Wildlife Stamps Project

Recently, I've been looking for artworks for my apartment. The search was disappointing, as even the cheapest framed prints can be quite expensive. I decided to pursue an interesting alternative instead.

I am really fond of Canadian wildlife and I decided to put together a complete set of Canadian wildlife stamps, from the Newfoundland Coronation Issue to the 2017 birds. (I am not currently interested in the Newfoundland varieties -- that is for later). The stamps add up to about $150 in face value. Half of that I've already gotten from Canada Post, half of that I'm obtaining at a slight premium.

My idea is that I will have the stamps arranged into an approximate shape (i.e. something simple like the inukshuk), lay a paper mat with the exact shape over the stamp layer (to round off the rough corners), and frame the two layers.

I do need some advice. The biggest thing for me to figure out is how I am going to mount these stamps. I'm considering three options:

1) Sticking the stamps directly onto the first layer. Even though the stamps are not cancelled, I will still be able to use them, but from a stamp collecting perspective, this option does seem to harm the stamps the most. I read once that in the past, stamp collectors used to glue stamps into albums, but that no longer seems to be the thing to do today. The strength of this option, on the other hand, is the aesthetic appeal.

2) Using hinges. I can get a box of 1000 hinges for under four dollars. However, it seems to me that using hinges is also no longer so popular in the stamp collecting world, since the stamp goes from never hinged to hinged. But are hinged stamps considered more collectible compared to stamps with fully activated gum? I am also concerned about whether the hinge will last as long as the stamp sticking by itself, especially when the frame will be hung perpendicular to the ground.

3) Using mounts. The ones I'm referring to are those with two layers of plastic. The stamp goes between. The back of the plastic has gum. This option will cost me a lot, as I must use different sizes. Since it's a picture frame, the plastic of the mount will reflect from the glass, and I would like the reflections to be at least consistent.

The other thing to consider is that most of the stamps will be removed from their respective souvenir sheets, so I doubt that the newer ones will have any retail value for the next 50 years. I can invest slightly to protect the stamps, but maybe that's not worthwhile.

Which option would you recommend, and are there any other options available?

petersun,,You can have stamps and art work all in one..Look maybe on ebay for frame like I have..I have a few of them signed and numbered by the artist like the one below.

Robert

Welcome to the forum..

Hello Wert,
Canada Post has just sold out all the framed prints, unfortunately, except for the loon. I opened a thread about this a few days ago and it doesn't seem to be an easy-to-find item. I will definitely be on the lookout for these.

Once the stamps are glued to the paper, they will no longer be mint, very fine condition. As they will have never been postally used, it will be legal to soak them off of the paper and glue them onto envelopes for mailing.

I agree that some vertically framed stamp mounts will probably fail and the stamps will fall from their appointed place.

Using stamp mounts means that there will be one of the four sides (presumably the bottom edge) with a dark line where the two plastic sheets are glued together. Unless the sides are also glued (using a philatelic glue pen and a rules to create straight lines), the stamps could shift or fall from the sides causing some to be out of place.

There is no easy solution, but the first would be my suggestion as the stamps are guaranteed to remain in place forever in the hanging frame.