Does Hinging Used Stamps Destroy Their Value?

I have over 500 used Canada stamps on paper that I would like to present in my hinged album. These are mostly mid value used stamps so not low value but not high value either. I am concerned that hinging the stamps will destroy their value, and I would like to avoid that, but the other options I have considered are undesirable to me either because they are too costly (mounting) or ugly (hinging the paper) to the album.

Is it really that big of a deal to hinge used stamps? How much value is actually lost?

You cannot damage the gum of a used stamp. So there should be no loss of value from damaging full original gum.

As long as you use good quality hinges and apply them properly, hinging does not affect the value of a used stamp.

NSK,

Are you implying that hinged used stamps would sell for the same or close to the same as non-hinged used stamps?

If this is the case I am relieved, but I am doubtful.

If you look at catalogue listings, you will find that prices are quated for unused never hinged and hinged stamps (before ca. 1940; after that an introductory note tends to state there is a discount when hinged). You will not find it for used stamps. The reason is that used stamps have already been attached to something.

Now, there always is the consideration of damage to the stamp. Good quality hinges correctly applied will not damage the stamp and thus not affect the value.

edit:
One point about value: If everyone agrees the hinge does not matter but you do, you conceive a lower value. Just do not do what you do not like to do even if every other collector would not have a problem with that.

No --you don't damage a used stamp . Be sure you use good quality hinges . I will use a hinge up to about $50.00 catalog not willing to chance it on better used.

Auction houses will only mention it if it is a old made of steel hinge . Bad hinges can thin a stamp ,so care needs to be taken .

I have Dennisen hinges that I intend to use.

I will go ahead and soak them and hinge them then.

If I want to remove the stamps from the album at a later date, is it easy to remove the hinges from the stamps? Will a mark be left on the stamp?

Do you mean DennisOn or DennisEn? The first are the desirable ones. If you're anxious about removing any hinge from any used stamp, just soak it (unless it's one of the relatively few stamps with fugitive ink).

My two cents:

When I collect single a single Country, US or Canada as examples, I generally have many early/classic period used stamps because a) mint stamps are hard to find and b) mint stamps can be much more expensive (out of budget). Does that mean that I mount used stamps differently than mint stamps? Of course not. Why would I entrust a flimsy piece of glassine that may adhere to the stamp in a bad way to hold a $100 (or more) stamp in place and offer no physical protection to boot. Mounts are cheap relative to the value of many medium to high value stamps. Hinges can be a false economy unless you are sticking thousands of minimum value stamps into a WW album.

Geoffha, unfortunately the latter, but they have kept my stamps in place so far. Why are these ones undesirable?

Your earlier post related to relatively recent self-adhesive stamps that often don't soak off paper like older stamps did. Are those the stamps you're wondering about here?

Cjd,

These are newly acquired ones, not the same as before, but yes, most are self-adhesive.

Jorsian, you may or not care about aesthetics, but I find that mounts with a black background tend to make the stamps "pop" a bit more and add a bit more to my albums in terms of looks. Some people prefer clear mounts as well; purely preference. As Rogdcam mentioned, you also get some protection from a random scrape (but not a spilled glass of water!)

Purely up to you what you want to do; but something to consider. Good luck with whatever you decide; as long as you are happy with the results, that's all that matters.

I'd like to know what a hinged album is. Do you mean an album that already has hinged stamps in it? Are the pages printed single-sided, or double-sided? If double-sided, glassine or acetate interleaving is important, regardless of whether hinges or mounts are used.




No, it isn't - collectors have been doing it for many, many years. If hinged correctly, no value will be lost. As mentioned previously, many collectors use a value-threshold to determine which stamp will receive a mount, and which will receive a hinge.

John

Jorsian - I don't use either, but US collectors prefer vintage DennisOn hinges for their peelability. As I understand it, DennisEn are a more recent production that, like most current hinges, are much more difficult to peel unless carefully applied.

In terms of aesthetics, my view is that hinged used stamps look much better on the page than those housed in mounts, but everyone has their own preference.

Use great caution if you hinge CTO or courtesy cancel items that still have full gum. I'm working on a "used" Faroes collection right now that had several stamps stuck down because the moisture from licking the hinge wet the gum on the stamp. I didn't want to destroy a good Lighthouse album to rescue a few stamps, so despite extreme care, I ended up with a few thinned stamps.

johnsim03,

I was referring to the album I am currently working on which has all the stamps hinged. I'm using double-sided regular printer paper for the album. It's my first stamp album and I'm considering it a learning experience rather than an exercise in perfection.

It seems that putting together an album requires more considerations than I had anticipated. For the time being I think I will store my stamps in stock pages and migrate them to albums when I feel ready. Stock pages remove a lot of the anxiety I'm currently facing. They will keep my stamps crisp, easily transferrable and are cost effective. I do enjoy the idea of albums but I don't want to make newbie mistakes that diminish the value of my stamps.