Mh/Mnh Question For Late 19th C.

What is the "rule of thumb" [price guide) for MH or MNH for early 20th Century stamps that are not super rare?

I will take a random example from Scott: Scott #232. Used VF lists at $15. Unused OG at $55. And it's at $160 for MNH. WOW - That Hinge removed $115 from the stamp's value.....

My question is: What is a price window for unused examples? Can I get unused examples for 10% or 20% or do I need to count on 50% or more of catalog value? (Once again, for relatively "common" stamps for that era).

Sorry about the question. Since I'm talking "popular". low cost 19th century issues, there sin't much on HA or other auction sites to compare.

Just impatient and I'm also guessing someone has done the research or can point me in the right direction. This forum has been so incredible.....

Last time someone asked for a "rule of thumb" and I replied with my observations, I almost had my thumb cut off.

However, if you look at the Scott catalog prices for early 20th Century US stamps, you will see the hinged price is typically 30%-40% of the never hinged price. So dare I say, 1/3 is the simple math way of getting a ballpark figure. And that is only a reference figure, not a buy/sell litmus test. Condition/grade/seller will make a huge difference; ESPECIALLY seller.

Needless to say, the more patient buyer is far more likely to get a better price.

Excuse me while I go put on my metal gloves...

Also, the "no gum" stamps typically catalog at 10%-15% of hinged stamps. So you can see the danger/temptation of "regummed" stamps. It's a far more serious problem then people realize. And yes, some people will put fake "lightly hinged" marks on regummed stamps to throw you off.

khj, thanks for that! Keep your fingers at home! I've got your back!

As you correctly state, the NG status can greatly influence value.

I sent this request out to you guys in the hopes that I won't get hosed if I buy a few "classic mint" stamps here or there.

This whole thing came about when I realized that several pre-Scott #500 issues have very similar Used/Unused prices.

The only reliable way to determine original gum from regummed is taste.

It might be worth taking a look at the breadth of examples offered, and prices asked, on StampWants/bidstart, for the example you cite (#232). There are a few hundred of them, in all sorts of conditions and grades.

These are asking prices, not necessarily selling prices, but there are some significant discounts off of CV. Patient searchers and auction bidders can do even better.

If you set your personal goal at 25% or 30% of CV, I think you could track down some pretty nice copies of very many of the "popular" classics. If you held out for only paying 10% of CV, you might have to settle for some small faults.

If I'm off the mark I have no doubt we'll find out soon enough.

Personally, I think the desire for MNH is crazy. Most stamps that have been in old collections were hinged, so where are all these MNH classics coming from? I am sure there have been so many victims of the regummers, who must be rubbing their hands with glee at the current extreme prices for MNH.

My main collection is Indian Native States, and most of the earlier issues didn't have gum in the first place, so I don't need to worry. Of the later issues, obviously I now wouldn't put a hinge on a previously MNH stamp, but I wouldn't seek out MNH copies and wouldn't pay the premium prices.

Also, I am sure I read something years ago about gum being harmful to the paper long-term, and reference collections actually removing the gum from their stamps to enhance the conservation of the stamps.

They will, of course, all crumble to dust eventually, as will we all, but then maybe that's getting a bit too morbid!

Can you be more specific? Is it an aged flavor, for example, and can that flavor be simulated in regummed stamps, in essence creating a counterfeit flavor?

My sentiments, exactly.

If you want to invest in a fad that turned into a trend and has managed to hold its own for some 45 years, by all means pay the premium for MNH. But if you are collecting for enjoyment, it's hard to reconcile the premiums charged for MNH unless you're a philatelic masochist!




I've heard this, too, and have had experiences with brittle, crumbling, 19th century MNH stamps breaking apart before my eyes.

- completely

Just ask yourself: 100 - 120 years ago, how many collectors bought blocks of four, and carefully hinged only one or two of the stamps? Big dealers would have bought sheets of new issues, but how many of those sheets survived? It's just crazy to demand unhinged from that era. Crazy, and providing a nice living for the regummers

Where did I put my cleaver?




This is true under certain circumstances. Some WW2 Germany for example. They have a VERY high Sulphuric Acid Content and WILL destroy the stamps.

Very interesting. Like most stamp collectors I look in catalogue (Scott, Fischer, Domfil (a 2006 but now out off business)) to give me an idea of what is the value of the stamp. I know what percentage of Scott my stamp dealer pay. If I call him and he has a costumer for what I have to sell, he can pay more than double what he would have give me normally. This premium I get when i'm lucky and it has nothing to do with Scott. So in the end for me the real value of a stamp or a collection is what I get when I sell it. But it's true when you sell a collection you better have a detail estimate of it. Daniel

It really starts with the aroma, or bouquet. There is a fine, subtle difference comparing a classic gum flavor to a more recent regum. Probably, it has something to do with what they fed the horses back then, before sending them to the glue factory: Grains were richer in the 19th Century, the air cleaner, the water more pure. The gum flavor has a subtle effect on the palate initially, building towards a richer body with an oak presence and perhaps a hint of cedar, cherry-wood, or alder (depending somewhat on how the stamps were stored). The finish is clean and less "medicinal." I find that they serve well with a deep zinfandel and some aged gorgonzola. All but the most refined modern regums have a distinct chemically taste and a saccharine hollowness...

Well thank you. In other words it's like the difference between a fine old wine and Ripple. I will keep this in mind the next time I do a taste test on a late 19th century never hinged stamp.

Was hoping someone would go there...

Gaff, take a Porto on me!