The Penny Black Stamp Store: 175th Anniversary of the World’s First Postage Stamp

Thursday 30 April 2015

175th Anniversary of the World’s First Postage Stamp - MaltaPost Philatelic Issue

On 2 May 2015, MaltaPost will commemorate the 175th Anniversary of the world's first Postage stamp with the release of a philatelic issue of a miniature sheet bearing three identical stamps illustrating Queen Victoria's profile. The stamp bears a value of €1.21, was designed by MaltaPost and will be issued in miniature sheet format each bearing three stamps. Each stamp measures 41mm x 30.5mm, with a perforation of 13.7 x 13.8 (comb.) bearing the Maltese Crosses watermark. The sheet measures 123mm x 80mm. Printex Limited printed the set in the offset process and the issue consists of 20,400 miniature sheet. This philatelic issue will be available from all Post Offices in Malta and Gozo as from Saturday 2 May 2015. Orders can be placed online at www.maltaphilately.com

A special Mulready edition is also available, that includes a set of two reproduction Mulready envelopes, four caricature envelopes plus specially designed Postal History Stamp Sheet and words and pictures supplied by Robin Cassell of Mulready Philatelics. All items here are not endorsed or sold by the Penny Black Store.

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A Brief History

Before 1st May 1840, posting a letter was a very complicated and expensive affair. It could cost the equivalent of a days wage, and it was charged by how many sheets of paper were used and how far it had to travel. Normally the recipient had to pay the cost.

Sir Roland Hill was responsible for reforming the British postal system, and as part of this a competition was held for the public to design the world’s first adhesive postage stamp. However none of the entries were thought suitable, so instead they used the profile sketch of a then 15 year old Queen Victoria. This image was used on stamps until the end of her reign. Because the Penny Black was the first postage stamp in the world, it did not show a country of origin, and to this day British stamps are the only stamps in the world that do not state what country they are from.

However, the Penny Black only remained in circulation for a year, as it was soon found that it was possible to remove the ink of the red cancellation mark and re-use the stamp, so the Treasury switched to the Penny Red and black cancellation ink.