1867 2c Jackson, black, "Z" grill

# 85B - 1867 2c Jackson, black, "Z" grill

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U.S. #85b
Series of 1868 2¢ Jackson
“Z” Grill

Earliest Known Use: January 17, 1868 
Quantity issued:
 500,000 (estimate)
Printed by: National Bank Note Company
Method: Flat plate
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12
Color: Black

Set your collection apart with the 1868 2¢ Jackson with the experimental “Z” Grill.  Produced only during January of 1868, this elusive gem is seldom seen and highly desirable!

US #85B features the same design as the 1861 2¢ Jackson known affectionately as “Big Head” or “Black Jack.”  The oversize portrait alone makes this among one of the most popular US stamps – the scarce Z Grill makes it even more collectible.  Experts believe approximately 500,000 were produced – but philately was in its infancy, and few collectors realized its importance at the time. 

Grills were made by embossing the stamp, breaking paper fibers, and allowing canceling ink to soak deeply into the paper. This made it difficult to remove cancels and reuse stamps. Charles Steel, who oversaw postage stamp production in the 1860s, patented the grilling method. It was used nine short years – 1867 to 1875. Grilling resulted in some of the greatest U.S. stamp rarities, including the legendary “Z” Grill US #85A.

Series of 1867

Grills are classified by the dimensions of the grill pattern and are measured in millimeters or by counting the number of grill points. There are eleven major classifications.

“A”            Grill            Covers the entire stamp
“B”            Grill             18x15mm            (22x18pts)
“C”            Grill            13x16mm            (16-17x18-21pts)
“D”            Grill            12x14mm            (15-17-18pts)
“Z”            Grill            11x14mm            (13-14x18pts)
“E”            Grill            11x13mm            (14x15-17pts)
“F”            Grill            9x13mm            (11-12x15-17pts)
“G”            Grill            9 ½ x9mm            (12x11-11 ½ pts)
“H”            Grill            10x12mm            (11-13x14-16pts)
“I”            Grill            8 ½ x10mm            (10x11x10-13pts)
“J”            Grill            7x9 ½ mm            (10x12pts)

The letters that classify the various grill types do not denote the size, shape, or appearance of the grills. Rather, they simply indicate the order in which they were discovered.

The exception to the rule is the “Z” grill, which was identified by William L. Stevenson. Stevenson could not decide to which family of grills this particular type belonged. Nor did he know which other families it preceded or followed and so he designated it as “Z Grill,” where “Z” signifies the unknown. 

Visible in general from the back of the stamp only, grills may also be felt by lightly running a fingertip over the surface. Depending on which type of roller was used, the pattern may be “points up” or a “points down.” The ridges on an indented roller force the paper into the recesses, creating raised points, while a roller with raised pyramids will cause the points to be forced down into the paper, forming a series of depressions.

The United States was the first country to issue grilled stamps and was the only country to do so until the mid-1870s, when Peru also began using grills. The National Bank Note Company was responsible for producing both countries’ stamps.

First U.S. Grilled Stamp 

August 13, 1867, marks the earliest known use of the first stamp produced with a grill, U.S. #79.

Many early U.S. stamps didn’t have set issue dates, so for those, we go by the first known use, which for #79 was 150 years ago today!

In the 1860s, U.S. postal officials grew concerned that people were reusing stamps by washing the cancels off to use the same stamp twice. So Charles Steel, superintendent of stamp manufacture at the National Bank Note Company developed the grill process, for which he was granted a patent on October 22, 1867.

According to Steel’s patent, “The object of my invention is to produce a stamp which shall stick better than usual, and which it shall be impossible to fraudulently remove and use again.” Steel’s machine used a roller pitted with either small depressions or small raised pyramids to break fibers in stamp paper. The rollers with depressions created a “points up” pattern while those with raised pyramids made a “points down” pattern.

These broken fibers allowed cancellation ink to thoroughly penetrate the paper. This meant even regular pen ink, which was used to cancel stamps at smaller post offices, would be impossible to remove completely.

After a test run, Steel’s machine applied the first grills to U.S. #79, which was first known to be used on August 13, 1867. However, because the grill covered the entire sheet, it proved troublesome, weakening perforations and leading some sheets to fall apart. As a result, Steel modified the grilling process, resulting in 10 more major grill classifications. These grills are classified by the dimensions of the grill pattern and are measured in millimeters or by counting the number of grill points.

The letters that classify the various grill types do not denote the size, shape, or appearance of the grills. Rather, they simply indicate the order in which they were discovered.

The exception to the rule is the “Z” grill, which was identified by William L. Stevenson. Stevenson could not decide to which family of grills this particular type belonged. Nor did he know which other families it preceded or followed and so he designated it as “Z Grill,” where “Z” signifies the unknown.

Visible in general from the back of the stamp only, grills may also be felt by lightly running a fingertip over the surface. Depending on which type of roller was used, the pattern may be “points up” or a “points down.” The ridges on an indented roller force the paper into the recesses, creating raised points, while a roller with raised pyramids will cause the points to be forced down into the paper, forming a series of depressions.

The United States was the first country to issue grilled stamps and was the only country to do so until the mid-1870s, when Peru also began using grills. The National Bank Note Company was responsible for producing both countries’ stamps.

