#85D 1868 10¢ Z grill

Basic Information

Color: Green
Subject: George Washington
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: The National Bank Note Company
Perforations: 12
Watermark: none
Type of Grill: Z
Scott #: 85D
Quantity issued: 2,000 (only 6 known examples exist)
Issued: First week of March, 1868

Value

A used stamp: $310,000 There are no surviving unused stamps.

Z Grill Detail

This is the first grill to be issued after the experimental A and C grills. It was produced In January 1868, with the 1¢, 10¢ and 15¢ not being printed until almost at the end of the Z grill life span. They were printed for perhaps only a few weeks and as such they are rare. The grill points are facing down and the grill is horizontal.The Z grill was discovered in 1913 by William L. Stevenson who created the grill letter classification system. At the time he could not match this grill with any other grills, one year later, because of its unknown nature he assigned the letter Z to this grill.

Points: 18 x 13-15 points
Size: 11 x 14mm

Usage

The reverse of #85D

Domestic Mail: The 10¢ stamp was often used for domestic mail requiring additional postage.
Foreign Mail: Covering part of the postage for foreign mail or to pay a single rate. A common usage was the 10¢ rate to Germany and France
Transpacific Mail: The 10c stamp paid the single-weight Transpacific rate by American packet via San Francisco, effective January 1868 to July 1870.

The Inspiration for the Design

The inspiration for the US Scott #13 10¢ stamp, issued in 1855, was based on a portrait of Geroge Washington by Gilbert Stuart.

The frame and lettering were engraved by Henry Earle. Earle is credited with engraving the lettering and frames for the 1851–1861 Issue of U.S. stamps. This includes well-known denominations like the 1c, 3c, and 10c stamps of that era, but not the 5¢ Jefferson

The 10-cent stamp is noted for being more faithful to the original Stuart painting than the 12-cent version, specifically in retaining more of the portrait's details.