Is This A Possible Scott 85f

Hi All, I reside in the UK and I am looking for help in identifying if this stamp is a Z Grill. I have measured it as 10.5mm by 13.5mm and 14 points by either 17 or 18

All within the parameters for Scott 85F.

However the Grill is a bit of a mess, which you will see from the uploaded photos.

Appreciate any help that you can give

Welcome, Warden. Z grills, uniquely among the grills of this issue, have the ridges of the embossed points in a horizontal rather than vertical orientation. The grill on your stamp clearly has vertical ridges. Forget measuring by area in millimeters--count the rows and columns of points. I count 14x17, which means this stamp is very likely Sc #87 with an E grill. See here for more info on grills: https://stampsmarter.org/learning/I...8Grills.html

Warden, it is not a Z grill.
The Z grill is the only type where the points of the grill are oriented in a horizontal direction, and the points of this stamp are definitely vertical.

You really need to soak the stamp and remove the hinge remainder and the gum that is on the grill so you can see it better. The points must be completely straight both rows and columns. To me on the magnified image, the points look less than straight in the upper left side of the grill.

If it is authentic, it would be an E grill, and Scott 91, which is a pretty nice stamp also. Good luck-- you might want to have this one submitted for a cert.

Hope this helps, Ray

Warden, two comments. First, the search function is quite good on SCF. Second this thread: http://goscf.com/t/81277 was started for helping folks like you with actual stamps and their grills pictured.

Edited to correct autocorrect.

Thanks for the correction, ray. Sc #91 it is.

Thank you for all of your help and advice.

I soaked the stamp, which I was afraid of doing, but you can now see the grill more clearly.

When you talk of getting a stamp certified, how would I do that from the UK?

Many Thanks Bernard

Thank you, Warden, for posting a scan of the verso after having soaked the stamp.
I count 14 x 17 points in the grill and believe it to be an E grill, Scott 91, given the vertical orientation of the ridges of the points.

Should you still want to have it expertised, the gold standard for US classics is the Philatelic Foundation in New York. https://www.philatelicfoundation.org/ They do take submissions from abroad, so this is an option for you.

However, given how far off-center your stamp is, and what appears to be some staining on the front that may have survived the soaking, it may not be worth it financially, depending on your plans.

So if you want to stay domestic, you could submit to the Royal Philatelic Society. They could do it given their resources.
See https://rpsl.limited/Experts/Service-Conditions which has links to the form and fees required.

Hope this helps in thinking about your next steps.

Well actually the stamp cleaned up very well.

But as far as getting it certified, that would depend on what the stamp was worth today, as my Scotts catalogue is 2019. So any idea of its potential value?

Ooops wrong photo, here's the correct one.

Warden - While the catalog value for the stamp in VF condition is $650 the "real" value is much less. Looking at Ebay sales for 91's with similar centering (poor) and cancel type you are looking at an average price in the middle two figure range ($25-75). None of the sold "91's have certificates because it does not make financial sense.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/675/i.html...H_Complete=1

Thank you all for your valuable help in assisting me to identify the grill, and for giving me an idea for what the stamp was worth.

Thanks again for your support.

Bernard