How much is my Mint Stamp Worth?


Mint Stamp is referred to, in philately, as a postage stamp which is unused, unmounted with a full gum (if issued with a gum). James Mackay, a professional philatelist and novelist, defined a mint stamp as being in its original state. In practice, many collectors refer to mint stamp as any stamp which has not been in use and therefore has never been cancelled, even it is has been mounted or does not have a full gum.
The term mint applies both to postage stamps and revenue stamps. Postage stamps are strictly for postage usage and revenue or tax stamps are stamped on tax collection documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, hunting licenses and different legal documents.
Hinges are small strips of gummed paper used to mount postage stamps in albums. Stamps which have not had hinges applied to them are classed as "unmounted." Stamps which have been mounted are referred to as mint stamp which have been hinged. A stamp can also be in a mint condition despite its condition as long as it was not in use.
There several common variations of the term Mint to describe the condition of the stamp:
Mint hinged (MH) - the stamp is unused but has been previously hinged. Remains of the hinge or gum disturbance are visible.
Mounted mint (MM) - the same as Mint hinged.
Mint no gum (MNG) - the stamp appears to be unused but has no gum. It might have been used but not cancelled, or have been issued without gum.
Unmounted mint (UM) - the stamp is unused and has never been mounted.
Mint never hinged (MNH) - the same as unmounted mint but with an assertion that the stamp is not a formerly mounted stamp that has been tampered with to remove traces of mounting.
The value of a mint stamp is usually higher than a used stamp because of its rarity and as often it is in a better condition. As a result, some sellers try to forge cancellations. However, this is not a general rule as the value at the end of day depends on several factors such the stamp condition and its supply and demand. There are cases where used stamps are more valuable where a large number of specific mint stamps are available. Countries often print a high volume of mint stamps more than their actual postage needs for collectors, as it is a good source of income for the postal office.
In general, it is important to maintain your mint stamps in an excellent condition, to keep its value. Organizing your stamps in a stock book, a stamp album or in an individual glass mount is a must. There are many stamps price guides which can assist with evaluating your mint stamps collection. The more known ones are Michel, Scott, Stanley Gibbons, Yvert et Tellier. Some of these guides provide online services as well.
Use the value given as a guideline and it is advised to review several price guides to receive a more accurate value for your stamp. 
Collectors usually buy mint stamps through dealers, auction websites and at the postage office. If you wish to sell your mint stamps it is important to know that dealers will demand their commission. Thus, it may be more lucrative to try and sell your mint stamps directly to buyers online in an auction website for collectors.


About the Author:
One of the great sources to your mint stamps collecting activity is http://www.coollectors.com where you can buy, sell, exchange and catalog your mint stamps collection or simply review collections of other collectors. You can also become a member of the site growing community; connect with other similar collectors, exchange mint stamps and ideas.


A Swiss Mint Stamp 

Today’s Collectors Focus: The Dominion of Canada Period - The Queen Victoria Stamps Series: 

Looking back at the postal history of Canada, there are several major periods: the French control period dated 1604 to 1763, the British control period dated 1763 to 1841, the colonial government control period dated 1841to 1867, and the Dominion of Canada period, since 1867. 

The dominion era contains some of rarest stamps in Canada and is known for many of its famous issues: The Pence issue, the First cents issue, the Large Queen issue, the Small Queen issue, the Diamond Jubilee issue, the Queen Victoria Maple Leaf issue, the Queen Victoria Numeral issue, the Imperial Penny postage, the Provisional issues, and King Edward VII. Our focus today is on the Victorian dominion stamps. 

With the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, the different colonies each of which had their own stamps were assembled together and new stamps for the whole Canada were released known as the “Large Queens” stamps, featuring a profile of Queen Victoria, based on an engraving by Charles Henry Jeens. These set of the Victorian stamps ranged in value from half cent to fifteen cents. 

Printed in 1868 and not discovered until 1925, the two cents Large Queen on laid paper is actually today the rarest postage stamp of Canada, so far only two are known to exist. 

