How to remove gum coated and self-adhesive postage stamps from paper

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removing stamps from paper
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Different types of glue found on postage stamps

Postage stamps are mainly affixed to envelopes using any of:
  • a gum based adhesive that dissolves in water, this is particularly true for almost all old stamps up to the beginning of the 21st century
  • self-adhesive coating that does not dissolve in water, used on the stamps of many but not all countries from roughly the year 2000 onwards
While removing stamps from paper is quite easy in the case of a gum-based glue, it remains a challenge for self-adhesive stamps.
I am hereby sharing and explaining my findings for both types of stamps, keep in mind however that:
  • the difficulty of peeling a stamp off paper comes from the paper itself rather than the stamp
  • whatever the type of stamp, type of paper and method used, there's always a risk of damaging the stamp when attempting to peel it off, or not being able of completely removing the paper from the back of the stamp, I would say in 2% of the cases
  • some postage stamps and/or their adhesive end up "fusing" with the envelope, making their separation impossible

Removing postage stamps with gum based adhesive from paper

Soak your stamps in warm water in a shallow recipient and wait for 5 minutes.
  • About the quarter of them will peel off the paper and float on the water surface, while the others can be peeled off with some "help", by carefully having your tweezers passing between the stamp and the paper;
  • Do not hold the stamp by one of its corners and peel it off, you can also try sliding the stamp on the paper while putting your index finger underneath the paper and your thumb on the stamp;
  • Make sure to use warm water, not cold water, as it is more efficient;
  • If after a few minutes you still feel that the postage stamp does not peel off easily, do not force it out, simply change your water so it gets warm again and prolong the soaking. you can soak indefinitely that's no issue and there's no risk on the stamp colors or the cancellation ink;
  • Always use a white recipient so you can check on the water color after soaking your stamps. Do not mix between stamps affixed to a colored paper with the ones on white paper, because paper color could tint the water and pass on the stamp itself. In case your water gets tinted, immediately remove the stamp from the paper and wash it under running water from your tap;
  • Put your stamps on a kitchen towel to let them dry, then fold it on top of them to avoid having them curling;
  • Still, once dry, you need to transpose your postage stamps to a thick book, and put some weight on top of the book to flatten them and make them look like new. Do so for at least 8 hours, stamps that were distorted on the envelope will need however longer periods, it happened to me so keep the stamps in the book for a few weeks.
Pressing the dried stamps under a heavy load, in the lowest book in this case, will flatten them again like if never used:

Removing self-adhesive postage stamps from paper

Self-adhesive stamps are particularly difficult to separate from paper, but not all of them.
Always train yourself on a few stamps from which you have many and proceed as follows:
  • ​soak them like for gum coated stamps, but in the hottest possible water from your tap. 
  • start to peel them off the paper while the water is still hot and do so while keeping the stamps in the hot water, you should not let them cool down. This is because self-adhesive glue is a thermoplastic that softens when heated and hardens again when the temperature drops.
  • if the stamp is still holding well to its paper, change the water so it is hot again and repeat your tentative
  • do not hold the paper and peel off the stamp, rather hold the stamp with your tweezers and peel off the paper
  • check below the different cases that you'd encounter
Case 1 - Self-adhesive stamp peels off paper easily
These pictures show how this USA postage stamp is being removed from the paper easily, while in the hot water.
The postage stamp is thick enough no glue is left on its back side.
​Its paper remains thick enough so it can be used without paper in your stamp collection
Case 2 - Self-adhesive stamp peels off paper easily and the glue layer remains stuck on the envelope
In this case, you will feel like you're splitting the postage stamp in two, but in reality, it's the glue layer of the self-adhesive stamp which remains stuck to the envelope while the stamp peels off. 
The second picture shows how a teethed layer remained stuck to the paper, this is the glue layer, taken in sandwich between a very thin paper layer from the backside of the postage stamp and the envelope's paper.
The stamps is unharmed and its paper is thick enough, the result is indeed satisfactory.
Case 3 - Self-adhesive stamp starts to peel off paper easily and the glue layer gets separated like a rubber membrane that needs to be removed with the tweezers
The result is indeed satisfactory, the only issue here is that some postage stamps are so thin that what's left after removing the stamp, is a very thin paper that curls and remains very fragile until it dries and hardens.
This picture shows the rubber-like membrane at the back of the postage stamps, that can be removed with your tweezers to liberate the postage stamp:
Some postage stamps have a very thin paper, making them indeed very thin and fragile once you remove the adhesive layer and will curl and roll immediately.
If you encounter such a stamp, make sure to carry it safely on your index finger and then on the kitchen towel to let it dry, but you'll need to cover it with the towel also not let it roll on itself. 
Refrain from peeling off the other postage stamps of the same series, since you know that this one leads to very thin stamps, you'll have no choice but to keep those on their paper and put them as they are in your collection.
Case 4 - Self-adhesive stamp starts to peel off paper easily but the glue layer partially peels off the stamp and disintegrates leaving parts of it on the back of the postage stamp
Simply wash the stamp under running hot water from your tap, the hottest possible you can afford, and while holding the stamp on your index finger, rub the glue out with your thumb.
Case 5 - Self-adhesive stamp doesn't peel off or refuses to peel off - typical to Australian postage stamps
Boil the stamps instead of soaking them, then proceed like described above.
Although Australian postage stamps are the hardest to remove from paper, they remain thick and robust, thus allow you to proceed with extreme measures like boiling them.
Put them in a cooking pot with little water, paper facing down, then start peeling them off one by one, keeping the others in the boiling water until you finish them all.

End result of the different self-adhesive stamps being peeled off paper using the above described methods and cases

"Boiled" Australian stamps, I'm showing how the back side is white and clean, while the stamp remains thick. It is indeed satisfactory but removing the stamp requires more time and still, it doesn't work for all Australian stamps.
Canada self-adhesive postage stamps peel off quite easily when soaked in hot water.
Most US postage stamps will also do, but not all. 

How to determine if postage stamps are self-adhesive and if one should attempt to peel them off paper.

Postage stamps that have uneven and unequal teeth are not self-adhesive, they are often affixed in blocks of 2 to 3 stamps while still being held together, and cancelled all together. One tooth would be longer or shorter than the others while the teeth shape is quite angular or straight where they had been torn apart and separated.
Self-adhesive postage stamps have perfectly even and equal teeth. When more than one is used on the same envelope, they are affixed one next to each other. Their teeth have a circular end so when looking at their edge, you have the impression to look at a sinusoïdal wave.
​

Conclusion about removing postage stamps from paper

  • Always do a first attempt by soaking the stamp in warm water;
  • You can then try using hot water instead;
  • You can also try boiling water for the hardest and toughest postage stamps adhesives;
  • You should be aware that there's always a risk of damaging the stamp;
  • You should always try on one stamp from which you have many;
  • Postage stamps from the same series usually behave similarly;
  • There's no harm keeping some postage stamps on paper as this is better than damaging the stamps;
  • In case of doubt or in case you have as single specimen, do not attempt to peel your stamp off paper, except soaking it in water as this is reversible and doesn't damage the stamp
  • nomaallim.com does not recommend using oil solvents on self-adhesive stamps, as this results in cancellation ink alteration, also in a permanent smell that's almost impossible to remove. It's like creating aromatic odor diffusing postage stamps.
See also how to make your own stamp albums and organize your stamps of any format within collections:
You can buy your stamp album from our partners' stores in case you do not wish to build one:

See also our other tutorials about hobbies and handicrafts: