3 Cent Washington D Grill?

I have tried to take the best pics possible here. I seem to be counting 15 accross and 18 down. The points down the right bottom side seem to be worn but looks to be 18? What are your thoughts or opinions? Thanks for looking!

check first line, more as 15 points?

I mine 17 points ?

Think it's 15 across?

check, else 15 point

Here's a scan tweaked with gamma and contrast applied. Hope it helps.

@carlberky

Thank you Carl!

I'm no grill expert, but something bothers me. I've observed that cracks in the grills usually occur in the troughs between points, not through the points.



Not related to the above, here's a scan I screen-captured from the Swedish Tiger site.

for me is this a Scott #83

Mav, nice "D" grill. Shade is also correct.
I've found a few of them on ebay over the years...one I had certed as MNG...
On yours I can definitely see 15 columns...congrats, and you might consider getting it certed...Ray

In original photo I count 15 across and 18 down with a half row (not counted) at the top. Appears to be a points down, so D grill it is. #83

Sending it in for a cert will increase the resale value if and when that becomes important to you. There are perf problems, but it is nonetheless a nice Fine, touching on the right.

Good catch!

C'mon Essay, you're slipping....
"D" grill = #85......

Wow, thank you so much for your time and info! It's tough to take good pics of these grills! It's great to get a correct identification! I've really been studying! I love trying to id these! Any advice on who to send for grade?

You're right Ray. I slipped. Too many C grills on the brain, I guess.

This is a D-grill. #85



[edit: I prefer the PF, but any of the major expert committees could do this one without contradiction. So for this one you could save some bucks and send it to the APS. Their certs still have clout on places like ebay, and some of their experts also do work for the PF.

APEX can give you peace of mind if you have any doubt. For a more complicated or uncertain piece I would still back up an APEX cert with one from the PF, particularly if it is likely that the item will be consigned to a major auction house some day. But at $30 for a negative opinion, APEX can help you determine whether a cert from the PF is needed. I tend to use PSE for grading and PF for expertizing.

Awesome. Thank you for that great info Essayk. Looks like I will go with APS. Sounds like a good company.

I believe that e cent D grills are a somewhat more common than C grills or Z grills. I have found at least three D grills in the last year and a half. Any of the four expertizing services can successfully certify a D grill. I haven't seen any complete grill fakss, especially when the stamp is found in a mix. Sometimes an attempt is made to add another vertical row to an existing grill, but usually the extra row is not aligned or spaced properly.

PSE may offer reduced pricing if the stamp is faulty. PSE and PSAG offer fast turnaround times. APEX is the least expensive and the Philatelic Foundation is the most popular with some dealers. Neither service is particularly fast.

Clark