#84 1867 2¢ D grill

Basic Information

Color: Black
Subject: Andrew Jackson
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: The National Bank Note Company
Perforations: 12
Watermark: none
Type of Grill: D
Scott #: 84
Plates: 28-31, 50-51, 53
Quantity issued: 200,000 (estimated)
Issued: February 8, 1868

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: -
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $1,400-$2,200
A used stamp: $600-$1,700

D Grill Detail

This is the fifth of the issued grills, after only one day of grilling 3,000 sheets with the D grill it was replaced with the E grill. This was the first issue to be produced with the grills pointing down. The grill was not effective and was not used again

Points: 15 x 17 to 18 points.
Size: 12 x 14mm

Usage

#84 used on a cover paying the standard 2¢ drop letter rate

A new stamp was needed to pay for the increased 2¢ rate for circulars and drop letters. #84 was primarily used for prepaying the 2¢ postage rate for "drop letters" (delivered within the same post office), circulars, and newspapers during the early Civil War era. It was the standard adhesive for low-weight, local mail and printed matter.

Drop Letters: It was used for local "drop letters" (mail delivered within the same post office area).
Printed Matter: Used for newspapers, circulars, and unsealed printed matter for up to 4oz. There are no surviviing examples of #73 on such.
Make-Up Rate: It was frequently used in combination with other stamps to make up higher rates.

The Inspiration for the Design

John Wood Dodge painting of Andrew Jackson

The Portrait
It is believed that the engraved head is after a miniature painting of Jackson, at age 78, done by John Wood Dodge (1807-1893). Jackson is said to have sat for the painting in 1842, at which time he was living in retirement at the Hermitage, his home near Nash­ville

The Political Motivation
The choice of Andrew Jackson was highly symbolic during the Civil War. Jackson was a transformative figure in the Democratic Party who was also a staunch Unionist, and placing his likeness on a stamp was intended to send a strong pro-Union message to the Confederate States of America.