I live in Wisconsin and my stamp area is in the basement. What are others doing to protect their stamps? I am looking for ideas that combine convenient access with protection.
Thanks for any help
LarryG
If you are storing in the basement do not put them under any water pipes that may drip condensation in the summer months. I am not especially fond of storing paper in the basement due to the possibility of plumbing leaks and storm sewer backup.
Just an observation - if your basement ever does flood those plastic tote boxes like to tip over. In this position the lids usually will unseal. They do not float merrily along protecting the articles within.
Trying to make a damp environment suitable for any hobby involving paper objects
is like trying to cure stage four lung cancer. Hint: if you don't want to die a horrible
death don't smoke!
It is not worth the risk of gambling with the unpredictable elements of nature. If I were buying stamps from sellers in Texas (I have before) I tell them to hold all shipments until after the monsoon is over.
Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant 24 Apr 2016 11:10:42pm
re: Humidity and Stamp Albums
Humidity is one problem..but do not store the stamps near the heater! A distant cousin gave me a stamp collection he had stored in the basement, next to the heater. If they did not stick together, they became so brittle that you needed to soak them all to relax the paper fiber, or they shattered and turned into dust!
It was the saddest (to a collector) looking batch of glued together compact and brittle stamps you had ever seen! If you breathed on them, the edge perforations would drop off while the bulk mass looked more and more like a ball.
rrr...
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"E. Rutherford: All science is either physics or stamp collecting."
I have found what may be the answer. Today I purchased a plastic storage box with a lid fitted with a gasket and six latches for tight closing. Supposedly weatherproof. This with silica gel packs should do the job.
The box is made by Sterilite and sold at Target for $15. It is about 22 inches long and wide and deep enough for all of my albums.
Thanks to all for your suggestions.
I won't repeat what my wife said about moving downstairs.
LarryG