Close-Up of Collectible American Postage Stamps

How to get stamps off of envelopes & Sort/Store it in Albums & More

Soaking

  • Step 1: Trimming

Carefully cut the envelope corner that has the stamp on it. If there is more than one stamp on the envelope make sure not to cut the other one(s).

  • Step 2: Drenching

Use a shallow bowl filled with 1-2 inches of warm (not hot) water. Place the stamps face-down so the paper side is exposed to the water first.

  • Step 3: Waiting

Allow the stamps to float for 15-20 minutes. You will see the stamps eventually glide off the paper. If a stamp is stubborn, don't force it, let it soak longer.

  • Step 4: Cleaning

Once the stamp is free, gently swish it in a second bowl of clean water to remove any leftover gum or adhesive residue. If you can still feel the gum after the cleaning, dip it in the bowl again, but this time gently scrub the back of the stamp with your fingertip.

  • Step 5: Drying & Pressing

Place the clean stamps face down on white paper towels or blotting paper. Once almost dry, place them inside a heavy book between clean sheets of paper for 24 hours to ensure they stay flat.

Ways of Sorting

  • By Topic

Group stamps by what is shown on them. For example: Birds, Famous Leaders, Inventions, or Christmas. This is common for beginners.

  • By Country

This is the common way. Sort stamps alphabetically by their country of origin. Start with countries that start with A and work your way through to Z.

  • By Era

Sort by the year or historical period. This allows you to see how printing technology and design trends changed over time. And it shows you how the stamps became more intricate & detailed.

Duplicates

Always keep a separate box or envelope for stamps you have two or more of. You can always check the duplicates for watermarks, errors, differences in color & etc.

Storing

Stockbooks

These are books with heavy cardboard pages and clear plastic strips. You simply slide the stamps behind the strips. No adhesive required! This is the best way to store sorted stamps before moving them to an album.

Stamp Albums

Albums are often pre-printed with spaces for specific stamps. Use Stamp Mounts (small clear pockets) to fix stamps onto the pages. You can also use hinges (small pieces of paper that you stick to the stamps) to attach stamps onto an album page. But when you hinge the stamps it decreases its value.

Envelopes

Unlike albums envelopes can hold a lot of stamps in a small space. After filling the envelopes with stamps the collectors will write labels on the top of each envelope. Usually the label is the country or topic of the stamps. The envelopes are then lined up upright inside a sturdy long box (like a specialized cardboard stamp box), acting like tiny filing folders. You can flip through them easily from front to back.