Mng Vs. Used - Why Is It Considered Mint?

My apologies for the confusing Subject line for this post.

If a stamp is known to not be a NGAI, and is listed as a MNG - why would it be considered Mint?

What if it was used, but was not cancelled?

How can anyone be certain of such?

I have always considered such a stamp as used when determining its CV.

What is your take on this and why?

I am curious to read what others think on this issue.

Regards,
Stampalotapus

Stampalotapus, I am not familiar with the abbreviations NGAI on MNG. Can you elaborate?

Peter

No gum as issued.

Mint no gum

Yes, thank you redwoodrandy.

Regards,
Stampalotapus

I'm confused again. (What else is new?)

Can you ask the question in a different way?

In the old days mint meant post office fresh. Unused meant no gum. Now unused can be hinged,disturbed gum or no gum. Just bring up mint on ebay and see what mint really means today. Means nothing. Must be stated MNH,MH,MNG etc.

Depending on the stamp (value) I would consider MNG (mint no gum) as used or if having some value then somewhere between mint and used.

Scott does list MNG a little above used but I just glanced at the listings so I maybe I am off. Please enlighten. I have not yet paid much interest in MNG.

The term "Mint" was borrowed from coins. I suppose that "mint never hinged" is acceptable terminology. Stamps issued without gum like the Official Special printings or the Farley imperforates can be described as NGAI (no gum as issued). Use of the phrase "mint no gum", besides having no meaning is a red flag, suggesting that the seller is not really a philatelist. The term "mint" should be reserved for stamps with full original gum or possibly NGAI. It should not be used in connection with hinged or stamps with no gum or part original gum. It should never be used in connection with regummed stamps either. Some dealers also try to pull the wool over collector's eyes by using the term "unused" to mean unused without gum. I suppose we will always have some ebay sellers with descriptions like "mint no glue".

Successful stamp dealers try make enough money selling stamps to collectors to offset losses selling to philatelists. In this hobby knowledge is king. Displaying lack of knowledge by using terms like "mint no gum" should be avoided.

Clark

There are some collectors (like myself) whom are less discriminating
when it comes to MNG's... some of my finest classics are MNG... and,
budgetwise, would be difficult to obtain reasonably with gum...

If you have any classics which are MNG which you would like to sell,
I, personally, would be interested in viewing your scans...

"Unused" to mean a stamp without gum has been used for many decades. No one is trying to pull any wool, that is exactly what the term means. NGAI has also been around for decades, those stamps are also usually called unused.

I'm old fashioned and still use the terms I learned as a kid. Mint = post office fresh, original gum (if issued with gum), never hinged. Mint hinged = Mint, but has been hinged. Unused = no gum or disturbed gum. Used = cancelled. In my opinion, anything else is an attempt to gild the lily and pure puffery.

I wonder if some unused/MNG stamps, were created by being mounted in albums pre hinge era? Then at a later date, they are soaked off the pages. Thus the gum of a never used stamp is disturbed or even gone completely.

Certainly, that is sometimes the case. Sometimes it is climate driven. The point is, you cannot know. Maybe it was a skip?

There is no rule of thumb that is generally applicable for how to value "no gum" stamps (except for those who say, "that's easy, no value").

Scott Classic occasionally lists a value for MNG, just as they occasionally list a value for a revenue cancel. Generally speaking, MNG is not equivalent to genuinely (provably) used.

I, too, have some classics without gum, but I would not generally pay more than a few percent of CV for one...maybe 5%?. Of course, that depends.

One other thought is that "no gum" hides a multitude of sins. Faked overprints, reperfs, and other tomfoolery are easier without gum, so if you are considering a "no gum" stamp with any valuable characteristic, you should be on high alert.

My 2d. (NGAI)

jarnick for president!

You are just being elitist.

I don't like the term; I don't use the term*; the fact of the matter is, when someone says MNG, I know exactly what they mean. Is it an oxymoron? Many, perhaps most, don't care. As a phrase, it probably works, and it is tilting at windmills to try to make it go away.

That's my (unhinged) opinion.

*Cue the researcher who finds the post from 2011 where I used the term.

It all depends. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Indian State of Cochin issued some stamps with gum, some without, and some both with and without gum. Knowing which is which can be very rewarding.