#116 - 1869 10ยข
See below for details
Basic Info
10¢
Orange, yellowish Orange
G GRILL
Subject: Eagle and shield
Number issued: 3,229,700
Perforations: P12
Printer: National Bank Note Co.
Scott #: 116
Earliest known use: April 1st, 1869
Value
Used
$30 - $60
No postmark with gum (MH)
$500 - $1,800
Full perfect gum, no postmark
no trace of stamp hinge mark (MNH)
$1,800 - $4,000
The G Grill
The 1869 pictorial stamps were grilled on the reverse with the G grill. An illustration of this grill is shown above
Sulphurization
The stamp on the left is sulpharized, the iron oxide in the yellow ink has been allowed to turn the ink brown in the drying process. Sulphurized stamps have a discounted value.
Fake Perforations
Be careful about the paper. If the stamp is on India paper, versus white wove paper, then you have a proof which has had gum, fake perforations and a grill added. This has been done to make the relatively inexpensive proof appear to be the expensive genuine #116
Plate #'s
#116 was issued with the following plate #'s
Imprint and plate number
15-16
The design inspiration
The commonly used theme of the bald eagle and the US shield was used for the vignette. It was the first stamp to depict an animal.
Multiples
There are very few blocks left of #116. Above is the largest known multiple, a block of 15
Stamp usage
The stamp paid the single-weight rate to many foreign countries, including Mexico, Germany (shown above), Brazil, and Hungary.
Essays and Proofs
116-E1a
116-E1b
116-E1b
116-E1c
116-E1c
116-E1c
116-E1c
116-E1c
116-E1c
116-E1d
116-E1d
116-E1d
116-E1d
116-E1e
116-E1e
116-E1f
116-E1f
116-E1g
116-E1g
116-E1g
116-E1g
116-E1g
116-E1g
116-E1h
116-E1h
116-E1h
116-E1h
116-E1i
116-E1i
116-E1j
116-E1j
116-E1j
116-E1j
116-E1k
116-E1k
116-E1k
116-E1k
116-E1L
116-E1L
116-E2a
116-E2a
116-E2a
116-E2a
116-E2b
116-E2b
116-E2b
116-E3
116-E3
116-E4
116-E4
115-E5b
115-E5b
115-E5b
115-E5b
116-E6a
116-E6a
116-E7b
116-E7b
116-E8
115-E10b
115-E11b
115-E11b
115-E11b
115-E11b
115-E12b
115-E12b
115-E14b
115-E16b
115-E16b
115-E19b
115-E19b
115-E19b
116-P3
116-P3
116-P4
116-P4
The 1869 Pictorial Issue
Click your selected stamp
