Mint Sheet Protector Pages

Buffer is added to the paper pulp during manufacturing to counter the use of low quality new or recycled wood pulp in the slurry. Even the paper used to print the stamps has buffer in it.

Like any buffer (for example taking a Tums or other antacid after eating a spicy meal), the buffer only neutralizes acids for a short period of time. It also allows seller of cheap paper to fool buyers into thinking that today's paper are 'acid free'. As the paper naturally ages, the buffers become consumed. (This is no different than adding buffers to a pool or hot tub, the buffers become exhausted once the pH drops.) When there is no longer any buffers to react to the natural pH drop and paper turns acidic and begins to tone (turn brown and brittle). Adding a buffer into paper is only a temporary situation, a better solution is to buy rag paper without wood pulp (more expensive).

More information on this here https://stampsmarter.org/learning/H...sePaper.html
Don

Sorry if I'm using the wrong terminology.
StampSmarter is indeed very informative.

1. If one uses in his albums those plastic mounts (black plastic, with transparent front, cut-to-measure sleeves), does the paper quality still matter?
2. What about black/white paged stock books (Lindner, importa, Lighthouse, and the same)? Are they safe?
3. Acidic papers were found to be harmful after dozens of years of usage. What is known about higher alkaline paper in long-term usage?

Stamp paper is made with wood pulp and will eventually tone no matter how it is stored. In fact, paper conservation only delays the inevitable turning of paper into dust (over centuries). So the best conservation practice is to manage the surrounding environment (as outlined in the link above) no matter what you store the paper in. Remember this is about the atmosphere surrounding the stamps, not just anything that is directly contacting the stamp themselves.

Yes, many glassine, album pages, album binders, and album dust covers are made with lower quality paper which contains wood pulp and are, or will, turn acidic. Even wooden shelves can make the surrounding atmosphere acidic (which is why archival libraries use metal shelves).

I am not aware of high pH values causing an issue in paper. There are products (sprays) for our hobby which are just high pH buffers in liquid form. These are used by some hobbyists to stop acidification and/or prevent future acidification in covers. I assume, without evidence, that using something like power baking soda or a calcium bicarbonate might cause mechanical abrasion of a stamp surface?
Don

Thanks Don.
Well, since I don't plan to host any time soon the Yellow Treskilling or the "Black on Magenta" of British Guiana or the inverted penny, and since my collection is mainly kiloware-level less-then-6-digit amount, I'll settle with storage facilities that will hold for the next 15 years, so I'm good.

Other storage products for stamps are also made from pulp -- manila stock pages. dealer cards. And then glassine can degrade. You do not see much discussion on these in terms of archival aspects.

In my opinion we, the majority of philatelists, do not closely follow long term paper conservation guidelines. I think that most of us do a few of the easy things but otherwise would rather spend money of more stamps and albums.

I have seen countless reasons given for not being careful, long term stewards of the material we temporarily own. In terms of all conservation issues, I think humans in general tend to limit our perspectives to our own lifetimes. For example, while I am interested in solar energy, I have justified not installing any panels because the ROI (return on investment) for a panel in my area of the country is over 15 years. Since I am not going to live that long, I decided against it and I'll spend my money in other ways.

It becomes more difficult when we talk about stamp/paper conservation here in the forum. We have no idea the age of the people who read these posts. Are paper conservation recommendations the same if the reader is 15 or 85? I have often said that the challenging part of making paper conservation decisions today is not what you and I might do (as people who understanding how to properly store our collections) but rather what happens after we pass. Will family members move our material to a cement basement floor? Will they move it to a garage where CO2 and other acidic atmospheric conditions exist? If this might happen, then money spent on conservation today can be considered insurance moving forward. It is always difficult to make insurance recommendations for every person in every situation.

And of course, conservation decisions can be influenced by the value of the material itself. And this means not simply market value but also emotional value. Some people might be quite willing to spend more on paper conservation than the material is worth if 'grandfather's childhood collection' is highly treasured by the family.

Lastly, I think there is also a tendency to defend poor stewardship practices when we already do them. In other words, doing things like hydrogen peroxide baths or using graphite on grills are both clearly poor stewardship practices. But trying to tell that to an old fart like me who is guilty of both over the last 5 decades will often result in defensive pushback.
Don