 

 

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U.S. #85b
Series of 1868 2¢ Jackson
“Z” Grill

Earliest Known Use: January 17, 1868 
Quantity issued:
 500,000 (estimate)
Printed by: National Bank Note Company
Method: Flat plate
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12
Color: Black

Set your collection apart with the 1868 2¢ Jackson with the experimental “Z” Grill.  Produced only during January of 1868, this elusive gem is seldom seen and highly desirable!

US #85B features the same design as the 1861 2¢ Jackson known affectionately as “Big Head” or “Black Jack.”  The oversize portrait alone makes this among one of the most popular US stamps – the scarce Z Grill makes it even more collectible.  Experts believe approximately 500,000 were produced – but philately was in its infancy, and few collectors realized its importance at the time. 

Grills were made by embossing the stamp, breaking paper fibers, and allowing canceling ink to soak deeply into the paper. This made it difficult to remove cancels and reuse stamps. Charles Steel, who oversaw postage stamp production in the 1860s, patented the grilling method. It was used nine short years – 1867 to 1875. Grilling resulted in some of the greatest U.S. stamp rarities, including the legendary “Z” Grill US #85A.

Series of 1867

Grills are classified by the dimensions of the grill pattern and are measured in millimeters or by counting the number of grill points. There are eleven major classifications.

“A”            Grill            Covers the entire stamp
“B”            Grill             18x15mm            (22x18pts)
“C”            Grill            13x16mm            (16-17x18-21pts)
“D”            Grill            12x14mm            (15-17-18pts)
“Z”            Grill            11x14mm            (13-14x18pts)
“E”            Grill            11x13mm            (14x15-17pts)
“F”            Grill            9x13mm            (11-12x15-17pts)
“G”            Grill            9 ½ x9mm            (12x11-11 ½ pts)
“H”            Grill            10x12mm            (11-13x14-16pts)
“I”            Grill            8 ½ x10mm            (10x11x10-13pts)
“J”            Grill            7x9 ½ mm            (10x12pts)

The letters that classify the various grill types do not denote the size, shape, or appearance of the grills. Rather, they simply indicate the order in which they were discovered.

The exception to the rule is the “Z” grill, which was identified by William L. Stevenson. Stevenson could not decide to which family of grills this particular type belonged. Nor did he know which other families it preceded or followed and so he designated it as “Z Grill,” where “Z” signifies the unknown. 

Visible in general from the back of the stamp only, grills may also be felt by lightly running a fingertip over the surface. Depending on which type of roller was used, the pattern may be “points up” or a “points down.” The ridges on an indented roller force the paper into the recesses, creating raised points, while a roller with raised pyramids will cause the points to be forced down into the paper, forming a series of depressions.

The United States was the first country to issue grilled stamps and was the only country to do so until the mid-1870s, when Peru also began using grills. The National Bank Note Company was responsible for producing both countries’ stamps.

First U.S. Grilled Stamp 

August 13, 1867, marks the earliest known use of the first stamp produced with a grill, U.S. #79.

Many early U.S. stamps didn’t have set issue dates, so for those, we go by the first known use, which for #79 was 150 years ago today!

In the 1860s, U.S. postal officials grew concerned that people were reusing stamps by washing the cancels off to use the same stamp twice. So Charles Steel, superintendent of stamp manufacture at the National Bank Note Company developed the grill process, for which he was granted a patent on October 22, 1867.

According to Steel’s patent, “The object of my invention is to produce a stamp which shall stick better than usual, and which it shall be impossible to fraudulently remove and use again.” Steel’s machine used a roller pitted with either small depressions or small raised pyramids to break fibers in stamp paper. The rollers with depressions created a “points up” pattern while those with raised pyramids made a “points down” pattern.

These broken fibers allowed cancellation ink to thoroughly penetrate the paper. This meant even regular pen ink, which was used to cancel stamps at smaller post offices, would be impossible to remove completely.

After a test run, Steel’s machine applied the first grills to U.S. #79, which was first known to be used on August 13, 1867. However, because the grill covered the entire sheet, it proved troublesome, weakening perforations and leading some sheets to fall apart. As a result, Steel modified the grilling process, resulting in 10 more major grill classifications. These grills are classified by the dimensions of the grill pattern and are measured in millimeters or by counting the number of grill points.

The letters that classify the various grill types do not denote the size, shape, or appearance of the grills. Rather, they simply indicate the order in which they were discovered.

The exception to the rule is the “Z” grill, which was identified by William L. Stevenson. Stevenson could not decide to which family of grills this particular type belonged. Nor did he know which other families it preceded or followed and so he designated it as “Z Grill,” where “Z” signifies the unknown.

Visible in general from the back of the stamp only, grills may also be felt by lightly running a fingertip over the surface. Depending on which type of roller was used, the pattern may be “points up” or a “points down.” The ridges on an indented roller force the paper into the recesses, creating raised points, while a roller with raised pyramids will cause the points to be forced down into the paper, forming a series of depressions.

The United States was the first country to issue grilled stamps and was the only country to do so until the mid-1870s, when Peru also began using grills. The National Bank Note Company was responsible for producing both countries’ stamps.

 

 

Click here to learn