In order to be able to produce larger number of stamps, the Large Queens had a relatively short life, and were replaced in1870 by the "Small Queens", smaller stamps of the same basic designs. The Small Queens came in a number of printings between 1870 and 1897. 

In 1897 the first commemorative stamps of Canada were released celebrating the 60th year of Queen Victoria and the 30th year of confederation. The design was a side-by-side of the Chalon vignette of the young and included 16 denominations ranging from half cents to five dollars. 

In this year additional releases included the Maple Leaf Issue, regular stamps with the central design based on a Jubilee portrait for Victoria, with maple leaves in each corner. Successive design replaced the lower leaves with numerals of value.

Queen Victoria 1 Cent - 1870 for Sale @ http://www.coollectors.com/item/107608

  

Collectors Focus Today: Iran - Belarus Joint Stamp Issue 2011, Mir Castle, Kharimkhan Citadel

On September 28, 2001 The Belarus Post and Iranian Post jointly issued a postage stamp.This joint stamp miniature issue sheet features the famous Mir castle of Belarus and Karimkhani Citadel of Shiraz.

The Mirsky Castle Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Belarus located in the town of Mir in the Karelichy District of the Hrodna voblast. 

The Arg of Karim Khan is a citadel located in the north-east of Shiraz, southern Iran. It was built as part of a complex during the Zand dynasty and is named after Karim Khan, and served as his living quarters.

Today's Collectors Focus: Indian-Iranian 2004 Joint Issue Kabir and Hafiz Poets Stamps  

A joint issue is the release of stamps or postal stationery by two or more countries to commemorate the same topic, event or person of relevance to both countries. Joint issues typically have the same first day of issue and their design is often similar or identical, except for the identification of country and value.

This joint issue release features two of the most influenced poets in India and  Iran.

 Kabir (1440–1518) was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. The name Kabir comes from Arabic al-Kabīr which means 'The Great' - the 37th name of God in Islam. Today, there are several allusions to Kabir's poetry in mainstream Indian film music.

 Hafiz (1326-1390) was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry (Divan) that are to be found in the homes of many Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-Fourteenth Century Persian writing more than any other author.

Today's Collector's Focus: 100th Anniversary Of The First South African airmail Flight Odd Shape Stamps  

The SAPO (South African Post Office) issued on 7/10/11 a stamp set miniature sheet with an odd shape as an aircraft, commemorating the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first South African airmail flight.

This set depicts the aircraft in flight in 1911, the first South African airmail flight between Kenilworth and Muizenberg which is the first post office in South Africa that has received an airmail.

The history of the South African Post Office can be traced back over 500 years. In 1500, the captain of a Portuguese ship, Petro D'Ataide, placed a letter in a milkwood tree at Moseel Bay.  

On 2 March 1792 the acting governor of the Cape, John Isaac, opened a post office in a room next to the pantry at the Castle in Cape Town. This was the start of what became the South Africa Post Office (SAPO). By 1805 there was a regular inland mail service between Algoa, Algoa Bay and False Bay in the Cape, using farmers on horseback. A mail wagon ran twice a week between Cape Town and the town of Stellenbosch.    

Mail was transported by motor car for the first time in 1911, and SAPO experimented using camels to deliver mail, replacing them with an ox cart service in 1914. In December 1911, the first air mail delivery took place with a 7.5 min flight from Kenilworth in Cape Town to Muizenberg. The mail was carried in the same model of aircraft as that used two years earlier by Louis Bleriot to cross the England/France channel.

By 1919, there was a regular motor car service, and a regular air-mail service was introduced the same year. The first overseas air-mail service was introduced in 1932, and the Springbok Air Service was introduced between the Union of South Africa and Britain in 1945. The first definitive stamp series of the Republic of South Africa was issued on 31 May 1961 after South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth because of its apartheid policies at the time.

In 1973, postcodes were introduced to facilitate automated mail sorting and standardized letters were introduced later that year. In 1994, South Africa was readmitted to the Univesral Postal Union  following the end of apartheid. SAPO currently operates under a 25 year license granted by the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and in terms of this must provide a universal service to all the citizens of the country.