How Do You Determine If A Stamp Has A Grill Or Not.....???

Hi!
As you may know, some of the early U.S. definitive stamps have versions with "grills" impressed upon them. For some of them (in my collection) it is fairly obvious. But I've come across a number of them that its questionable. Even with a 10x lens I can't really tell if they have one or not. And in those cases, I have to assume that they don't.

Soooo, my question is, how do you determine if a grill is present if its not obvious?

Thank you,
Mobilman44

go to my website at http://www.stampexpertizing.com/ then to "Articles" then to;

"1867- 1868 GRILLS - Easy Identification Part B Open PDF". And click onto the PDF file, which will open and you can read the instructions on how to apply graphite to grills to make them easier to observe.

Mobilman44, if you have a Books-a-Million book store anywhere near by, you can pick up a 16x lens in their section selling coin/stamp supplies. A stronger lens can be helpful too.

Thank you folks!

The website is a real help, and the use of graphite (like a crime scene tech) is an excellent idea.

Thank you!

Count the number of vertical and horizontal rows. Don't attempt to use the measurements in the Scott Catalog, they are too approximate to be useful. I had a 2 cent Blackjack marked up by an unknown dealer as a Scott 86, E grill, normally about 14 vertical rows by 16 to 17 horizontal rows. I happened to check it (I check every grill) and noticed that it had 18 horizontal rows. It had a faint 15th vertical row, forming a D grill (15 x 18 points). I sent the stamp for a cert and it came back today certified as a Scott 84, giving it a huge boost in value. I found a 3 cent D grill (Scott 85) two weeks ago in a small group of mixed 3 cent grills.

I use a 15 power glass to check grills and verify the row and column count. Sometimes dipping the stamp in lighter fluid will make the outline of the grill show up more clearly. Occasionally a Z grill will jump out of a mix. If a half row appears at the top or bottom of the grill, it must be an E grill, but if the half row is to the right or left of the grill, it must be a Z grill. A Z grill without vertical half vertical rows will be 14 x 18 rows and never 14 x 17 as older Scott catalogs used to claim.

Good luck with your grills.

Clark

Hi again........
While my 10x Bausch & Lomb magnifier is excellent for a lot of purposes, it is just not good enough for "special marks" or faint grills or the like - at least for my 70 yr old eyes. So, I bought (online) the B&L 20x Hastings Triplet Magnifier. It arrived yesterday.

Now I had read it is small in size, but man, it is SMALL! The lens is about 3/8 inch across, and with the holder extended, about 1 inch in total length. Of course non of the ads or pics give you any clue as to how small the thing is.

That being said, it really does the job! It is amazing at the detail it picks up, and from now on, no secret mark or faint grill is going to escape me! Of course that is what it is best good for, and for everyday jobs it will just stay in its case.

http://www.claflinequip.com/eschenb...IS7AodBG8AFQ
Best magnifier there is....
Pricey...but worth it.