Z Grill stamps are not the easiest stamps to identify. As with many collectibles, it\u2019s easy to think that only a trained eye can recognize them. But there are a few tips to know if you want to know how to identify Z Grill stamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Identifying a Z-Grill stamp requires recognizing the grill markers and the presence of ink absorption, as well as the type of grill used, which varies based on its design. A little familiarity with the grill design is needed to successfully identify a Z-Grill stamp.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recognizing a Z-Grill stamp requires understanding how it was constructed and how that can affect the signs a person has one. Furthermore, because Z-Grill stamps are rare, identifying one requires being able to differentiate between Z-Grill and non-Z-Grills. Below is how to identify a Z-Grill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US government became very concerned in the 1850s and 60s with stamp fraud. Specifically, the government was worried about stamp cancellation marks<\/a> being \u201ccleaned\u201d and the stamps being reused<\/strong>. Reusing stamps was not common but it did happen, mainly because of three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with most things in Washington, DC, the easy answer, giving Postmasters auto canceling devices, was not determined to be the best answer. What was determined to work best was a more complex process <\/strong>of marking the stamp with a \u201cgrill.\u201d The purpose of the grill was to make it difficult for someone to erase the ink, whether done by hand or by an auto canceling device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With stamps, a grill is a pattern that is embossed onto paper to create a unique marking that is<\/strong> difficult to replicate<\/strong> or in the case of stamps, make it difficult to erase any ink that was applied to the paper. It is embossed on a stamp by a roller that is pitted with the pattern. When applied, the embosser created the image on the roller on the paper it was being applied by \u201cpitting\u201d the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An embossing roller was always a \u201cfemale\u201d roller. This was because when applied, the embossing, or grill become easy to see. While that was unique, the purpose of the pitting of the paper was fairly simple<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the stamp was embossed, the process would break the fibers of the paper. This would mean that any ink applied to the stamp would saturate into the paper and even smear. It also would mean that the saturation would be uneven<\/strong>, heavy in some areas and light in others. Both characteristics made it very difficult to completely erase the ink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important to note that the paper itself was not damaged. The fibers that made up the paper were broken or slightly torn. This meant that the form of the stamp remained the same. The printed stamp was not blemished<\/strong>, but any ink that was added to it, like a cancel mark, became infused into the breaks in the fibers of the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Brooklyn inventor, Charles F. Steele, was awarded a patent for a grill design on October 22 of 1867. The government had tried out several grills<\/strong>. Most had flaws or did not perform as well as the government wanted. The USPS wanted a grill that would be impossible to defeat, or at least as difficult as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steele\u2019s design was chosen because it was dependable and made it virtually impossible to erase ink once it was applied to the stamp<\/strong>. The markings in the paper absorbed the ink inconsistently and created a hazy, inconsistent spread of ink when the cancel mark was applied. This worked with both hand cancellation as well as those stamps that were cancelled by an automatic cancelling device. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill stamp was a 1 cent postage stamp, and it was issued to the public in February of 1868 by the USPS. As the name implies, the visage on the stamp was that of Ben Franklin. It was common for 1 cent stamps in the 1860s to have grills, but the Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill stamp was unique<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stamp grills typically utilized various letters to form the grill. What that means is that a grill pattern would be created by rows of the same letter<\/strong>. The basic design of the grill issue stamps was the same, excepting for the assigned letter. In the Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill, as the name implies, the letter used to make the grill was a \u201cZ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nZ-Grill History<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Definition Of A Grill<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Easier Smudging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Experimentation For The Perfect Grill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Other Rare Z-Grills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n