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Question:

I would like to know what the situation is with old stamps that are no longer needed.

a) Do they have to be destroyed?

b) If yes, what is the best way to destroy a stamp?

c) If not, what do you do with them? Just throw them in the normal rubbish?

d) If someone finds them in the rubbish and uses them without authorisation, is the person who threw them away liable?

Answers:

The answer to the questions depends on who the "owner" of the stamps is - private, company, authority, etc.

a) At the FU Berlin, stamps intended for official use must be disposed of correctly - see b).

b) Simply tear off the stamp plate (regardless of whether it is a wooden stamp or an automatic stamp) and then cut it up and dispose of it in the residual waste. By the way, automatic stamps can be reused. All you need to do is make a new stamp plate. However, the savings are not huge, as in most cases a new ink pad has to be inserted when replacing the stamp plate. This is also the case if the stamping ink has not run out, because the letters of the old pad have been pressed into the stamping pad and therefore the new stamping plate does not stamp correctly.

c) If there are no regulations to the contrary in the company or authority, see point b.

d) If the stamp is made unusable (point b), this problem does not occur in the first place.

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