Scott 136 With Grill. Value Needed

Based on the orig owners pencil marks this is #136. What grill was used? Tough to see here but you can see where the orig. owner traced it out.

The grill is very light but appears to be here (not tilted). Any grill might be a bit more visible if you first try scanning it while wet. If that does not work, you might need to try some graphite.
Don

Thanks. Yea it's very, very light. So just put some graphite on it & spread it around to reveal it better. Won't that make a mess on the back?

It will color the points of the grill. The method is to lightly shade a spot on a piece of paper, rub a fingertip over the graphite marks, and gently rub over the grill.

Large banknotes stamps have either H or I grills

H = About 10 x 12mm (11 to 13 by 14 to 16 points)
I = About 8.5 x 10mm (10 to 11 by 10 to 13 points0

"On the 1870-71 stamps the grill impressions are usually faint or incomplete. This is especially true of the H grill, which often shows only a few points'

Below are the sold listing on eBay for U. S. 136 if you can find one, not one on the first page!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...6&_sacat=675

Thanks!

When the grill is hard to spot or incomplete, most of the time it is an H-grill. For sure that is what you have here.

What Phil didn't quite say was that after you rub your finger over the spot of graphite, you are to "gently rub over the grill" WITH YOUR FINGERTIP. Don't rub the stamp in the puddle of graphite.

The value of your stamp is decreased by the staining at Upper Left as you look at the obverse. Somebody gave it half a smiley which soaked all the way through.

On another forum we have a gentleman who used to certify stamps for the Philatelic foundation and he absolutely despises the use of graphite for this purpose.

And yet at the PF they use this method when needed.

The secret is having a light touch, so only as much graphite as is needed gets transferred.

Thanks Guys. I've had plenty of experience with graphite from my days with Cub Scouts & the Pinewood Derby, LOL.