Hello From Derby, KS

This looks like the place to be for stamp knowledge.

I seem to like to collect a lot of things. A bad habit picked from my parents, I suppose. I do enjoy glass (elegant glass) from the late 1800s to the 1900s but that takes up lots of room and my wife said, "No more!"

So then I took to collecting coins. Takes up less space, for sure.

Recently, after my mother passed away, my father gave me my mother's stamp collection. The main chunk is in a 1943 Scott's Junior Stamp Collections album (book). Some other lesser albums are also in the collection, as well as her efforts to catalogue, US and WW stamps after 1940 in her own binders. Then there is a 1.5 stack of stock sheets that are written in German. This gave me a clue as to where the Scott's album actually belonged to before my mother had it. Her godfather, Bernhard Vierich. There is a fair amount of stamps from the late 1800s and a very decent collection from 1900 to 1940 of US and WW.

Interesting things I have found include a Hindenburg delivered envelope with appropriate stamps and ink; First issues of many Philippines stamps; late 1800s post cards; first issue 1936 Olympic stamps from Germany complete with special mounting paper containing the Swastika; envelopes from 1900 to 1941 that were the conversations from and to Bernhard - the ones from about 1938 to 1940 all censored by the Nazis...and the last 3 of which are almost astonishing - Correspondence Bernhard had mailed to his fellow co-workers in the Philippines for last minute business and the hope that war would not break out. The postmark was Dec 7, 1941 at 7pm. All letters were returned due to suspended service, hence why I was able to know what Bernhard had to say (at least in the letters that were written in English. Bernhard was from Bremen, Germany).

So, I have a deep interest in preserving this collection as it is where I can and expanding it (and re-organizing it - such as the stamps in the Scott's album that are in the margins or loose since there were no spaces for that particular stamp in the album) with the stamps that my mother collected but either mounted in hand made and annotated pages ( or should I preserve that as well?)or just had still in the envelopes that she bought. I would like to also take the envelopes, first issues and postcards and catalogue somehow but not sure what I should use to do that. I also need to get all the correspondence that is in German translated but that's a whole other thing.

I think many people who collect stamps have a deep understanding of the history it represents ( I think it was a cheap way to "travel the world" to many...to far away countries that most people never heard of, let alone actually visit). I do believe that's what it was to my mother as "Uncle" Vierich would come visit the US to see his god children, bring them exotic presents and tell them tales of far away places that he had been to.

I hope to obtain the expertise of many here to help me understand the value, find the best way to organize and very much guide me in the materials and skills needed to better mount and protect, re-locate, possibly recover (like how to remove stains caused from hinges on stamps) the stamps in this collection.

Wow! Exciting! What a start.

Iwirgau

Welcome to SCF once more and have fun with our hobby !