When the opening bid price for a stamp exceeds say $us 50, buyers start to look for information that is not so important for cheaper stamps.

One of the primary questions is, "What is the condition of the gum?" Shorthand is used, but it is not being used usefully; sometimes it is plain confusing. Description is needed, because it is not always evident from a scan with the listing.

Top of the list is gum that has never had a hinge stuck on it. Preferences vary, but many today describe this as MNH for "Mint, Never Hinged". Within MNH there are degrees of quality, usually depending on how much the stamp has been handled. Some top stamps 100 years or so old still have a sparkling, sugary appearance because the tiny hills and valleys of gum have not been rounded down.

(MNH stamps are mostly never cancelled, but CTO for Cancelled to Order is a theoretical exception that needs to be stated separately as CTO).

The abbreviation "MUH" is sometimes used for "Mint, Unhinged", but it is ambiguous because it could mean MNH or MH with the hinge removed. Its use should therefore be STOPPED.

Unfortunately, many previous collectors applied hinges to their uncancelled stamps, making them in shorthand "MH" for "Mint, Hinged." There should be at least two classes of MH, being those where the hinge has been removed and those where the hinge is still in place. When the hinge has been removed, it is almost without exception evident by gum disturbance. Sometimes one has to examine the gum for a few minutes in strong, glancing light to see the disturbance. The disturbance is important because a MH stamp can be priced at 40% to 70% of MNH, all else being equal.

Within MH we can thus have "MLH" for "Mint, Lightly Hinged", or plain "MH" for average examples, or even "Mint Heavily Hinged" where applicable. It is often helpful to add a comment such as "Most of the gum is in original condition, but there is a slight gum disturbance where the hinge was removed". This is desirable because the process of hinge removal, if done poorly, can affect the freshness of the remainder of the gum. The other case might read "MH, with mostly original gum but hinge still attached".

In this article, I wish to make a strong case to AVOID use of the single term "M" for "Mint". This merely means that the stamp has not been cancelled, or is CTO, but it tells nothing about the gum and hence little about the value of its quality factor. In some countries like USA, "Mint" means just about anything that is not used and that is not very helpful.

In the process of hinge removal, the gums can come apart taking some of the stamp paper off, to create a "thin". It is honest to look hard for thins, be they on MH or used stamps and to REPORT them in your sales description. They really annoy the buyer who discovers them unannounced.

Occasionally one meets a hinged stamp where someone had started to remove the hinge, but also started to make a thin. It is unwise to try to continue the hinge removal. Since stamps with hinges cleany removed are usually preferred to stamps with hinges attached, be careful with valuable hinged stamps. Gently lift the hinge edges to look for the start of thins and advise the seller if you find them.

"U" for "Used" is fairly self-explaining. This applies to stamps, other than CTO, with cancels on them. In almost all cases they will lack all or most gum from soaking them off the postal item. There is no value in a little thin gum remaining on used stamps. You might as well soak off all of the gum as well as all previous hinges to allow a clear look at thins and at any watermarks present in the paper.

Regumming of mint stamps is a topic in itself, but it is usually quite plain to see. Sometimes a microscope is needed to see if regumming has covered the previously torn edges, but most often regummed stamps simply do not look right.

So, concluding, let's try to drop the term "M" for "Mint" and try to adopt the tern "MNH" for "Mint, Never Hinged". Finally, quality "MH" for "Mint, Hinged", with a brief description.