Best Lighting Source?

When one is looking at their stamps, what's the best type of lighting source to view them with? Fluorescent, incandescent, LED, Ott, natural, other?

The sun. Nothing to touch it. Obviously it is not always practical to expect sunlight, so a good incandescent lamp is probably the next best thing. Florescent lamps can make shades and papers appear different from what they actually are.

It depends what I am looking at but the best place changes as the day progress and with night time as well.

After a while I have found my favorite spots to look at stamps!

Whatever lamp holder is used the best bulbs or tubes are the Artist's Daylight type as these replicate natural midday sunlight and will show an item in its natural colour.

Terry

For indoor lighting full spectrum lighting is the closest thing to natural light (Sun).

https://goscf.com/t/28910&SearchTerms=lighting

I recommend an Ott light for studying color.

I have used daylight lamp bulbs extensively in art and photography where accurate colour rendition is important, particularly when it has to be colour matched to an original. All embracing white light bulbs may be adequate for overall general use, but for more accurate rendition then the colour temperature must be correct for the use intended. The main colour temperatures for daylight bulbs are:

White 3500k
Cool White 4000k
Graphic Pro 5300k
Daylight 6400k

For viewing and comparing coloured items I would use either the Graphic Pro bulbs or the Daylight bulbs, the latter probably most of the time. For photographic work the light source may be further corrected using the appropriate Kodak Wratten colour gel filters for the light source and the film in use. Digital colour rendition and correction is another matter, and any colour work you may meticulously produce with image software on your own PC or Mac will look different from that on any other machine on which it may be viewed. Really down to how precise you want to be, laboratory standard or 'close enough for government work'.

Terry
Edited for typo. TC.

When I want to examine at a stamp from the perspective of looking for flaws, repairs, etc., I find that it is important to use a "point" light source to create "shadows" on the surface of the paper when held at an extremely oblique angle to the light source. For this purpose, the sun and fluorsecent light sources are too "broad".

I use a small-source bulb (such as halogen) in a small fixture with a shade on the fixture that allows me to hold the stamp just at the edge of the light pool and keep myself out of the light.

I hold the stamp at an extremely oblique angle to the light source and while at that angle use at least a 10x glass to study the stamp. The light, the stamp (and thus me holding it), and the magnifying glass all have to coordinate to be at the correct angles. If you wear glasses, as I do, then you have to have them in the exact correct place as well to be using the sweet spot of the glasses lense. It is easy, like riding a bicycle, once you figure it out, but some people have trouble getting it right.

Tip: Start by positioning your body where it will be comfortable to hold yourself motionless for a couple of minutes -- where when you holding the stamp in tongs, the stamp will be at the edge of the light pool, just at the edge of the light shade. Then position the light source (more importantly, the edge of the shade of the light source) at the right spot to match where you plan on positioning your body & tongs. Maybe you have to set the light up on two or three books, or lower it instead.

When viewing in this way, I can see the ridges and valleys of the ink on the paper. I can see the definition of the insides of the perf holes. I can see the edges of the impression made by the canceling device (or maybe that cancel is painted on!). I can see where the paper fibers change if paper has been added, etc., etc.

In this particular viewing method you almost can't see the color (and certainly not color shades). This method is not for that. This method is for examining the extremely small details of the surface of the object.

It is really hard on the eyes, but it has been an important skill in my work.

I usually make a fist and place the stamp on top of that to examine it. I find that it depends on exactly what I am trying to see which light works best. Some shades such as ultramarine must be looked at in the sun, nothing else works quite as well. I might look at perfs and margins in two kinds of light to be sure of exactly what I am seeing. Magnification might be anything from 5X to 20X, again depending on what it is I am looking to see on a given stamp.