Found Mildew Spots - How Do I Know If Its My Fault?

I found mildew spots on 8 stamps of 2001/2002/2003!. I bought these in 2009 from a dealer. I just cannot recall if these were there when I put them in the stockbooks.

Now that I have isolated all these stamps and all the ones on those same pages, what is the possibility of the stamps on other pages to be contaminated? I am kinda sacred.

I have isolated/discarded the stockbook as well.

Taken out all the stamps from the rest of the pages and have put them in glassines for now.

Shifted all the stockbooks from where they were (the cabinet) and just I am keeping them next to my computer on the table.

If this thing spreads, I will probably have to quit the hobby.

Hi Indieguy,
you may be worrying unnecessarily,
mildew takes a while to be evidenced.
(also a good reason to scan stamps, that would have
highlighted the toning, if it was there when you purchased them)

In my experience toning occurs when the adjacent material
is quite damp, damp enough to notice by touch and smell.
If your stockbooks/albums are dry and in a well ventilated
space they should be allright, and would suspect
you purchased them that way.

kept in good condition toning will cease to increase.

I have often purchased stamps that look to the eye as OK
only to find small spots when scanned.
Very few stamps when scanned are perfect.
If it is important to you always check your stamps with
a loupe prior to purchase.

Rod thank you very much for the feedback. I live in a humid climate so yes, I worry a lot over this issue and sometimes the internet is the worst enemy when you get to know things from websites, that you are not supposed to know. Or a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, whichever way you put it.

On another forum I visit when I had asked this same question I got a reply that ALL OF my stamps are infected now and I should throw them away. And that will be $2500 to throw away in total.

I am new here, and I find this forum much cozier. Atleast people care to reply something sensible. Anyways...

Incidentally, I bought 6 sets of stamps from this dealer back in 2009. His place is near to the sea but at that time, I was a greenhorn with all these stuffs. I bought from him year sets of 1981 1982 1983 and 2001 2002 and 2003 - India. When the stamps arrived (I buy mostly online) I gave them a good check without a loupe and eliminated visible stained ones. Sent them back, got replacements.

Anyways, I mounted the good ones in my stockbooks, and after 2 years this phenomena has occurred with a few stamps on the same 6 yearsets. No other else.

I have isolated them immediately. Now I am praying so that it does not spread OR infect my other stamps. As someone in another board says, under UV all my other stamps will show they are infected.

I used to store my stamps in a cupboard with a black glass door in my room which is in the 5th floor of an apartment. Sunny, airy. The room is NOT damp at all, but it becomes humid in summer and I do have an AC. Smell and touch damp - Not a chance.

Rod, how much magnification would you suggest to scan the stamps in? I scanned some stamps in 4800 DPI from the same page which didnt show any defect as yet. But it will be faster for me if I check the stamps with a hand magnifier instead of using a scanner.

Here is an image of one of the infected stamp-it is scanned at 4800 DPI and looks horrible.



This is worst hit one of the lot. The rest are hardly visible or very very small spot of the same nature.

Interestingly first I thought it is just some leftover on the gum or something like that but then I noticed, it is turning the perforation brown. The other side has no spots at all. Obviously this is not rusting or ferric oxide.


This is how the back of the stamps look actually. These are 2003 stamps so quite new!

Nice topic and pics.

Just a note to say that ferrous oxide only occurs on iron / metal. It does not occur on paper.

The term rust when used regarding stamps and paper means mould / mold or toning. The terms are mostly interchangeable but in some areas of the world or even with some collectors one term is used more than others.

I think that if anyone else said that if one stamp was toned then the others are infected also meant that it is very hard to impossible to stop the spread of the toning or rust within a collection stored in a confined space as any mold sporates or goes poof and the new mold spores are floating in the air to land and grow on whatever they can.

The climate that the stamps were stored in and were subjected to over time would affect how quickly the mold spread and was able to grow and spread. A worse climate for mold growth would just mean the mold grew very slowly or not at all but was still there and not killed off.

Just general observations of my limited knowledge and experience.

As your great 4200 dpi scan showed, down in the mold it is a whole different world than we can see with our naked eyes. There is lots going on down there.

just a random question---Would exposure to UV light stop the mold or prevent it from appearing?

Hmmm, yes you evidently have some money at risk.
I think it is good that you approach the problem head on.

My approach would to carry on as normal, protect your
stamps as best you can, isolate one stamp that perhaps
has a fleck of toning, and keep it on a dedicated page
(hagner sheet) or however you are storing the others.

Scan the test stamp at 600dpi front and back,
align the image and crop to the perfs.

Re-scan the test stamp in 3 and 6 months and see
if there is growth.
Then you can take steps for prevention.

