Is It Possible To Safely Removing A Stamp From A PSE Slab?

I have several stamps in "slabs" that I would rather have in my album.

I have seen a few stamps for sale on ebay over time that had a slab "Tap" and a stamp, no plastic case. So that begs the question, is there a safe way to remove the stamp and PSE Grading Tab? A special tool/household item to access stamp SAFELY!?

thanks

Do not use a cutting torch or a circular saw. I will leave what may work to others.

Household items? Seems like I have read a "how to" from somebody that would know. I believe it involved a hammer... No kidding!

Just wait for the specifics :)

Kitchen shears or large tin snips
Just go slow.

To me, it's kinda like guaranteeing safe removal of a $500 egg yolk from inside an egg. In the real world, an egg yolk is worth a few cents, so the proper way to remove it from inside the shell is smack the shell until it cracks and break it apart, while pouring the contents into a bowl. If you break the yolk in the process?? Oh well - either you deal with your egg not being sunny side up, or you throw it away and start over. That's not really an option with a valuable stamp.

I HATE stamp slabs. They are a 'crossover' (and a needless one, at that) from coin collecting. Coin slabs almost make sense -- one coin looks like another to a novice. Even an idiot can tell one stamp from another if they look at the perfs, centering, margins, cancel, etc. The 'security' (from damage) that a stamp slab provides, to me, is more than outweighed by the possible (frankly, LIKELY) future desire to mount the stamp in an album --- at SOME point the owner will want the slab removed. I don't buy slabbed stamps. Risk/reward is simply not worth it for me. To me, a slabbed USA #1, graded 95, is worth LESS than a (probably) 95 uncerted USA #1. I am stamp-educated enough to be able to tell a middle-of-the-road 90 from a 95, though.

FWIW, I hope you are able to safely remove your stamps from their slabs. I hope there IS a sure-fire safe way to do what you want to do! I don't know what that is, though. I'm gonna keep my eye on this thread - it may open up a whole new supply of stamps for me to consider.

Contact PSE. They can remove the stamp and give you a paper certificate. There will be a charge, but that is the safest way.

According to PSE's website - grading matters.com - their minimum charge for the service $15 per item.

Could you put it in a vise and use a saw with a fairly delicate row of teeth? Why not try it on a slab with something inside you don't care about (a coin, maybe?!) and experiment? I'd do that before trying it on a stamp. I'd give it a try and see how much cutting the slab allows. If you can cut it smoothly, then that would work. If it won't cut, then you need a Plan B.

Don't use heat or chemicals, obviously, as they may damage the stamp. I would try to avoid pounding on the plastic too much, though it might also be possible to force it open along the "join" by using a little hammering on a sharp chisel. But my inclination tells me that this would be more of a last resort.

Someone with a high-speed power saw with delicate teeth, maybe one used for cabinetry, might be able to saw it open smoothly and painlessly without doing too much damage. Got any friends with bandsaws or coping saws?

I thought they could be popped open - some years ago they gave away slabs at a show with common stamps inside as an example of a slab and I had no problem opening one

I think a Dremel might be useful

Hi

In Marquetry very fine saw blades are used with a Fret Saw. Maybe that would do the trick.

https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com...XX/Fret_Saws

https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com...t_Saw_Blades

The least amount of blades you can buy is 12.They are very thin and break easily (been there done that).

Jerry B

I would use a dremel tool with cutoff blades to remove the stamp first. Then force the case open and use a heat gun on low-med heat behind the sticker to make the glue release and become sticky again. Of course, do not melt the plastic. That is how I use to remove MS and other labels from the bottom of laptops when I had to replace the cases.