Used Old German Stamps Worth More Than Mint?

I need one of you philatelists to let me know why the postmarked German stamps are worth far more than the unused ones.
I thought at first the catalog had it backwards for that section for stamps from the 20's until I went to Hipstamp and saw a used 282 priced at $10 and another one $18 when the MNH were going for pennies.
Now I have to go back an look at the used ones.
Here's a couple I think might be interesting. I cannot identify the overprint "X 10"on the second one if you could help with that too.
Thanks
Steve

Hi.
Your second stamp is Michel#437 (Scott#218,I think) from German Democratic Republic

Your second stamp was issued in 1954, on October 1. It is part of a set of 9 stamps that were all overprinted with a new value.
On your first stamp - sometimes a stamp has not been used very much and that explains it's higher value. I have no idea why your stamp is more expensive used

Peter

First of all, Scott #282 is priced much higher used because nearly all of the inflation issues of the period were used for a short time, often only days. Many sheets of mint were kept and are common even as sheets. The Scott price also reflects German prices, which are based on readable cancels with clear dates and expertised for the most part.

For Germany and other countries as well with pricing higher for used vs. mint, the used price is for postally used stamps, not cancelled-to-order or favor cancelled.

You cannot extend this extreme pricing scheme to pre-WWII German stamps in general. The catalog price is just slightly higher for your Hindenburg stamp because it probably is based again on German prices for stamps in the preferred cancel style by German collectors. You also cannot base a normal price range for a stamp based on what one seller thinks it is worth.

For Germany stamps where the used price is much higher than the unused price, the Michel catalog usually specifies that the used stamps must be BPP expertized. That is, the stamps must bear the mark of a Bund Deutscher Philatelisten expertizer for that area or period.

Cool. This get's pretty deep. I see why they would want to verify. This period is what I am working on tonight.
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?key...&parent_id=0
is another example of what I was talking about. This is a 302.

My thoughts:

The first stamp might be the Michel 488 with the higher catalogue value as decribed.

The 488 had the watermark number 2(wavy lines touching, sorry do not know the better description)and was produced/sold roughly from aug 1933 till april 1934. The series/stamp was then replaced by the series with watermark 3(swastikas).

Short period of use, mostly for 2nd or 3rd postal rate, so this might explain the higher catalogue value. Inflation has no influence that was 10 years earlier.

The 488 could be used untill 1945.

Check the watermark.

Concerning the second stamp, to my opinion this is CTO(canceled to order). The unreadable postmark on the corner is a clear indication. As such very low value.

Kind regards,

Johan.

According to Michel catalog the second stamp is valuable only with watermark 2Y (posthorn in vertical position).
With watermark 2X (posthorn in horizontal position) its price is low,even when postally used.