If you’re building a valuable stamp collection you need to learn how to store them. 

In the collectibles world stamps are among the most fragile items to achieve great worth. 

Tiny squares of paper, they were designed to be used once and thrown in the bin. 

It’s one of the reasons why some rare survivals will now cost you hundreds of thousands or even millions of pounds. 

Those items that do survive deserve a long future. 

You can help ensure that with these 10 simple tips for safe stamp storage. 

1 - Keep your stamps cool 

Warmth can, particularly in tandem with our next item, be very harmful to stamps. 

If they get too hot the gum on their backs may become active and they could stick in albums or to each other. 

Conversely, if they get too cold the paper can become brittle.

Stamps should be stored at “room temperature” and most experts say a temperature of around 65° Fahrenheit or 18.33°C to 72°F (22.22 °C) is safe. 

You'll need good quality measurements of temperature and humidity.

2 - Monitor humidity 

There’s a cautionary saying collectors of Chinese stamps: “humidity is your greatest enemy.”

Parts of China are very humid and that has contributed to the destruction of many, many lovely stamps. 

Humidity is water vapour in the air. 

Relative humidity measures the percentage of the maximum possible water content of air at a given temperature. 

If the temperature changes the relative humidity will too. Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. 

50% humidity is recommended by some experts, others allow a range of around 25% to 55%.

You can buy good quality digital hygrometers and dual temperature/humidity gauges now for relatively small sums. 

It’s an investment you should make. 

How do you control humidity if it’s an issue? 

Silica gel will help “dry” humid air as will dehumidifying machines. 

3 - Treat your stamps like a fine wine

Some stamp collectors favour a wine cooler for its controllable atmosphere.

Wine coolers or fridges often have dual temperature and humidity controls. 

That’s why many stamp professionals recommend them for storage of your collection. 

4 - Keep your stamps in more than one container 

Your stamps should almost certainly be in albums, which we’ll come onto, but they should be further protected. 

You should use a container that will keep out water and fire and that is rigid. 

A strong box is a good insurance policy.

5 - Use good quality albums with slip covers

Albums are books designed to store stamps. 

For most collectors and most stamps they are the best solution for stamp storage. 

They come in a range of types. 

Stock books are usually the cheapest style. They’re used for unsorted stamps usually. 

Many stamp collectors use national collection albums. These are filled with blanks for, for example, British stamps from 1840 to 1970 that the collectors is invited to fill.

Good quality means acid-free archival quality paper, a good stiff binding, a slip case or container to keep out dust, and clear mounts. 

6 - Don’t handle your stamps 

When you shop for stamp supplies add tongs or tweezers to your list. 

Stamps hate acid and the oils from our skin. 

You should wash and carefully dry your hands every time you go near your collection, but using tweezers is still best practice. 

Stamp tweezers are specialised bits of kit. You should look out for “cranked” or “spade end” (or both) tweezers that have flat grabbers for picking up and maneuvering your stamps safely. 

7 - Don’t forget your covers 

Not all stamps are collected in singles. 

Some are in sheets. Some are on envelopes - and the envelopes may be crucial to their value and meaning. 

You will probably need some larger format storage at some point. 

This means sleeves or envelopes - acid-free, archival quality - of some sort, and a box (fire and water proof) to keep them in. 

Don’t pack things in too tightly and don’t leave too much space for things to fly around. Old paper can be very fragile and damage easily. 

8 - Keep your stamps in the dark

While you want to show off your stamp collection from time to time, it should be protected from sunlight most of the time. 

Sunlight usually brings heat with it. But even overexposure to artificial light can be bad for the colouration of stamps. 

If they’re not being looked at they should be in the dark. 

9 - Keep them dry and mold free 

We’ve mentioned humidity, and of course you know to keep water away from your stamps, but you should also be on the lookout for mold. 

Mold spreads. So check carefully for any signs at all in your collection or its storage. 

And don’t let your stamps even approach mold - say on a book page - when they’re out for inspection or work. 

10 - Store your albums upright 

You’ll need some good sturdy shelving if you’re going to build a big collection. 

Albums that are stacked can become damaged and in time compression might even have an impact on stamps and gum. 

Store them upright and straight. 

Sleeved interfaced albums kept upright are the best bet for your stamp collection.

 

11 - Sterility 

It’s not easy to provide a completely sterile environment in most homes. 

But you should get into some good habits around your stamps. 

I love a cup of tea while I’m working. It’s not a good idea while you’re working on your stamps. 

Food, cigarettes, anything dusty or damp… all bad. 

Stamps should be lonely - just you and them is the best relationship. 

12 - Know your collection 

As collections grow in size it becomes ever more important to have a good, clear idea of what you own. 

Knowing, cataloging or indexing your collection is the best way to keep tabs on it and its condition. 

A good complete record allows you to check your collection against sales records or new discoveries without getting the originals out. 

It’ll help you decide whether you need to insure any individual items or the whole collection. 

A place for everything and everything in its place is the perfect motto for the stamp collector. 

And thankfully, that’s a natural part of the process for most of us. 

Multiples, covers, booklets etc all demand special storage and you need to know what you have if you're to keep it safe.

Grow your stamp collection today

Once your storage is sorted you can start to grow your collection. 

Take a look at what we have on offer here. 

And we’re always interested in selling to our own discerning clientele too. 

To get in touch please just drop us a line and give us your email address so we can keep in touch with you. We add new items to our collections all the time, and you don’t want to miss out on any discounts we may have. Sign up for our newsletter now.