Scott No 89 E Grill - Or Fake?

Another grill topic from me...
I came across what I believe to be two copies of sc 89. I count both at 14 by 16 (and some) points. Vertical ridges. I would say both have quite well-aligned grills at right angles.

What puzzles me is that the two potentially identical stamps appears quite different.
Stamp 1 below has a grill which is highly visible from the front. On stamp 2 I can hardly see the grill from the front at all.

Is this due to 'normal' difference in the pressure applied when 'embossing' the grill - or is one - or both - fakes?


Stamp 1



Stamp 2



Stamp 1 at left



Stamp 1 at left


Any help appreciated!
-Jon-

Some genuine grills are very visible on the obverse, some not. It's not necessarily a sign of genuine or fake.

Looks like you're back to using your "upgraded" scanner. Try your shipmate's again. Your previous 600dpi scan was much better. I do see what looks like a partial row on the top row of stamp #1.

HDNAC - Ok, so the visibility or not on the obverse has no relevance. Thanks, learning all the time!

You're right about the scanner... unfortunately I do not have the guts to knock down my colleagues doors for such requests. It seems important enough for me, but for those sailors these pieces of paper are simply waste.

Agree on the partial row on top stamp 1. Seems like stamp 2 also has one partial row, at the bottom, making the bottom line of squares appear horizontal rather than vertical. Peculiar!