Why Is A Used Stamp More Expensive Than A Mint One?

I noticed that on some issues of Palestine the used version in the Scott catalog has a higher price than a mint stamp.

For example #14 is $16 mint and $20 used, #25 is $30 mint and $50 used.

Under what circumstances is a used stamp worth more in the marketplace? Are there a lot of examples of this?

Thanks

It can happen if there are more mint stamps than used ones around, especially regarding a small country.

Yes, there are quite a lot of examples of this. Some stamps have just not been used as much as others is basically the main reason. A ;ot of times a stamp that is still on the cover is worth much more than it's mint or non-attached counterpart. Of course the stamp has to be actually used; philatelic make-work is usually not that sought after!

Peter

Could be any number of reasons, but it usually relates to the relative scarcity of the two types of stamp. Many stamps may have been printed (often exceeding postal demand), but few could have been genuinely postally used, hence the used stamps command a higher market price than the mint ones. There are many examples of this, and it is often exploited by unscrupulous dealers as it is very easy to fake a postmark and create a "used" stamp. In situations where there is a major differential between the mint and the used, it is always recommended to buy from a reputable dealer and get the stamp expertised (maybe even before buying if you are shelling out a lot of money).

Also, you have to be careful about the difference between cancelled to order, or CTO (remainders cancelled for the timbrology market) and those which are genuinely postally used. These are usually worth significantly less than genuinely postally used stamps of the same variety. Of the countries I collect, Mongolia, Tuva, some higher values of British South Africa Company and Yemen come to mind for CTO. I can't remember the thread detail but this has been discussed here in the last couple of months or so.

HTH, Tim H

US 90c 1860, Scott #39 is a good example of this.

Most used copies are faulty, and most cancelled stamps have fake cancellations.

This phenomenon isn't uncommon among the Indian States that I collect. Generally speaking, the stamps issued by the States were valid only within the borders of the States. Combined with low rates of literacy, you had the recipe for low rates of usage of the stamps.

Mint copies could be relatively easy to come by: the dealers would be able to buy them from the State post offices. This 1931 1 Anna rose-carmine of Barwani State



is priced at £18 mint in Gibbons - but at £65 used, and £195 on cover. There were no stamp dealers living in Barwani.

Some of the States woke up to this. In Sirmoor State, the State postmen were under instructions to recover the stamps from all mail they delivered. As a consequence, used stamps of Sirmoor are quite common - even though Sirmoor was not a large or important State.

I have no proof, but I suspect the same system applied in Jind State. Used copies of this 1882 ½ Anna lemon on thin wove



are cheaper than mint (£3.50 for mint against £2.50 for used), but I wouldn't accept £500 for this cover with the stamp



In 1931, Charkhari State released a set of nine pictorials, ranging in face value from ½ Anna (the basic letter rate) to 5 Rupees (180 times the letter rate, and quite useless as a postage stamp). The set was dumped on the market CTO



and Gibbons still price the whole set used at just £2. Charkhari fairly quickly withdrew the stamps and replaced them with much less colourful items. However, genuine usages of the pictorial set are very scarce, and covers



even more so. Even fairly humdrum genuine covers from Charkhari aren't at all common, of course. This ½ Anna red-brown of 1940 rates £6.50 mint and £30 used



- and £90 on cover.

There are huge swaths of Germany and related areas that are worth more used than mint. Many stamps were only valid for postal use during a short (and often chaotic) period of time, making genuinely used stamps difficult to find. There are some German stamps that are worth less than a dollar in mint condition, but are worth several hundred dollars or more for a used one. Of course, fraudulent cancellations are common. Seeing such stamps on ebay, I automatically assume the cancellations are fraudulent, which is probably a correct assumption in most circumstances.

For any stamp worth more used than mint, a clearly readable, in-period cancellation is a requirement for actually having that higher value. If it can't be proven that the cancellation is genuine (to a reasonable doubt), the assumption will probably be that the cancellation is fraudulent and the stamp will likely sell in the same price range as mint stamps.

In some circumstances, the used stamps (particularly on cover) are worth more because it proves they actually saw postal use during some crucial times in history. Many mint stamps from such eras (wars, revolutions, other upheavals) were probably never removed from their crates until some years later when stamp dealers bought them up after they were no longer valid for postage. This drastically reduces their value as a historical keepsake.

Every used stamp is unique and fulfills the purpose of the stamp. Each one is a little piece of history. Millions of stamps might have been printed, but the ones that someone actually bought and sent through the postal system with cancelled with a cancel from the time it was issued is so much more interesting. I would much rather have a used stamp than a mint.

Stamps which were issued where a rate change occurred and the remaining unused stamps were either destroyed or removed from sale is one reason why the value is higher for some used examples. The stamp was available for use a short period of time and there are simply less used examples vrs, unused examples. As mentioned above, you must be carfeful when adding these to your collection as there are many fakes and for the obvious reasons, you should always get it expertized.