What is the most essential rules of stamp collecting?
Stamps should be stored away from light, heat and moisture or they will be damaged. Stamps can be displayed according to the collector’s wishes, by country, topic, or even by size, which can create a display pleasing to the eye. There are no rules and it is entirely a matter for the individual collector to decide.
What does never hinged stamp mean?
Mint: A stamp in its original and unused pristine condition which was never cancelled and bears its full or original gum. Mint Never Hinged (MNH): A stamp, as issued by the Post Office, with full original gum and which has not been previously hinged.
What is a perforation error on a stamp?
Imperforate errors: Sometimes referred to as a perforation error, this occurs when perforations are missing from one or several sides of a stamp. Perforations are a series of small holes or apertures which are designed to enable easier separation of the stamps in a sheet.
Why would a stamp be invalid?
Roughened or damaged surface. Faint cancellation marks across the surface of the stamp. Old envelope or backing paper still attached to the stamp. Sold ungummed or stuck onto plain backing paper without the Royal Mail security print.
Are used stamps worth more than unused?
Stamps available for both postage and revenue (fiscal) purposes are usually worth more unused or with a postal cancellation. Madame Joseph specialised in the addition of forged cancels to stamps that were worth more used than unused.
How do you tell if a stamp has been hinged?
If it has mint, undisturbed gum, the stamp’s catalog value is $175. The degree of hinging or other gum disturbance can also have an effect on value. A lightly hinged stamp will have a faint impression of a hinge in the gum, or a tiny part of the hinge remaining affixed to the stamp.
What does hinged mean for stamps?
Unused: An unused stamp is a stamp that has not been used for postage but has disturbed gum. Hinged: This describes an unused stamp that has had a stamp hinge applied to its back. A lightly hinged stamp might show just the faint outline of where the flap of the hinge was once attached.
Are error stamps worth anything?
Stamps with printing errors are strongly coveted by collectors, some being valued thousands of times higher than their nominal price. The philatelic value of an error stamp is defined by its visual appeal and relative scarcity. The more visible the printing mistake is the more chances are for the stamp to sell big.
How do you tell if a stamp has been perforated?
So if a vertical row of perforations is located close to the left side of a stamp, it will be farther away from the right side of the same stamp, and the other stamps adjoining this stamp will have more or less the same centering across the horizontal row.
How do I know if a stamp is valid?
Do U.S. Postal stamps expire? No, U.S. postage never expires; you can use existing stamps indefinitely. All postage stamps issued by the United States since 1860 are valid for postage from any point in the United States or from any other place where U.S. Mail service operates.
What do you do with cancelled stamps?
More than two dozen senior sisters clip, launder, dry and press canceled stamps. They are then sold to stamp dealers, who, in turn, sell them to stamp collectors. “The stamp program has been a great gift to our congregation,” said Sister M.
Do hinged stamps have any value?
The presence of a hinge or hinge remnant generally does not affect the value of a used stamp. When acquiring used, hinged stamps, however, it is usually a good idea to soak off the old hinges to make sure that they are not hiding thins or other defects.