Sir, - Yes, yes! I have cracked it! Okay, I've a few broken nails, my letter opener is slightly bent, and there's a kitchen knife embedded in the palm of my left hand, but I now know the secret of parting the An Post "Nollaigh 1997" peel and stick stamps from their backing sheet!
It's tricky, it's messy, but with practice it can be done. Here's how. The problem lies in the fact that each stamp is surrounded by an extremely sticky paper "border". So, start at the top-left hand corner of the stamp card and lift the border away from the backing sheet. You will probably have to use some implement for this (try a sharp knife, a pair of tweezers or the pointy end of a compass). With the corner held firmly between the thumb of and index finger of your right hand, start pulling slowly and carefully downwards until all the borders are removed from the backing sheet.
Beginners can expect to have at least two torn stamps, but the remaining stamps on the card are now relatively easy to remove. - Yours, etc.,
From (Mrs) Zara Brady
Monkstown, Co Dublin.