Mint, hinged and used stamps
The back of a stamp can be just as informative as its face. Gum is the adhesive applied to the reverse, while a hinge is a small, folded piece of gummed paper traditionally used to attach a stamp to an album page. Removing a hinge can leave a mark or remnant.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MNH — Mint Never Hinged | An unused stamp retaining its full original gum, undisturbed by a hinge. |
| MLH — Mint Lightly Hinged | An unused stamp with only a slight trace of previous hinging on its gum. |
| MH — Mint Hinged | An unused stamp showing evidence of hinging, which may include a hinge mark or an attached remnant. |
| UM — Unmounted Mint | Common British terminology generally equivalent to MNH. |
| OG — Original Gum | The stamp retains its original adhesive. This alone does not mean it has never been hinged or that all the gum remains. |
| HR — Hinge Remnant | Part of a mounting hinge remains attached to the back. |
| Unused, no gum | A stamp that has not been used but lacks gum. Some stamps were originally issued without gum, so the issue matters. |
| Used | Usually a stamp that has served a postal purpose and bears a cancellation. Check whether a listing distinguishes postal use from CTO. |
| CTO — Cancelled to Order | A stamp cancelled for collectors without travelling through the post. It may still retain its original gum. |
MNH describes the gum and hinging status, not every aspect of condition. A never-hinged stamp can still have a crease, stain or damaged perforation. Terminology also varies between sellers and catalogues, so read the full description.
A neat cancellation alone does not prove a stamp is CTO. Postal history and the characteristics of the particular issue can help establish how it was used.
See the American Philatelic Society’s guidance and collector abbreviation guide.
Common types of stamps
Definitive: A stamp issued for everyday postal use, often as part of a series covering different denominations. Definitives may remain available and be reprinted over several years.
Commemorative: A stamp issued to mark or honour a person, event, anniversary or subject, usually available for a more limited period.
Pictorial: A stamp featuring a scene or subject such as a ship, animal, building or landscape. This describes its design: a pictorial stamp can also be a definitive or commemorative.
Airmail: A stamp issued specifically for airmail service. An aeroplane in the design does not, by itself, establish that a stamp is an airmail issue.
Postage due: A stamp used by a postal administration to account for unpaid or insufficient postage.
Revenue: A stamp used to show payment of a tax or fee. It is not necessarily valid for postage, although some issues served both purposes.
The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum explains the distinction between commemorative and definitive issues.
Sheet margins and “traffic lights”
Selvage / selvedge: The paper margin around a sheet or pane of stamps. Both spellings are used. Margins may contain printer details, numbers, inscriptions or colour markings.
Traffic lights: Collectors’ shorthand for the coloured dots or patches printed in some sheet margins, showing the inks used to print the stamps. Their number and colours vary; they are not necessarily red, amber and green.
Gutter: The space separating panes of stamps within a larger printed sheet.
Gutter pair: Two stamps joined across that intervening gutter.
Plate number: A number identifying a printing plate. Some issues use other production identifiers, such as cylinder numbers.
Block: A connected group of stamps arranged in at least two rows and two columns. A block of four is a familiar example.
These attached margins can preserve information about a stamp’s production. The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada explores examples in Selvedge Art.
Details worth examining
Perforations, or “perfs”: The rows of holes that allow stamps to be separated. A perforation gauge measures their spacing.
Imperforate, or “imperf”: Issued without perforations between the stamps. Smooth edges alone are not proof: a perforated stamp may have been trimmed.
Watermark: A pattern formed in the paper during manufacture, sometimes useful for distinguishing otherwise similar stamps.
Overprint: Additional printing applied over an existing stamp design.
Surcharge: An overprint that changes the stamp’s denomination.
Denomination / face value: The postal value shown on the stamp. This is different from its value to a collector.
Cancellation: A mark intended to prevent reuse of a stamp.
Postmark: A postal marking that may record a date, place or other information. A postmark can also act as a cancellation.
Cover: An envelope or other postal wrapping collected as a complete item, often preserving stamps and postal markings together.
FDC — First Day Cover: A cover bearing a stamp cancelled on its first day of issue.
On piece: A stamp still attached to a portion of its original envelope or wrapping.
A simple starting point
Begin with what interests you: a country, an era, wildlife, ships or the stories behind familiar objects. Use stamp tongs and suitable albums or stock books, and keep useful margins and postal markings intact while you learn about them.
When identifying a stamp, look beyond the picture. Denomination, color, watermark and perforations can distinguish similar-looking issues. Record which catalogue you use, because Stanley Gibbons, Scott and other publishers have their own numbering systems.
A stamp does not need to be rare to deserve a closer look.
All of this is an important part of stamp collecting but for me and this stage of Centurytreasures.org my focus is the art, and what stories the stamp tells.
Enjoy and Cheers!