How to Preserve Stamps | Rare Stamp Collection Storage

Collecting stamps is an excellent hobby. You get to admire little works of art which can be very enjoyable. However, the climate where you live can seriously hurt a stamp collection. Humidity and heat can warp and fade the most beautiful stamps. Cities in Georgia, such as Augusta, Savannah, Sandy Springs, and Macon tend to have higher temperatures in the summer and the humidity can climb. Below are some stamp collection storage tips for how to preserve stamps to help you maintain your collection in these extreme conditions.

Tips on How To Preserve Stamps for Posterity

Part of the stamp collecting hobby is to preserve your stamps, keeping them viable and visible for future generations. The thing is, stamps are one of the most fragile things you can collect. If you don’t handle them well and preserve them correctly, they can easily get damaged or destroyed. Below are several tips and methods you can use to make sure your stamps stay crisp, clean, and beautiful:

Use Acid-Free Albums for Stamp Collection Storage

Acid-free paper is a must for any album you use to display or preserve stamps. The reason is that regular paper has a natural substance called lignin, produced during its manufacture. Lignin has a bad habit of turning into an acid that can discolor your stamps and make them unattractive. With enough time, the acid from lignin can wreck your stamps. (It makes the paper dry out and become very brittle.) Be sure to purchase an acid-free album for your stamps and preserve them well for the next generation.

How to Preserve Stamps | Rare Stamp Collection Storage

Choose Dry Storage for Your Stamp Collection

No matter what method you use to preserve your stamps, it’s important you store them properly. Here are three tips for keeping your stamps that can protect them from harmful situations:

  • Store your stamps high up if you’re storing them in a closet. That way, you’ll never step on them, and they won’t get damaged in case of a flood.
  • Store stamps in an area of your home that’s very dry but not too hot. The attic isn’t a great place as the heat up can ruin stamps. The basement isn’t good, either due to most of them being damp and higher flooding risks. 
  • Don’t store stamps at the bottom of a box with anything even remotely damp on top of them. They need air to stay dry, or they’ll get moldy.

Preserve a Stamp Collection in a Storage Unit

Preserving your stamps while in a storage unit isn’t much different from at home. If you have an extensive collection, however, you’ll undoubtedly appreciate the extra space you’ll have to store them. Below are some tips on how to preserve stamps in a storage unit, whether your collection is big or small:

  • Purchase shelving units to store boxes of stamp albums off the floor. If the area you live in is prone to flooding, this is imperative. Also, it will reduce the chance of a bug or rodent infestation.
  • If your collection of stamps is small, put them on the top shelf. (Putting the stamps in their box would be the best choice.) if you don’t have shelves, place your stamp albums on top of a stable stack of boxes and furniture.
  • If you have rare stamps, rent a temperature controlled storage unit. That way, your stamps will never get extremely hot or cold.

Do You Need Stamp Organizers or Holders?

There are several ways to organize your stamp collection in storage. One of the most common is the stamp album that millions of collectors use every day. Acid-free stamp albums are probably the best tool around for organizing a small or medium-sized stamp collection. Stamp albums are relatively inexpensive, last for years, and can expand as your collection grows. In short, they’re a popular organizing tool for a good reason; they work great!

How to Preserve Stamps | Rare Stamp Collection Storage

Handling Your Stamp Collection the Right Way

Did you know that your fingertips excrete oils that can damage your collection? There is also a chance the stamps accidentally stick to you or you accidentally creasing them or damaging them in some other way. The easy way to negate this risk? Stamp tweezers. Stamp tweezers are used by all professional stamp collectors. They are a MUST if you want to keep your stamp collection in shape for storage.

SecurCare Cares About Your Stamp Collection

Stamp collecting serves as an enjoyable and fun hobby that can lead to valuable and exciting finds along the way. Stamp collection storage is an important part of that! Ensure you properly prepare your stamp collection storage to keep your collection safe for many years to come. Visit your local SecurCare Self Storage facility today! You’ll get to speak with a friendly manager about available storage options for your prized stamp collection.


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This post was published on 05/18/2015. It was updated on 12/27/2021.