How to Store Mint Sheets of Stamps

After reading this article, you will know how to store your mint sheets of stamps and feel relatively certain they will not be damaged by heat, damaging light or moisture. Mint stamps are those stamps which have never been used and look the way they did when they were sold at the post office.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Depending upon the number of pages you need to store, boxes that are a little larger than 8 1/2 x 11 if you wish to store them or notebooks if you wish to have them readily accessible for viewing. If
• Enough pages or sleeves that are also moisture-resistant; acid-free; PVC-free and pH neutral.
• Tongs
• Transparent glassine envelopes protect stamps from grease and air. you may wish to purchase these for storage and/or viewing your stamps.
• Pages to separate and label your collection (you may wish to color code various groupings - for example the 1980s or Presidents, Commemmoratives, First-day issues, etc. I have found that ordinary div
• Labels (color-coded or however you wish to arrange your collection.

1. First you will want to gather your stamps. Plan to spend a fair amount of time (at least at the beginning of this project) organizing and arranging your stamps in some type of order. You may wish to categorize them according to type - for instance Presidents or States or Commemorative, etc.

2. Use tongs to handle the "mint" stamps so that grease or other dirt from your hands does not get onto the stamps. It is best to work on this project when it is not raining outside and when there is low humidity.

3. You will want to place the stamps into transparent glassine envelopes which protect your stamps from grease and air. The envelopes should be made with acid free paper and also be PVC free and pH neutral. You will want to stack the envelopes with a page separating each different sheet. You may wish to use something more substantial or heavier like cardstock or even a thin cardboard. My mint stamps are actually still in the folders they originally came in. But then again, I do not have actual sheets - mine are the annual collections.

4. I find it best to place them in boxes about as deep as shoe boxes - not much deeper because I don't want to warp my stamps. I have divided my stamps according to years and find that I can fit quite a few in the same box.

5. I have labelled my actual sheets on the outside of the boxes with labels that I made on my computer. Each one is placed on the bottom right hand side of each box front. I have then stored them in my pantry which remains the same temperature for the most part and is away from dampness.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have newer stamps that are self-adhesive, you will want to leave the backing on as protection and to maintain the stamps' value.
• Notebooks for a variety of mint categories and collections can be purchased at most hobby stores or you may wish to purchase your supplies on-line. E-bay is a good source.
• Another way of protecting your stamps while adding wall art to any home or apartment is to place them in frames - you will want to get frames with glass that protects the display from harmful sun rays. You will also want to mount them so that they are not directly touching any surface.
• When arranging or organizing your stamps, be sure to organize them in a way that will not be too cumbersome for you so that you keep the collection current. You may also wish to buy supplies so that the collection can be easily expanded.