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General Philatelic/Gen. Discussion : Mint or Unused?

 

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carlberky
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20 Dec 2016
02:40:05pm
Over the course of many years, that discussion must have come up here many times, but it's a slow afternoon, so ... here goes.

I personally feel that if it has been hinged, it is unused and no longer mint. It takes 'PO fresh' for me to call a stamp Mint.

What do you think?


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copy55555
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20 Dec 2016
03:31:56pm
re: Mint or Unused?

Yup.


Tad

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joshtanski
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20 Dec 2016
03:59:20pm
re: Mint or Unused?

I think it does not matter what I think. I agree, in my mind mint should imply PO fresh and never hinged, but realistically when buying stamps, if the seller just says mint I have to assume hinged. If I want otherwise I need to see MNH, MUH, etc explicitly stated (or be able to inspect in person).

Same as used - I prefer postally used, but just "used" does not always mean that, can mean cancelled, CTO, soaked off a FDC, etc.

Josh

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simothecat

20 Dec 2016
04:51:59pm
re: Mint or Unused?

Not for me.

Mint means unused. So never hinged, hinged, part gum, no gum, torn, coffee spilled on, etc. are all mint.

Why else would we have terms describing the different degrees of mint? (Just like we have different terms describing the different degrees of used.)


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StampCollector
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20 Dec 2016
04:53:35pm
re: Mint or Unused?

I guess that we all have our own opinion, me personally I feel that a mint stamp is that, mint, never heard of the PO issuing stamps with hinge marks in the back. It is either M or MH, everything else is a redundancy MNH, MLH, MVLH, MHH and so on.
Used, to me it is an stamp that has served the purpose for what it was intended for, never will l consider a CTO used stamp since it approaches the mint description more than anything else.

Merry Christmas!!

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ChrisW
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APS# 175366

20 Dec 2016
07:14:04pm
re: Mint or Unused?

I believe the term "mint" comes from the coin collecting world. A "mint" is the place where they make the coins. So a mint coin is one that is the way it came from the mint. Thus, a mint stamp is as it is coming right off the printing press (or post office fresh).

If there's a hinge, or the gum has been soaked off, etc. then it is no longer mint...but it is still unused.Cool

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AntoniusRa
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The truth is within and only you can reveal it

20 Dec 2016
07:27:30pm
re: Mint or Unused?

I prefer the following terms:
Unused= no gum
Mint= with gum. Description should also include one of the below.
VLH = very lightly hinged, very faint hinge mark appears nearly NH
LH= easily seen trace of hinging, no remnant
H= hinged, part of hinge remaining
HH= multiple hinge remnants
NH= no trace of hinging or other defects, Post fresh

Hinge thins are a separate issue. They should be described for size and depth

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amsd
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Editor, Seal News; contributor, JuicyHeads

20 Dec 2016
08:12:17pm

Auctions
re: Mint or Unused?

ah, nomenclature

in philately, it obviously has no place for we cannot even agree on what to call a stamp's backside


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lemaven
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20 Dec 2016
10:36:41pm
re: Mint or Unused?

I'm with Mitchell on this.

Using the nomenclature ... Mint = Not Used Postally or CTO ... then adding the additional initials to further clarify is descriptive, accurate and simple. The only deviation from this is my personal preference for adding ... NG = No Gum but I could live with "Unused" interchangeably.


Dave.

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angore
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Collector, Moderator

21 Dec 2016
05:56:33am
re: Mint or Unused?

I prefer Mint meaning as issued. Now I would consider Unused, never hinged to be synonymous for consistency of definition.

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carlberky
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21 Dec 2016
07:38:44am
re: Mint or Unused?

If I'm offering a stamp that has no gum, I consider it to have been soaked to remove hinge residue. It gets a simple 'Unused, no gum' description.

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"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."
HungaryForStamps
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21 Dec 2016
10:03:26am
re: Mint or Unused?

Mint is merely a superclass of MNH, MH and all other mint varieties. If you are purchasing a "mint" stamp you need to find out whether hinged, unhinged, and the state of the gum. Of course all language depends on its acceptance and usage. I believe the above is the accepted usage of the term(s) by most dealers.

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carlberky
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21 Dec 2016
03:42:16pm
re: Mint or Unused?

Mint is merely a superclass of MNH, MH and all other mint varieties.

In my simplistic world, there are no varieties of mint. There are many varieties of unused.

I specialize in pre-1920 US stamps at my EBay store. ALL are labeled unused. If I had a truly mint stamp, I'd probably offer it at an auction house.


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"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."
carabop

23 Dec 2016
06:19:47pm
re: Mint or Unused?

The thing that bugs me the most about mint or unused is when people classify an unused stamp that has no gum as a mint stamp. To me that is not a mint stamp at all, it would be unused.

