To Soak, Or Not To Soak.

Whether it's nobler not to, is not the question... most of the pre-1935 stamps without cancels, have been hinged. They are few an far between, but some are better examples than my placeholders.

ALSO, they have been exposed to a smoker. Arrgh. I can cut the hinges of those which would otherwise be MNH but how do I get rid of the smell if I don't soak them? What do you grade the stamp as, if it has been hinged but is otherwise intact?

I recall someone posting a way to rid smoke in stamps
some time ago.
Was it activated charcoal or baking soda?

(not on the stamps, but in the container where stamps were stored)

So you are thinking the original gum, as hinged should be maintained intact? and I need to find another way to remove the odor. ?
Thanks Rod. As aside? Do you ever sleep? :) You're like always on-line!

When you remove the gum (or it has been removed) the stamp is now unused (a confusing term, meaning used but not cancelled). For older stamps sometimes they are called MNG Mint No Gum. That makes them sound more expensive and worthwhile than I really think they are. Really they are Uncancelled No Gum.

This will mostly devalue the stamp. The keep it's value, keep the gum. Trim the hanging hinge piece and try baking soda in a closed container for days or weeks (depends on how many pages / stamps / albums)or just let them air out. The paper pages might be a lost cause.

See these threads:
https://goscf.com/t/8647&SearchTerm...g,soda,smoke

https://goscf.com/t/11007&SearchTer...g,soda,smoke



This is the place to be! Why dream of stamps when you can see them far away through the magic monitor window?

Oops missed one . . .




A mint stamp with original gum intact is known as
Mint Never Hinged (MNH) (USA) or Unmounted Mint (UM or UMM) (United Kingdom)
Universal symbol = '**'
Possible also is Mint Original Gum (MOG)

A stamp with original gum but hinged is known as
Mint Hinged (MH) (USA) or Mounted Mint (MM) (United Kingdom)
(Possible also MLH Mint Lightly Hinged or MHH for Mint Heavily Hinged)
Universal symbol = '*'

edit: Fixed my mistakes made. Many apologies. Being confused is confusing!

Used universal symbol = 'o' (means cancelled)

Wait, I think I misunderstood. Grading is usually not possible for a stamp with gum removed.

Older US do have such a grade though I believe. Not sure how that works. The beginning pages of Scott's would tell.

I think Puzzler was a bit confused.
So just so Barb doesn't get confused the UK descriptions of Mint Hinged and Mint Never Hinged are in the wrong places !

Quick edit?

Londonbus1...Edit's all the time

Yes, I think most would agree leave as is
(they will be called mint hinged) and try to remove
odour other ways, as suggested.

Condition will always vary on handled stamps
a stamp may be called mint hinged, but under scanning,
may reveal a crease here, a bent perf there, general wear and tear etc.
That would suggest they are not really mint hinged,
but condition varies to the beholder.

If a respected dealer casts an eye over a collection
of stamps they know in a heartbeat, true condition.

Awhile back, I got some stamps from India (early 1900s stuff) that smelled like an ashtray and were hinged with what looked like glued on strips of brown paper. Since they were already used/hinged I went ahead and soaked thim in a bowl of water with a few drops of clear pineapple scented dish soap. Before I dried them, I rinsed them one by one under a slow flowing faucet. It did wonders for their smell and their colors! The original water was brown and disgusting. As a former smoker, this has put me off ever starting again.

Correct me but I think a stamp with a fault can be a mnh, a mh, a mlh or mhh. Grading a stamp is more than the gum condition only. Also if you have to use the scan or the magnifier to detect a fault then it's a small fault or even a very small fault. It has a very limited influence on the grading and on the value.

bfranton
Try the baking soda and if it's not appropriate you can always spray your favorite perfum on them

Hummm ... "Addict" perhaps?

So all the cancelled ones I'll soak and the uncanceled I'll clip the hinge and put in a closed box with baking soda. Thanks...

Let us know the results of the baking soda Please?

In Real estate we used it extensively in musky fridges
in vacated rental properties. Worked wonders.

Rod

This suggestion for removing smoke odor may sound off the wall but it does seem to work. Also works with musty smells. Put the book in question into a sealed plastic container. Expose as much surface area as you can (I have actually interleaved pages with newspaper). the fill the container with crumpled newspaper under the pagfes as well as over. Outsize containers are best because the more surface area there is, the better it works.

Drawbacks - it takes several weeks and with really bad cases you should change the paper. Also you need the cheap newsprint, not the glazed paper that is coming into vogue in some places now. Works on old books with that basement musty smell as well.

I think baking soda works too but for larger articles I tend to use this. And actually, I think you should be able to sprinkle the baking soda on the stamps with no harm though its probably safer to use a container. Expand the surface area with this too and use a saucer rather than a small glass.

Have fun!