Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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The reality is that most US stamps issued after 1950 are not worth very much especially when you want to dispose of a collection. Used are worth even less. You can buy US unused below FACE value. There are just too many still around. You will usually get more if you dispose of them individually since a dealer will never pay much for them. There are exceptions.
Condition is important too. How have they been stored, etc. Scott prices stamps in VF condition for most stamps but many stamps sold do not meet this as well.
Catalog prices is lesson since one would think they are worth more looking at a catalog price. The fact that Scott lists a stamp still on sale at the PO at 2x face value shows what in going on.
You see it on ebay all the time where high catalog value is quoted and sell well below. This means they buy even lower.
You could have better luck at a local stamp club since some collectors will pay more than a traditional dealer.
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I do already know the sad truth in your response. Thanks for taking the time to post and it will probably help others. But I was not asking about values or how to sell these. The wording in my posting was probably a little misleading. I'm actually going to sell cheap to someone who will appreciate them or the history they represent as most of these commemorate historical events - or give them to a kid who might like them as a starting collection. But the question was what do these terms mean when used for covers - which are canceled? Seems like they are misused, but maybe I have missed some definitions (I have looked up stamp collecting terms). Now if Neil Armstrong signed the moon landing covers...
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I have no idea why someone would put classify a cover with a stamp (whether ceremonial or saw postal use) as Mint / Never Hinged unless for some reason they thought it needed some grade.
Here is another thread on how covers can be graded.
https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=3019
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Is it possible that the "mint" refers to the condition of the cover and not that of the stamps themselves. Basically saying that the cover envelope is in a pristine state with no defects.
Could you post a link to what you saw on Ebay.
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I've pretty much decided that this is a misrepresentation or possibly an honest mistake (people don't understand the terminology). Ebay has these categories set up - even in the first-day-covers category - and people might think that's what they have if it looks in great shape. But Mint and Mint-Never-Hinged really don't apply to them.
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01:39:11pm
I have actually purchased collections where FDC's are hinged onto pages. I should start listing all my FDC's as unhinged now. 
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"I have actually purchased collections where FDC's are hinged onto pages. I should start listing all my FDC's as unhinged now."
I was just thinking that... I have older covers that have hinges or hinge marks on the backs from being placed in albums. In fact my zep covers have them!
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04:09:18pm
I'm confused. I have a collection from Grandma (who got it from a brother-in-law of her's) mainly from the 60's and 70's. I was looking to sell it. So I started looking up values - and found that they are not that high. But I saw that Ebay and some other listers put their First Day Covers and other canceled-on-special-date covers as Mint or Mint-never-hinged. How can this be? Aren't canceled stamps all categorized as used?
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re: First Day (or other) Covers and the Mint and Mint Never Hinged Quality Categories
The reality is that most US stamps issued after 1950 are not worth very much especially when you want to dispose of a collection. Used are worth even less. You can buy US unused below FACE value. There are just too many still around. You will usually get more if you dispose of them individually since a dealer will never pay much for them. There are exceptions.
Condition is important too. How have they been stored, etc. Scott prices stamps in VF condition for most stamps but many stamps sold do not meet this as well.
Catalog prices is lesson since one would think they are worth more looking at a catalog price. The fact that Scott lists a stamp still on sale at the PO at 2x face value shows what in going on.
You see it on ebay all the time where high catalog value is quoted and sell well below. This means they buy even lower.
You could have better luck at a local stamp club since some collectors will pay more than a traditional dealer.
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06:45:05pm
re: First Day (or other) Covers and the Mint and Mint Never Hinged Quality Categories
I do already know the sad truth in your response. Thanks for taking the time to post and it will probably help others. But I was not asking about values or how to sell these. The wording in my posting was probably a little misleading. I'm actually going to sell cheap to someone who will appreciate them or the history they represent as most of these commemorate historical events - or give them to a kid who might like them as a starting collection. But the question was what do these terms mean when used for covers - which are canceled? Seems like they are misused, but maybe I have missed some definitions (I have looked up stamp collecting terms). Now if Neil Armstrong signed the moon landing covers...
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this post
re: First Day (or other) Covers and the Mint and Mint Never Hinged Quality Categories
I have no idea why someone would put classify a cover with a stamp (whether ceremonial or saw postal use) as Mint / Never Hinged unless for some reason they thought it needed some grade.
Here is another thread on how covers can be graded.
https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=3019
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re: First Day (or other) Covers and the Mint and Mint Never Hinged Quality Categories
Is it possible that the "mint" refers to the condition of the cover and not that of the stamps themselves. Basically saying that the cover envelope is in a pristine state with no defects.
Could you post a link to what you saw on Ebay.
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12:32:51pm
re: First Day (or other) Covers and the Mint and Mint Never Hinged Quality Categories
I've pretty much decided that this is a misrepresentation or possibly an honest mistake (people don't understand the terminology). Ebay has these categories set up - even in the first-day-covers category - and people might think that's what they have if it looks in great shape. But Mint and Mint-Never-Hinged really don't apply to them.
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Immediate Past President - West Essex Philatelic Society www.wepsonline.org
15 Mar 2019
01:39:11pm
re: First Day (or other) Covers and the Mint and Mint Never Hinged Quality Categories
I have actually purchased collections where FDC's are hinged onto pages. I should start listing all my FDC's as unhinged now.
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re: First Day (or other) Covers and the Mint and Mint Never Hinged Quality Categories
"I have actually purchased collections where FDC's are hinged onto pages. I should start listing all my FDC's as unhinged now."
I was just thinking that... I have older covers that have hinges or hinge marks on the backs from being placed in albums. In fact my zep covers have them!
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