When Did The "Craze" For Mnh Stamps Begin?

Exactly. Cut out the cost of mounts and use the money to get more stamps!

There are actually two questions tied into this larger question the original poster raised.

First, from what point should collectors expect the stamps listed in the catalogs be never hinged for the base value (and what kind of discount should a hinged copy of the same stamp receive)

Second, how much more should a never hinged copy of a stamp issued before the generally accepted date of expecting never hinged stamps as the normal routine version of a stamp was established.

The first point really has no agreement - it really depends on the catalog producer and the country involved. Scott in general values British Commonwealth at NH starting with the 1946 Peace omnibus, while Gibbons starts with the 1937 Coronation. With a few exceptions, in neither case is there any attempt to valuate stamps issued after these transition issue. So 1950s QEII definitive issues are most often priced only in NH condition, and its up to the marketplace to determine what a hinged version should be worth.

Converseley, the Maury catalogs for France and its Empire sets the switch date to the establishment of the Fifth Republic under de Gaulle in 1958, with issues before then priced in both NH and hinged conditions, with a decrease in the gap between value differentiation for the two conditions the closer you get to 1958. No valuations for hinged though are given for post-1958 issues.

In general, it seems that sometime in the late 1950s seems to be the point at which collectors should expect stamps to be never hinged, and pay a discount for hinged versions. Makes sense, by the late 1950s Western Europe's economy has recovered from the War years into the "Economic Boom," giving more disposable income for hobbies, and postal administrations rapidly increase print runs on commemorative issues so that, even today, most of the "basic" commemoratives are worth face value. This process started a bit earlier in North America, where the existence of large "new issue" companies marketing new stamps to collectors ensures a large supply of these issues starting in the late 1940s.

The second question, regarding The timing of the "boom" in NH issues, which is really the boom in the values of those stamps with NH gum that were issued before the accepted cutoff date, and especially before 1946, I think dates more from the late 1960s, as stamp mounting technology improved and dropped in price (Crystal Mounts were evil spawn of the devil, but the Showguard mount showed that a method of mounting stamps that preserved the gum without potentially causing other forms of damage was possible). The economic malaise of the 1970s, with high inflation and the search for "safe havens" would be the culmination of the first boom, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in some ways has lost much of its value because the supply of NH issues of most nations' stamps pre-1945 is fairly small because hinging was the normal method for collectors to mount stamps until the technology of mounting stamps provided a generally affordable and safe alternative to the hinges.

DJCMHOH,

What does DJCMHOH stand for? I'm guessing the first three letters are your name initials and the MH stands for mint hinged? I have no clue as to the last two letters.

Jack Kelley

Actually something completely different jkelley.

DJ = disc jockey (used to be a club DJ and I still DJ online once in a while)

CMH = airport code for Columbus where I live

OH = Ohio

Interesting topic...great responses...personally I prefer uncanceled, clean stamps..not fussy about centering, OG etc.
I'm a collector of stamps..can't be bothered by what my collection will be worth based on condition.
MNH, MH, MLH, MNG...all welcomed!

Thanks DJCMHOH. I never would have guessed.

Jack Kelley

I'm not sure that this aspect of stamp collecting, which has been well-rooted for over half a century, is accurately described as a "craze," but I would tie it in with a more general phenomenon in the field of collectibles, i.e. that the closer the collectible item is to its "pristine" state (PO fresh for stamps, unopened in original box for toys, etc.) the more desirable it is and therefore the more it's worth. I think this can be traced to the rise of collectibles as a hedge against the inflation of the 1970's.

Certainly in the 1960s, all advice to juveniles was about "hinges". Routinely mint and CTO stamps were hinged and put into albums. In the case of young collectors who were encouraged to buy new issues, I think it is a great shame that they were then advised in the 1970s that "unhinged" was better. I often think that many collectors left the hobby because they felt that they were complicit in de-valuing their own collections.

"Complicit in de-valuing their own collections".

I think you are right on. Seems like 90 percent of people who post on scf some stamps they inherited, had as a kid, or found in attic or bought at estate sale... when they find out it's essentially worthless because the stamps were hinged and not stored properly.... one and done stamp community posters!!

Perhaps that sense of being complicit, or an older relative being complicit, in essentially de-valuing these old stamps is what drives people away. Never thought of it this way but you may be right.

Collectors have used all kinds of methods to mount stamps in their collections, hinges are on the least destructive end of the scale:

I've seen collections where collectors have glued their stamps in with white library paste. Or, took a straight pin and pinned the stamp to the album. I've seen collections where they licked the mint stamp and mounted it. I've seen very nice stamps with sticky brown spots where the glue form the clear tape discolored the stamp. Some collectors thought it was a good idea to trim the stamp to the edge of the design. Not to mention the albums with acid paper which turned all the stamps brown and brittle. I've seen a FDC collection which had cigarette smoke damage to all the covers.

My point is that not all collectors take good care of their collections -- hinging mint stamps is the least of the problem.

Personally I've had mint stamps stick to the stock book because it got humid here. Since I'd rather not be bothered with gum, I've moved to only collecting used stamps. I enjoy the fact that sellers on ebay list hinges on used stamp as some kind of defect; apparently they don't understand that it is fine to soak the hinge off. And, as a bonus, I get to add all kinds of fun cancellations to my collection as well. EG, my latest acquisition (Scott #11):

Oh, my! That is an amazing cancellation! Was it actually intended to be the Star of David???

It is a well-known fancy cancel from Chicopee, MA. Usually referred to simply as "six-pointed star" but occasionally also as "Star of David."

I had that stamp on my watch list but couldn't bring myself to bid on it. I am not very interested in bidding against consignors or shill bidders. I think there is a good chance one of those was possible. In the end, I actually think you got a fair deal on the stamp provided it is sound and considering the small cut in the top margin.

I do not see anything wrong with the NH "craze". There are like antiquities so why damage them. Now, I do not always buy NH but can see why others would want them.

Nothing wrong with NH stamps, in my opinion. I love them and am glad they are available at reasonable cost for the stamps I collect.

It amazes me that little pieces of paper (stamps) can survive for 75 years (or longer) completely intact! So I treasure them and protect them, and will someday pass them on to future collectors. I am just the current owner and custodian of the stamps, little works of art.