At What Point Do You Remove A Stamp(S) From A Cover?

I'd leave it on the cover unless the cover is moldy or rotting.

Pardon me for being terse, but this is a Zeppelin cover with a Zeppelin stamp. The stamped cover definitely has a greater value than the stamp alone. Over the past 55 years I have had many conversations with many, many stamp dealers and collectors and don't recall any of them stating that a stamp is more valuable off cover than on. Being on cover may not ADD to the value of the stamp, but it does not detract from the value.

I have been saying for years that this is my hobby, not my investment. So, the Zep stamp is coming off and going into my album. It'll fill a long time hole. Anyone want a cover without a stamp?

As to the strip of 3 DT, I'll reserve judgment until I actually see the item.

As to the suggestion that its a crime to remove a stamp etc. I guess I should be locked up for having done so many times. I think people have forgotten an important point. "It's your hobby, do it your way."
To those that think that we are just temporary holders of our collections, I think that's a pile of BS. The next person who gets to own the stamp or cover will be happy to get it or they wouldn't buy it

To the average collector who is collecting for financial gain, I think you are living in a dream. The average age of stamp collectors is getting higher and higher. More of us are getting older and older and not enough young collectors are coming to the hobby. Eventually our little treasures will be worth little more than curiosities. As the demand gets lower, the supply gets higher. We should be collecting because we enjoy the hobby. A stamp that was bought for $10.00 today may be actually worth $10.00 10-20 years from now. A stamp or cover bought for $500.00 today may be worth around a $1,000.00 for the same period. Quality & rarity will always be worth something. For any financial gain, put your money in an IRA, the stock market, bonds or the bank.

Have I stirred up the pot enough?

Art

I agree, It's your collection; do what you want. If I had it, I would put it with my other covers.

I break up sheets, and blocks to fill holes in my album.

Art - you haven't stirred my pot. And I agree with everything you said. I admit that in the past I also have removed stamps from covers, but doing so didn't increase the value of the stamp, the cover just did not ADD to its value.

Here is a link to one of my ratty covers which if the stamp was removed, not only would the stamp be worth less, it would be worthless!!

https://goscf.com/t/21653

I would also remove it if I had concerns that the cover itself was made of cheaper paper and might migrate acids to the stamp.

That's the last straw Art, you've forced me to call in the cover Police ! Not the undercover Police mind you, the on the cover Police.

I'm no card-carrying member of the cover police, by any means. Generally speaking, I'm interested in as much postal history as will fit on the face of the stamp (or on a small piece, if necessary).

That being said, I don't think I could soak that Zeppelin. If I wanted it next to the others in my album I might try to mount it to a clear interleaving, or some such thing, but I don't think I could soak it.

But you're right, Art, you are certainly free to do so...I won't be informing on you. But I also hope for your sake there aren't any fellow SCF'ers on your jury, because it sounds like you'd be in trouble...

I have been in trouble for years so that's not a problem.

My answer is that there is no one answer. Everyone has a different level of tollerance as to what to soak or not. My level varies from day to day as I suspect so do most others. I made a choice and I'm happy with it.

The stamp may not the brightest in color but is well centered, appears sound, but it didn't cost me $500 bucks either. It was to soak the stamp that I bid on it in the first place and I think I got it cheap, around $200.

Art

It has a nice, light cancel, too.

hey Art,
Good good example of when one should be taken off of cover but I'm still not going to do it.
Weiss has looked at a grilled stamp on cover of mine and could not see all of the columns on the stamp even though I can definitely see 15, he claims he cannot. He suggested that I lift the stamp but then I don't have a "D" grill on cover.

I gave several 3c "D" grills #85, and really want to have one on cover- and if I want a cert it will have to come off the cover.

This is a good reason for removing the stamp- just can't make myself do it at this point, yet

Thanks- Ray

Don't do it Ray. Art you make good sense. I would remove it in your case but if that was mine I'd leave it well alone. Have fun, Be free. ~Jeff

I'm going to jump back in on this topic again with an example of the majority viewpoint which I support - about not taking a stamp off a cover, ever.

First off--I think the stirring of things is good. all respect is intended in my viewpoint below. Thesis plus Antithesis = Synthesis and the Platonic way.

Secondly, every one should be able to do whatever they want.

So, jumping right to it is this cover which I got as a throw away and overpaid at $2. I was toying with floating off the #82 Newfoundland, thinking the Catalog value would be $7.50 and while the cover is cataloged at $15 would not be because the envelope is crap and half missing. so I got my scissors ready (maybe i'll cut off the perfs too and make it an imperforate because hey, its my hobby so why even have perfs at all? hmh)






And then I saw both a small town cancel on the front (Cupid population of 562 in 1900)...and started thinking maybe this could make it more valuable to have...and make my hobby more fun?

And then my scissors came near the year of 1900 and I thought, wow maybe having a piece of information to actually date the stamp would be better than floating it?

but wait...check out the back:




There was a strange clear cancel from "CB Railway TPO". What the heck is a TPO? Then I grabbed my Ludlow Railway Catalog and identified it as N26 cancel with a rarity factor of 370 (500 being extremely rare). So BANG. Suddenly, I realized that it was worth more with the cover and way more of a fun hobby...

or not? how is that for stirring it up?

while you all ponder this, I will have to sign off because i've got work to do

1. Throwing away all the dust sleeves from my rare books. They are annoying, make it hard to store and get in the way of reading.
2. Cutting out of their frames and making smaller all my Rembrandt paintings
3. Recording digitally all my Beatle original 33 records from the 1960s, so that I can throw the pesky things away (and enjoy the music only)
4. Break open my Ty Cobb signed baseball from the plastic so that I can toss it around.
5. Then i'm going to pay my mortgage with my Morgan silver dollars


Cheers

Hi Tommy,

I'll swop you Captain Billy Bones' map of Treasure Island (cut from a first edition) for all that old stuff you want to modernise.

Terry