Linns New List Of Unsoakables

According to Linns Jan. 9 issue......

The top group are extremely difficult or almost impossible to soak. The bottom group are impossible to soak. Recommendations are that they should be left on cover or piece. There is also a note to the effect that if a stamp is not on these lists it is soakable.......hope they're right.

Thanks, Tom.

It looks as if they missed the 41-cent Star Wars stamp people here have been saying is a soaking nightmare... or is it just my eyes?

Hi Mod.....

Star Wars came out in 07....maybe they were on an earlier list ?

From what I've seen they are difficult at best and the color usually flakes off like a lot of the Madonna & Child Christmas stamps.

Thanks for the list Tom

I've ruined a couple of stamps trying to soak them. Next time I'll have this list at hand.

Dianne

Thanks ,Tom for posting this--it's very helpful!
Gussyboy1

One of the first Mission Impossible stamps to soak was
the Greek Olympic stamp issued by the US.

I remember that olympic stamp
Argh those pirates who steal our fun

A comment about unsoakable stamps from the USPS...

As one who collects modern U.S. (air mail, 1918 to date), I would strongly recommend keeping the stamps "on piece".

A comment on attempts to soak-off the aforementioned stamps...

I have read recently, mostly on-line, but in the philatelic press as well, about various concotions for removing modern U.S. stamps from paper. Many of the people who purport these concotions have little or no physics, nor chemistry understanding. As one who has taken the odd calculated risk in my life, those who know me will attest that I am not one to wrap myself up in bubble wrap and hide under the chesterfield.

That being said... a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Those who do not know the difference between benzine and benzene should not be playing with these chemicals. The very dangerous one, once sold in hardware and drug stores, is no longer available. Mixing these chemicals with the wrong substance could have diasterous effects!

A recent article in the Canadian Philatelic press was by a long-time "regular", who came up with some obscure method of removal. Claiming to use (in my opinion) questionable chemicals, he obviously did not test the "recipe" himself. A dozen or more letters indicated that people had trouble finding these chemicals. Sure enough, the author went to various drugstores and hardware stores, only to find that most of these chemicals have not been sold to the general public in as long as ten years!

Okay, for all those oldtimers out there, once common substances such as ammonia, for example, have been chemically altered to lessen unpleasant properties. In the case of ammonia, the odour. As well, "pure" chemicals are rarely available to the public now, as many safer solutions have become available.

Folks, I know we all miss the ability to soak modern U.S. stamps, but we must move on.

I urge caution and restraint when reading about the latest attempt to soak these stamps off, with such concoctions.

David

Hear Hear, David. As a former chemistry teacher, I am aware of the dangers of many substances. Benzene, for example is a powerful carcinogen, among other things, and should not be casually, if ever, used.

I for one don't mind just trimming the edges of the piece a stamp is on and mounting the result. If the cancellation is unusual, then keep the stamp on a larger piece. Seems like a reasonable way to proceed.