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10c Green, Z. Grill (85D). Beautifully centered, deep rich color, clearly-defined grill, neat strike of blue circular datestamp and red cancel at bottom, thin spot at bottom of grill, tiny corner crease at top right, few slightly blunted perfs at lower rightVERY FINE APPEARANCE. THE 1868 10-CENT Z GRILL IS ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL UNITED STATES STAMPS. ONLY FOUR OR POSSIBLY FIVE EXAMPLES ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF UNITED STATES PHILATELY AND ONE OF THE KEYS TO A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF UNITED STATES STAMPS. OFFERED TO THE MARKET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 40 YEARS.
Our census of the 10c Z Grill is shown on the opposite page and is also available at our website at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/85D/85D.pdf
The great Z Grill rarities are probably the products of a short-lived chance encounter between sheets of 1c, 10c and 15c stamps and the Z Grill roller on one of the grilling machines before the device was refitted with another grill type. The craftsmen at the National Bank Note Company could never have foreseen a future in which these embossed stamps would represent the keys to completing a United States stamp collection.
We record just six examples of Scott 85D, including one stamp contained in the Miller collection at The New York Public Library (85D-CAN-06) and another stamp (85D-CAN-01) which has not been seen since it last appeared in a Laurence & Stryker auction in November 1958. Until the status of 85D-CAN-01 can be verified, it is possible that only four examples of the 10c Z Grill remain available to collectors.
Census No. 85D-CAN-03. Discovered by Lester G. Brookman and illustrated in Volume II of his reference work on 19th Century United States stamps (page 136). Ex Wilbur H. Schilling, Jr. and offered to the market for the first time since our 1975 Rarities sale (where acquired by the current owner). With 1945 A.P.S. and 2015 P.F. certificates. Footnote in Scott Catalogue notes "Value is for a well-centered example with small faults".
