Price For Mint Hinged Stamps Vs Mint Non Hinged

I'm knew to the stamp community and have a question on prices. I only collect US stamps and I have a Scott price catalog. The catalog only has prices for used and mint stamps. I have read different opinions on mint hinged stamps. I have read that some collectors don't consider hinged stamps as mint anymore. Is there a book or guide on how to price my mint hinged stamps? Any opinion would be appreciated.

Thanks Anthony

After Scott number 771 (in 1935) Scott does not price US stamps in hinged condition (except #834) and no catalog that I know of does. Before that you will see they do price hinged stamps.

There is still discussion about what Mint means. The purist will say mint is as it came from the issue (so with or without gum) so unused and never hinged. This means Mint LH (lightly hinged) is a misnomer. I am in the purist camp. There are variations like Mint OG (original gum) tells me the gum is original but not pristine. It is not Mint by pure definition. The key is just look at how the seller describes material and adjust accordingly for that seller. Mint sure sounds better than "unused, never hinged". I get the feeling when you say unused it seems to be less than mint.

Different catalogue publishers use different cut-off dates for the abandonment of prices for mounted mint stamps - and that cut-off may also vary from country to country. As an example, Yvert gives prices for unmounted and mounted mint French issues until the revaluation of the currency at the end of 1959. The UM price is usually one-and-a-half to twice that of the M price for average material. In the case of modern US stamps, it's probably largely academic, as few have much financial value, although they do have the benefit of being postally valid. UK dealers and auction houses usually define mint as what Americans would call "previously hinged". Pristine is "unmounted"

I make a very simple determination when I look at my stamps without any cancellations. If a stamp has any remnant from a previous (place stamp up to light and see a former hinged was removed or a dark area from the back of the rest of the gum and never had a cancellation, it is unused condition.

Mint, on the other hand ,never been touched at all . Never been previous hinged at all. Clean background with or without original gum.
Some buyers want to see both sides of the stamp, unfortunately, with some Sellers do not provide this, unless you purchase a stamp in person. They may only allow for appearance of the front view of the stamps.
If a person is purchasing the stamp as a filler to a space in their album, it may not make a difference to a buyer to have an unused condition stamp, but some buyers are very particular about these slight observations. Advance collectors look at faults, creases, including any disturbances of gum ect. with some stamps.
The buyer sometimes hope a stamp will be less priced in those circumstances which consideration may have been taken by the Seller already when priced if they are selling stamps.

what I have noticed in past is that some stamps being sold in different venues, a novice buyer may see a slight cancellation line in the perforations, and the Seller attempts to express it is in unused condition since not on the complete area of the stamp.
In my opinion, With any lines on any part of the stamp including near perforations, it is still a used stamp with a slight cancellation markings and should be informed to the buyers.
Look carefully at the stamps before purchasing them.

From Stamp Smarter Glossary




From SCF Glossary




Don

It gets even messier with plate blocks.

Some sellers consider NH to apply only to the stamps themselves. To others (including myself), it applies to both the stamps and the selvage. I've had to return a few "NH" plate blocks because they showed obvious signs of prior hinging in the selvage.

When in doubt - inspect or ask before you buy. Light hinging may fail to show up in scans of the gum side; you need to get the light at just the right angle.

I agree with angore - you need to know the terminology used by the specific seller. There is often a very large difference in price between never hinged, previously hinged/hinge remnant, no gum - all for unused stamps. So if you see "mint" or "unused" you need to find out how those words are used by that particular dealer to avoid a misunderstanding that might cost you money.

Don

I think your glossary excerpts underscore risny's point. You need to know what terminology a seller uses and what is the norm in a particular market. Your definitions wouldn't, for instance, apply in large parts of Europe - eg compare with the UK unmounted mint or mint, or the French neuf sans charniere or neuf.

Geoff

Geoff,
I respect another fellow's definition of 'mint'; but only to the extent that I respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.

Don

In accordance with common usage I always assume that a stamp described as "mint" has full OG that has been hinged, unless "NH" is specified. An uncancelled stamp that was originally issued with gum that has since been removed should be "unused." I can accept a description of "Mint LH" (though I agree that it is a technical misnomer), but not "Mint, NG."

To return to the original poster's question ... I get a sense that he has a simplified Scott catalog of some sort. I would recommend that he get a fairly recent copy of the Scott US Specialized Catalog which addresses values for hinged and never hinged prior to #771 as noted in eyeonwall's initial reply.

I'm afraid I don't get it. I buy a stamp, put it in an album, in a mount, and don't expect ever to look at the back of it again. Why should I care whether it was previously hinged or not. I suppose I should be thankful. My classier, and probably richer, fellow collectors are driving down the price of MH stamps which I am quite happy to get.

Don

It's like "mint in box" - a never hinged stamp that has never been touched by human hands is worth a premium. I've heard the arguments against the NH premium but I disagree. There is much to be said for "pristine" condition. Clearly the market agrees.

Definitions seem to change ....but my feeling is that "mint" means full original gum never hinged or No gum as issued. (NGAI)

If an unused stamp issued with gum has been hinged, licked or lost part of its gum for any reason then it should NEVER be called "mint"... it should be called "unused"