What worries me is 1981 is late for a stamp to
begin toning and has not be cared for prior.

When you re-scan, put the original scan and the
updated version next to each other in a folder
and toggle between the two images, that will
immediately indicate any difference.

Don't get too despondent, just about every collection
has a stamp with rust toning somewhere,
and even the Queen's collection has a forgery in it.
Life is not perfect, we can live with little
problems, but if your climate is poor, (and another
member here in SCF from India indicates the same thing)

Then you will have to make your decision then.

A large part of the problem is Gum
Gum, if not tropical gum, contains humectants to give it
malleability, (includes sugar) and when a stamp
is torn at the perfs, the gum and hairs are a nice
little place for toning to begin.

Good luck.

I don't know about UV Rohumpy,
but a light dab of bleach from a cotton bud (weak nappy bleach)
can have it disappear in seconds,
then the stamp has to be neutralised.

There are paper archival links on the internet that explains how it is done
but it is a personal risk every collector has to deal with themselves,
I don't recommend anything.

But I have tried it on duplicate stamps without apparent damege over 2 years.

When collectors are dealing with mint unhinged all bets are off,
and the risk is with the owner.

This is posted just for the record,
I don't recommend it
use at your own risk
and gum will be lost.

(This post just for the "tropical Stain" paragraph)

In my trade I've worked in over a thousand homes, many are collectors. On entry it is obvious the home has mildew growing just by the odour. Some have lost thousands of dollars in philatelic value.

Heated homes where the moisture, from kitchen sink washing and cooking steam, shower/bath steam, laundry washing and washing machine steam and a moist clothing rack holder etc, is not vented immediately can ruin Philatelic items over time unless the items are stored in a sealed humidity controlled area, or if dry air is allowed to flow thru open doors and windows daily.

Allowing water/moisture beneath older homes causes rising humidity, that infiltrates rooms above and can ruin Philatelic material stored in cabinets/safes etc. On 2 level homes, storing Philatelic items upstairs does not seem to suffer damage, in comparison.

Thanks again for your feedback rod222. I would like to mention one thing
I have older stamps from other countries MNH which are pristine. Not a
hit of any rust or anything on them.

Indian stamps are probably hard to maintain..specially MNH.

I am in the threshold of abondoning collecting India MNH further. But
it is such a pain to do so.

A question is, if all the stamps are washed and kept without gum
will it be a good step? For I do not collect gum.

I have been considering curtains in my (stamp)room made of sewn-together silica gel packets.

How much humidity is there in your place? Mine is 65% without AC, 50% with AC on. Summers are 35 C, Winters are 15 C with a humidity of 30%.

It can get pretty warm and humid in the summer (up to 40C for few days). Winters average about -14C with dips as low as -35C (-80C with wind chill). Still, not as cold as Alaska. I may have to invest in an A/C. I haven't had one in the past, but now I live on the upper floor, so I don't know how warm/humid it might get.

Okay. If you are collecting MNH, I think you can use a dehumidifier/AC for your stamp room.
Silica gels are another pain to keep and replace.

I do collect MNH plate blocks (the only MNH I actively collect). I do have some other nice MNH items. I would like to stay that way.

That is entirely understandable. Your journey is
the decision on how you intend to deal with it.
The Maharaja of Sarawak, had the majority of his collection
eaten by white ants.
He gave up collecting.




It is only a pain, because you desire something that
in your particular situation is difficult or expensive to
achieve. Have you asked yourself why you want to collect gum?
Why is that important? Do you seek perfection?
Just let it go.
Millionaires and Museums have the onus to pursue perfection
Your hobby should be for enjoyment.

I remind you of a particular International Stamp Exhibition
once held in India, the cooling failed, and the organisers
decided to spray water on the floors to reduce the heat,
Thousands of invaluable stamps were ruined by
curling due to gum.
You can fight nature but you won't win in the end.

If you wash your stamps, no it will not be a good step,
financially you will lose what you have invested in,
but what choice do you have?

You can try to sell your Mint unhinged
recoup some money and start again, or give up collecting,
or give up desiring perfection and collect these beautiful
pieces of paper for what the hobby intended in the first place,
to offer enjoyment and relaxation.

It's always your choice.

Good luck iny your decisions and journey,
and remember this is just my opinion,
offering perhaps a choice/choices to consider.

I wash my stamps ( on a decision basis)
I won't wash a very valuable stamp because
I may decide to sell it, but then again I don't have
many valuable stamps.
I do not wash a lot of minisheets or stamps that have
fugitive ink, or unwashable gum (romania and some Russia)

I have willed my collection to my stamp club so I don't
collect for monetary gain.
I enjoy my hobby and have jumped some of the hurdles you face.

Cheers