Used, Full Original Gum, Never Hinged

I've seen quiet a few precancels offered for sale, but when I look at the dealers description, they say they are used, but with full original gum, never hinged stamps. I am confused - how can this be ? I know that only "authorized mailers" can use precanceled stamps and I know that anybody nowadays can buy the stamps, but if an authorized mailer didn't use the stamps on some sort of mailing and they have never been through the mail, how can a dealer describe a stamp as "full original gum, never hinged, "used" ? How can someone legally "use" a stamp that is already "used" ? Can an "authorized mailer" "use" a stamp over and over again ? What would stop them ?

The pre-cancellation of itself renders the stamp "used". I don't know about US stamps, but French pre-cancels are usually catalogued with or without gum. I don't bother collecting both myself.

Because that's how a regular catalog lists them. Even with OG NH they wouldn't be classified as Mint OG NH because of the (pre-)cancel, so therefore they are described as Used OG NH. it is up to the collector to decide if they want the stamp anyway even if it didn't serve any postal purpose. For me, OG is a detriment on a precancel (except postage due where they might have been paid for and used in complete sheets or large blocks).



They can't.



No.



The contract they signed to become an "authorized mailer". To re-use previously used stamps would be a violation of the contract (and the law) so they would lose their mailing permit if caught.
Philatelic authorized mailers must use their best judgement to only use OG never-before-used precancels and not No Gum copies or soaked off envelopes.

" Even with OG NH they wouldn't be classified as Mint OG NH because of the (pre-)cancel, so therefore they are described as Used OG NH." Why wouldn't the be considered "mint" ? The Bureau of Engraving and Printing overprinted the stamps as just another step in the production of those stamps - just as they did with the "Hawaii", "Molly Pitcher" and the "Kansas/Nebraska" overprints - what's the difference ? Have they been "used" even before they were shipped from the BEP ? For me, I'm leaning on describing them this way : "used precancel" (no gum or on cover; OR "precanceled unused" (with original gum, hinged or never hinged) . . .

An "overprint" or "surcharge" is in a different philatelic category to a pre-cancel, which automatically becomes used when the pre-cancel is applied. The Kansas-Nebraska etc became used a cancellation was applied.

For the specialists, it sounds like the French catalogs did it right. Separate listings (prices) for:
* Mint
* Used
* Unused Precanceled (with gum)
* Used Precanceled (without gum)

Mint and precanceled (with gum) are completely different things to a typical collector, even if both are still as post office fresh as the day they left the BEP and were never used on any mail.

Are there any Mint US or OG NH collectors who would be equally satisfied with an OG NH precancel in their mint collection versus the same unused (non-precanceled) stamp?

The OG NH precancel may be just as scarce (or more so) than the same unused (non-precanceled) stamp, but valuation is mostly about supply and demand, and there is limited demand for the OG NH precancel.

There is at least one seller on Hipstamp who offers huge amounts of "MNH full original gum CTO" material. I think this is meant to spam searches that call out MNH. Hey, ya never know, right?

CTO material is cancelled to order prior to sale over the counter AND have no postal validity if applied to a piece of mail matter..

Precanceled stamps are sold over the counter and still retain postal validity w henbeing used in the manner of restricted use, if any, by a postal patron. Usually precancel use requires a permit, "precancel permit" to use them. But are precanceled stamps which were sold to the general public such that when they mail an item with such stamp(s) the item would not need to pass through a cancelling machine upon entering into the mail stream. In the USA there are a number of generally sold precanceled Christmas stamps, which can just precanceled or as both precanceled and not precanceled..You will find the same in postal stationary.

ZebraMan, Yes there are those of us who collect OG, NH precancels. Since they were produced by the BEP, I actually classify them as face different varieties - counting the "Nationals", I have over 440 different OG, NH "Bureau precancels" in my collection of the Americana Series alone . . . I t DOES seem like the French catalogs have it "right" - by the way, what are their names? I'd like to get one . . .

The French-language catalogues are produced by Yvert et Tellier and Maury. The latter is now published by Spink, and, if you want a France catalogue, is the one to get. You can find them in Amazon and elsewhere.

GeoffHa, Thank you ! Here is a page of some of my OG, NH "Americana's" I made many years ago, and it's still not finished :

What is your opinion about whether CTO stamps can be called "MNH?"

Didn't gum-loving German collectors have a preference for full gum on their CTOs?

To me, CTO means that they were produced to make money, not to show postal authorities that proper postal fees have been rendered. Many of the entities that produced them actually properly sold and used some stamps and at the same time actually printed "cancellations" on no telling how many of the same and sold them to dealers at a tiny fraction of "face value"; more often than not, making them more money than those that were actually sold for postal uses. CTO's were never meant to be postally used. WAY too many "stamps" of a design never saw any use other than as a CTO - never seeing a postal facility. To me, they are just "stickers" - at best a "space filler". Sorry if that offends anyone. As it may pertain to "precancels", I can't use any CTO as postage, but If I obtained a "precancel mailer's permit", I could use precancels on my mailings - as long as the proper rates were paid.

I define CTO as a stamp with a cancellation but full gum indicating it has never been used. If I saw a dealer offering used full original gum I would suspect he was trying to deceive people.

CTOs were very popular with the 'socialist' countries. Many of such European countries seized the opportunity to add to their reserves of Deutsche Marke by selling stamps to 'western' collectors. They sold them cancelled. Unless you visited the country or corresponded with locals, this was the only way to fill those spaces in your collection. After 1989 and the re-opening of borders, many stamps that without cancels came to the market.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man serviced standing orders for CTO stamps.

The CTOs of those 'socialist' issues, although often having a propagandistic element, are incomparable to most of today's thematic stickers. They did see use in the issuing countries. If the modern stickers are not outright fakes that have never been authorised by postal authorities, they, mostly, have never been meeting a local demand for stamps (like nude paintings issued by emirates).