THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE

by Arturo B. del Ayre

A model maker needs a screwdriver and glue, a cross-stitcher her needles

and cloth, crotchetier her yarns and hook, photographer his chemical and
negatives, as we say: to each his own. Like all hobbies, philately employs
its own tools.

STAMP ALBUM . A stamp album is

different from your ordinary photo album,
but some collector claim the latter would
suffice, especially the magnetic kind. The
Stamp Album, those sold commercially, is
but an improvement of the photo album
version and contains a replica of the
stamp/s and side notes. The notes
included could be a simple date of
issuance and when applicable the country
of origin, or an elaborate one adding an
exposition regarding the vignette [central
design], the denomination, printing details
which includes the printer, the designer,
the method and the number of stamps
issued per denomination. More often than
not, the description of the vignette entails
the history of the significant event being
commemorated, a short biography of the person depicted or simply an
explanation of the components.

Blank album pages are also available on the market giving the collector or
philatelist the freedom to arrange the stamps and annotate them as they
please. A stock album, on the other hand, is but a repository of loose
stamps prior to their transfer to the stamp album. These albums are
comprised of pages with panels of transparencies serving as sleeves or
holders.

Remember the adage: A small collection is lost in the big album. Thus, it
is better to have a loose-leaf album that offer a means of keeping the
collection compact and adding page by page as required rather than
getting the thickest stamp album and finding that your collection can't fill

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them all. PhilPost subscribes to this adage, thus its Official Album Pages
offers a non-distracting border and ornamentation, a replica of the
vignette with a short description arrange chronologically. Internationally,
the Scott, KABE, and Minkus are but a few producers of stamp albums.

CATALOG . The other most important tool of

philately is the stamp catalog. A catalog lists
almost all the issued stamp of a country, a topic or
a theme. Most catalogs in existence are on the first
type, especially those published by Scott , Michel ,
Minkus and Stanley Gibbons.
For Philippine collections, Peter W.A. Harradine
published in 1977 a three-section handbook
divided into 1) Spanish period [1854-1899], 2)
American period, [1899-1946], inclusive of the
Japanese occupation period, [1940-1945], and 3)
Republican period, [1946-1977]. Abraham Q.
Luspo, Jr. released the Philippine Postal
Catalogue, Republic Period, 1946-1990 in 1991.
The Stamp Shop published Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak T.'s
Catalogue of Philippine Republic Stamps & Postal
Stationeries [1946-1997] in 1997. Dr. Ngo recently
issued supplements for the year 1998 and 1999. A
list of specialized stamp catalogs and books can
be found on the World Wide Web at
http://www.stamps.org/cat3.htm/. An online
Philippine Stamp Catalog by this author can be
verified at: http://www.geocities.com/abda/

MOUNTS . Mounts are simple devices that secure the

stamps in an album. Although there are hingeless albums
employing vinyl stock pages, most commercially produced
albums either need hinges or mounts. Mounts are preferred
to hinges because the latter could damage the stamps in the
long run especially when improperly used. Mounts are
composed of a film or transparency backed with black
matting. Hinges, on the other hand, are thin, transparent, gummed paper
strips.
TONGS . Tweezers are simple but important accessory.
These are used to handle the stamps during sorting and
mounting. The cardinal rule is that: do not handle the
stamps manually for natural oil from human hands could
damage the color and condition of mint or even used
stamps.

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ACCESSORIES . Binders, watermark detectors,
perforation gauge, stamp dryer and magnifying glass
are useful additions as you progress in stamp
collecting. Binders and slipcases protect the album
pages from damage. A watermark detector effectively
reveals the watermark of postage stamp without the
use of any chemical aids, inflammable liquids or ink
pads. It would also reveal thins, grills, repairs, hinge
marks, added margins, silk threads, granite paper, and paper
irregularities. Previously, a drop of benzine and a black surface were
employed to view the watermark.

Perforation Gauge can be a printed chart or scale on

plastic or paper or a wheel of plastic moulding with
graduated series of dots and lines in a column two
centimeters wide used in measuring perforations. The
gauge is reckoned in terms of the number of holes or
punches. Most catalogs denote what the perforation
number is, but a gauge could compare the catalogued
number with that of the stamp in your possession.
Stamp dryer comes with blotting paper used in
separating the stamps from the cover or letter
envelopes. For majority of stamps, the dryer is
used after a bath treatment, although a
humidifier is used for stamps where a risk of
colors being soluble in water is known.
Peroxide of hydrogen in solution is useful for
restoring the stamp color due to exposure or
desulphuration.
Magnifiers are used for the careful study of stamp conditions invisible to
the naked eye. The most common types used are 1) Reading Magnifier 2)
Precision Glass and 3) Folding Stand Magnifier.
Happy philately!
Note: A series of articles about Philately and Stamp Collecting will appear in this column regularly. Future
topics will discuss the nature of the hobby, to include: personal reflections, narratives, insights; the state of
Philippine Philately and stamp collecting to include issues affecting stamp collectors in the Philippines, postal
history, breakthroughs, highlights on philatelic clubs and personalities; and a stamp collector's comprehensive
guide on the 5W and 1H of stamp collecting.

This article, parts or verbatim, also appears on the Net. Visit: ABdA's Philippine Philatelic Web Site at
http://www.geocities.com/abda/ and the electronic magazine: The Philippine Philatelist at
http://abda.webprovider.com/. For comments or suggestions, send e-mail to abda@geocities.com . 07/31/99