【小小郵票 大大世界】第30集： 1867年10美分喬治.華盛頓綠色Z型網格線郵票 #郵票 #投資 #喬治.華盛頓

Hello everyone, welcome to "Little Stamp, Big World"! I'm Qingqing. In the world of collecting, there is one stamp that always catches the eye — mysterious and rare, it can even leave an entire auction house breathless. And that’s our topic for today! The 1867 10-cent George Washington Z Grill green stamp, Scott Catalogue number #85D. It’s not just a stamp; it’s more like a code traveling through a century, the ultimate prize in a treasure hunt. To understand its value, we need to start with a simple yet crucial question: Why were grill patterns embossed on stamps? In the 19th century, the U.S. Post Office found that some people were removing postmarks and reusing stamps, causing financial losses to the United States government. To solve this problem, the National Bank Note Company engineer Charles F. Steel invented the “embossed” grill pattern technique. It involves embossing a fine grid pattern on the back of the stamp, allowing the ink to deeply penetrate the paper fibers. Once a postmark is stamped on the stamp, it cannot be washed off and reused. Steel’s method was patented on October 22, 1867, and shortly thereafter. Stamps with grill patterns were gradually introduced, each with a slightly different grill shape. So, what exactly is a Z Grill stamp? According to the shape of the embossed grill patterns, people classify them from A to J types. In 1916, stamp expert William L. Stevenson discovered a new grill pattern shape. However, he was unable to classify it into any known type, so he labeled it with the last letter of the alphabet, Z. It represented a vast unknown. The Z Grill stamp is unique, characterized by “raised points facing downward,” which can also be seen from the front. That is to say, the raised pyramids are arranged horizontally points down, rather than vertically like other types of grill patterns. This grill pattern was not created for aesthetics but for functionality, yet it unexpectedly became a legend in the world of philately. So, what makes this 10-cent Z Grill green stamp so special? The 1867 10-cent George Washington green Z Grill stamp was used to pay postage for foreign mail. It features a portrait of George Washington, based on the classic painting by artist Gilbert Stuart. It was printed by the National Bank Note Company around February 1868. A large sheet contained a total of 200 stamps, divided into two smaller panes of 100 stamps each. The Z Grill George Washington green stamp was very likely produced simultaneously with the D Grill stamp on two experimental machines. The Z Grill was quickly discontinued, resulting in a very low production—estimated to be only about 2,000 stamps. Today, among the only six surviving 1867 10-cent George Washington Z Grill green stamps in the world... One is preserved in the Miller Collection at the New York Public Library. It is a national treasure not accessible to the public, while the other five are held by private collectors. One of them was sold for $632,500 at the Siegel Auction in December 2008. Another one was sold on July 10, 2019, at the Cherrystone Auction. It was sold for 1 million dollars at the auction, increasing by $360,000 over 10 years. It shows that stamps are not just history on paper, but also artworks and scientific achievements worth millions of dollars. Every discovery of a Z Grill stamp is like a coin rising from the depths of history—surprising and captivating. One day, a friend happily said, "Hey! I have a George Washington green grill stamp—I’m going to get rich!" But the stamp dealer said it wasn’t worth anything. It turns out that the 10-cent George Washington green grill stamp comes in several types, with the common ones being the E Grill and F Grill. Among them, even a brand-new F Grill George Washington yellow green stamp is worth at most only $1,750. So, you must clearly identify the grill type before considering it as an investment! A stamp designed to prevent postal fraud but ultimately became a legend in philatelic history. That’s all for the 1867 10-cent George Washington Z Grill green stamp. If you enjoyed today’s content, please like, share, and leave a comment! And don’t forget to follow us, so you can share this knowledge with more friends and family! Thank you all!