Stamp marginal selvedge - leave it on, or tear it off?

[drpj]

I'm thinking that stamps like this, that are still attached to the selvage, aren't any more collectable than those that are not, assuming there is no plate block number or identifying detail such as that indicating that it is from a booklet or coil.

Should I remove the selvage or leave it? These are all mint, never-hinged stamps, btw.

[Erinmania]

It is obviously a personal decision to keep the margin.
From a specialists point of view margins help in identifying the paper used to print the stamps should this change with later printings and can assist in identifying flaws within the sheet by showing the sheet position.

If you are a general collector and for example have the rest of the set as single stamps without margins ,it would look aesthetically better to remove them.
With modern stamps there is no increase in value in having a single stamp with margin even if it shows a plate or cylinder number.

As a collector of such things I would want the full positional block showing the cylinder number, traffic lights or printers imprint.

[capetriangle]

drpj

Always keep, since once removed, it can never be re-attached. It really is that simple.

Kindest regards

Richard Debney

[Wolfgang]

Keep the selvedge!
You can be sure: at least two sides of the stamp have a perfect perforation!

[AMark]

Agree 100% with Richard and Wolfgang!

Leave the selvage attached to the stamp. Why? In your case, it tells me that your stamp was probably form a sheet and its location was on the upper-right. If you remove the selvage, would you be able to tell the position of the stamp on a sheet?

[Goober]

If you don't like the look of it in an album say, could you not just fold it behind the stamp so it's hidden rather than trim it and lose it for ever.

[Lakatoi 4]

Leave it alone

Many great items have been ruined over the years by people removing selvedge and destroying their future value to collectors. Plate dots and plate numbers are good examples.

[BigSaint]

I agree keep it intact.

[Global Admin]

If you don't like the look of it in an album say, could you not just fold it behind the stamp so it's hidden rather than trim it and lose it for ever.

Bad, bad, bad move.

I've seen endless stamps ruined due to this.

FIRST - in any kind of humidity the 2 pieces of gummed paper touching each other gum to gum stick together. Durrrhhh.

SECOND - the double thickness of paper in one area VERY often leaves a long indent on gum, in a tightly packed stockbook or album.

[figmente]

It's a common stamp of negligible value regardless.

It looks to me like it is creased on the perforations as if it was previously folded behind to fit into an album space.

On the remote chance that someone in the future specifically wants a copy with corner selvedge - this would make it a damaged instance.

The selvedge adds nothing to the desirability of the stamp. I recommend removal.

I fully agree with Global Administrator that folding it behind is a Bad, bad, bad move.

[mikotz]

My recommendation is to keep the selvedge for ANY stamp if possible, even if the selvedge has been folded. Besides the reasons listed above, I always use my tweezers on the selvedge, which never bends a stamp when you move them between albums~

[32_seeker]

If the portion of selvedge torn to separate the stamp from the sheet offends, simply trim it minimally with scissors. My personal choice would be to leave it as-is. But it's your stamp, your choice.

[Waffle]

Never had a problem with selvedge. Love to leave it en situ. Strong recommendation to do exactly the same. It makes the stamp more realistic.

[thecloudwatcher]

In my humble opinion the selvedge adds nothing in this particular case, either to the aesthetic appeal, philatelic knoweldge, or value. Unless you have the other value from the set in the same positional form, I wouldn't have a problem removing it.

[norvic]

drpj

Always keep, since once removed, it can never be re-attached. It really is that simple.

Kindest regards

Richard Debney

Would you say this if it is in an exhibit/competition?

[capetriangle]

norvic

Well Ian, I would not use the stamp as is in a thematic (topical, as we call these in the U.S.) exhibit since the selvedge adds nothing. I would buy another copy.

Sadly I am so prejudiced against thematic exhibiting (and have been for decades) with the exception of a handful of great memorable ones, such as "Philately and Murder," "Alternative Lifestyles of Famous People" (Gays on stamps), "Syphilis" and "Beguiling Orbs Of Beauty" (Boobs on stamps).

Just because our subject stamp should be replaced with a normal for a thematic exhibit, presumably for one on trains, does not mean that it should loose its selvedge should it ever appear in a traditional exhibit (doubtful).

Kindest regards

Richard

[The Pom]

In my humble opinion the selvedge adds nothing in this particular case, either to the aesthetic appeal, philatelic knoweldge, or value. Unless you have the other value from the set in the same positional form, I wouldn't have a problem removing it.

Seconded.

[drh]

Tear it off. Millions were probably printed.

[Stewie1980]

Tear it off. It's a modern stamp with a folded (damaged) blanc selvedge.

[wilko]

Keep the selvedge......……………..throw the stamp away

[David Benson]

The aim should be to find the other value with corner selvedge,

David B.

[thecloudwatcher]

Tear it off. Millions were probably printed.

Yup, 30 million to be precise.

[Brit-Col]

Your stamp, your decision.

I have sometimes torn off margins to make a nicer looking presentation with other stamps in the set.

Other times I have left it alone for a future owner to decide.

BC

[Hyderabadi]

Keep the selvedge......……………..throw the stamp away

LOL

[Chkpoint Charlie]

Your stamp, your decision.

I have sometimes torn off margins to make a nicer looking presentation with other stamps in the set.