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ikeyPikey
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24 Dec 2016
10:53:30am
re: Mint or Unused?

In The Good Old Days, postal clerks would fold one row of a sheet of stamps, fold it back again, and tear-off that row.

When a stamp from that sheet has a pulled perf, is it "mint" (the way the post office sold it) or "unused" (because of the pulled perf defect)?

And 'M' less ambiguous than 'U', as the latter might mean 'used' or 'unused' or, on eBay, 'unusual' or 'unique'.

I dislike *, as *OG makes me look for a footnote about Original Gum.

So, I prefer mint-with-modifiers to unused-with-modifiers.

Hinges: we all know, or quickly learn, the meaning of MNH, MLH, MLHR, etc.

Gum: we all know, or quickly learn, the meaning of MOG, MNG, MDG, etc.

The religious & ideological stuff aside, mint-with-modifiers works for me in all cases.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

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carlberky
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24 Dec 2016
12:04:13pm
re: Mint or Unused?

... mint-with-modifiers works for me in all cases.

Let us begrudgingly agree to cheerfully disagree! Happy

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"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."
cdj1122
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..

29 Dec 2016
10:36:32am
re: Mint or Unused?

I must have missed it along the way but; How many angels was it that can stand on the head of a pin ?

A further reflection; How is it that labeling a stamp "unused" = "no gum".
A CTO that was marked with an apparent cancellation during production is certainly both "unused" as well as usually "gummed." In fact, it could be considered "mint" since it is precisely as issued by the agency.

Now. back to inspecting pin populations dancing on the heads of straight pins. Did I ever show scans of my paper clip collection ?

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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
copy55555
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29 Dec 2016
12:10:24pm
re: Mint or Unused?

Now, I for one, would like to see a scan of a paper clip collection. For years I had collected vintage office supplies and somewhere there should be various boxes of paper clips.

Tad

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carlberky
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29 Dec 2016
12:57:07pm
re: Mint or Unused?

Did I ever show scans of my paper clip collection ?

Are those mint or used? Happy

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"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."
ikeyPikey
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29 Dec 2016
07:01:14pm
re: Mint or Unused?

"... Are those mint or used? ..."



Either way, are they rated "OB"?

Original Bend, of course.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey
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Author/Postings
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carlberky

20 Dec 2016
02:40:05pm

Over the course of many years, that discussion must have come up here many times, but it's a slow afternoon, so ... here goes.

I personally feel that if it has been hinged, it is unused and no longer mint. It takes 'PO fresh' for me to call a stamp Mint.

What do you think?


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"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."
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copy55555

20 Dec 2016
03:31:56pm

re: Mint or Unused?

Yup.


Tad

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joshtanski

20 Dec 2016
03:59:20pm

re: Mint or Unused?

I think it does not matter what I think. I agree, in my mind mint should imply PO fresh and never hinged, but realistically when buying stamps, if the seller just says mint I have to assume hinged. If I want otherwise I need to see MNH, MUH, etc explicitly stated (or be able to inspect in person).

Same as used - I prefer postally used, but just "used" does not always mean that, can mean cancelled, CTO, soaked off a FDC, etc.

Josh

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simothecat

20 Dec 2016
04:51:59pm

re: Mint or Unused?

Not for me.

Mint means unused. So never hinged, hinged, part gum, no gum, torn, coffee spilled on, etc. are all mint.

Why else would we have terms describing the different degrees of mint? (Just like we have different terms describing the different degrees of used.)


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StampCollector

20 Dec 2016
04:53:35pm

re: Mint or Unused?

I guess that we all have our own opinion, me personally I feel that a mint stamp is that, mint, never heard of the PO issuing stamps with hinge marks in the back. It is either M or MH, everything else is a redundancy MNH, MLH, MVLH, MHH and so on.
Used, to me it is an stamp that has served the purpose for what it was intended for, never will l consider a CTO used stamp since it approaches the mint description more than anything else.

Merry Christmas!!

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ChrisW

APS# 175366
20 Dec 2016
07:14:04pm

re: Mint or Unused?

I believe the term "mint" comes from the coin collecting world. A "mint" is the place where they make the coins. So a mint coin is one that is the way it came from the mint. Thus, a mint stamp is as it is coming right off the printing press (or post office fresh).

If there's a hinge, or the gum has been soaked off, etc. then it is no longer mint...but it is still unused.Cool

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"Collecting worldwide classic era stamps"
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AntoniusRa

The truth is within and only you can reveal it
20 Dec 2016
07:27:30pm

re: Mint or Unused?

