To Boldly Go Where No Stamp Collector Has Gone Before

To: HRH Captain Spock1 and crew

I am interested in how to store and send stamps to climates that are humid and what to do with stamps that have come from humid galaxies. I had received some stamps from another ship, somewhere in the galaxy of India not too long ago. It had to be from an Ensign, 1st class because the stamps when the arrived in my quarters were all stuck together. They had been placed in just an air mail envelope and looked as if the envelope itself must have come through a rain shower. The ink on the envelope looked as if it had run.

There were some stamps from India and Bhutan galaxies. There were about 15 stamps and I was only able to salvage about 5. The ones that had been salved had a gritty feeling to the surface and were faded. Faded not from age, but from what it seemed to be where they were damp and then dried on the way.

Nurse Donna

ok LB te nurse has answered our question

this is what I do for my stamps doonna every jack of them needs to be in intercept shield envelopes and I use museum grade philatelic sleeves to store them also I send my stamps registered post so they dont get manhandled in transit :)

Counsellor's Log. Stardate 2nd November 2010.
I don't live in a tropical country, but I do live in a very wet country, where damp and mildew can be a problem. My worry for Captain Spock is that he may be encasing things in all sorts of sheilding materials, but if the darn things are damp in the first place due to a damp atmosphere, surely he is just locking the dampness in with them?
My Mum volunteers with a museum and has been on an archiving course -I am going to check out her course materials this weekend and see if I can glean anything helpful.
Stampgal Out.

One might think from this, as yet un-defined passenger, on this wonderful starship, that the silicone packets, such as come in new shoes, handbags, electronics or other odd things, could give new life to those items living in too humid clime, and not run the larger risk of leaving grit on the items of value.

Maybe we can prepare a care packet to beam up ... unfortunately, I've been throwing the things away, but seems as if there's not only need but excuse to recycle?

Memo:

What galaxy would sell these silicone packets? Maybe we can trade some of these tribbles for silicone packets?

Nurse Donna

Captains log stardate 11.03.10

The counselor is worried about the impact that the locked in moisture might have on the stamps. The moisture in its pure form below a certain level is not harmful what the storage containers do is neutralize all the pollutants and thus stop decay and diseases also the stamps are not stored directly in the box they are int he plastic sleeves the plastic sleeves do not absorb the moisture.

also if you notice any problems with the humidity on your stamps they occur in the top 2 or bottom 2 rows. in this stamps are close to the edge and the plastic wraps around the stamps giving it a very close airtight feel. it is not 100 % air proof but it si close enough

you take the plastic and some stamps that have a very wet gum and you place it in water and bring it back out or you pour water from the top and the stams remained unharmed but eventually water will seep in but I am postive you reduce the air supply by close to 90% and you take the polluted air by 100%.

Only drawback is its very expensive and then you continue to use eva dry and the dehumidifiers.

bfranton and donna,

please use eva dry and not regular silica gel especially if you live int he usa. its very easy to transport and recharge and its not expensive minus the exorbitant costs of dilithium crystals

Silica... I ment silica,

Navigator Smauggie here. Just wanted to add that if you wish to further soak the moisture out of an enclosed stamp storage space, the closet dehumidifier crystals can be helpful (as long as they are not fragrant). They come in a self-contained bag with a hook for hangng if desired. I used a fragant variety which kept my megapurchase of Panama stamps safe from humidity while I was there (in a non-airconditioned environment). They come out smelling like roses. Thankfully, due to relatively short exposure, the smell wore off for the most part.

brilliant smaggie where may one acquire these?

oh, my wife buys those at the craft store.

I acquired mine at a department store.

finding a department or craft store here that carries these will be quite a feat

Turtle Expert Reporting.

A bit out of my area but surely Starfleet has the technology to hover one giant closet crystal over India to suck all the humidity out?

BeeSee... going back to the Turtle Deck

well according to regulations I am not supposed to use starfleet technology for my personal benefit

what a shame

if only we could be like the politicians of yesteryears :)

Navigator Smauggie reporting. Esteemed comrade Turtle Expert BeeSee is forgetting that the removal of humidity from the noble country India would cause a gigantic (dare I say epic) depand for moisturizing lotion as Indians everywhere begin to suffer from extreme cases of dry skin. While this demand would create a huge boon for sheep farmers everywhere (lanonin being a primary ingredient in such lotions) it would de-stabilize the economy of India. This would have an adverse effect on the turtle population in a number of ways. Turtle experts would be too busy scratching themselves and slathering lotion to take good care of those turtles in their charge. The demand for lotion would mean funding for research projects, such as the study and care of turtles, to be cut.