Finding The G Grill On Cover

This is from a cover from Reed's Landing, MN (1850-1894). I think I found the tell-tale signs of the G grill that is supposed to be there.



This is only my second 114 (both are on cover). It is hard to imagine these stamps as being unpopular.

It looks to me like the grill might be tilted to the left a bit. Is that normal? Or just my imagination.

I know! As a kid, this was the one stamp that cemented my interest in stamp collecting! I still have the first 114 I collected as a 10yo.




Since these grills were applied by hand (hand rolled), you will probably have a harder time finding a grill that is perfectly square to the design than not. Thankfully, that is not yet a focus of the fly-speccers who collect these!

Why did I think you were a classic US collector?

Brian

In 1869 US stamps were only about 20 years old, and all had been a different size and shape from these. And they had all been busts of famous people up to that point. And there were a lot of problems with the perforations on this issue, they are often very badly centered which robs them of much of their beauty especially to non collectors.
It is true that many stamps that were unpopular in their time are very popular with collectors. The 1869's, Black Jacks, E7, etc.

It's easy to find these stamps used and/or on covers. The hard part is finding one well centered.
Smauggie, that looks like a nice one. Light cancel and good color also.

Thanks for the information about the grill. That makes a lot of sense.




I am beginning to get a greater appreciation and interest in US classic stamps. Most of my US collecting has focused on the 20th century to be true. I think one of the things that held me back was not having much in the way of resources for studying them, but now there is a philatelic library a couple miles from where I live.

I have a number of (more common) classic stamps on cover and I am beginning to study them more closely. This cover was from Reeds Landing, MN that I got for my Minnesota postal history collection.



The postmaster must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed (and put the month slug in upside down).

That is a cool cover. The stamp is excellent with wide margins. I like that the stamp is upside down and the SEP is also.

Here is a couple of mine for your pleasure. The grills are very hard to spot on cover. Can you find them on mine?

#1.)




#2.)




EDIT: I scanned the stamps at 600dpi so I don't know why they look so muddy?

I did mine at 1200 dpi. But I am extreme image enthusiast.

As I look at the stamp in the first cover, it strikes me as odd that it appears scissor-cut on the right. It would require very close observation (it is not visible in the scan) but there might be some blind perfs on the right side, which would make it an even more interesting cover.

Yea ILS that first one has huge margin on the left and looks like imperf between it and the stamp on the right.

There is no blind perfs it appears to be either a gutter single or and imperforate between 2 114's?

ILS, ILTS....I Love That Stamp

Straddle margin example from the edge of the lefthand pane. Not uncommon. These were issued in two panes of 150 each with a stradle margin (gutter) down the middle where they were cut apart.

These make for some the BIGGEST margined stamps on the market!

This makes me wonder - are there any known uncut sheets out there? Come to think of it, I have never heard of any uncut sheets of any US stamps from the 19th century. I would beg, borry, or steal to own a 114 gutter pair if such a thing ever existed!

Brian

Uncut full sheets? I doubt it as the printers cut the panes I to sheets before delivery to the post office.

Sheets of 150 of the 3c 69? They exist.