How Many Grills Are On This #115?

I posted this stamp several years ago with my opinion on how many grills it has. I was wrong. Not everyone who posted comments were in agreement so I would appreciate hearing from you on how many you see. I'm pretty sure I see more than two.

Looks like it got run through twice. Maybe that's part of how the sheet cut is so far off.

On the back I see a complete grill in the middle, another complete or nearly complete one on the right. This second one is slightly angled. There is partial (split) grill on the left that is approximately one third of a complete grill. It also seems to me that if the press sheet had been cut in the center of the right margin, there would be only two grills.

So is this a double grill with a 3rd split grill? Or technically only a double grill? Both grills on the sides are angled.

This is how I see it.

Initially, that was my thought, but Smauggie may have swayed me. Can you try photographing the stamp in fluid, or perhaps highlighting the grills with graphite?

If you ever put this one up for sale, I am interested!!

Brian

Thanks smauggie. This supports my idea that there are more than two grills.

Brian, I have had the stamp in storage since 2011 and have to go looking for it before I can put it in fluid. I am reluctant to use graphite since it seems to me that the graphite stays permanently on the stamp. Am I correct or is using graphite a common method that can be removed with an eraser without damaging the stamp? By graphite, do you mean using the side of a pencil point?

I am not currently thinking of selling it but I am plan to downsize my collection in the near future. I put your name in the name of the file photo on my computer to remember that you are interested it the stamp. Feel free to send a message if you wish. BTW, the stamp's actual paper color is just like it appears; toned, dirty or whatever else might be the cause of the discoloration.

This method is common, but I have not personally tried it. You take a pencil and scribble on a piece of paper to build up loose graphite. Using your finger, rub the graphite lightly on the grill(s) to highlight them. You can either leave the graphite on the stamp or use a soft eraser to remove the graphite. Personally, I would just leave the marks as-is.




The paper appears dirty and might clean up with a warm water soak. I wouldnt' do anything more than that. The damage is unfortunate, but because of the multiple grills, still quite collectable!

Brian

The grill for US #115 should be 9.5mm x 9.5mm (12 x 11-12 downward points) with horizontal ridges.


-IBFS

I think we could possible say with a high certainty that there are 3 grills. My hypothesis on how that may have happened is that the first grill is the center one of the three overlapping grills on the right in smauggie's placement in his post above. Not happy with this placement, a worker ran sheet with this stamp through the grilling a second time resulting in the far right angled grill partially covering the first grill, which is an even poorer placement. The second run is the split grill. Still not satisfied with these two placements, the worker ran the sheet through a third time resulting with a reasonably well centered grill. What think ye?