Old School Philately: Not To Be Sniffed At

There cannot be many stamps that smell of chocolate, but this Swiss commemorative from 2001 is one. A playful nod to the nation’s most famous export, and a reminder that philately can be a treat for all the senses.

Collectors today tend to store their finds in neat stock books made of acid-free paper, or in clear protective mounts that keep each stamp safe and visible. But there was a time when the fun began with tearing a stamp from an envelope, floating it in warm water, and pressing it flat in an old book. Then came the satisfying moment of licking a hinge and pasting it down, page by page, in an album that felt like your own museum.

Those early albums were rarely neat for long. New discoveries were squeezed in out of sequence, gaps were shuffled about, and the more enthusiastic the collector, the more haphazard the display became. Looking back, that imperfect order is part of the charm.

Grades matter today, from hinged and unhinged to mint or used, gum or no gum. At Charing Cross one of our dealers once met a specialist stamp cleaner who passed on this tip: if you have hinged stamps, leave them be. Keep as much original gum as possible, and if you really must free them, soak gently in warm water. Too hot and you risk washing away not just the hinge but the colour and the cancellation too.