How Do You Store Stamps

Just wondering how you store your stamps after sorting them until you can place them into albums.

As a kid, I was given this parts sorter, which I still use today. I also use baggies in a shoebox for some of my larger countries.

glassine envelopes

Glassines, stock pages, stock books and stock cards. I keep dupes I want to sell/trade in 102 cards.

I'm thinking that cardboard used for that parts sorter box isn't the best idea. I wouldn't have stamps touching cardboard. The cheapest solution is to use glassines.

I don't think that contact between the stamps I was sorting and cardboard would cause me high anxiety.

Cardboard is bad for long term storage but I wouldn't be too worried myself for short-term sorting.
I use a plastic sorting box very similar to yours, a little larger than this Craft Organizer from Amazon.

I have it standing upright on my desk against a side wall, like a miniature bookshelf, for sorting and temporary storage of recent purchases in different categories.
I used to have two 12-drawer storage organizers from the hardware store, meant for holding different sized nuts&bolts and screws etc, and that was fine except they took up more space, and opening and closing the drawers was getting tedious. I found mine at The Container Store but can't find the same one online anymore, as I'd like to buy another.

I use glassine envelopes , stock cards, and stock books for storage. Erm....I also use paper envelopes, Plastic bread bags, Zip locking bags, old ice cream tubs, metal cookie tins, and old video tape boxes. It depends partly on the quantity and scarcity of the stamps involved. If I am going to a sale I usually take an empty video tape box for purchases and an adapted metal cigarette case with cut down stock cards in it for high value items.

I do get that some have a concern about cardboard and stamps.

The funny thing is I was also told the same about using envelopes, that some papers may affect the stamp quality.


Also with some storage methods, stamps can be bent, damaged, torn or even stuck.

It is temporary storage only.

I bought some bead storage bins a few months ago. I used them to sort my sound U.S. on paper. Most of the more recent stamps are unique for my collection, but since are self adhesive, I'm likely leaving them on the paper.




I did have to trim each to fit in the space, but there weren't any interesting complete post marks to justify keeping larger pieces. All plate number coils were separated out and are in 102 cards.