What to do with damaged stamps?

Thanks for your post Nghia (guilloutran ).  What to do with damaged stamps is a question that most collectors end up having to deal with in one way or another.

What Vince (stanley64 ) has suggested and what Konstantin (kostia84 ) has posted are certainly viable ideas, making works of art from stamps, whether damaged or otherwise.  But those look pretty ambitious to me, and would require a lot of stamps.

But there are other possibilities as well.  One of our members, janetc , makes art objects using damaged stamps.  She takes an item like a dish or bowl or something, and then covers it with stamps.  She made one for me once, which was given as a gift to another member (firstfrog2013 ).

Personally, I have taken damaged stamps and glued them to a cardboard box that I use for storing stamps and other stamp-related materials--it's purely a decorative use, but it looks nice, especially if the box is a re-purposed one that has other labelling on it.

Also, as a collector of classic-era stamps, I sometimes keep damaged stamps as reference items, if they are correct color varieties or something like that.  Damaged stamps can also be used for experimentation.  If you want to try out different soaking methods or chemical treatments or something, trying them out on damaged stamps to see how well they work is a good practice before risking the stamps that you want to keep for your collection.

Good luck with whatever you decide! 

Hi guilloutran

In my friend's store there was a special box for damaged stamps.  Every once in a while a lady came in and bought the damaged stamps.  She used them for jewelry.  

I have seen quite a bit of art using damaged stamps.  So, get the creative juices flowing

Jerry B

Alternatively and following the experimentation route, especially for higher-value stamps, can you repair those tears?
Dab of glue, spot of paint, presto - like new ;-)

Happy collecting!

I'm with Tobben on this. 90% of damaged stamps I destroy as waste paper. The other 10% are stamps which in good condition would be worth in the region of £50, Euro 50 or $50 or more. These may be acceptable to someone as spacefillers depending on the extent of the damage eg small tear or small thin or a couple of pulled perfs. These will go into ebay, or a club packet properly described and priced at a dollar or even less, or give away.

There is a market for expensive classics even if damaged if the price is low enough. For example a fine GB N01, the Penny Black will set you back £100, but even with a crease, or a tear, or margins clipped away can fetch £15-£20. I sold a Cape of Good Hope cat £400 , with a thin and 2margins last month for £9.

Modern stamps which are common and easily available get binned.

I have a number of damaged stamps, too. I still keep them because I have not got a new one of those stamps.

I put my "wounded warriors" into a separate envelope and will exchange when I receive a damaged stamp in trade. One for another.

Periodically, I will weed out the envelope, and take some out to add to my donation box.

This box has excess duplicates, damaged stamps, and US stamps from incoming mail (mostly trades).

Periodically, I will mail the box to my favorite stamp charity, Shell Point Stamp Ministry in Ft Myers, FL.

Anyone who is interested in their address and/or more information abut this charity, can PM me.

BOB

Oh no, most of them are post 1980s of Chad and Jersey. I don't think there's anything valuable.

As I sort through my stamps I put the damaged items in a pile to be give to my wife or sister who use them in making cards. I'm sure I'll end up with more than they can ever use and at that point I'll offer them up cheap on eBay for crafters.