Sometimes You Hit The Jackpot.

I think it is a crease. Watermark fluid shows a faint dark line (the crease?) which is seen only as the fluid evaporates. When good and wet, it shows nothing. But it is fairly common to not see watermarks or other features until the stamp is nearly dry. However, The line on the back looks quite straight while the line on the front is definitely curved as well as having a "cap" such as the 2 cent #220a and c have. I will look at it again tomorrow in natural light.

Joe Stamps, in this case I was lucky but most of my best deals from online auctions required a bit of knowledge and learning from mistakes. Keep checking in regularly on SCF and you will learn much from the experience of others.

Thanks everyone for your help and congratulations.
Marty

What is a "grill" ?

I like the front to look good... flaws are for the backside.

A grill looks like a miniature embossed waffle or checkerboard. The purpose was to puncture the paper fibers so that cancelation inks would penetrate the stamp fibers and prevent the reuse of the stamps. They are only found on US stamps from 1867-1870 and on a few Peru stamps of the same era. To get a feel for what they look like go to ebay and search "grill" or www.theswedishtiger.com to see what a grill looks like.

A grill is something you cook steak on.

I agree with creases.

I agree with steaks!

it does look like it has a small tear at the top. but I agree it could have been a crease.

I'm now positive it is an ironed out corner crease. No matter, I'm happy anyways.

good for you quiqngt