How to Peel Used Postage Stamps Off Envelopes

If you are a postage stamp collector then you will want to know how to peel used postage stamps off of envelopes as it is a good way to add some cool stamps to your collection.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Envelopes with used postage stamps on them
• Scissors
• Small bowl with 2 inches of lukewarm water
• Tweezers or Stamp tongs
• Papertowels
• Stamp Album(why go through all this trouble if youre not going to keep them safe?)

1. Using the scissors, cut the stamps out of the envelope leaving about a 1/4 inch margin around each side.

2. Get your small bowl and if you haven't done it already, put about 2 inches of lukewarm water in it.

3. Put the bowl on a flat surface and lay some paper towels down next to it.

4. Place 3 or 4 stamps into the water at a time, or as many as your bowl will fit allowing each to float in their own space.

5. Eventually the stamps will come off of the paper and you will then need to use the tweezers or stamp tongs and take them out of the water.

6. Place them on a paper towel, and then cover them with another.

7. Place a heavy book on top of them to allow them to dry nice and flat and leave it overnight.

8. The next day carefully pick them up and place them in your stamp album.

Tips & Warnings

• Handle the stamps gently with the tweezers as you can puncture them or indent them.
• You may want to rinse the back of the stamp off after removing it from the water to finish rinsing the rest of the glue off.
• When removing stamps from colored envelopes, stick them either in a separate bowl or in a different batch as the color could bleed onto the other stamps.
• Don't make the water too hot or you will damage the stamps.
• Don't try to peel them off the paper too fast or the stamps might tear.

[mikelb]

on 10/6/2009 I tried it, and it works. Thanks. -- MikeLB

[jull14]

on 7/19/2009 Excellent article many of us should write article as inspiring as yours. I always love to read article that can help me live better and this is one of this article, thanks so much for sharing. This article is very clear and provided easy steps to follow. Thanks

[Maddie]

on 9/29/2006 This is so easy and it works.