SPECIAL NOTE: There are many United States stamps that look similar to the rarities listed below. Some of the differences between expensive rarities and common stamps can be subtle, including differences in perforation, shade and size. These stamps should have certificates from a recognized expertizing committee, such as The Philatelic Foundation or P.S.E.

The stamp illustrated above was identified as a 15c E Grill in the Saul Newbury collection sold through this firm in the early 1960's. When the collection was broken down into lots, a member of staff spotted the grill as having Z characteristics. It was submitted to Elliott Perry, who determined it was genuine, and then to the Philatelic Foundation, where it received certificate 14038 on June 5, 1961. The publicity generated by this event resulted in the search and discovery of another 15c Z Grill by Eugene Costales. The second example (Census 85F-CAN-2) is centered strongly to right and received a "Genuine" opinion from the Philatelic Foundation in 1962.

Records of grilled issues kept by the government's Stamp Agent indicate that 15c grilled stamps were not separately accounted for until the second quarter of 1868. The earliest known 15c 1868 grilled usages are May 2 for the E and May 4 for the F Grill, which point to 15c grilling between April 15 and 20 (see timeline). If our timeline is correct, the Z Grill was replaced with the F Grill on or about March 17. It is plausible that a small supply of 15c sheets was included with the 1c and 10c sheets run through the Z (and E) Grill sometime between February 19 and 28. These sheets may have been turned over to the Stamp Agent with an ungrilled supply or held until an order for 15c stamps was submitted.

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