You have a 30c Franklin and it is fairly uncommon.

To value the stamps that do not have an embossed grill (as shown below) click here.

Should the stamp have an embossed pattern, or grill (as shown below), click here.

Should you wish to know more about grills, I have written a rough guide below.

The stamp as reprinted in 1875 and is rare. The reprinted stamp is on hard white paper, is brownish-orange in color, and can be found by clicking here.

A grill is a grid that has been embossed onto the stamp. They are most obvious when looking at the back of the stamp. With the exception of the 'A' grill the grill is a block of this grid. The grid is made up of tiny points (they look like squares to the naked eye). The key to identifying them is to count the number of rows and columns of thes tiny points, and also to measure the width and height of the grid. Sound easy? Not really, these grids were not that well pressed into the stamp, often only a couple of sides are well defined, leaving the rest to a best guess. So here goes, how to tell one grill from another. A trick to counting these is to scan the back, blow the up the size of the scan, and then count. Doing it with the naked eye is for the patient.

A Grill

The easiest to identify, the grid is all over the stamp, from one side to another. Click numbers 79-85 on the menu to the left.

B Grill

There are only four copies, all accounted for, so we can ignore this was. Click numbers 85A-85F on the menu to the left. Click numbers 79-85 on the menu to the left.

C Grill

The little points are all pointing up. The grid measures 13mm x 16mm and is 16 or 17 points wide and 18 to 21 points high. Click numbers 79-85 on the menu to the left.

D Grill

The little points are all pointing down. The grid measures 12mm x 14mm and is 15 points wide and 17 or 18 points high. Click numbers 79-85 on the menu to the left.

E Grill

The little points are all pointing down. The grid measures 11mm x 13mm and is 14 or 15 points wide and 17 points high. This is a fairly common grill. You will see it a lot on the 3c stamp. Click numbers 86-91 on the menu to the left.

F Grill

The little points are all pointing down. The grid measures 9mm x 13mm and is 11 or 12 points wide and 17 points high. This is also a fairly common grill. You will see it a lot on the 3c stamp. Click numbers 92-101 on the menu to the left.

Z Grill

The rarest of the grills. The little points are all pointing down. The grid measures 11mm x 14mm and is 13 or 14 points wide and 18 points high. Click numbers 85A-85F on the menu to the left.

Below is a chart to help you