Archive for September, 2005
Official Stamp
The Black Penny stamp, also known as the Penny Black, was the first adhesive stamp to be used in the postal system. It was introduced to the postal system of the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 1, 1840 as part of the reforms suggested by Rowland Hill. All London post offices received official stamps to affix to the mail that went through them, but the practice of using the Penny Black did not immediately take hold throughout the country. Post offices in other parts of the country continued with their usual method of paying for mail, which often meant that the recipient was responsible for paying the postage.
The Penny Black was the brainchild of Sir Rowland Hill in an attempt to reform the postal system. His idea of affixing a prepaid stamp to each piece of mail was seen to have merit and so he was given a two year contract to run the new system in 1840. He ran a contest for a new stamp design, but none of the entries he received were deemed worthy of being the winner. His initial design had been that of a rough engraving of Queen Victoria as a young girl. Hill believed that it would be extremely difficult for forgers to duplicate this design. The stamp contained the word postage?and the denomination of the stamp, but there was no indication of the country name. At that time, this was the first time anyone used postage stamps and therefore it was unique to the United Kingdom.
The Penny Black was only in circulation for about a year. This was because the cancelled stamp of the postmaster was red and was very hard to see against the black background. This meant that many people were reusing the stamps and basically sending mail for free. The result was that the Treasury switched to the Penny Red and changed the colour of the cancellation mark to black.
The printing process of the Black Penny postage stamp required eleven plates. There were 240 stamps printed on a sheet and since perforation had not yet been invented, the stamps had to be cut apart using scissors. Although it is a collector? item, the Penny Black stamp is not a rare stamp. There were almost seventy million stamps printed in its short lifespan and many of these are still around today. It is readily available in collectors?circles with a used stamp in generally poor condition costing as little as $10. A stamp in mint condition, however, is much more costly at about $3000.
In addition to the stamp used for regular mail, there was an edition of the Black Penny printed for official use only. Such a stamp contains the letters V and R instead of the stars in the top corners, which are on the regular stamps. All government officials and offices received large numbers of these stamps, of which only a few exist, this making this form of the stamp a rare one.
About the Author:
For more information on the Penny Black stamp,the Inverted Jenny and other famous postal stamps visit http://www.FamousStamps.org
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – History of the Black Penny Stamp
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US Official Stamps #QE1-4 Blocks of 4, M NH $79.00 |
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O157 * 33c OFFICIAL COIL STAMP * $4.00 |
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Official Mail meter stamp SPECIMEN card. $9.99 |
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20 Hungary Official Stamps from Old Album Page 1921-24 $0.01 |
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1 Iceland Official Stamp from Old Album 1930 $5.50 |
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24 India Official & Military Stamps 1868-1938 $3.58 |
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1946 Norway Official Mail meter stamp cover. $7.99 |
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APOLLO 12 – OFFICIAL 1st DAY COVER SEAL STAMP $9.99 |
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Stamp Dealer David Jagger Newburgh NY 1874 Official ∆ $24.50 |
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Stamp Germany Official Mi D157 WWII Swastika Nazi 04 N $2.75 |
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US Official Mail Stamp – O-138 – D Postcard – B1499 $9.00 |
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HAWAII UNUSED OFFICIAL STAMP #O3, MVLHOG, XF $27.88 |
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Argentina Reg TB Clinic Cover Cuba 1949 Official Stamps $7.00 |
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Australia Post Official Year Album 1987, No Stamps $4.56 |
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Australia Post Official Year Album 1991, No Stamps $4.56 |
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Australia Post Official Year Album 1981, No Stamps $4.56 |
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Australia Post Official Year Album 1985, No Stamps $4.56 |
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Stamp Germany Official Mi D158 WWII Swastika Nazi 05 N $2.55 |
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ISRAEL 2008 GASHASH CHIVER MY STAMP OFFICIAL SHEET $29.99 |
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Stamp Germany Official Mi D159 WWII Swastika Nazi 06 N $2.55 |
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Official White House Stamp ed Carter 1st Family Pho0t $3.99 |
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OFFICIAL MLB CINCINNATI REDS POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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OFFICIAL MLB MILWAUKEE BREWERS POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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OFFICIAL MLB SEATTLE MARINERS POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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OFFICIAL MLB OAKLAND ATHLETICS POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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OFFICIAL MLB FLORIDA MARLINS POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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OFFICIAL MLB KANSAS CITY ROYALS POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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OFFICIAL MLB SAN DIEGO PADRES POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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OFFICIAL MLB PITTSBURGH PIRATES POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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OFFICIAL MLB TEXAS RANGERS POSTAGE STAMP PIN $5.00 |
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LORD OF THE RINGS Australia official P-stamp FDC – Sam $3.60 |
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LORD OF THE RINGS Australia official P-stamp FDC – Ring $3.60 |
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LORD OF THE RINGS Australia official P-stamp FDC Gimli $3.60 |
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LORD OF THE RINGS Australia official P-stamp FDC Pippin $3.60 |
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Germany-1920 Official stamp 10P-100P-used $0.99 |
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Egypt, 1893-14 small used collection of Official Stamps $2.25 |
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third reich,official party stamp,unmounted mint $1.52 |
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RAR DDR east german pane / sheet 20 stamps official MNH $3.80 |
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RAR DDR east german pane / sheet 20 stamps official MNH $3.36 |
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RAR DDR east german pane / sheet 10 stamps official MNH $2.24 |