Where can I donate used postage stamps?
You can donate used postage stamps directly to Donate Stamps by mail. We accept canceled stamps, mint stamps, loose stamps, complete sets, albums, stock books, and inherited collections. Ordinary stamps are welcome; a collection does not need to be rare or valuable to be useful.
When you are ready, review our packing and mailing instructions. Small and ordinary donations can usually be sent without contacting us first.
What kinds of stamps and collections do you accept?
We accept mint and used stamps from any country, including individual stamps, complete sets, loose mixtures, albums, stock books, and inherited collections. We also accept stamped envelopes, postcards, catalogs, glassine envelopes, hinges, mounts, tongs, magnifiers, and other stamp-collecting materials.
What you can send
- Used, canceled, and mint postage stamps
- Loose stamps, mixtures, packets, and complete sets
- Albums, stock books, boxes, and inherited collections
- Stamps still attached to envelopes or postcards
- Catalogs, tools, mounts, hinges, and collecting supplies
Should I remove stamps from envelopes or sort them?
No. Please leave stamps attached to envelopes and postcards, and keep albums, labels, notes, and related materials together. There is no need to soak, trim, sort, identify, organize, or appraise anything before sending it. Keeping a collection as you found it can preserve useful historical and philatelic context.
If the collection came from a family member or estate, our guide to handling an inherited stamp collection explains what to preserve, what to remove, and when an independent appraisal may make sense.
Can I mail a stamp donation from anywhere?
Yes. We accept donations from throughout the United States and from other countries. Donors ordinarily pay the cost of mailing a collection to us. Please contact us before sending an international donation or a particularly large collection so we can help you choose an appropriate shipping method. In some circumstances, we may be able to help arrange transportation or reimburse domestic shipping for a large collection.
Is there a local stamp drop-off?
Most donations are sent by mail, and we do not operate a general public drop-off. Please do not arrive with a collection without an appointment. If you have a very large collection and would like to ask about an in-person handoff, contact us before making plans.
Are stamp donations tax-deductible?
No. Donations to Donate Stamps are not tax-deductible, and we cannot provide charitable tax receipts. If you include your name and mailing address, we will send a thank-you note. You may also donate a collection in honor or memory of someone and tell us whom you would like us to notify.
What should I not send?
Please do not send material with active mold, water damage, or insects. Remove unrelated personal papers, current identification, family photographs, coins, and currency before shipping. Leave philatelic receipts, dealer notes, exhibition labels, and collecting correspondence with the collection when possible. Contact us if you are unsure whether something belongs with the donation.
What happens after a donation arrives?
We carefully sort donated material into smaller, varied collections. This helps a teacher, club leader, or new collector receive stamps from a range of countries and time periods. Most stamps go to schools, community centers, church groups, and individual collectors. Items with unusual historical significance may be offered to a museum or specialist philatelic organization.
Each stamp carries a story and represents a small piece of history. Our motto is ab vetero ad novum: from old to new. From old collections, we create new collectors.