I prefer the following terms:
Unused= no gum
Mint= with gum. Description should also include one of the below.
VLH = very lightly hinged, very faint hinge mark appears nearly NH
LH= easily seen trace of hinging, no remnant
H= hinged, part of hinge remaining
HH= multiple hinge remnants
NH= no trace of hinging or other defects, Post fresh

Hinge thins are a separate issue. They should be described for size and depth

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mitch.seymourfamily. ...
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amsd

Editor, Seal News; contributor, JuicyHeads
20 Dec 2016
08:12:17pm

Auctions

re: Mint or Unused?

ah, nomenclature

in philately, it obviously has no place for we cannot even agree on what to call a stamp's backside


Like
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"

juicyheads.com/link. ...
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lemaven

20 Dec 2016
10:36:41pm

re: Mint or Unused?

I'm with Mitchell on this.

Using the nomenclature ... Mint = Not Used Postally or CTO ... then adding the additional initials to further clarify is descriptive, accurate and simple. The only deviation from this is my personal preference for adding ... NG = No Gum but I could live with "Unused" interchangeably.


Dave.

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angore

Collector, Moderator
21 Dec 2016
05:56:33am

re: Mint or Unused?

I prefer Mint meaning as issued. Now I would consider Unused, never hinged to be synonymous for consistency of definition.

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"Stamp Collecting is a many splendored thing"
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carlberky

21 Dec 2016
07:38:44am

re: Mint or Unused?

If I'm offering a stamp that has no gum, I consider it to have been soaked to remove hinge residue. It gets a simple 'Unused, no gum' description.

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"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."
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HungaryForStamps

21 Dec 2016
10:03:26am

re: Mint or Unused?

Mint is merely a superclass of MNH, MH and all other mint varieties. If you are purchasing a "mint" stamp you need to find out whether hinged, unhinged, and the state of the gum. Of course all language depends on its acceptance and usage. I believe the above is the accepted usage of the term(s) by most dealers.

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carlberky

21 Dec 2016
03:42:16pm

re: Mint or Unused?

Mint is merely a superclass of MNH, MH and all other mint varieties.

In my simplistic world, there are no varieties of mint. There are many varieties of unused.

I specialize in pre-1920 US stamps at my EBay store. ALL are labeled unused. If I had a truly mint stamp, I'd probably offer it at an auction house.


Like
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this post

"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."
carabop

23 Dec 2016
06:19:47pm

re: Mint or Unused?

The thing that bugs me the most about mint or unused is when people classify an unused stamp that has no gum as a mint stamp. To me that is not a mint stamp at all, it would be unused.

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ikeyPikey

24 Dec 2016
10:53:30am

re: Mint or Unused?

In The Good Old Days, postal clerks would fold one row of a sheet of stamps, fold it back again, and tear-off that row.

When a stamp from that sheet has a pulled perf, is it "mint" (the way the post office sold it) or "unused" (because of the pulled perf defect)?

And 'M' less ambiguous than 'U', as the latter might mean 'used' or 'unused' or, on eBay, 'unusual' or 'unique'.

I dislike *, as *OG makes me look for a footnote about Original Gum.

So, I prefer mint-with-modifiers to unused-with-modifiers.

Hinges: we all know, or quickly learn, the meaning of MNH, MLH, MLHR, etc.

Gum: we all know, or quickly learn, the meaning of MOG, MNG, MDG, etc.

The religious & ideological stuff aside, mint-with-modifiers works for me in all cases.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
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carlberky

24 Dec 2016
12:04:13pm

re: Mint or Unused?

... mint-with-modifiers works for me in all cases.

Let us begrudgingly agree to cheerfully disagree! Happy

Like
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this post

"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."

Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
29 Dec 2016
10:36:32am

re: Mint or Unused?

I must have missed it along the way but; How many angels was it that can stand on the head of a pin ?

A further reflection; How is it that labeling a stamp "unused" = "no gum".
A CTO that was marked with an apparent cancellation during production is certainly both "unused" as well as usually "gummed." In fact, it could be considered "mint" since it is precisely as issued by the agency.

Now. back to inspecting pin populations dancing on the heads of straight pins. Did I ever show scans of my paper clip collection ?

Like
Login to Like
this post

".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
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copy55555

29 Dec 2016
12:10:24pm

re: Mint or Unused?

Now, I for one, would like to see a scan of a paper clip collection. For years I had collected vintage office supplies and somewhere there should be various boxes of paper clips.

Tad

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this post
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carlberky

29 Dec 2016
12:57:07pm

re: Mint or Unused?

Did I ever show scans of my paper clip collection ?

Are those mint or used? Happy

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this post

"To paraphrase, Life is but a bird, and the bird of Life is on the wing. Hurry up ... Life is waiting."
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ikeyPikey

29 Dec 2016
07:01:14pm

re: Mint or Unused?

"... Are those mint or used? ..."



Either way, are they rated "OB"?

Original Bend, of course.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey
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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
        

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