Has The Non-Water Soluble Era Changed Your Approach For Collecting Used?

No, but it has changed the way I remove the stamp from the envelope.

And note also that Scott says the value is no different for used self-adhesives whether on piece or off.

Here's their full statement about self-adhesives, both unused and used:




Source:

"Understanding the Listings: #9 - Value unused and Value used" (Introduction, Page 14A, 2017 edition)

Since Scott does not differentiate between on or off paper for the self-adhesive values, I have no problem mounting them in my Harris Liberty album that use for my used US collection. Moreover, I have no problem mounting them with Scotch 811 Removable Tape!

I prefer on paper for both water- and self-adhesive. But I'm also in the gotta-have-it-all camp so I save the modern junk as well ha ha ha.

It hasn't really changed what I collect (still full spectrum used US), but I did go through a period a few years ago struggling with how to remove the self adhesives. I finally perfected my own process using the pure citrus air freshener spray. I have a bunch of other solvents I tried to, including the Bestine.

I actually pull the backing paper from the stamp (keeping the stamp flat) rather than the other way around. This helps reduce curling of the stamp. I also entirely remove the adhesive by spraying the back of the stamp again after I get it off paper and scraping it with the edge of a credit card. This removes the adhesive goo, without damaging the stamp paper at all.

Works great, but is more tedious than the old water soluble ones.

That said, if a stamp has die cuts rather than perforations, I just use the Pure Citrus, even if it is one of those older transition issues where water would work. It's just overall simpler.

I do find that because I'm pulling the backing paper off the stamp (rather than the other way around) curling is a minor enough issue that I actually don't have to press the stamps at all, and they are good enough. That speeds things up, and it also prevents cracking or splitting of the stamp ink that you sometimes see if you instead curl the stamp rather than the backing paper. Keep the stamp itself flat :)

Matt