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| Very often the only way to preserve unused stamps like the early issues of
Hungary, (as the gum will crack the stamp) is to soak off the gum
carefully in vinegar water. Care must also be taken in soaking stamps when pasted on coloured paper as this will discharge its colour in water and stain and ruin the stamps. The salmon collared parcel post cards, money order mandates, etc., are best soaked in running water which will remove the discharged colour before it can stain the stamps. Only a few stamps should be soaked at a time and they should not be allowed to touch each other. A good way is to soak the stamps in a washstand, a few at a time. The running water will dissolve the gum and wash off the colouring matter. For safety, a fine wire screen covering the drain hole will prevent the stamps getting into the waste pipe. Stamps, which have with fugitive ink or which are printed on chalky paper, will not stand any soaking and will have to be handled very carefully. The best way to do it would be to take a thin cigarette box (that holds fifty cigarettes) with a tight fitting cover. White blotter should be cut to the size of the box and several layers placed at the bottom and moistened thoroughly, but not allowed to absorb too much water. A clean white blotter should be put on the cover to absorb any surplus water and prevent the cover from touching the face of the stamps when the box is closed. All the stamps to be thus soaked should be arranged with their faces up in one layer. The box should then be closed and set aside. It should be opened after several minutes. Attempts should be made to gently peel off the stamps from the paper. They should come off very easily; otherwise, they should be left in the box longer till the gum is loosened. Tweezers with spade ends should be used to do this work. After the stamps have been taken off the paper, it will be found that the gum is still stuck on the back. All that needs to be done is to scrape off the gum carefully with a dull knife. If it is found to be too sticky, a fine hairbrush could be used to wet the back again, taking care not to get any water on the face of the stamp. The gum will then come off easily by scraping. A little practice is necessary to do it right. A clean blotter and a clean damp rag should always be on hand to wipe off the sticky gum from the tweezers and the fingers. When the stamps are almost dry and not sticky any more they should be pressed between the leaves of a book for several hours until they are entirely dry. In winter a good way to do this is to put the tin box on top of the radiator; the heat will hasten the dissolving of the gum. There are some stamps with which great care is required in soaking and which will not stand immersing in cold water. These are mostly in the 20th century. Most stamps from Great Britain and her colonies from 1900 to date are printed with aniline ink either on ordinary or chalky paper. Their faces should not be allowed to contact with water. To prevent the colour from running, the thin box method should be used. The following stamps should never be soaked: US Postage Dues - 1894 issue to date Revenue 1898 and 1902 surcharged with numerals and many of the late issues Brazil dues No. 501 to No. 517 North German Postal District No. 25 and 26 German Empire No. 36 and 44 Portugal and Colonies on chalky paper Prussia No. 21 and 22 Russia early issues on chalky paper, etc. Care must also be taken when soaking the surface printed stamps of Great Britain. The colours are very delicate and will not stand long immersion in water. Care should be taken especially for No. 72, 73, 91, 92, 99 to 107 and 111 to 126, and, as mentioned earlier, most of the 20th century issues. |
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