I'm no expert on the subject, but here is a postal card I purchased directly from the U.S. Postal Service in 1997 that was shrink wrapped (with a cardboard backing):
BUT ... the U.S. Postal Service also offers this warning on the back:
I suppose I should have removed the card from the shrink wrap 13 years ago when I first bought it, but I didn't. Frankly, it doesn't look any worse for the wear (in fact, probably better than the handling it would have received if I removed it from the shrink wrap all those years ago.)
Maybe for permanent storage it's no good and in another 25 years or so I'll be sorry for not having removed it from the shrink wrap, but in the short-term it still looks good to me.
Incidentally, if you're trying to use a shrink wrap package for mounting in an album, have you tried the Scotch 811 Removable Tape? It is not recommended for permanent storage of stamps either, but it may provide the adhesion to the plastic shrink wrap that a stamp hinge won't provide, yet with the backing in place, it shouldn't adversely affect the stamp.
Posted 10/22/2010 4:06 pm
