From this one small stamp developed a new system of processing and delivering mail, soon to include parcels, special delivery, air mail, bulk mail and various other options. By making the price of sending letters uniform and predictable, it became possible to expand written communication to eventually include catalogs and other mail-order shopping options, revolutionising commerce. The combination of uniform prices, new transportation methods, and more efficient postal systems meant that costs were low enough that almost everyone could afford to write a letter.
The success of the Uniform Penny Postage can be seen below by the number of letters carried in the United Kingdom. Other countries followed; in 1843 Brazil, 1847 USA and Mauritius, 1849 France and Belgium and by 1860 about 85 countries or other entities had issued stamps.
| 1839 | 75,907,572 |
| 1840 | 168,768,344 |
| 1850 | 347,069,071 |
Source: http://stamps.about.com/od/historyofphilately/p/PennyBlack.htm
http://www.imagesoftheworld.org/stamps/info.htm
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