How to Care for Stamps

Keep food, drinks and tobacco products away from your collection. Keep them off your desk or table when your stamps are there.

Use special flat-bladed stamp collector's tongs (not regular tweezers) to handle stamps. Stamps are fragile and require the delicate care that tongs provide. Tweezers can damage your stamps.

Use peelable stamp hinges (designed with adhesive backing) to mount your collection's used stamps in an album.

Use stamp mounts (clear plastic sleeves with gummed backing) for your "mint" condition stamps. They preserve the original adhesive gum on the backs of your best stamps.

Use stamp albums, which are binders with pages specifically designed for storing stamps, or stock books with pockets you can insert stamp mounts into.

Buy the highest-quality supplies for your collection. Look for archival-quality materials, especially for album pages that your stamps will be in contact with.

Use only one side of an album page for hinged stamps, or insert a separate (archival) sheet between album pages. This keeps stamps from damaging each other.

Store your collection in the normal living space of your home, where it's more likely you'll quickly notice any insect problems. Your living space is also better because it's temperature- and humidity-controlled, unlike basements and attics.