Stamp Hinges

i cant wait please put linky here so I can read that thread. even I am interested in knowing how mouts can be damaging

I got tied down unexpectedly. I try to start that thread tomorrow.

It's not the mount, per se, that's causing the problems. It's how some collectors mount the stamp, that's causing the problems.

For a quick synopsis without detailed explanations, by far the 2 biggest problems are:

1. using too much moisture to affix the mount
2. affixing the mount with the stamp already in the mount (common habit of many collectors, but you really should affix the mount FIRST, then insert the stamp AFTER the mount has had time to completely dry)

There are other issues, but I've encountered these other problems far less.

I'll post the link here after I get that thread up and running tomorrow(?).

whew thats a relief I never mount the mounts just put the mounts in my stock book so no moisture issues. I can sleep easier tonight. thanks

if there are any other pointers please dont hesitate to share for mounts or anything else. I have put a lot of money into my collection and its giving me nightmares :)

I have had a few mint stamps in mounts for in excess of thirty years. Absolutely no problems. No one has yet explained the damage caused by mounts.

Please anyone--Clearly state the damage which may occur, and the cause of this damage.

I've already stated 2 main causes of the damage above. For these 2, the actual damage is gum damage, and also graying of the stamps in areas where moisture has been trapped in the mount. Again, I'm a little tied down. I will try to find a few examples and post pics in another thread later. Please be patient, as it takes time to dig out and scan examples.

I find a little of this in 10-20% of the collections I examine, and major damage (exceeding 50% of the stamps in the lot) in about 5% of the collections I examine. So most collectors are careful enough not to have this happen. I'm glad that you are in the majority of collectors for which you have selected the proper brand mounts and have mounted them without running into problems.

However, when this happens to a collector, many never realized it was happening. Why? Because most collectors, once they mount their stamps, never bother to take them out to examine again. So they use the same method and same type mounts to continue to mount their collection, never realizing the damage that was occurring. This has even happened to some of my friends!

Secondly, not all mounts are "archival" (remember, that is a relative term, there is no standard by which a material is universally "archival"). Crystal mounts have already been mentioned in this thread as being problematic. Scott/Showgard/Hawid are all fine when used properly. However, there are other knock-offs and generics -- these should be avoided as some are known to interact with certain inks on a few stamp issues, and also adversely affect stamps in some way.

Finally, even the Scott..Hawid mounts don't mean your stamp is safe if your album is not stored properly. I've actually thumbed through one album that was completely mounted in Showgards, but most of the stamps were very lightly stuck down (easy to remove) and the gum blotchy in appearance. The owner was in a low humidity environment, but had stored the album laying down with other things on top and unmoved for over a decade. Remember, the stamps themselves are not "archival".

Anyway, I'll get around to that thread with lots of these examples, to encourage others to take good care of our collections. Little things can make a big difference decades later.

Sorry, it was not my intention to scare anyone. Just remember, "archival" is a sales term, not a standardized term.

Within this thread, I have seen many posts using the term applying moisture, to the hinge or the mount..

Heck..I lickem and stickem....

i will present a slightly different opinion here but please note I am not an expert on US stamps. Indian stamps are printed from security paper. Security paper is archival in nature ( when done right) the acid that is used in the creation of paper is removed example your currency notes. Now the process where this gets complicated is the gum. It adds another level to the paper where most of my problems take place other than the humidity of course so I am patiently waiting till K has more time and we can all learn from her experience

khj, thanks for your input. So it seems that any problems arise from the type of mount and the old enemy moisture. I collect very few mint stamps because of the problems with the humidity where I live. Summers are brutal in terms of temp and humidiy here in east central Georgia.

A minor problem has occurred even with hinged used stamps, if there is a hinge remnant from a previous owner. I have had that hinge remnant stick to the album page making it almost impossible to remove the stamp without damage.

As one more thing--does anyone notice the deteriorization in hinge quality from years ago. It seems to me that modern hinges are not nearly as "peelable" as the ones from years ago.

I have noticed that the hinges appear to be more gummy

Most of them are peelable but may leave a mark so I never use them on anything mint, used only! I've had some bad experiences trying to remove a hinge that was stuck on too tight and ended thinning my stamp! For anything mint I bought vario stock pages to mount them on

Looks like bobggggg and I think and act alike. However, on the posts I've read about applying minimal moisture on a lickable hinge, this may be where I have trouble with GK peelable hinges. As I said, a licked GK is in my experience NOT peelable. Now let's be reasonable here; if the a hinge is advertised as peelable, it should be peelable whether it is licked or only lightly dabbed with minimal moisture.
On the other hand, as I also said, every Fold-O-Hinge I have licked peels easily and many leave no visible (to the eye) residue when peeled off the stamp or page.

Kim, your disclaimer in using Scotch 811 is understood...by me, at least.

Marty

ok I got lots of wonderful information here but can someone show me what a stamp mount looks like PLEASE

OK, I've finally found some examples from my postage bin and my scanner is working fine.

However, I've run into another problem/delay -- gum is nearly colorless. So the gum disturbance is not showing up at all in the scans. I'll have to figure out how to appropriately tweak the scanner settings or go out and get Photoshop one of these days.

You all will have to wait some more. Sorry.

On the bright side, my car is FIXED!!

Just don't remind me how much I had to pay...

Hi Tina.....


Stamp mounts can be clear, white or black....pre-cut to size or long strips to cut your own.....the back is split to allow easy insertion and it is gummed.

It can get expensive to put every stamp in mounts so most collectors only use them for better items.

They can be found easily on line from a variety of makers.

well K you are in a better boat I cant even afford a toy car :)

about the colorless gum dont you have a fluorescent marker :)