the back of your stamp does to its value? The answer is simple, it can half the value of your stamp the second it makes contact.

Years ago the average collector probably thought the best way to mount their collection was by using stamp hinges as there were no real inexpensive alternatives. Fast forward about 20-30 years and the list of alternatives is endless, so ending in my opinion the need for these horrible things.

To illustrate the fact of reducing the value of your stamp if you check the listings for King Edward VIII in the Stanley Gibbons Concise Catalogue as an example you will see the market prices for both unmounted mint and mounted mint. These prices can vary considerably from a £1 to nearly a £1000, so do you still want to use hinges as once they are on, there's no way of removing them without damaging the stamp or leaving a mark.

Whats the alternative? Stockbooks are relatively cheap, they have clear acetate strips which means you can move your stamps around without them being permanently stuck and have glassine interleaving  to protect them from dust etc.
There are also stamp albums with clear plastic mounts which are obviously called "Hingeless Albums" where each stamp is placed into its own individual mount. In some "Hingeless" albums supplied by Stanley Gibbons they even have a specific year and description of each stamp as well as the clear mount making it even easier to house your collection.

Now I know not everyone is as rich as Chelsea's owner and some albums can cost over £100 but a basic stockbook can cost around £8-10 depending on the size and you can then be sure your not ruining your prized assets by sticking a thin piece of gummed paper on the reverse.

Why are they still sold even by Stanley Gibbons? I've no idea but you can bet your last £1 they don't use them in their stock albums.