Or to dust the back of the stamp with powdered graghite.
Types of grills on stamps.
The 1 cent z grill stamp was thought to be one of the rarest usps stamp with only two such stamps in existence until a 15 cent z grill stamp was discovered also with only two known stamps.
The pyramids point downward into the surface of the stamp.
Getting to know them.
The city month and day are always present but notice the absence of a year.
A little bit more about grills on stamps.
One of these peru grills displays the horizontal ridges that characterize the american z grill but the peruvian version is smaller in size measuring 9 x 14 mm.
This short period of use combined with 11 different types of grilling resulted in making certain grilled stamps extremely rare and valuable.
The rest of the grill types d z e f g h i are points down i e.
Easist way to see grills is to look at the back of the stamp sideways with strong light shining across the back of the stamp.
Although the 1 cent z grill is generally cited as the rarest and most valuable of all us postage stamps the 15 cent lincoln z grill is just as rare and the 10 cent washington z grill scarcely less so.
Looking for an image of a town cancel handstamp.
Grilled stamps by rolin lewis 2007 the 1 cent z grill mystery by ken lawrence 1995 american philatelic congress book pp.
Getting to know them by peter mosiondz jr.
1 25 the recognition of two major types of the z grill jerome s.
Stevenson severn wylie jewett introductory overview to u s.
The first three grill types a b c are known as points upbecause the pyramid shaped embossments created by the grilling process point up from the surface of the stamp.
This is an early type of datestamp cancel found mostly on 19th century stamps and covers.
From what i can gather it is the use of the b grill which makes that particular issue of the stamp so desirable.
But what made this one worth a million dollars is a distinct waffle like grill pressed into the back of the stamp as part of a short lived government experiment to prevent fraudulent re use.
It has often been told to yours truly that many collectors of united states stamps throw their hands up in despair once they get to the classic era.
Looks a lot nicer than a cork cancel.
One main area of consternation is that of identifying many of the look alike types of early u s.
Two types of grill h and i.
Grills of three different types appear on regular issue stamps of peru produced between 1874 and 1884.
And they are identified by letters.
The other two grills measure respectively 11 x 15 mm.
And 10 x 12 mm.
Stamps of this design are common and usually worth only a few dollars.
There are ten different grill patterns.
For example if a stamp has a full grill on it covering the whole stamp it is a grill pattern a.