15¢
Black, gray black
F GRILL
Printing Method: Engraved
Printer: The National Bank Note Company
Subject: Abraham Lincoln
Number issued: 2,000,000
Perforations: 12
Watermark: Unwatermarked
Scott #: 98
Issued: August 13th, 1868
Used
$35 - $60
No postmark with gum (MH)
$700 - $2,700
Full perfect gum, no postmark
no trace of stamp hinge mark (MNH)
$27,000 (2007)
#98 was printed with the following plate #
Engravers imprint and number
41
Over 95% of grills are either E or F grills. The A, B, C, and D grills had proved to be unsatisfactory, mostly due to their presence on the stamp making the stamp difficult to separate. The Z grill did not have that problem but for whatever reason it was printed in very limited quantities. The F grill was the last of the grills. Grilling was expensive and it was increasingly seen that there was no need for it. Grilling did have a benefit; it helped the National Banknote Company win the contract. For more on grills see types of grills.
The last day stamps were grilled was March 25th,1869.