#88 1868 3¢ E grill

Basic Information

Color: Rose
Subject: George Washington
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: The National Bank Note Company
Perforations: 12
Watermark: none
Type of Grill: E
Scott #: 88
Plates: 32, 36, 54-55
Quantity issued: 80,000,000
Issued: First week of February, 1868

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $170-$375
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $110-$170
A used stamp: $5-$7

E Grill Detail

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 E grill is often confused with the Z grill as the size of the grill is similar and they are on the same values. Close examination of the E grill will reveal the grills have a vertical orientation as shown above. Whilst the Z grills have a horizontal orientation. Both the E and Z grills have their grill points facing down

Points: 15 x 17 points.
Size: 11 x 13mm

Usage

#88 on earliest day of use cover, dated February 12th, 1868

#88 was primarily used to pay the standard 3-cent domestic letter rate for mail weighing up to 1/2 ounce. As the most common postage stamp of its era, it was heavily used throughout the Civil War period for first-class mail.

Domestic Letter Rate: The most frequent use was for standard mail traveling distances over 3,000 miles (or any distance once the uniform rate was established in 1863).
Multiples for Higher Rates: These stamps were often used in multiples to pay for heavier letters or for international mail destinations requiring higher postage..
Civil War Soldiers' Mail: It was widely used by Union soldiers to send letters home, though soldiers were also permitted to send mail "postage due" if no stamps were available.

#88a and #88b

#88a Lake Red

#88b Two diagonal halves

88a
The less common lake red color

88b
Illegal bisects used to defraud, two diagonal bisect halves from different stamps used as a3¢ stamp (fraudulent reuse) cancelled together by circular grid, bottom half with normal grill and small piece out, top half with points up grill

The Inspiration for the Design

The design of US stamp #25 was inspired by a bust of George Washington created by the French neoclassical sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon

Portrait Source
Houdon created the original bust from a plaster life mask and wet clay models during a 1785 visit to Mount Vernon at the invitation of Benjamin Franklin. It is considered one of the most accurate representations of Washington.
Artistic Elements
The stamp depicts Washington in profile facing left, with his hair tied back and his shoulders draped in a Roman toga.

A full pane