TOOLS OF THE TRADE

HOW DO I HANDLE MY STAMPS
Compiled by Dineo Poo

The Stamp Collecting bug has bitten you and you can’t wait to start. The big questions are: What do I need to collect stamps and how expensive is this hobby? The easiest question to answer is the second one. It is not at all expensive and you probably already have many of the items that you will need at home. You will have to be organized though and find out exactly what is required.

 This is what you will need:

An Album
Definitely not a photo album as this is acidic and will ruin your stamps! There is no need for an expensive album for beginners. You can mount your stamps on graph paper with punched holes and put it in a file if you have very little money. Alternatively you can buy a loose-leaf (page) album because pages can be added. An ordinary ring binder available from dealers and some hobby shops and stationery shops can also be used.

Tweezers

Because stamps are very small and delicate, it is easier to handle them with tweezers than with your hands, The tweezers must be blunt-nosed, so don’t use your mom’s eyebrow tweezers as they will damage the stamps.
Look at your hands, how are they? Tweezers also protect stamps from not-so-clean hands. Both metal and plastic tweezers are available.

Mounts or Hinges

These are what you use to place stamps in your album. Glue is a no-no because once your stamp is stuck you can never remove it, swap it or replace it with a better one.
Use stamp hinges for your used stamps. These can be bought from your stamp dealer or hobby shop. For your mint stamps use special glassine mounts as they will protect your stamps and keep your stamps looking bright and new. Photo corners available at photograph studios and stationery or hobby shops can also be used, especially for mounting envelopes.

Scissors
Small school scissors will do. These are used to cut the stamp off the envelope before floating. Leave a margin around the stamp. Avoid cutting into perforations.

Water tub
You will need a small tub with lukewarm water for floating (removing)Off envelopes.

We say we float stamps off because we don’t do anything to them. Once they are in the water, they are left to float away when the gum has dissolve in the water.

Paper towel
Once the stamps have been floated off they should be placed on a white paper towel normally used in the kitchen. Tissues or white bloating paper may be used. Colored may stain your stamps.

Envelopes
Place stamps in envelopes whilst you are sorting before mounting them in your album. You don’t have to buy new envelopes for this purpose. Ask your parents or someone who works in an office to save used envelopes for you

Magnifying Glass

This enables you to examine your stamps more closely and to see if there are any differences between them and to learn about printing processes.
This can really be a lot of fun.