Stamp Collecting Books And Hinges
For most stamp collectors, no matter how serious they are, preserving stamps is one of the most important parts of collecting. As has been mentioned throughout these pages, there are a number of ways to keep your stamps in good shape, so that their value does not decrease on account of their condition. One of the best ways to be sure of this is to use collecting books and hinges.
A stamp collecting book is also called an “album”. Albums, like photo albums, keep your stamps together and protected from moisture, creasing and bending among other things. Hinges are a very popular way to keep your stamps fixed to album pages. Usually, stamp hinges are not thick; they are thin, clear sheets of paper that are coated with a shiny gum on one side.
As is most often the case, these are sold pre-folded. About a third or a quarter of the sheet is folded over, keeping the sticky side out and creased so that the stamp will lay flat and flush on the page. This helps your collection in a number of ways. For one, it’s a great way to assure yourself of the protection and prevention of your stamps. This is a good way to keep dust away from them as well as other potentially harmful substances that could affect the value or appearance of your collection. Secondly, it’s a good and professional way to show your stamps. By keeping your stamps in albums, it’s much easier to show them to other collectors for trading, buying, selling, or just plain enjoyment.
The hinges that are most often used in the stamp collecting albums of today are called “peelable”. This means that their gum has an adhesive, a gummy substance, that will stick to your stamps enough so that they don’t move around, but not so much that they may potentially cause damage to them. You can easily and gently peel your stamps away with your tongs, without in anyway ripping or tearing the stamp, which in the past proved to be one of the biggest problems with album hinges. This was mainly the case because the adhesive that was used was far too strong for the thin paper that stamps are printed on.
This hinge, which is creased and peelable, will keep your stamps in good condition as long as you decide to take care of it. The shorter sticky side of the hinge for your stamps, while the outer side, or the “tail” as it is often called, is the album side. In order to get the sticky side to stick (it doesn’t stick right off the bat), you’ll need to apply a little moisture to the shiny gum. Remember, it’s always a good idea to use tongs when trying to do this. While tongs may seem like an unnecessary tool for stamp collecting, you should know that the case is just the contrary. Tongs are inexpensive and extremely helpful in preserving the quality and appearance of your stamps. If you don’t use tongs during this procedure, you might end up with sticky fingers, which could in turn get stamps to stick to your fingers. When you try to remove these stamps, they could easily tear.
As you can see, using albums and hinges is really quite important, especially if you are interested in preserving your stamp collection, as the majority of collectors are. Remember, the best tip in stamp collecting is neatness, cleanness and accuracy. Albums and hinges help you keep your stamps in good condition, helping to maintain their value. And for those who are not trying to make money through stamp collecting, by using albums and hinges, you will guarantee a clean-looking, well-organized collection.
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