Stamp Conservation Advice Needed.

I've recently bought a lot of Canal Zone stamps stored in white stock book pages.
Some of the stamps have yellowing of the perforations caused from the stock book page.

Is there anything I can do to get the stamp back to a nice crisp white?
Or stop the yellowing process caused from the acid in the pages.

I've moved all the stamps to a stock book of Vario pages as a start.

Have these stamps lost their value?

Fortunately some stamps weren't touching the stock pages so they are in very nice condition.

JoanneG

Edit: I would post a picture but I don't know how and I don't have a good camera to do it anyway.

In my experience (most recently today, when some of a Madagascan collection I bought has been discoloured by the stock-book), toning is there to stay. It will reduce value, but not usually destroy it - I almost expect it on older French engraved stamps.

Conservation means preserving stamps, not restoring them. You could restore the paper to whiteness with various chemicals but this would negatively impact the stamps and their value. It would also open the door for documenting what you have done and disclosing it if the collection ever passes from your hands. Most people want to know if the stamp and covers they are getting have been chemically altered or 'restored'.

Sounds like you have done what most people do, which is remove them from the acidic conditions (poor quality stock book) and the toning (browning) of the stamp edges. Also a cool, dry and stable storage environment is paramount; temperatures should be held at a constant 70°F with a relative humidity held between 30% and 50%.
Don

Don

Thank you for differentiating between conservation and restoration, I appreciate that.
I guess Im going to have to deal with the yellowing and realize what it is...is what it is.

My stamp location is in my bedroom and it stays a nice 70-75 through out the day. I think the humidity is low because of the air conditioning.

JoanneG

I like to think of it as 'patina'. :)

Many hobbies value the aging of an item (i.e. numismatics, antiques, etc.) but I am unsure why this hobby does not seem to have the same perspective. Even the old car hobby is now clear coating old, faded paint original paint jobs as opposed to restoring a car.
Don