Z Grill

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Z-Grill
New York Public Library Benjamin Miller Collection
Country of production	United States
Location of production
Date of production	1868
Nature of rarity	Limited number
Estimated existence	2
Face value	1-cent US$
Estimated value	US $3,000,000

The Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill is a postage stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in 1868 depicting Benjamin Franklin and is considered the rarest US stamp due to the embossed "Z-Grill" on the back. A "Z-Grill" is a specific pattern of tiny squares embossed into the paper and visible on the back of the stamps.

The purpose of the grills were to permit the canceling ink to be absorbed into the stamp paper thus preventing those who wanted to cheat the postal service by washing out cancellation marks. The use of grills was not found to be practical and the practice was soon discontinued.

There are currently only two known 1-cent 1868 Z-Grills^[1]. One is owned by the New York Public Library as part of the Benjamin Miller Collection. This leaves only a single 1-cent 1868 Z-Grill in private hands.

The Z Grill: Gross collection

This 1868 1 cent "Z-Grill" stamp sold for $935,000 in 1998 to Mystic Stamp Company a stamp dealer.^[2]. Siegel Auctions auctioned the stamp as part of the Robert Zoellner collection. Zachary Sundman, the eleven-year-old son of Mystic Stamp Company President, Donald Sundman, was the individual responsible for wielding the paddle and doing the actual bidding.

Later, in late October 2005, Sundman, traded this Z Grill to financier Bill Gross for a block of four Inverted Jenny stamps worth nearly $3 million. ^[3] By completing this trade Gross became the owner of the only complete collection of U.S. 19th century stamps.

Both the Z Grills will be on display at the National Postal Museum along with the first part of the Benjamin Miller Collection in 2006 from 27th of May till 1st October 2007. ^[4]