Should I Scan Stamps With A Light... And What To Look For?

Hi --

I like to collect used stamps. When I bought some from ebay they had a musty, smoke smell (see previous post I made a couple of years back). The smell went away when I put them in Vario (plastic, no PVC!) sheets and then put the sheets in a box with silica gel.

So that makes me wonder though... how do I know stamps I buy are "safe?" Is it enough to just look under a magnifying glass and see that they have no visible spots? Should I buy a special lamp and use that - if so which one is recommended? And can you tell some tips on how to use it and what to look for?

I store my stamps in Vario sheets and those in a polypropylene box with silica gel and that keeps the humidity down well below 50% year round.

Thank you!

Hi matmcnic, and welcome! Several months ago I bought around 120 strips of 5 of the 8.3 cent Ambulance stamp. Tge price was pretty good, and when I received them I suddenly smelled why! Like yours they probably came out of a smokers' home.
After "airing" them out for a couple of months the smoke smell is gone, and they are fine now.

Peter

MAT -----What do you need a light for?.......what country or what speciality are you studying ? ........Your first decisions should be getting a catalog and a few reference books on what you plan to collect. The light should come later after you understand the basics of the hobby .Im using a light now to identify the different printings of the reprints of Heligoland .My advise is to study the front of the catalogs for details on identifying stamps and built up a stock of stamps before you get into a highly techincial area of LUMINESCENCE TAGGING. Start with perforations and watermarks .....I hope I answered or helped.

Hi --

>What do you need a light for?.

I'm only thinking about a light in terms of if I need one to tell if stamps are infected with mold, etc. or if a visual inspection is good enough.

Thanks :)

A table lamp and magnifying tool work well.

Hi --

>A table lamp and magnifying tool work well.

So just to clarify would you say I would not need a UV or other specialized light to detect infected stamps -- just a visual is good enough to accept stamp is not infected and "safe?"

Thank you :)