Stamp Collection for Beginners – 04. Proper care of stamps

After accumulating a good number of stamps, whether used or unused, the next problem faced by a stamp collector is how he is going to clear them from foreign material and also where he is going to keep them.

Beginners, specially youngsters have been seen keeping these fragile pieces of paper in small boxes or envelopes etc., in a haphazard manner along with the paper on which they are stuck, just cut to size with the help of scissors. Sometimes even the perforation has been cut by mistake without their knowledge and damage the stamp.

Some simply pull these stamps from these envelopes, thus either tearing a portion of the stamp or thinning it from behind. Some have even pasted these stamps in their scrapbooks by either using glue, paste or even transparent adhesive tape, thus rummg their collection right from the very beginning.

When, after a few years they realize their follies, they get disheartened and leave this fascinating hobby.

While collecting stamps, due importance should be given to their quality i.e., they should be in a good condition. Dirty, torn, creased heavily post marked or stamps having a line across with a pen etc., should not form a part of the collection.

After being satisfied with the condition of the stamp, the next step before removing it from the envelope is to check whether the cancellation on the stamp is of any importance or not. If it is, then the stamp should be kept along with the complete postmark.

The next step in the formation of a collection is the removal of the stamps from the paper. The golden rule is “Never pull of a stamp from an envelope”. Instead, whenever one has collected a few copies on paper, the stamps should be immersed face upward, one piece at a time in a bowl filled with lukewarm water. After about half an hour you will see them floating on the top and are easy to liftout.

There are certain precautions that should be taken during the process of removing the stamps from the paper.

Stamps made of thin paper should not be immersed along with the other stamps, they might get torn.

The old stamps, which are printed, on chalky paper should also not be soaked as some or all of the printed design might come off. This can only be prevented with the use of a catalogue from where one can confirm about the type of paper used.

Stamps with coloured cancellation have chances of the colour spreading on these very stamps as well as on other stamps that are being soaked in the same bowl at the same time. So these should be soaked separately in another tray or bowl with the imprinted portion facing upwards.

Even after adhering to these precautions sometimes the stamps are not cleared of all foreign material. Then one can make use of a camel hair brush to rub off the same after placing the wet stamp on a white blotting paper and holding it between the thumb and the index finger.

Next, all these stamps should be placed faces downwards between two blotting papers to dry. The blotting paper is available in the shape of long sheets which can be sewed together to give the shape of a book so as to accommodate maximum number of stamps.

Only two precautions need to be observed here.

The stamps should be laid clear of one another.

Something heavy should be placed on top of the blotting book so as to prevent the stamps from curling.
And finally after having been washed and dried, they are ready to be included in the collection, which can be either placed in stock books or albums.