Other times I have left it alone for a future owner to decide.

BC

I just went through this dilemma a few hours ago.

I received a lot of early Berlin stamps to add to my Mint Never Hinged album.

Quite a few of them still had margin(s) attached, when I was done I had removed the margins on all but this one.

Why, they fit the space on the page correctly, nothing hanging out of the hingeless mounts, very pleasing to look at. Even pulled off the margin paper on the first set of semi-postals, this was proof that they came from the sheets and not the miniature sheet that had all three!

What is so special that made me keep the bottom margin on the one pictured? Now I need another copy for the album.

This particular margin has the row number and a partial job number, that gives it a nice appealing appearance. It would be better as a block of four that shows the full job number, which I never will be able to afford.

So it goes into my "out of the ordinary" box, along with pairs, strips, and my favorite, postally used blocks of four.

If it arrived tomorrow, it might end up on the album page minus the margin. But today it escaped that fate (for now)

Everyone have a great day!

PS Also the nibbed perforation tooth at the lower left of the stamp was a game changer. Without the bottom margin I would have rejected it for adding to the album, getting very fussy since I resumed collecting.

[Global Admin]

.
In the case of Margin numbers like that, seems VERY silly to remove them to me.

Many plusses to leave them, and no minus.

[AdmiralCollector]

Quite a few of them still had margin(s) attached, when I was done I had removed the margins on all but this one.

Even pulled off the margin paper on the first set of semi-postals, this was proof that they came from the sheets and not the miniature sheet that had all three!

If the margins were blank, probably not a great loss. But if more of them had numbers on the margins like this one, you probably should have left them on.

And your semi-postals: why did you remove proof they came from the sheets and not the miniature sheet?

Seems like you are letting the album make determine what and how you collect. That is why I abandoned printed albums decades ago.

[Chkpoint Charlie]

Quite a few of them still had margin(s) attached, when I was done I had removed the margins on all but this one.

Even pulled off the margin paper on the first set of semi-postals, this was proof that they came from the sheets and not the miniature sheet that had all three!

If the margins were blank, probably not a great loss. But if more of them had numbers on the margins like this one, you probably should have left them on.

And your semi-postals: why did you remove proof they came from the sheets and not the miniature sheet?

Seems like you are letting the album make determine what and how you collect. That is why I abandoned printed albums decades ago.

As my chosen craft as printer I have been exposed to graphic design and after 43 years I have developed an eye for it.

Having seen good and bad of all kinds of layout and design, if something does not look correct I need to make it right.

To my esthetics, there is nothing better then a album page, printed or homemade, displaying mounted stamps.

The best appearance to me is when the stamps are just hinged to their correct spots, no plastic mounts to look through, no multiple stamps hinged one over the other, no varieties mounted here and there on the page.

I keep to the album designer's layout, so yes I do let the album determine how I collect. It goes as far as leaving a unfilled space while I have a listed minor lettered variety that would fill it just fine. I will wait for the correct stamp to come along, no rush.

I did shake my head as I removed the margins from the semi-postal set, but I compared the colors to the miniature sheet and all three sheet stamps have a stronger color to them, but they look great on the page.

[endotaste]

Hey All,

If I may be so bold as to ask you all for your advice and opinions again.

Simple things confuse me.

I've seen posts somewhere here on this forum going on about plain, used, and mint blocks of fours being worth more than four single stamps, because they are scarcer???

And I get 'imprint blocks' having a reason to live, but, are people that know what they are doing, going to cry if I rip the selvedge off these and split them and the others (including blocks of fours) I bought into singles?
.

.
It was cheaper for me to buy some hagners full of fours and pairs and spares than it was to buy the dozen stamps I actually wanted singly.

The only reason I ask is because, before I came here months ago, I had already ripped stamps off hundreds of envelopes with censors rubber stamped prints all over them from France and America of the WW2 era, not realizing people collect numbers.

Is there a real reason to not rip everything up and apart into singles. There are no imprint blocks. and if they are worth more in blocks with selvedge, why was it cheaper for me to buy spares and extra spares that way?

The Emperor has got no clothes on again and I'm not sayin' jack, but I know what I'm a thinking.

Let the merriment begin.

Please tell me what you think I should think, and why.

Thanks
Barry

[Global Admin]

.
Plenty of thoughts on this above.

[The Pom]

Another reason to keep margins is when a stamp has a variety. If, for instance, stamp #2 on row #1 of a sheet has a known variety, it is best collected as a piece retaining the top & left margins, proving the stamp is from the correct location on the sheet.

I bought the item below yesterday. All 3 have varieties, and are from positions 58,59 & 60 on the pane. To me, the margins add considerably to the piece, as they clearly show that the piece is from 58-60.

[MJ's pet]

endotatse - if they stamps are on the scarce side, then keep in multiples.

If they are common, like the pre decimal stamps you have shown, then you can divided into singles. It is your property, you do as you wish.

If you only want singles, then that is what you should buy. Do not buy extras because just they are cheap if you don't want or need them.

[Crowsnestidaho]

IMHO PLEASE let them be. I am still looking for many stamps with selvedge on different sides to display one from each edge, corner and of course center. Modern stamps some times have many form ( varieties ) why destroy the old ones?