Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Profile of Some Brazilian Postage Stamps

Abstract

An energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis has been performed on Brazilian postage stamps to understand the elementary profile present in the paper, colored and postmarked areas, of stamps printed between 1850 and 1922. The EDXRF technique offered a fast, simple and nondestructive chemical analysis providing a profile of each postage stamp that provide a valuable data, such as information about raw materials employed in manufacturing process. Furthermore, we extend the methodology to detect counterfeit samples, since that some rare samples can cost fortunes, which naturally leads to cases of forgery in philately.

Raman and X-Ray Fluorescence to Identify Colors of the German Hyperinflation Stamps of the 1923 Collection

“…Stamps adhesive was the object of earlier studies 12,13 . The first papers employed nondestructive techniques to analyze expensive stamps or to build databases [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] . Nevertheless, there is another way to approach the study of stamps: the use of destructive methods.…”