Ep. 37 - The Acid Test: Are Your Stamp Collecting Accessories Safe for Storing Stamps?
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- čas přidán 8. 04. 2021
- An acidic environment is bad for your stamp collection. Find out, along with me, which stamp accessories are potentially harmful to your stamps and which are safe, using a chlorophenol red ph tester.
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Gosh! Who would've thunk hinges, glassines and stock pages would be detrimental! Time to invest in one of those pens. Thanks again for a very informative video!
One would think manufacturers of hobby supplies would be receptive to the needs of those hobbyists. Apparently not.
Good info! Can't take anything for granted! Good way to check out validity of the storage of our stamps.
I agree. I would have thought glassines had gone acid-free by now.
This is the first time i saw an acid testing pen. this is interesting. thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Sara.
Ted, thanks again, for producing yet another very informative video presentation that more than likely will be enlightening to any stamp collector regardless of their experience in the hobby. That being said, since glassines have been such a integral element throughout the hobby for decades, I wonder if it would be possible to locate some examples of damaged stamps due to their usage, in an upcoming video? I've often wondered what the deal was with the decolorization of the envelopes and just assumed it was just a physical trait of the older ones that has been manufactured, but have yet to notice much of difference in the appearance of anything I've purchased in the past few years. I believe it's a fair assumption that most experienced collectors understand that hinges are bad news under most any circumstance, but this deal with the envelopes themselves, this was definitely an eye-opener. Thanks again!
It would be difficult for me to attribute any stamp toning specifically to storage in glassines, unless I happened upon an old collection that had been untouched for decades, and which had stamps stored in the original approval dealer’s glassines. I have had experience where I have two identical stamps, one with post office fresh white (or nearly white) paper and gum, and the other with buff colored paper and gum. With no catalogue notation of paper or gum varieties, I can only assume the stamp and gum have been acid-toned from glassine storage.
We get to learn so much from you Ted! Love your videos! God Bless!
Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot.
Very informative as always. Thank you very much even if I will have to make many changes in my workbooks!
Thank you, Yves. I’m glad you found it helpful.
Interesting topic... acidic gums on German stamps have wreaked havoc, prompting collectors to soak off gum in the 1970's to save many of those stamps. I've seen ( and bought ) souvenir sheets that are really yellowed. Wonder how the contemporary gums used by the USPS hold up? "Archival" quality papers are my go to product. Good job again Ted!!
Thank you, Rene. I tested the gum side of the new Alzheimer’s stamp, and while the initial indication is purple, after it dries (which is when the manufacturer specifies the color should be checked) it turns yellow.
Thanks for uploading a very useful informative video. This is an area where I never thought about, specially glassine envelops and Manila stock sheets.
I’m glad you found this helpful, Jagath.
Thank you for this video, all my old German albums didn’t pass the test. I have yet to check my US albums.
If they are more than a couple decades old, a quick and easy check is to simply eyeball the pages. If they have yellowed or tanned, that is a sure sign of acidity.
Another Great Video! going to get one of those pens.
Thanks, pastor. It’s a cheap investment in the safety of your collection.
Thank you. This presentation covers a very important issue. Question how do I replace large accumulations already im glassines.
I am eliminating glassines from my collection right now. My store stock is already all in polypropylene baseball card sleeves (penny sleeves). Polypropylene is acid free and approved for archival storage by the Library of Congress. They also have the advantage of being much cheaper than either glassines or sales cards. I’ve also just ordered some cellophane (polypropylene) bags about the size of #4 glassines to see how they work out. They have a self-sealing adhesive strip on the flap, and they too are much cheaper than glassines. I will report on them after I get them and have a chance to examine them.
For acid-free materials just Google archival storage.
Thanks, Jack (and I apologize for the late reply). Yes. As they say, "Google is your friend."
Great video. I had not heard about that pen but thinking about it I suppose it works on the same general principle as the pens banks and some stores use on paper money.
It’s the same thing only different. Currency paper is made from linen and cotton. Counterfeits are printed (usually) on regular wood pulp paper. A counterfeit pen contains an iodine solution that reacts with the starch particles in wood paper which makes the solution turn black.
@@tedtalksstamps Thanks for the info. Always learning something new on your videos.
Hi Ted. I'm a new subscriber and came across your great video. Never knew such an item existed for testing ph. By any chance, did you test the pen on Showgard/Prinz stamp mounts?
I have some Prinz mounts. To be honest, though, I don’t recall if I tested them or what the result was. Most of my collection is in Portugal right now, while I’m in the US waiting for a visa to go back there. I’ll revisit this topic when I get back, hopefully in February.
Very interesting video! From the Lineco website: "Please note: unreliable results may occur on colored or coated papers." I wonder if that would account for what we're seeing with the glassine products.
