Yet another question about self-adhesives

[mourningdoves]

I've spent the afternoon packing some of my United States stamp piles into neat bins, replacing some hideous, depressing cardboard boxes that have been sitting there for years saying "Don't touch me!" And a question crossed my mind.

There was a time - the 32¢ through 34¢ years (I remember the first-class rates more than I remember the dates) - when some stamps were relatively soakable and some required Pure Citrus or Zippo or Bestine (though I guess we didn't know it yet). I don't always know which stamps are soakable. Can I try Pure Citrus first and if that doesn't work try soaking it? Or will something about the Pure Citrus make the stamp permanently unremoveable?

Scott identifies U.S. stamps as "self-adhesive", but I haven't found that to be a foolproof indication of whether or not a particular stamp will float off the paper. Is there a moreless authoritative guide to which ones are safe? The conundrum there is that on those definitives that had 70,000 different varieties, sometimes I think you have to get them off paper before you can get a good ID (like a perforation count). But any start is a good start.

[khj]

Scott US Specialized catalog now notates which stamps are not soakable. You will need a 2014 or later Scott.

[tony]

Try this link (if it works) to the Virtual Stamp Club www.virtualstampclub.com/2011usnew.html  they started a system of traffic lights for s/a stamps Red no Yellow maybe Green OK
I not sure but all stamps from 2011 or 2012 onwards  are a NO.

[mourningdoves]

Dec 23, 2018 19:35:06 GMT -5 khj said:

Scott US Specialized catalog now notates which stamps are not soakable. You will need a 2014 or later Scott.

Oh. I have one of them - a 2015. That tells me how long it has been since I've looked at my U.S. stamps.

Dec 23, 2018 21:30:50 GMT -5 tony said:

Try this link (if it works) to the Virtual Stamp Club www.virtualstampclub.com/2011usnew.html  they started a system of traffic lights for s/a stamps Red no Yellow maybe Green OK
I not sure but all stamps from 2011 or 2012 onwards  are a NO.

tony, that link has gone to link heaven. Is the Virtual Stamp Club even around at all any more, I wonder? Too bad, because the traffic-light motif sounded like fun. The most recent U.S. stamps that I remember being soakable are the flag coils that came out in six stages of ten (I just found a stash of them today that I didn't know I had).

Thanks to both of you!!

[tony]

I have a shortcut to VSC on my desk to and it still works, there is all the details for 2018 US issues. Try a goggle from your end and see if works.

[tony]

Dec 24, 2018 13:02:32 GMT -5 tony said:

I have a shortcut to VSC on my desk to and it still works, All the details for  US issues from the 90s up to 2018 Try a goggle from your end and see if works.

[tony]

Dec 24, 2018 13:04:25 GMT -5 tony said:

Dec 24, 2018 13:02:32 GMT -5 tony said:

I have a shortcut to VSC on my desk to and it still works, All the details for  US issues from the 97 up to 2018 Try a goggle from your end and see if works.

[JanetC]

mourningdoves , use the link but when it comes up backspace to the end of .html Somehow some percent signs and other stuff comes up at the end.  And then bookmark the page that comes up.

[mourningdoves]

Yeah, there it is. The percentage signs (I know those things from when there's a space in the URL) didn't show, but there was a blank space at the end that I didn't see yesterday. Got it now. Thanks!

[philatelius]

My own approach in recent years has been to give up trying to soak self-adhesives at all. If it's not a lick-and-stick, I don't even bother!

Certainly understand you wanting to free as many as you can from the paper they're on, though. Stamps look better off paper than on.

[stampie78]

Jan 1, 2019 11:55:52 GMT -5 philatelius said:

My own approach in recent years has been to give up trying to soak self-adhesives at all. If it's not a lick-and-stick, I don't even bother!

Certainly understand you wanting to free as many as you can from the paper they're on, though. Stamps look better off paper than on.

My approach on self adhesives is if I have more than one I will test and see if they will soak. If not it stays on paper and all in that series or group. I will always test on a stamp that is damaged or not desirable first. What really bugs me is when I have six of the same stamp and 3 will soak off and the other 3 will not. After a while you will get to know which ones will soak and which will not. Happy collecting either way. It's a fun hobby and not meant to drive us into strait jacket territory. Happy New Year.

[kostia84]

Hi.
My method to know whether the stamp is self adhesive or not is such:
Look closely at its perforation "teeth".
If you see little remains of paper fibres and the teeth are of different length, than its a water soakable stamp, because this stamp was torn from other stamps, which were its neighbours.
If all the teeth are of exactly same size, all neat and there is no little fibers on it, than it is self adhesive, because it was not torn from other stamps.
I hope I was clear.

[mourningdoves]

Jan 2, 2019 11:19:11 GMT -5 kostia84 said:

I hope I was clear.

Very clear. And welcome to the forum!!