Understanding the Grill Stamps of the United States

Between 1867 and 1871, the United States Post Office issued what are known as "grill" stamps. that is, stamps printed on embossed paper to stop people from reusing them. Today they are among the most expensive stamps in the world. The catalogue value of the 1c Z grill, for instance, is $3.5 million. So, how did this happen?

This book tells the story of the "grills" - how they came to be, the stresses that led up to them, the reasons they took the shapes that they did; and the reasons for their ultimate failure. Using archival letters and documents that haven't been available to the public until recently, "Understanding the Grill Stamps of the United States" is the first complete story of the "grills."