From the Mystic site: "Resistant to air and water, glassine contains no harmful chemicals." So confusing!
Wow what a useful pen, great vid Ted...
Thanks Karen. Glad you liked it.
First, I tell my wife that I don't "play" with my stamps. Second, great episode. I was surprised at the acidity of glassines. Lastly, many older album pages are indeed acidic and stamps should be transferred from them. I bought an old collection mounted on Minkus pages that were yellowed and perserved a "ghost" where the stamp was previously mounted.
Are there safe hinges?
Ted can you make a video about quality grading a stamp, if you are familiar with that?
Tosten, can you write me at ted.talks.stamps@gmail.com to talk about this?
I use scott double sided removable tape to hing stamps. Works very good and comes off on sound stamps leaving little or no residue. Is there a problems using this?
I would be leery about using regular double-stick tape. I prefer to use the acid-free double-stick mounting squares shown in episode 48.
Hi Ted Brilliant video as always, I am conscious of acid material however I use masking tape on the backs of my mounts. It just peels off the stamp pages and the backs of the mounts without any harm. If the need be to rearrange them. I never lick the backs of mounts or wet them. However the masking tape I use have not been tested so thanks for the heads-up on the Scotch tape. ps love your hat lol.
Thank you, Jeffrey. I appreciate your comments.
@@tedtalksstamps Hi again Ted, Could I ask a question please! When the stamps arrive most of the time they are on black stock cards. And I make mounts out of them. However I looked at that pen you have and it says it cannot work properly on coloured card. So that means I would not be able to check the black card. The only alternative is to make my own mounts out of acid free paper in the same way as I have done with the stock card holders. But the question I would like to ask is what is the thickness of that acetate for mounts that is if it is called acetate? I don't really know it could be called something else but you know what I mean the plastic covering. So then at least I would know what to look for thank you.
@@jeffreywall8822 The thickness seems to be about the same as the mylar comic sleeves I have which are 2 mils thick (.002 inch). If you have a comic shop near you, see if they carry comic bags called Mylite 2. I have cut them to size to hold souvenir sheets and they work very well, using an acid-free spray adhesive to affix the mylite “mount” to the album page. With a little ingenuity, I think one might be able to make stamp mounts out of them.
@@tedtalksstamps Thank you Ted you just reminded me, here in the UK we have a shop called WH Smiths they sell Acid Free A4 Clear `Polypro` pockets for ring-binders. That may just be the solution as the A4 acid free paper sheets would just fit into the covers/pockets. Or alliteratively cut them down into mounts. The acid free paper is also available in various colours to give some variation. I have never used acid-free spray! I use 2mm double sided tape just run a strip along the card place the stamp protective covering on to the tape then place another strip of tape over the 1st strip, this is just to cover up the visible side of the tape, but also has another use as you can then cut out a strip of paper I use stamp album graph paper and place it onto the 2nd strip of double sided tape. You can then write a description on it. Cut the home made mount out to size with sharp scissors or if you have a guillotine better still. Also if this protective film seems too flimsy there is stamp accessory from Hawid called a Glue Pen for sealing the open edge of stamp mounts.
Do you know if the newer Scott and Harris albums are acid free?
I'm sure they are. As explained in episode 47, acid-free paper is the norm, today. You have to look hard to find acidic paper.
Thank you, I immediately bought myself an acid testing pen and a sample of 120 gr printing paper.
The paper turns out to be acid free, but not stiff enough to my taste, so I ordered a full packet of 160 grams paper now 250 pages.
All inspired by this video
Thank you. I’m glad I could help.
@@tedtalksstamps in the hobby for over 50 years and learned something new again :-)
Whjat is the name of this pen and what type of store could I find one.
Lineco pH testing pen. I don’t know which stores carry them. I got mine off Amazon. You can also order off lineco.com
How about Harris albums both older Made in USA and newer ones made in China?
Without having examples to check, I couldn't tell you definitively, but my guess is that they are all right.
Also, light is very bad for certain inks, especially on older stamps. You do not really want to leave a Sweden yellow ring type stamp out on your desk. The color will fade.
Good point. While I have not experienced it (as a longtime book collector, I've seen too many examples of sun bleaching) I've seen pictures of stamp sheets someone left partially exposed to window light. It wasn't a pretty picture.
I need one of those pens where did you get it?
Amazon www.amazon.com/Lineco-Testing-Paper-Paperboard-Products/dp/B000KNJCSS
@@zubazub66 Wow. I’m glad you’re able to find them cheaper.
