Stamp collecting has been around for decades, ever since the advent of the postage stamp in 1840. Collectors find joy in the ways stamps can teach about culture, geography, art, history, and other facets of our world. For many, stamps serve as a portal to places and times unlike their own. Combine a fascination with art, culture, and history with human nature’s desire to collect things, and you have stamp collecting, also known as philately. Millions of people partake in stamp collecting in the United States alone.
If you wish to keep your stamp collection preserved for years to come, a professional storage solution from Fairfax City Self Storage can help keep your collection in perfect condition. Let’s look at some tips for maintaining top-notch stamp storage, whether you have just a few stamps or thousands.
How to Preserve Stamps Long-Term
When preparing your stamps for storage, the first step is to choose an album or stockbook to keep your stamps in. Selecting a stockbook or album is a largely aesthetic choice, including factors such as the following:
- Binding type
- Color of the paper
- Cover material & color
- Paper material, thickness, and quality
- Interleaving material and type
It’s also important to remember not to overstuff your album or stockbook and to store your stamp book upright. This will help keep your pages and stamps from feeling too much pressure or stress when in storage.
How to Store a Stamp Collection Safely
Once you have selected an album or stockbook, the next step is to affix the stamps to the book. There are three main methods, detailed below:
- Arguably the most expensive method of affixing stamps to an album or stockbook, stamp mounts are transparent sleeves or envelopes stamps can be placed in to protect them from elements. Stamp mounts also allow collectors to store their stamps without adhesives ever touching the stamps themselves.
- A stamp hinge is a piece of tape that attaches the back of a stamp to an album or stockbook while remaining easy to remove after the adhesive is dried. Although good quality hinges do not cause damage to the stamp upon removal, residue from the adhesive that can remain may affect the value of the stamp.
- Direct adhesion. Although it is not an effective option for collectors who wish to maintain the value of their stamps, affixing stamps directly to an album or stockbook is the cheapest and most accessible way to store stamps. This method should be used only for stamps with little or no value.
How to Store Old Stamps: Use a Temperature Controlled Storage Unit
The main concern when storing stamps is the effect of weather and temperature conditions, including high temperatures, humidity, and moisture. Thankfully, this issue can be remedied easily by storing your stamps in a temperature controlled storage unit.
Temperature controlled storage units have a heating and cooling system installed to regulate the temperature in the unit no matter the conditions outside. These storage units will ensure your stamps stay at the proper temperature, reducing the potential for damage. Proper temperature control also reduces the chances of mildew, mold, and other issues.
Fairfax City Self Storage offers exceptional temperature controlled storage units at reasonable prices. Learn more about our storage units.
Contact Us Today
Fairfax City Self Storage is a respected storage company with decades of experience in delivering low-cost, high-quality storage solutions. We are a locally owned and operated storage company with the knowledge to keep your belongings safe and secure. If you’re searching for an affordable, high-quality storage solution, we invite you to contact us and learn more about our offerings.