How to Remove Stamps from Envelopes

Removing Stamps from Envelopes

Important Tips:

• Always handle stamps with stamp tongs to prevent damage from oils on your fingers
• Work slowly and gently to avoid tearing the stamp
• For rare or valuable stamps, consider consulting a professional philatelist
• Let stamps dry completely before storing in an album
• Some modern self-adhesive stamps can be more challenging to remove and might require special techniques

The Soaking Method

As you can see in my video above, my go-to soaking method is super quick and easy:

1. Fill a shallow dish with lukewarm water. (The black one in my video is great for seeing the stamps clearly).
2. Pop the cut envelope paper with the stamp face-up into the water.
3. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes until the stamp naturally floats away from the paper.
4. Carefully fish the wet stamp out using your stamp tongs. (Never use your fingers!)
5. Put the wet stamp on a clean, flat surface like blotting paper to dry. If you are worried about your stamps curling, pop another bit of blotting paper or kitchen towel on top and press down with a heavy book.

I find that this method is just as good for removing older hinges from the back of stamps, too 🙂

Removing Stamps with Steam

Steaming is another option if you are dealing with brightly coloured envelopes that might run and stain your stamp in a soaking bowl. You need to be really careful here though, because steam makes the paper incredibly fragile.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil to get some steady steam going.
2. Hold the envelope paper with your tongs and carefully pass it over the steam, making sure it doesn’t get too close to the water.
3. Once the adhesive softens up, use your tongs to gently peel the stamp away.
4. Press it flat to dry straight away.

Just a heads up: I don’t recommend steaming for old, rare, or fragile stamps since the heat and moisture can warp them. Also, keep in mind that neither soaking nor steaming really works on modern self-adhesive stamps like the newer UK Machins. Those usually need a dedicated stamp lift fluid!

The Trouble with Modern Self-Adhesives

If you are dealing with modern self-adhesive stamps (especially those from the UK, US, or Australia), soaking or steaming usually won’t work. These tough adhesives are designed to prevent fraud and simply do not dissolve in water.

Some collectors experiment with Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) or chemical solvents to release the glue, but you need to be careful. For instance, adding washing-up liquid to the water is a common myth. It will actually ruin the postmark and can strip the stamp’s colour entirely.

The safest and most popular method for these stubborn modern stamps is the simplest one: just leave them on the paper and trim a neat border around the perforations before adding them to your stockbook.

The insights on modern self-adhesives and the washing-up liquid myth incorporated above are drawn directly from this community forum discussion. You can always add your own methods there to help other collectors as well.