Handling Brittle Old Stamps

Old stamps tend to go brittle - this is especially true of some of the old German stamps. May be it has to do with the gum or may be it is a case of just the stamp going too dry.

My way of dealing with it in has been to give the stamp a 30-minute dip in clean water and then dry it and put it back. It has worked but I was wondering if I have been doing the right thing.

If it works for you then continue but look for water damage as some stamps with have fugitive inks that will wash out. Perhaps thirty minutes would seem excessive for most collectors giving a stamp a bath so maybe a quick dip and dry would be enough. Experiment with low value stamps to get best results. I have never been troubled by brittle paper so perhaps your climate is to blame but usually moisture is a problem and not dryness.

Just a guess, but the stamps might be printed on paper that's slightly acidic. I'm no chemist, but I can see where that might make the stamps brittle over a long period of time.

I have doubts that wetting dry stamps will provide any permanent benefit. Have you noticed it having any positive effect on the stamps over a long period of time (months)? I would think they would just dry out as soon as the water evaporated or start to mildew if they remain damp.

Once I dipped a stamp in water and it completely crumbled when I took it out. Nothing left but crumbs.

Good points, people.

TheArtfulHinger's point seems to be the reason - it mostly occurred with stamps that had gum on them (mint or cancelled) and mostly from Germany or some of the Eastern European countries. I must say that it has not hit a huge number of my stamps but the ones that did get affected, did get that bath and once the glue (of the cancelled stamps) was off, they were fine. I did lose some Hitler era mints though even before I gave them the dip. They just broke. Thankfully I have found replacements.