Advice On Grampa's Given To My Son

Hey all,
My brought home his Great Grampa's stamp album and a huge box full of stamps and etc. The albums, there are 3 of them, have many stamps, but one in particular is falling apart and the pages have browned. The stamps are hinged but most of them have adhered to the pages.
We don't want to ruin anything, but the stamps still look to be in good shape. Should I cut and soak these and remount? Will the old hinges come off with a soaking? Those that are loose; should I remove old hinges and re-hinge? Or should we leave it all alone and just fix up the album the best we can?
Thanks,
Jay

Jay:

I'll answer, but don't listen to me -- wait for some of the smarter folks to weigh in on your question

If the pages are old and browning, I'd say do what is necessary to save the stamps. It's unlikely those old pages are acid-free, meaning they will continue to discolor and if it hasn't already, the discoloration will spread to the stamps.

If the stamps are mint, soaking them will obviously remove the gum and affect the value. But personally, I would prefer "mint no gum" to "no stamp". If they're stuck only (s)lightly, you might try just a little steam to loosen them. Allow them to dry thoroughly, then remount on newer pages. I think you said in another thread you were comfortable with soaking, if it comes to that.

Finally, you'll have to decide on hinges v. mounts. If they've already been hinged, there's no real reason not to re-hinge. But for older, hard-to-find issues, I feel more comfortable with a mount.

Well, that's my $0.02 worth. I'm sure some other folks will have even better suggestions.

KirkS

Thanks Kirk!

jayR101

I'm no expert either but depending on the type of hinge uses. I have found that they sometimes peel off very easily with no damage to the stamp. You can try one and see. Others I have had to soak off. I have sometimes also taken the stamps off the album pages and cut the excess hinge. But I collect for enjoyment only and don't pay attention to stamp values.

By the way I think it's great that you're doing this with your Son.

Dianne

Thank you Dianne! We spend the entire evening last, sorting and placing stamps. Had a blast and he is as fired up with it as I am.

That's great, I'm sure there are many more to come. I don't get any time these days because I work in a tree nursey and it's crazy season.
I really miss it. Hopefully I'll find some spare time soon.

When things slow down and you have organized what you have I'll go through my spares and send you some.

Dianne

As will I you Dianne.