Opinions On Removing Revenue Stamps From Docs

Thanks revcollector.

Here's my next dilemma, how to catalog all of these documents and stamps.
It seems that the easiest way is to number and catalog stamps and matching documents. I'm not too good building databases and I thought about spreadsheets, but that would be huge.

How do you all catalog and document your revenue collections?

Thanks, new at this particular area of collecting.

(adding fuel to the fire)

Soooooo, say you have 20 receipts that are all basically the same, very plain/in bad condition/so Spartan there isn't much to glean from them in any way, you keep all of them intact?

I'm all for hoarding, but some items are simply too "standard" to warrant saving piles of them.

Keep the one with George Washington's DNA on it, soak the rest.

And again, despite what Stampman says, I am nobody of importance, I am just another collector like all of you who happens to have a differing opinion.

Are they "plain" or are they "in bad condition"? The former is different from the latter.

I'm still going to disagree here. Whether it is 20, 50, or 500, their being intact documents only is of no moment as long as they ALL remain together. Once you start trading/selling individual pieces, then their being intact documents does start to matter.

Unless there are extenuating circumstances that warrant the stamps being removed from the documents, one should not.

This is how so many documents and covers have been destroyed over the decades/centuries... one collector thinking "Well, I've got X of them, and only need 1, so clip/soak the rest!"

Bart (revcollector's) succinct advise is the best: Don't. Full stop.

If you don't agree or can't understand, then rather than destroying them, please trade them to someone who will keep them intact.

I could not agree more with what has been said by Bart and Dan. Don't.

I'm really on the fence with this. I can see maintaining the integrity of a document or partial document if it is relative to the history of the revenue stamp affixed. You know cancel, seal, dates....

But those revenue stamps that are on just a fragment on paper without any markings or significance...

Add to that, when soaking off stamps in my experience they tend to lighten or bleach for a lack of better terms. So, I hesitate to soak older revenue stamps.

Yeah, I know, I'm arguing in a circle. I have yet to remove any revenue stamps from any document, paper or fragment. And I probably won't. I'm just perplexed as to organizing and cataloging stamps on documents.

And for what it's worth, stamps can be expertised on paper. I've seen certificates that included documents, partials and fragments. It's just difficult to determine if the stamp is on silk paper if still attached..

Moyock13 - remember, while it is great to get opinions from lots of people, and learn all sorts of cool facts as you go along, it is still YOUR collection. File all you learn in your noodle, see what other folks think/do, but in the end, do what YOU want to do.

:-)

Yes, sir. I concur.

I like to pick up opinions along the way, helps me make more informed decisions.

I like to have my collection visible and available to me, rather than dig through a box or file. All of my loose stamps are on Vario pages, don't like hinges, and a lot of covers and documents are in protecters. Problem is, if I keep adding to the pile I'll never catch up. But I do like the hunt!

While it's true that "it is your collection", it is also true that ownership includes a certain responsibility to understand what you have, and why and how it was used. And also to understand that once removed, they usually cannot be replaced again. All used first issues were once on a document or product and there are so many questions unanswered because they were removed. I don't understand what one gains by removing them. You can probably keep your entire document collection in a large shoebox.

What would you do?




This R1c pair is staying put on the original document.