I'm playing in Switzerland and came across the phrase grilled gum.
This is a first for me. Wiki'ed grilled gum and found out it is a light grill applied along the gum to counteract the tendency for gummed stamps to curl. Most obvious on mint, but is faintly visible on used.
My question is how do I tell if the stamp is/has/had grilled gum? I have a 15x magnifier and an LED lamp, looked at the back of the stamp and it doesn't seem to have any lumps or bumps. But I don't know exactly what I'm looking for. I also felt the back of the stamp and it seems smooth, I can't feel anything.
Am I supposed to see or feel anything?
Thanks for your help.
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re: Switzerland - Grilled Gum
Kind of hard to describe except to say, "you'll know it when you see it." (sounds kind of trite, huh?) The first time I encountered those stamps, I scratched my head and thought "what idiot expects you to observe grills on gum when the gum is gone!" When I did eventually come across a used "grill," I immediately saw the grilled pattern on the reverse under quite ordinary magnification (4x I believe). Lighting is more important than magnification here. A bright, white light is very helpful.
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
Thanks Bobby. My Ott-lite blew the bulb and I'm waiting for the replacement so I'm forced to use the LED gooseneck.
I didn't think I had a grill gum stamp(s), but it had to be asked.
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"Appreciate the beauty of nature. You never know when life will deal you an unplanned twist of fate. Enjoy things while you can, because you just never know."
Also try tilting the stamp at an angle to the light. It may help to show the grills with lighter impressions. The grill will cover the entire back of the stamp. Remember that not all the stamps had grilled gum, so if you don't see a grill, it will most likely be an un-grilled stamp.
On certain Swiss stamp sets, such as the Tree and Crossbow, the stamps will be on either paper that has grilled gum (the minor "a" listings in Scott 256a-267a, or granite fiber (the major 256-267 listings) paper where you can see different color fibers. So if I don't see the fibers, that's when I'll start looking for the grill pattern on the back.
Michael and Bob, thanks for the added info. I was tilting the stamp to see if I could see anything, but no go. I do have some stamps with the fiber, so I'll be looking again.
Oh goodie, another project for the day.
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"Appreciate the beauty of nature. You never know when life will deal you an unplanned twist of fate. Enjoy things while you can, because you just never know."
Does that mean you are going to get me one too????
Hobby Lobby is a dangerous place for me. I always find something stamp related I just have to have.
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"Appreciate the beauty of nature. You never know when life will deal you an unplanned twist of fate. Enjoy things while you can, because you just never know."
I've found that the grills are not that hard to detect. I see them with 3x-5x magnification in good lighting (mainly because I need glasses). Rotate the stamps in good lighting at an angle. If you can see the paper surface well enough and you see no discernible pattern then not grilled.
Thank you for the insight. I'll be checking those stamps again. If I find any grills, I'll be doing the happy dance for all of you!
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"Appreciate the beauty of nature. You never know when life will deal you an unplanned twist of fate. Enjoy things while you can, because you just never know."
We went out for our Anniversary late lunch and had shrimp on the Barbie ... yummy good
And I think I have one, it didn't change the value of the stamp! One stamp I have has uneven gum but it was before the grilled gum was started. Just my luck ... still looking.
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"Appreciate the beauty of nature. You never know when life will deal you an unplanned twist of fate. Enjoy things while you can, because you just never know."
I think you will be shocked when you finally find a stamp with grilled gum, without gum, at how easy it will be to spot them next time. I'm sure most collector's had the same problem when they first encountered this type of issue, so hang in there, this too will pass.
Mike
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"It's been three years now, since I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet..."
I was showing Blair my Swiss collection yesterday and he saw my page of Grilled Gum varieties. We took a look together and showed what looked like little pock marks on the back of the stamp.
Once you put the back of a "granite paper" and a "grilled gum" paper back to back for the same design stamp, it is easy to tell the difference. BUT, it can make a HUGE difference value-wise. BOB
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