Hinging, Mounting, And Mint Stamps.

Someone please tell me it is o.k. to hinge mint stamps. I usually collect used stamps so I don't have to worry. But recently I bought a large lot of foreign stamps, and it turned out that the majority of them are mint. Probably at least 700 of them. I am quite excited about them because alot of them are from countries I don't have any stamps from, and they are newer issues. But the thought of mounting them all has stopped me from putting them in my album. I doubt they are worth a whole lot--I paid something like $4 for all of them; the shipping cost me more than the stamps. But it bothers me to hinge a mint stamp, yet I don't want to have to mount all them. Someone tell me it is o.k. to hinge them.

It is OK to do whatever you want to do with them, however keep in mind that if they have value they will loose most of that if you hinge them. Personally, if I keep in mind that they do not really make good hinges any more I would never do that

Peter

In general, nowadays, hinges are used on used stamps and mounts on mint ones, as hinging sharply decreases their market value. Although, in some case, the cost of the mount is higher tant the value of the stamp. For this reason, I only collect used stamps, but keep any mint one that I might come across on stock books.

Esther ---Hinge them all and don't worry about it . They don't have any premium, it is all the same mint hinged or mint never hinged .
Here are simple rules to follow .....if it catalogs over $10.00 and it is pre-1940 don't hinge it .All 400 million complete sets that have been issued in the past 40 years ,have no extra value as MNH . That is a fancy way for dealers and stockbook manufactors to sell you pages or binders and get a better price .
A lot of people cry when the dealers tell them their mint never hinge stamps get very little extra over hinged mint stamps on album pages .
It is a fact of life in the auction business that used ,mint hinged and mint never hinged get all scrabbled up in the describitions when your stuff is sold .

Keep in mind a Scott mount (hinge less) is $.07. Is it worth it?

What do you mean by "mint"? If they've previously been mounted, there's no issue at all - hinge them. If they haven't, follow floortrader's advice. Cheap stamps will always be cheap stamps.

mint = unmounted mint in this case. This is why I still believe "mint" is a flavor.

Whatever your choice, bear in mind the crucial thing with hinging a stamp,
will be your method.
If you mis hinge, your stamps, they can become virtually damaged, only removable by soaking.

I use a bog standard Prinz hinge, ($4.50 per 1000) use the moisture on my finger from inside my lip, so the gum is barely tacky.
Lick the hinge and it all over, red rover.

The test, and a skill in itself, is to hinge a stamp, then be able to remove it by the slightest pressure from a pair of tongs.
The only evidence, should be a slight change in appearance to the original gum, where the hinge attached.

Takes a bit of confidence and lots of trial and error.

Got 6,000 for £6 and free delivery via Amazon last week!

6000 for $11 Australian that is an absolute bargain Geoff.

Rod - yes, I blinked a few times. Unfortunately, I undercut my saving by blowing some money on a couple of Italian novels for my daughter!

............sounds more like a loving, caring Father to me Geoff.

I almost always put mint stamps no matter the value in mounts. The mount cost is around 4 cents for typical definitive.

I now put used stamps in clear mounts that have been cut in half so open on three sides except for the good ones. You get protection and appearance for around 3 cents per mount. To paraphrase Monty Python, every stamp is sacred.

Esther,

While your stamps are depreciated from hinging, you can save some money by buying mint hinged stamps.

Jack Kelley

Well, thanks for all the advice. I actually thought for the price I was getting used stamps--imagine my surprise when they all where unused, mint stamps all separated out into dealer cards by country...they were cheap--$4 for all of them, at least 700 stamps, if not more. I've always mounted mint stamps and hinged used stamps, but there are just so many of these mounting them sort of overwhelms me, and I was considering, with how little I paid for them, hinging them, but was feeling guilty for having that thought. They are from so many different countries--over a hundred different countries--and so many different sizes, that getting mounts to fit each size is a little overwhelming as well.

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