MNH, MVLH, M, MM, UM ...

How to know fake stamp on Ebay

2009-07-02T00:22:00.000-07:00

It is tempting to make winning bid on a stamp which you have been waiting for, and incoming offering bids are not many, when you remember that it would draw many more bids in the past. I was trying to buy one red nice China dowager stamp which would price typically at USD $200. After realizing that I could not identify differences between a fake stamp and a real dowager stamp by looking at the photos, I decided not to bid now. too risky ...

Fake stamp is for high profit, so it must copy rare stamps. Faker may as well spend effort to fake a rare stamp. I would not concern about stamps which have good design and generally sell below $30.

To spot whether a stamp is fake or not in Ebay, seller scoreboard is our best clue.

1. seller feedback rating ( 100% is almost a must. )

2. seller feedback score ( higher the better, equivalent to volume of completed transactions with many other buyers.)

3. seller feedback score history I ( what is typical transaction amount in the past. If most are $1, and the stamp you are interested is expensive, it should ring an alert bell. Some sellers found a way to make many small bids and give highest positive feedback to themselves.)

4. seller feedback score history II ( more distinct buyers in the past, the better)

5. seller member since ( older the better. Faker usually changes accounts after buyer complaints)

6. any negative feedback. If any, what did the buyer say? More than 2 negative feedbacks is an absolute No to me, regardless of transaction volume.

7. Finally, rarity of the stamp compared to what seller sold before. If seller has not done much transaction before and suddenly selling a very rare stamp. This should ring another alert bell.

8. Inventory of rare stamps of the same seller. There is one Ebay seller who once a month would post the most rare Ching dynasty 1898 $5 Goose stamps, MNH, non-perforated, XF, two together. The seller is from China, has little selling history and receive some negative feedback ratings. If the stamps are authentic, where would the seller obtain this inventory? quite obvious a fake one.

In fact, I sent the seller asking for authenticity of the stamp. No reply.

9. MNH condition is rare for stamps with age over 100 years. In those years, hinge was very common.

Further google search for fake stamp digs up complaints about certain EBay sellers, such as

http://www.redrevenue.com/blog/fake%20cover.htm

Where to purchase stamp supply? Postage Stamp Show

2009-06-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Nice stamps need protection just like any valuable art items. Their color can fade and oxidize after decades of exposure to air. No tear want to be introduced also. Our fingers have grease, so should be avoided directly touching any stamp surface. Search in Amazon did not produce enough information about what to buy. To give a final touch to my stamp collection, I attended the stamp show at Santa Clara Convention Center yesterday to purchase appropriate stamp supplies. I bought three packages of 5 sheets of LINDNER (from Germany) UNIPLATE system, a stamp tong and a FDC binder with sheets. Total was about $40.

Also introduced to a stamp trader referred by a Philately friend of mine. Gary is a designed LINDNER supplier who sold supplies at wholesale price, and stamp appraiser for Scott System. His name can be found in the acknowledgement section of the US Scott Catalog His contact is as follow:

Gary Morris

Pacific Midwest Company

(APS ASDA NSDA Hawaii Philatetic Society)

garyucb@aol.com

408.532.7100

What is MNH, MVLH, MM, UM ?

2009-06-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

I bumped into a tiny Ching-dynasty dragon-picture stamp from my grandparents' stamp collection about one year ago. With parents not much helpful in terms of its true identity and friends only familiar with facebook's widgets and Nintendo's Wii, I googled for China stamp information, read plenty, bid on eBay. It is time to write up what I have gathered, and to dedicate the articles to my parents and grandparents. This is the most expensive hobby I have ever had, in terms of how much I pay, and in return what I get, most of the times, is a small piece of paper, which is known as a stamp, an old stamp.

... start with some jargons

M = Mint. Can be used or unused. "Mint" simply means no postmark on the front.

MM = Mounted Mint. In the old days, stamps could be mounted inside stamp album through many ways. Simply put, "MM" is the opposite of "UM".

UM = Unmounted Mint. Or almost equivalent as "Mint Never Hinged". There may be subtle difference between "UM" and "MNH".

MNH = Mint Never Hinged. Stamps could be mount in a stamp album using small paper hinges. A hinged stamp usually has small trace in the gum, even after stamp removal from the album. "Mint Never Hinged" means the stamp was not even hinged. For stamp older than hundreds year old or before World World I, most are hinged.

MVLH = Mint Very Light Hinged. For popular and expensive stamps, the degree of hinged can command a significant price difference. Therefore, stamp sellers would like to add "V" to indicate that the stamp is almost MNH. For expensive stamps, stamp certificates to verify stamp authenticity and detail stamp quality are important.

gum = The layer of glue at the back of a stamp. An unused stamp should have full gum at the back.

NG = No gum. The stamp was used before.

RG = Re-gummed by expert. The stamp was likely used before. The stamp is considered as high-value usually. To regain the MNH look, a new layer of gum is added back. However, a RG stamp should be much cheaper than MNH. It is a like a piece of old furniture fixed up with modern paint.

centered = a stamp well-centered is desired. However, rarity rules. A stamp off-centered in a rare style may worth more. Pricing is quite subjective, up to the buyer's preference and collection concentration.

watermarked = stamps can have watermark at the back.

F = Fine. Also VF, XF, PF. If a seller says "XF", I would treat that as "VF" unless a well-known stamp certificate says something else.

"greased", "thinning", "perf tip cut", "oxidized" are some conditions of a stamp. All of these lowers the value of a stamp.

The above should be sufficent for one to intrepret most descriptions.