Never Hinged In Nearly Two Centuries

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NobleSpiri...AOSwtOdavRqb

How on earth can anyone tell this stamp has never been hinged? The expertiser has a good reputation but I still just do not get it. Unless it has been sealed away somewhere I'm not buying it. I'm not buying it anyway but you know what I mean..

The certificate does not state that the stamp is MNH. As usual Noble Spirit has made a "mistake". The cert states that there is part original gum. The scan does clearly show partial gum and a large mark from a glassine hinge.

I agree, the cert doesn't say anything about hinge status.
I'm not sure why, actually - the stamp does appear previously hinged.

They just couldn't help themselves. The right thing would have been to let the certificate do the talking, as far as condition goes.

For comparison

https://www.warwickandwarwick.com/a...hived/168301

Made £1,350.

In all fairness to the seller, it would have been better had the cert clearly stated either "never hinged" or "previously hinged" rather than leaving it unsaid, thus allowing people to make assumptions.

That said, this seller is one of ebay's worst offenders when it comes to over-the-top claims and misrepresentations.

"part original gum" tells you it is not NH

Not necessarily. There may be reasons the gum is no longer full gum other than hinging.

"Never hinged" implies full original gum. When the seller description is incomplete or inaccurate, buyers should assume the worst. Also, expertizers who use the term "mint" for anything other than "full original gum", are giving incompetent or dishonest dealers a foothold for obfuscating descriptions. Pay close attention to the gum description section in the Scott catalog. Descriptions like "mint no glue" are obviously bad, but so is "mint no gum". Stamps were printed, not minted.

I don't have a Gibbons catalog but it does not appear that they value the GB1 in NH condition at all, so the seller trying to place dollar amount on NH is, in itself, misleading. I base this fromhttps://www.stanleygibbons.com/blog...d-value-gum/ Gibbons website:

"The Great Britain Concise catalogue gives both mounted and unmounted prices for all stamps issued between 1887 and 1935"

"Gum

This would seem to be a relatively easy one – after all it says in the catalogue- 'The prices for unused stamps of Queen Victoria to King George V are for lightly hinged examples".

"Heavier hinging is acceptable for stamps issued before around 1890 but the majority of the gum should be clear and 'unblemished'. If the stamp has been mounted on a number of occasions or if there is a heavy hinge still attached, the price would drop to about half catalogue and from there on would decline fairly rapidly"

I agree with you that the seller overstepped by claiming NH. I see the hinge mark also. But at least you have to congratulate them for showing three scans. It does allow the buyer to "inspect" the stamp. Too many sellers on ebay just show you the image of the front of the stamp and leave you to wonder what it looks like.