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Since watermarks greatly affect the value of a givenstamp, they are of the greatest importance. However, notall stamps are watermarked so it will be necessary to usethe detector only on such stamps as your album or cata-logue indicates may occur in the same design but with adifferent watermark or, perhaps, without any watermarkat all. The Stamp Hinge The stamp hinge is simply a small piece of thin, buttough, paper to which a special gum has been applied.Stamp hinges come in a variety of sizes and styles andare in almost universal use. They may be purchased at all stamp dealers and at most five-and-ten-cent stores.They usually come in packages of one thousand andrange in cost from twenty to twenty-five cents. Todaypractically all stamp hinges are good and, if handledcorrectly, will not damage your stamps. When makinga purchase select hinges that are described as "peelable"— that is, the gum on the hinge has the property ofbeing able to let go if the hinge is carefully peeled fromthe stamp. Some hinges have this property more thanothers but the basic factor in making any hinge peelableis the amount of moisture it receives when you apple itto the stamp — the less moisture the better. |
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