[1880nonsports]

The album was destressed or I wouldn't have taken it apart and framed it. It's intact except the binder strips have been removed. I worked some excess paper from a few surfaces and that's about it. I think it makes for a great display and imagine my framed albums will be some of the last things I let go of. To me they nicely express my "tobacco as art" philosophy....
The albums are more like books and as such are difficult to appreciate as the content is visual not written. They also tend to be expensive and fragile. One can of course take pictures or scans and leave the album on a shelf but then why have the album at all - just get the pictures which one could procure in a few places. A whole 'nother story I suppose.
That being said I must confess to owning a fair number of other albums - perhaps not as "desireable" as the different champion albums but no less works of art and they languish in a box unappreciated. I have not an inch of room to hang anything more (a hat and my wife come to mind) and it is of course cost prohibitive to frame them.
I do have 2 nicer copies of the Goodwin Champions (one to trade I suppose) and only once before getting this one did I consider using one of them. My view is that these have survived many years and many hands because of their beauty. Like everything we collect we are just temporary keepers - caretakers if you will for a near finite amount of time. I try and keep things in the condition in which I received them and strive to maintain the integrety until they pass to the next person's hands.