Mint and Used Stamps

A mint stamp is a stamp in its original issue state. It is unused, has never been mounted and it has all of its gum, if originally produced with gum. 

Stamps are attached to envelopes or other wrapping (i.e., a package or box) that a customer wishes to send in the mail. The item is then processed by the postal system. A postmark, also known as a cancellation mark, is usually marked over the stamp and the wrapping. This marks the stamp as used and prevents its reuse. 

Mint stamps are often more valuable than used ones as in many cases fewer mint items survive. As a rule, a mint stamp is in better condition than a used example, which has passed through the mail. 

However, sometimes used stamps may be more expensive than mint ones. For example, if a great number of unused items, even very old ones, are preserved, they lose their value. Such a situation happened when collectors acquired many mint stamps, only few examples of which were used for sending letters.