Collecting Etiquette Question

Is it OK to remove selvage from stamps to keep your collection uniform? Is it just extra paper or is it a plain and simple NO/NO? I know this is choice question, but is it proper Etiquette?

Sharksfan.....


Make your own rules......no one can say you're wrong.

My personal rule is that if the stamp exists with more than one watermark variety, I keep the selvage on - it is much easier to see the watermark differences.

no no reducing selvedge I did that years ago and now I wish the clock would roll back I alsways liked more of the stamp oh yeah

OK, you threw me for a loop with the thread title. As a former etiquette collector, I was half-expecting a question about something like Par Avion labels! Oh, well.

Regarding whether to keep the selvage attached, we selvage collectors face the same type of problem -- whether or not to keep the stamp attached, as often the stamp takes up a lot of space that could be used for displaying other selvage. The general rules of thumb I use is I keep the stamp attached if it is a full corner selvage; also I keep the stamp attached if the stamp selvage contains some inscriptions relevant to the stamp/design, such as the US 29c Winter Olympics selvage strip of 5.

Pet peeve of mine -- people who hinge a stamp by the selvage, or by putting the hinge on the selvage. Also, I really hate it when people write the catalog number on the selvage. If you have to write on a stamp, write it on the stamp margin or back of the stamp, and leave the selvage alone. I've seen many pieces of high-value selvage reduced to space-filler status because of this horrendous practice!

k

Also never fold the selvage under the stamp before slipping it into the mount. I don't know how many times I've come across mint stamps with the selvage stuck to the back.
Will

I used to remove selvedge (British and Canadian spelling) years ago as I wanted all my stamps to fit the album and not have these extra bits hanging off them ruining my album pages.

When I see selvedge (or selvage) mentioned now I always think of the article linked-to below about the Canada 1999 Orchid stamps issue where the selvedge makes a difference in reassembling where the stamp came from in a booklet pane and a souvenir pane that had the designs running over the edges into the selvedge.

http://www.adminware.ca/tips/cantip8.htm

However, not everyone is as interested in selvedge as some, so a lot of nice, sometimes important, sometimes decorative selvedge gets removed.

I like how on quite a few modern Canada stamp panes the selvedge is important, having not only plate numbers and printer / designer inscriptions but extra added design elements that add to the eye value of a stamp, at least for me now-a-days. Informative little pictures or parts of a larger scene. Tells a lot more of the story about the stamp I feel.

Starting to copy the Israeli stamps with their very nice selvedge!

I apologize to khj for removing selvedge in my misty past.

(edit to add link and fix spelling.)

KHJ, I think my brain just lost what little selvage it had

If the selvage is undamaged I will keep it attached to the stamp. Now I do know that I have some stamps with the selvage folded underneath the stamp in a mount, usually if it took up too much room on the page and overlapped the stamp next to it. I really think that it is a personal preference in most cases.

I'm gonna go against the grain just a bit here. I like a uniform appearance in my albums so I do remove the selvage IF the selvage doesn't enhance the value of the item. If it does, I will find another copy without selvage and use it in the album and put the stamp+selvage in my duplicates accumulation.

Obviously, I don't remove the tabs on my Israel stamps.

I agree with laswabbie, I don't collect, but I don't destroy it either. I'll trade it to someone does and look for a copy that fits my collection.

khj - I think I'm going to have to charge you for a new monitor, as you made me laugh so hard I spewed coffee all over it!

-Allen

Greg, I don't remove the stamps from my Israel tabs either.

Great minds think alike, even if from different perspectives!

k

Allen, that's why they always say don't drink in front of the computer. People think it's to protect keyboard. Keyboards are cheap, monitors are not.

So everyone, listen up. Don't drink in front of your computer. The only exception to this rule is Dr. Pepper. You are allowed to drink Dr. Pepper anywhere!

I saw a clever stamp album once where the owner didn't bother with (expensive) mounts but instead used hinges on the selvage.

khj, I finally caught on that you were being tongue-in-cheek--at least I hope you were

Yes, my antennae started to waggle a bit at the topic heading

I Loooove Etiquettes. part of a collection of about 5000