I recently inherited a large number of stamps from my parents. To be honest, stamps have not interested me since I was a child. At that point when I was around the age of nine, I had a stamp book and would collect as many stamps as I could, and I really enjoyed doing so. The stamps that I have inherited are not of great monetary value, but they are fascinating, nonetheless. The amount of care my parents seemed to go to, to build, maintain and protect this collection was quite awe-inspiring. Going through all the different stamps, seeing how old some of them were, noticing that a great number of them were still unopened which I guess is something that was done to give them a higher value in the future, in the same way, that Lego enthusiasts and collectors treat Lego. Some of them decide to purchase two boxes of the latest Lego collection, one to make and one to keep boxed up as an investment for the future. My parents had kept these stamps in a big, sealed box in their loft. It was quite clear to me that I wanted to look after the collection for future generations. There was absolutely no way I was going to sell it. I plan to pass it on to one of my children. One thing that I did want to do virtually straight away was to frame and display some of my favourite stamps as I felt they needed to be enjoyed rather than hidden away in a box, somewhere like a loft.
Framing options for stamps
There were stamps commemorating different Olympic Games, there were numerous ones of Winston Churchill, and there were lots picturing different animals (my parents ran an animal rescue centre for many years). This is to name but a few. After going through them all and picking out my favourites it was then a case of putting them into a frame. This was not purely to preserve and protect them for the future, it was also so that I, and others, could get pleasure out of seeing them regularly.
Shadow box or deep-set frames were one option as these enable the stamps to have plenty of room which helps them to not press against the glass. I also wanted an acid-free frame and backing. To help hold the stamps in place without the need for glue or tape I used stamp mounts. I was quite concerned about the fact that the stamps might fade over time so to protect them from this happening I used UV-protective glass.
The location of where the frame was hung was also taken into consideration before deciding on the best option. The bathroom and kitchen were ruled out straight away due to heat. We opted in the end for the living room but made sure to hang it away from any direct sunlight. This room has climate control which also helps in the preservation of the stamps.
I went for a vintage vibe due to how old some of the stamps were and to this end opted for a distressed wood frame. I chose black as the colour for the stamp mounts as this, in my opinion, gave it a crisp collector look.