Removing Stamps From Paper

Their multiple tried and true methods of removing a stamp from paper. The Three I will discuss I’ve either done or found online and am going to do in order to test their effectiveness/

Water:

1. Cut stamp out of letter
2. Place stamp face up in cool water for about 10 minutes or as long as it takes to separate from paper.
3. Rinse to remove excess glue
4. After, place stamp face down on paper towel to dry
5. To insure it dries flat, place another paper towel on top while drying and place a book or something heavy on top. Allow to dry

This works exactly how you would expect it to. As if your letter got caught in a down pour and you were stuck with a soaked piece of paper and a stamp coming off at the corners, right? Wrong. Though the water does serve to detach the corners of the stamp from the paper, the strong adhesive middle stayed firm. I did, however, fine this technique to be effective when removing the excess paper residue left over from other methods.

Microwave:

1. Place envelope with stamp in microwave for about 10 seconds
2. Peel from envelope

I found this method to be somewhat effective with stamps that require you to lick them but did not show results with modern peel and stick stamps.

Stamp Removal Fluid:

1. Apply fluid to opposite side of paper
2. Let sit for a moment
3. While still wet carefully peel from paper

This method I’ve found to be about 75% effective. It’s the method I use the most especially when handling international stamps. I find it is least effective with the peel and stick USA Stamps. While they do still come off, it is often with paper residue and some come off still sticky, which is not good for adding to a collection.