Grills

Can someone explain Grills in simple English?

Try this link first...




k

Thanks!

That website has some very interesting reading...

Can anyone tell a little about how to visualize grill marks? I just received my first grill stamp, which reportedly has an F grill. Do I just need to get a good magnifier? Does anyone have a link to some examples of grill images? The link given by khj is very helpful, but no images... thanks!

A good magnifier and ruler/grid is a must. It's usually easier to examine the stamp face down, but every once in a while, you get a stamp that's easier to examine face up. Some grills barely show up.

When it's difficult to distinguish between points up/down, you can use the aluminum foil trick. Take a small piece of unwrinkled Al foil, put it over the stamp, and rub gently with fingertips/nails (gently, you don't want to crush the grill points). The side with the points up will show up as little dots imprints on the foil.

By far the best method is if you have a long-wavelength UV lamp. Hit it with ~365nm filtered, and the grill will light up as tiny dots. I've been able to spot/measure even the faintest grills that way, and it is my method of choice because you don't have to remove the stamp from the album or the cover. However, you cannot reliably determine points up/down in this manner.

the stamp collectors handbook
samuel grossman

If you want some great pictures of stamps with grills, check out http://www.theswedishtiger.com/. Click on some of the links for 1862-1870 on the left side of that page. That is the era of grills.

An example of one of the great sub-links is http://www.theswedishtiger.com/x1867a.htm.

SwedishTiger hasn't been around in a while. Hope he drops in again soon!

k

Or if you want some great pictures of grills (or anything stamp-related), you can also ask Rod222!

k

Nice. Thanks. Turns out, taking my Scott 94 out of the stockcard and looking at the back of it was a really good way to see a grill first-hand. Still, glad that I asked, as the links and handbook are helpful.

Again, so glad to have found this forum and all the helpful, knowledgeable people... GOOOSHH

Nifty: added another grill stamp -- this one has a "split grill."

Waffles.

Spock made me do it.

....and I think this guy's belt, would fit me quite snugly.

Excellent thread.

Great input and very interesting.

I don't collect these, but I'll have to get a nice one as an example. So now I have 501 narrowly defined stamp collecting objectives....

Prince Afa. Some very reasonably price grill stamps are Scott USA numbers 88, 94 and 114. They are so inexpensive you can usually pick one up for a few dollars.