Does anybody use hinges anymore? I suppose for a cheap no gum collection they might be ok. I remember when I was a kid, seeing a small collection mounted with tape. The kind that turns the stamps really dark. It was hard to look at. Same with old baseball cards. When I was a kid we had little respect for them. A few kids kept theirs in shoe boxes or cigar boxes. But for the most part they were tacked or glued to a wall, kept in pants pockets and of course put on the spokes of bicycles. Ah yes, those were the days.
I missed out completely on baseball cards, growing up. My bicycle motorcycle sounds came from playing cards. 😄
Manila? Is that in Philippines?
Did I say Manila? I meant vanilla.
Can u test prinz hinges ?
If I ever come across any I will. But if they are glassine, they most likely are acidic. One thing I forgot to point out in the video, when I tested the hinges, I should have dumped out a pile of hinges to show how yellowed they were, which is a sign of acidic oxidation. Prinz hinges are made with acid free gum, so that is one point in their favor. I will pick some up to see what they’re like.
@@tedtalksstamps Thanks !
@@tedtalksstamps I tried those, and I was not happy with how they peel. Or rather, how they DON'T peel. Fold o hinge or Dennison for me.
@@Turtlehands The thing is, for me, I am not removing and replacing used stamps once they are mounted in my albums, so peelability is a non-issue. Considering the cost for a package of new-old-stock Dennison's, I'm content to use today's hinges.
Nice video using that pen, can anyone show me why you should not use magic tape to mount stamps? Through the years I have left that tape on stamps I have purchased and I do not see bad results. Has it been proven that magic tape harms stamps (I mean a real study), not just talk. If hinges are turning yellow with pen & magic tape turns purple, why not use the tape!
I’ve seen this discussion in a stamp forum before, and, no, nobody can cite any valid reasons why not. The naysayers will tell you, even if it says acid-free, that doesn’t mean it’s archival. Or they’ll claim you’ll ruin your stamps with adhesive residue from the tape. All the while, they ignore the fact that glassine hinges are acidic and the adhesive also seeps into the stamp. I guess most people would just rather believe that if it is a made-for-stamp-collectors product, it must be safe. I won’t tell you you shouldn’t use Scotch 811. I’ve used it before, and I will again.
How does a acid damaged stamp look like?
It is the brown shadow on the back of a stamp where a hinge was located. In extreme cases, You will see that brown hinge spot on the face of a stamp.
@@tedtalksstamps Yes i have seen it, but its not very common in my opinion. Now i have a gigantic job soaking away hinges, i was told it was ok to keep hinges on, glad you told me. But MH stamps will be a real problem, you just have to hope for the best?
Awesome :-)
Thanks, Nisarg.
Hi Ted, Have you checked Lighthouse albums, stockbooks, mounts, etc? I am sure that those products are the best, and acid free. I have sent you a letter with Beethoven stamp, FDC, and a few more Serbian stamp on March. I lost hope it would be delivered at your door, unfortunately. But, who knows. Best regards, Zvezdan, SERBIA
Hi Zvezdan. I reveived your stamps, and I thank you very much. I love the Beethoven FDC especially. The only Lighthouse product I have is a stockbook. While the pages are black, making it difficult to see any color, if I draw a line slowly to depoit as much fluid on the page as possible, I can see it is purple (acid free). The pockets are polypropylene or acetate, so they should not be a problem. However, the interleaving pages are glassine, they test acidic, and I can see they have turned yellowish. I will be tearing the glassine interleaving out of all my stockbooks.
@@tedtalksstamps Hi Ted, I am pleasantly surprised with the fact that you have received my shipment. It means that my letter for Scott must have been lost having in mind fact that was sent on February the 1st. As for the interleaving pages I do not have intention of tearing it. I am going to remove my Red Magenta to bank, and that is it.
Hi Ted, This words about Red Magenta are joke, of course.
@@zvezdanmilojevic6341 You mean you are not going to put it in the bank? 😁
@@tedtalksstamps I have changed my mind. I am going to put it on the cover and bottle, and to send it to penguins on the South Pole.
Paper can acidity over time. Paper is supposed to be acid and lingen free to prevent acidification over time. Cotton paper is naturally acid and lingen free, because its not made from trees.
That’s a good point. Some papers are stated to be acid-free but still contain a small percentage of lignin, which means they will not stay acid-free.
@@tedtalksstamps The real PITA people want paper that is acid free, lingen free, and is buffered. But that stuff is expensive. Archival grade paper probably costs more than your stamps are worth. I recently started using Neenah 65 lb paper from Office Depot. It’s acid and lingen free and doesn’t cost a fortune. It’s probably thicker than what you want. But I print my album pages double sided and put them in sheet protectors.
@@AndyP126 I like the Astroparch 65lb stock by Neenah. I’ve got my Turkey album printed on that. It’s really elegant looking. I’m going to use it for your Tryzub album too.