Today in History: The world’s first adhesive stamp is distributed
The Penny Black was first released in Great Britain in early May 1840, becoming valid on 6 May making history in the process.
The Penny Black was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, and featured a portrait of Queen Victoria against a black backdrop.
Production of the stamp began on 1 May 1840, and it was finally officially valid for distribution on 6 May.
In the 19th century, it was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet and on distance travelled.
By contrast, the Penny Black allowed letters weighing up to 14g to be delivered at a flat rate of one penny, regardless of distance.
The Penny Black lasted less than a year, however, as the red cancellation marking was both hard to see on the black design and easy to remove, making it possible to re-use cancelled stamps.
In February 1841, the treasury switched to the Penny Red and began using black ink for cancellations instead. This was more effective and harder to remove.
The portrait of Queen Victoria on the stamp was engraved by Charles Heath and his son Frederick, based on a sketch provided by Henry Corbould.
Corbould’s sketch was in turn based on the 1834 cameo-like head by William Wyon, which was used on a medal to commemorate the Queen’s visit to the City of London in 1837.
The two upper corners of the stamp hold Maltese crosses with radiant solar discs at their centres while the lower corners show the position of the stamp in the printed sheet, from “A A” at top left to “T L” at bottom right.
The total print run was 286 700 sheets, containing a total of 68 808 000 stamps.
Many were saved, and in used condition they remain readily available to stamp collectors.
The stamps were printed in unperforated sheets, and had to be carefully cut with scissors for sale and use.
As a result, stamps with badly cut margins, or no margins, are common and worth very little, while examples with four clear margins are rare and valuable, and fetch very high prices, especially if in mint condition.
A Penny Black in mint condition can fetch as much as £3 000 to 4 000 (R51 643,33 to R68 857,78) from the right buyer.
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