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How to Soak Stamps

As any good philatelist (stamp collector) can tell you, there's more to collecting stamps than ripping them off envelopes. Stamp collecting can be half art and half science and stamps should be treated as carefully as an other piece of art you value. Soaking is where the science comes in. Soaking is using water to remove the paper backing, whether a postcard or envelope, from a stamp. This step is useful for keeping your stamps in good condition and your collection looking uniform.

Things You'll Need

Used stamps (stuck to paper)
Small scissors
Shallow dish
Cool water
Plastic tongs or tweezers
White blotting paper or white paper towels

Instructions

- 1
  Trim excess paper from around the stamp, being careful not to trim the stamp.
- 2
  Fill a shallow dish with cool tap water. You need between 3/4 and 1 inch of water.
- 3
  Place the stamp, face up, in the water. Do not immerse the stamp. Float it just enough for the paper backing, but not the stamp, to get wet.
- 4
  When the paper looks soaked through (you may want to leave a small border around the stamp to use as a gauge), carefully remove the stamp from the water with the tweezers or tongs. The soaking may take a few minutes or over an hour, depending on the weight and coating of the paper (glossy papers take longer than lightweight papers).
- 5
  Place the stamp, face-down, on a flat surface.
- 6
  Hold the stamp flat and gently peel the paper off the stamp. If it does not come off easily, soak the stamp for a few more minutes.
- 7
  Let any water on the back of the stamp drip off and place it face-down on a piece of heavy white paper or a white paper towel. The absorbent paper must be white so it doesn't stain the stamps.
- 8
  Let the stamps dry at room temperature.

Stamp Collecting