Grease or moisture from your fingers can damage the glue or gum of the stamp, again, reducing their value. Stamp tongs are relatively inexpensive, well worth the price to protect your collection.

Adhering a stamp to your album in this manner will not allow you to remove the stamp at a later time, without causing damage to the stamp. Always use some type of stamp hinge or mount to place your stamps in your albums.

Soaking your stamp mounts will cause them to become soggy and unusable, or worse still, may cause damage to your stamps. Only slightly wet your mount regardless of the type you are using.

Stamps are made from paper and paper can become brittle or may even decompose when kept air-tight. Always leave an open area when using mounts.

Humidity and moisture are the worst causes of damage to postage stamps. Once they are introduced to your collection, stamp gum will become tacky and your stamps will stick together. Once stamps become stuck together, there is no safe way to take them apart.

Buying a smaller album means at some point, when your collection becomes larger, you will have to transfer all of your stamps to a new album. Unless you will later have the time and money, it is best to buy a larger album from the very beginning.

Some stamps when soaked in water or watermark detection fluid will have fugitive inks that run. Always make sure it is safe to soak your stamps beforehand by consulting your catalog.

Older covers should be checked to make sure they do not have any special postmarks before soaking the stamps off the paper. Some stamps are more valuable if left on the cover, such as those found on cachets.

If you are having difficulty identifying your stamps or just have a general philatelic question, it never hurts to ask a stamp professional. With more than 16 million collectors in the United States alone, there is always someone who would love to share their knowledge of the hobby with you.

- Mrs. Nagalakshmi Tadakaluri, Philatelist.

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