Advice On Storing And Handleing Stamp Collection

I received about 7 albums of us and world stamps pre 1955. Roughly 10,000 stamps. These stamps were in a unopened cardboard box that was mailed back in the 70's. They where exposed to humity or a near by roof leak, evidence on box, some on covers of albums, little on small amount of stamps . I want to start by saying I know as much as someone who has maybe 20hrs of internet self taught knowledge that may be right , maybe.... Some are falling out of pages. And there's so many I become a little impatient or don't handle each one the way they should be I feel. Some are so stuck in the album's removing would tear stamp. And each time I turn the page or scan them I feel I am damaging them. (As I am). It's a shame. I don't want to remove from albums because they are already identified, I don't want to leave in because. Well I can't keep my hands of them. I 've spent 100 hrs at least just looking and turning through the pages, then few days later I find myself laying on the floor of my room for hrs just looking at what I know nothing really about. What should I do to keep these in best condition. Before I know it I'll have confetti. The obvious is to not handle as often. but is there anything I can do for them? I have the album's. Stacked in a semi sealed Rubbermaid bacause the extremely strong "vintage" smell. Should I have them airing out?

Should I remove from albums and place in non deteriorating pages

I would deal with the "vintage smell" first. An effective method with old albums that smell like cigar or cigarette smoke, or mothballs, or whatever, is to place the albums in a large trash bag with an opened box or open container of fresh baking soda next to them, seal up the bag by closing the drawstrings or folding over, and just let them sit like that for a few weeks. Up to a month is best. You would be amazed how much this can neutralize the odor, and, it causes no harm, whatsoever, to the stamps. If it is a mildew smell because of some water damage, it might take a couple of repeats of the above procedure. You have to be patient with it and not use any harsh chemicals or sprays to speed up this process.

This is what has worked for me in the past.

John

High grade activated carbon can be purchased at most any aquarium or pet store. You can place this with the stamps much as John outlines above with baking soda. An even faster method is to figure out a way to circulate air through and around the activated carbon in the container holding the stamps. (You should be able to find activated carbon foam filters, designed to fit into aquarium filters or top of cat litter boxes, which make it fairly simply to use in front of a small muffin fan for circulation.) A positive ait flow setup like this should remove most bad odors within a few days.

Note: When buying carbon you get what you pay for; there is a large difference between chunks of coal and scientific grade activated carbon which has been properly processed at high temps. Spend the extra 20% and avoid the cheap stuff.
Don

Hi,
Before I did any deodorizing, I would give each album a good look and attempt to evaluate what I have. Most of the old worked albums out there (from my auction experiences) are worth little. Stamps from the 30s-40s especially can be quite common and of little value. But there is always a chance that you do have something worth putting your time/effort/money into. The folks here on the forum are quite knowledgeable and more than willing to give you an evaluation.

Why not select one album (per post to keep it organized) and take a few pics and put the query on the Forum? I - for one of many - never tire at looking at new finds, and you will end up with a fair evaluation of what you have.

Sometimes if I get problem things like this I would be inclined to just remove the stamps and if they are sticking bad I would just soak them off, albums with water damage wont ever get back to new and if you are not good at dealing with this you may just want to sell them.

Hello,

I definitely agree that it would be a good idea of putting a few pictures up here on the forums. Not only for a good estimate of what you have, but also for someone to gauge how damaged/aged they are. With all the humidity, possible leak damage, and time; my main concern would be a lot of foxing/browning of the stamps and albums.

There are plenty of knowledgeable people here who could make more useful suggestions from seeing such information that photos would provide.

Cheers,

As a cheap handling investment - perhaps order a pair or two of stamp tongs. These help keep oils, dirt, etc. from transferring from your hand to the stamps.

Amazon, Lighthouse, Subway Stamps, and ebay all have plenty of options.