My Aggravating Adriatic

I'm having problems with the stamp on the right. For the life of me I can't find a grill. I know that sometimes grills are faint but I have used every light in the house and twisted and turned it every way possible and nada.

I know you probably can't help we with that from a scan but you folks are better fly-speckers than I am.

Since it is virtually impossible to be a 128, I see two alternatives: 1. Somehow the grill got pressed out and what's left is obscured by the cancel, or 2. It's a forgery. Usually forgeries aren't done as well as originals but I can't see a difference between the two stamps I scanned. (I bought the other one because it seems that the adjacent stamp is peeking on the side of the straight edge)

What do you think? Real or not?

Appreciate any insight.
Dan

ok whats a grill? its not in my "guide to stamps collecting" book

The grill is that waffle-like thing on the stamp on the left. They disturbed the paper fibres to the extent that a cancellation could not be erased without destroying the design.

A grill is that waffle-like pattern of raised ridges you see on the stamp on the left. It was designed as a security device to break the paper fiber of stamps so the cancellation ink would be absorbed and harder to wash out so the stamp couldn't be reused.

Dan

Wpg,

You type faster than I do!

Dan

After staring at my post, I noticed a difference in the shading underneath the "2" Forgery??

Dan

The 1869 stamp should have a G.grill but there were several variations of the grill on this stamp,double grill,split grill,marginal grill,normal and split grill on the same stamp.
In 1875 there had a re-issue of the 1869 stamps,on hard white paper,white crackly gum,this issue is with out a grill Scott#128 so you may have a #128 and not a #117,you never know your luck .
regards Harry
Oh P.S. just check to see if the one without the grill is a 12 perf.

Tina, the Scott catalog should illustrate grills. For sure the Scott specialized does. Check the 1 cent "Z" grill for a value---$3,000,000. That is the value claimed by Mystic for the grilled stamp they traded for a plate block of the C3 Airmail invert. Since the C3 had sold for three million at auction, that is the value Scott assigns to the grilled stamp.

Harry,




If that's the case, I won't be posting here for a while. I'll be in Las Vegas!

The 1875 reissue stamps were never sold publicly. They were part of the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA. and given to collectors.

According to http://www.1847usa.com/identify/19th/1875.htm there were only 1584 issued. It is about as likely as finding an Inverted Jenny in kiloware.

If it is a forgery, it is a doggone good one.

I did check the perfs. It is 12.

Dan

The grill appears to be split. I see it most strongly at the lower left corner
and a bit weaker in the upper right left corner of the stamp.
There may be faint parts of it at the upper right and lower right corners too.

The white areas in the solid parts of the design (beneath the '2' and around POSTAGE for example)
seem due to inadequate inking.

I may have to side with t360. I don't see a partial grill on the upper right. But the telltale "x" often seen on grills appears to be present on the bottom left (looking at the back of the stamp). It appears to be about 3 perfs high and 4 perfs wide. Straight lines (ridges) are also faintly evident. If we are right, you have a split grill.

I see what you are both referring to on the lower left and maybe on the upper left, a split grill. I can't see anything on the right though.




That's why I posted this stamp. More eyes the better! Thanks!

It's surprising that it shows up much better on the scan than on a physical examination of the stamp. It's the lightest split grill I've ever encountered.

Dan