I Need Ideas For Protecting Dry, Brittle Stamps Please

Good morning. I need advice on what to do with some stamps that are very old, dry and brittle.. Is there anything I can do to help preserve them or make them more pliable again? Also, I once receied some stamps that were encased in a little laminated case. Is that a good way to store these dry brittle ones? Right now, they would crack even if in a book...Thank you for all your ideas and help.
:) Diane

Hi Dianne, welcome!

Are these stamps with gum? Which country are they from, which year or type or era or anything to help identification perhaps would be helpful.

Or a photo (not a scan) if possible. If not it's OK.

Some older stamp's gum does dry up and become brittle and crack and craze but I am no expert on this, I collect use stamps, if that indeed is the issue here.

I am thinking, in my limited experience, of a sweat box type of affair that would perhaps moisten up things and allow some expansion of old gum, but I am not sure at all if this is safe to do; if it would perhaps damage the gum or cause it to be considered disturbed.

A picture would help. It could be there are other extenuating conditions that may indicate that further attempts at preservation may or may not be warranted. Any idea what country they are from, or what time period. That would help too in absence of an image. Are they discolored? Damaged?

Hi Diane



When you say little laminated case do you mean a little round brass case with a mica face? If not no problem. If yes, and the stamp is a US stamp, do not remove the stamp from the case. The US once had what is called encased postage.

Jerry B

Diane,

One picture is worth a thousand words...


Art

okay, I will get some pictures. Stay tuned :) (it may be Tuesday morning depending on the kiddos)

Charcoal cave drawings also appreciated.

Opinion:

Brittle paper is not salvageable,
it has been burning for years ("slow burn")
caused by acidification of paper since mid 1800's

Apparently if paper splits after two or less folds it is brittle.

A good example is the acid gummed sheets of Germany.

Your only escape is to digitilise the stamp image
and care for the example as best you can.

I have had stamps from the straits settlements just
go to dust in my hands.

Rod:
I can't remember where I saw it, but I do remember that some people had success with soaking the gum off the back of the
German Ostropa sheets. I just suppose it depends on the state of the sheet or stamp before soaking. Personally, when I get into the
market for one, I'll probably try to find one that's already had the gum removed.

About 90% of all OSTROPA sheets have no gum. Most of the remaining 10% are damaged to some extent. This is due to the high Sulfuric Acid content in the gum.