Mng Vs. Used - Why Is It Considered Mint?

I believe I read somewhere that years ago collectors used to soak the gum off mint stamps so that they would not stick together or to the pages in their albums. High humidity, no AC could lead to a rather sticky situation.

Seems foolish by today's standards, but makes sense. They would of had no idea the value could be as great as some classic items with gum are today.

The postal clerks seemed to have been bent on using a heavy cancel so stamps wouldn't be reused, that this makes sense to me rather than an item was just not cancelled through the mail.

I suppose I must not be getting it. If a stamp is issued without gum, then you can't expect gum on it. It still is mint as issued by the post office. What am I not getting from the discussion?

Such a stamp is best described as mint, no gum as issued (NGAI).

The problem area is when people use MNG to refer to stamps originally issued with gum. If they were issued with gum, and no longer have it, then they are not mint. They may be unused, but they are not mint. Unused, no gum is correct to describe them. For these stamps, MNG is puffery intended to convey that the stamp should be valued as mint ... Which it cannot be. It is not elitist to use these terms this way, it is more precise. Both jarnick and Clark have it right.

So based on the what I read above, I am safe to say that my original opinion of considering "MNG" (or un-cancelled stamps with no gum evident) that are known never to have been issued as "NGAI", can be considered as "Used" when assessing for CV.

Regards,
Stampalotapus

Definitely not. One might sell for around the price of a given used stamp, but that would be a coincidence. They aren't mint and they aren't used. Like Aesop's bat that was neither bird nor beast, they have no (okay, few) friends.

For very common stamps MNG at used pricing may be close. But just look at MNG U.S. classic/early stamps and world classic stamps the pricing is higher sometimes much higher than used. I would say that you cannot equate MNG with used unconditionally.

As an example, an old Scott I have at the office lists US#178 at $450.00 Mint, $12.50 used, $180.00 no gum. I don't suspect many people are actually paying that for a NG stamp, but that's what Scott says for CV.

I digress, then some stamps dependent upon era, rarity, etc. can be assessed with a higher CV if "MNG" condition above that of "Used".

It seems I have some CV's to reassess.

Regards,
Stampalotapus

The Scott Classic Specialized worldwide 1840-1940 catalogue also sometimes gives no gum catalogue values distinct from mint and from used. See the early Belgium issues, for instance. There are simply some countries where unused stamps with original gum are very uncommon and unused with no gum are much more common. They have thus been collected as alternatives to pursuing mog copies and have created a market niche for themselves, as it were. At least that is my construal.

I have the 2013 edition of Scott Classic Specialized Worldwide 1840-1940 Catalogue and will have to look through it.

I'm sure that there are many other countries that may have this same circumstance as well.

It's just that I have always considered such "MNG" as being "Used" when assessing CV - It's a good thing I asked about this in my OP.

Regards,
Stampalotapus

It's selective--for Belgium, based on a quick glance, it's only for nos. 1-36 that no gum values are given. US seem to go to about no. 278 (the US Specialized may go farther, I didn't check). For France, Germany, Great Britain, there are no no gum prices. Among the German States, Baden has ng prices but not Bavaria--I didn't check the rest. It's very scattered but I do know I saw ng prices elsewhere, I just don't know where.

The info I just gave is from the Scott Classic Specialized 2012. It's possible that they have expanded ng listings in later editions.

I have no intentions of selling anything in my collection so I don't have to worry about it. I'm sure it will go in the trash when I pass away. While here I enjoy them everyday.

One day the government will consider the gum a hazardous material and all stamps will be gathered and destroyed. I say this in jest of course but I've seen crazier things.

Mint no gum or not mint no gum?

Just received 4.5kg of kiloware on paper and not one stamp has a cancel.

That is roughly 22,000 stamps 50c & 55c + high values.

Face Value approx $11,000.

It is the strangest lot of kiloware I have received.

Nothing even comes close to this lot.