#95 1867 5¢ F grill

Basic Information

Color: Black, black brown
Subject: Thomas Jefferson
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: The National Bank Note Company
Perforations: 12
Watermark: none
Type of Grill: F
Scott #: 95
Plate: 17
Quantity issued: 680,000
Issued: Late July, 1868

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $800-$2,000
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $850-$1,350
A used stamp: $350-$500

F 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 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

Points: 11-12 x 15-17 points
Size: 9 x 13mm

Usage

#95 earliest known date of use cover, dated August 19th, 1868

The 1861 5-cent stamp was introduced during the Civil War to replace previous issues, primarily serving to pay for specific, less common postal rates rather than standard domestic letter postage. However it was thought that the cancels on the buff color were not easily seen. Therefore the red brown and brown stamps of 1862 replaced them.

Main Usage (Foreign Mail): The primary use of the 5-cent stamp was to pay the domestic portion of postage for mail destined for foreign countries, particularly France (see cover above).
Combination Rates: It was often used in combination with other stamps (such as the 10-cent or 12-cent issues) to make up complex foreign or heavy letter rates.
Crossing the Mason-Dixon Line: The 1861 issue, including the 5-cent, was part of the new series that replaced demonetized, older stamps, and saw use on authorized mail during the early, chaotic months of the war, particularly in August 1861. A more detailed explanation can be found below.

#95a Black Brown

#95a
Black brown color. There are no recent sales of MH or MNH stamps

Used Value: $8,000

The Inspiration for the Design

The inspiration for the US Scott #12 5-cent stamp, issued in 1856, was a portrait of Thomas Jefferson by the renowned American artist Gilbert Stuart.

The portrait for the stamp was engraved by William Marshall, a prominent engraver for the National Bank Note Company.

Research using X-rays revealed that Stuart, dissatisfied with his 1800 work or finding it outdated as Jefferson aged, painted the 1805 likeness directly over the original 1800 canvas. This led to historical controversy over the "missing" original portrait.