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How to Remove Stamps From Old Brittle Albums

Old stamp albums are not always safe places to store your stamps. Pages in old albums usually contain acids that can transfer to the stamp, making it brittle. Another concern with old stamp albums is that the pages themselves become brittle over time, providing an insufficient support for the stamps. To ensure the longevity of a collection, stamps should be stored in albums with acid-free pages and mounts or sleeves made of polyester or polypropylene. A common method for removing stamps from an album is to soak the stamps to loosen them from the album paper.

Things You'll Need

2 philatelic tongs
Acid free blotting paper

Instructions

- 1
  
  Using philatelic tongs can prevent damage caused by over-handling.
  
  Lift each corner of the stamp with philatelic tongs and gently pull until you feel resistance. Pulling further may cause tearing.
- 2
  Cut the stamp out of the album page close to the area where the stamp and page are fused but leave enough of the page that you can pick it up with tongs.
- 3
  Place distilled water in a clean pot and heat it until it is lukewarm. Transfer the water to a clean shallow dish.
- 4
  Pick up the stamp by the attached album paper. Float the stamps face up in the water for about 15 minutes or until the adhesive softens and the album paper begins to separate.
- 5
  Remove the stamp from the water using tongs and place it onto a clean work surface. Use one set of tongs to gently hold the stamp down and another pair to slowly peel away the paper.
- 6
  Remove residual paper by holding a cotton swab between your thumb and middle finger, and spinning the swab. Use this spinning motion to catch the paper bits in the cotton fibers.
- 7
  Gently pinch the stamp with the tongs and transfer the stamp to acid free blotting paper to dry.

Stamp Collecting