I Bought A Stamp Collection And Am Overwhelmed!

Hey guys new here. I usually collect coins but came across a stamp collection for $100. I thought why not can't hurt plus I have always thought stamps were cool. Little did I know I was in over my head. The amount of stamps I have here are incredible. Easily 1000+ older US stamps. I will try to post some pictures and if you guys want me to take individuals of anything I can definitely do that. I have done some brief research on some of the older ones and found some cool stamps!


This is just a fraction of the collection. However the oldest stamps of the collection are here in the beginning. The previous owner went through and valued them and attributed a Scott number to each. Values are way overpriced though. I also have a footl ong box of envelopes with maybe 100+ of one stamp type and there are like 100 envelopes. What do I do???

I also have a stamp collection book published in 1938 and another published by Scott in 1942 each have stamps in them as well. How in the world can I organize such a collection into something neat??

All of the stamps are on this very brittle tape and comes right off no damage whatsoever. Forgot to mention mass amounts of foreign stamps and plenty of Nazi Germany.

Overwhelmed! That is just means the fun is starting.

Half of the fun is tearing down the older album's to save the stamps. I find that older album's are sometimes not the best because their pages are not acid free, etc and can tone or destroy stamps. It takes a lot of time. Just don't pull the hinges off of the stamp. You can tear or pull paper from the stamp resulting in a thin. If the older album's are musty remove the stamps as soon as you can. Sometimes you may have to air out the stamps. I just toss old album's that are musty or the pages have toned - turned colors etc.

Have fun and enjoy.

What's the best way to remove the old hinge?

As a rule the best way to remove an old hinge would be to soak it off.

Peter

Yup. That's what I've always done. Just thought I'd ask, didn't know if there was a new nifty way to do it.

It's always a good idea when breaking down a used collection to give ALL the stamps a good soaking. It will remove any old hinges and I think every used stamp needs a good bath at least once every 50-150 years.

You know personally how much time you can spend working with the stamps, so I would only soak a group no larger than you can spend the time you have to work on them. You definitely wouldn't want to pull all the stamps and toss them in the bathtub at one time!

Once you have soaked the stamps, there are a couple of ways of drying them properly. There are products available which allow you to layout the stamps and then press them. This ensures the stamp will be flat when it dries. Especially with rotary press printed stamps, the tendency is for the stamps to curl when wet, and if allowed to dry in that condition, will be difficult, if not impossible, to avoid damaging them.

You can also lay them out on a plain white paper towel so that they are not overlapping or near the edge of the towel, then place another towel on top of it, add another layer of stamps, another towel.... When you have all the stamps you have soaked that day laid out, place another paper towel on top. Then place them on a flat surface and place a couple of books on top of the stack. Let them dry for a day or two and when you remove them, the stamps will be clean, flat and dry.

Good luck on this project - have some fun!

If you soak the stamps I recommend the desert magic drying books for a nice flat stamp when finished.

http://www.gvstamps.com/cgi/display...em_num=SH507

any stamps of Iran?

Careful about soaking everything - stamps of some countries, eg late-Victorian GB, were printed with fugitive inks to deter cleaning and re-use. They don't enjoy a bath. Whilst soaking stamps from paper avoids possible damage, many stamps can be removed easily - just avoid a vigorous tug!

Soaking some of these may not be necessary... the previous collector was very careful with the amount of tape used. A very thin strip acfually comes into contact with most of the stamps. Before posting I tried removing some and they basically fall off with not paper thinning. Some of the stamps though may need to be soaked... I just use cold water or what?

It all depends on what you are trying to wash off the stamps. I prefer a very hot bath as it cleans the 100 years of dirt off better. I've soaked hundreds of stamps both worldwide and US and have never had an issue with fugitive inks. But that being said fugitive inks are real and I will usually post a question here on specific stamps to inquire about fugitive inks.

1. Not all of the albums are in the same category. If that "My First Stamp Album" is pretty much intact with all its pages, try to keep it that way. It has some potential as a collectible itself.

2. Chances are that what you are calling "tape" to mount the stamps is not always tape. It may be stamp hinges, which eventually were designed to be peel-able. They should come off the stamps and the pages without too much trouble most of the time. Both keep close watch on soft paper stamps. They thin very easily.

3. Not all the stamps should be soaked, despite what has been said by some. Leave the "mass removal" techniques in the hands of those with more experience, and focus attention on what you are doing to the stamps with which you are working. If you are bent on processing large amounts of material no matter what, be careful that mass movement doesn't become mass murder (destruction). Preserving collectibles, stamps and ephemera, should be your number one goal.

Working hard trying to transfer everything into a new stockbook. Having trouble identifying the different varieties of one stamp but am making progress! There were some nice stamps in this collection!