Scott 179c With Grill

Can anyone on this board tell me approximately how many copies of this variety were issued?

Sc 179c on Stamp Smarter

http://www.stampsmarter.com/1847usa...tml#Scott179

I doubt more than 100 exist. I'm also not aware of any used ones in existence.

none were issued.

The few copies that exist most probably came from the personal files of Charles Skinner, and very likely entered the philatelic marketplace through Hiram Deats. For a time they and all the Continental grill items were kept in a single holding, much (or all) of which appeared in a Worthington sale in 1913. After that they were dispersed, apparently without notes on quantities having been kept. The total number of this particular stamp is far less than 100.

Has anyone here seen one of these grills? Is there a certain pattern as others grills have?

I would think it would have to be an H/I/J grill as on any other banknote. See below, left side of stamp (from Siegel database):

Thanks, that's a start!

From Siegel:

"It is believed that the Continental grills were made experimentally in 1876, after a stamp-cleaning court trial renewed fears of stamp re-use, the primary source of the rare J Grills was the Worthington collection, which was dispersed in 1917, it is believed that most or all examples in collectors' hands came from the archive of Charles F. Steel, who patented the grilling machines used between 1867 and 1873."

The PF has certified 26 singles and one block of four which is more than I expected.

http://pfsearch.org/pfsearch/pf_grd...tFirst=First

Most recent sale at Siegel yielded a price of around $1,300 so the 179c can't be so rare.

It is not that there are a lot floating around but rather not a lot of people seeking them. Usuall because they are not major catalog numbers needed to fill that pre-printed empty album space.

Some individuals may be more interested in filling their pockets than filling Scott specialized album spaces.