The Postal Museum in the UK

One of the most interesting things in the calendar for 2017 is the re-opening of the Postal Museum in London, United Kingdom, slated for mid-2017. In February 2016, the BPMA (British Postal Museum & Archive), now rebranded as The Postal Museum, began building a new museum to be opened in 2017 in Clerkenwell, London, near to the Mount Pleasant Mail Centre. The museum is expected to cost £26 million to build, and will consist of two sections. The Postal Museum is expected to open up to the public a 1 kilometre stretch of track in London's Mail Rail, which was the world’s first driverless electric railway. The railway was originally built by order of Parliament - so technically - it belongs to the public. Even though Royal Mail wasn’t using the railway any more, it still had an obligation to keep the tunnels safe and dry and ensure there were no collapses or other potential dangers. The project to turn the Mail Rail into a tourist attraction will give visitors a Postal Museum covering centuries of the Royal Mail’s operation and across the road, the chance to ride the Mail Rail.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/12/06/geeks_guide_mail_rail

https://postalmuseum.org
Phoenix Place
London WC1X 0DA
View on Google Maps

 

What Is A Penny Black? A Look At The 175-Year-Old Stamp Fascinating Everyone

Here is an extract from a Huffington Post article that interviewed Philip Parker of the Royal Mail about the special collectors' set, said: "Royal Mail has a long and rich heritage which includes issuing the Penny Black, the world's first and arguably most famous, postage stamp. The Penny Black also signified a communication revolution, enabling people to send letters anywhere in the country for the same price. It was the internet of its day as mail became accessible for more people than ever before. The universal service is still the principal that underpins Royal Mail's service today and helps us to connect people and businesses together for a uniform price, wherever they are in the UK." The set of stamps, which include images of the Penny Black and the Twopenny Blue stamp, goes on sale from May 6 2015.

It was the world’s first adhesive stamp and in today’s terms would cost £3.07. The Penny Black was part of huge changes in the postal service, including charges by weight for a letter to go anywhere, as opposed to prices being worked out by distance and number of sheets in a letter.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/05/01/what-is-a-penny-black-stamp-anniversary_n_7187770.html

Royal Mail 175th Anniversary of the Penny Black and the Twopenny Blue Collectors' Sets

Royal Mail is celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Penny Black and the Twopenny Blue by issuing a miniature sheet that includes images of the two stamps, each one appearing twice, with 1st class values. The miniature sheet border features a photograph of the printing presses at Perkins, Bacon & Petch, who printed all the original stamps. The product range includes a Presentation Pack, First Day Cover, Stamp Cards, Press Sheet, Generic Sheet, Retail Stamp Book, Medal Cover and Pin Badge. 

The Presentation Pack puts the story of the Penny Black within the wider context of the postal reform of 1840. It traces the developments that led to the reform, outlines the key stages of the public competition organised by the Treasury, describes the introduction of uniform penny postage and details the printing of the Penny Black and Twopenny Blue.

The First Day Cover features a photograph of the ‘Old Original’ die. The filler card offers a succinct summary of the 1840 postal reform, culminating in the issue of the Penny Black on 6 May 1840.

The Stamp Cards show the two special stamps and the complete miniature sheet reproduced at postcard-size in this collectable set of stamp cards.

The Press Sheet contains 15 Miniature Sheets with a serially numbered print run of 1,000

The Generic Sheet designed by Godfrey Design, includes ten 1st class Penny Black stamps and ten 1st class Twopenny Blue stamps. Ten labels, chosen in consultation with Douglas Muir at the BPMA, highlight the milestones in the development of the stamps,

The Retail Stamp Book features six Penny Black anniversary stamps with 1st class values. The Europhilex London 2015 logo and details are featured inside, along with a short description of the Penny Black and its significance.

The Medal Cover tells in detail the story of the creation of the Penny Black. It includes images of the key phases, such as the sketch of the Queen’s head by Henry Corbould, watercolour sketches prepared for Rowland Hill, a sample of an engine-turning pattern and a section of a sheet printed from the first plate.

The Pin Badge features an image of the anniversary Penny Black stamp, with 1st class value and Queen’s head.

Acknowledgements:  the Penny Black and the Twopenny Blue anniversary stamps © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2015; ‘Penny Black’, ‘Twopenny Blue’ and devices are registered Trade Marks of Royal Mail Group Ltd.

175th Anniversary of the Penny Black Stamp: Google Doodle Celebrates Landmark British Design

The world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system, the Penny Black, is being celebrated in a Google Doodle on its 175th anniversary - 1st May 2015. Kevin, who was the artist for this project, was asked a few questions:

"Where are the classic micro-perforated edges normally seen on stamps?"
When creating doodles, there is often a balance between artistic license and historical integrity. The iconic image of a stamp, at least today, is that of a small rectilinear bit of paper with the classic saw-tooth perforations along the perimeter. These perforations, however, were a later invention and the Penny Black came in sheets that had to be subdivided by the scissor or knife. I decided to keep this detail in the final doodle, and depicted the Penny Black stamp with classic imperforate edges.

"How did the sheet get so conveniently faded?"
This was, conversely, a case of artistic license. The original Penny Black stamps were, as the name suggests, blacker than a moonless night. In order to create a silhouette of the Google logo, I made some of the stamps lighter than the others.

"Did you copy the faces or did you draw them each separately?"
Each portrait was drawn individually. I came to be quite familiar with the Her Majesty Queen Victoria's profile!

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.

The Lure of the Penny Black

Spink Auctioneers have written a nice article about the Penny Black stamp that was published in 2012. The article writes an important point where: One thing about the design which confuses many collectors is the significance of the two letters that appear in the lower corners. These are quite simply explained but of enormous importance to specialists. The Penny Black was printed from eleven separate printing plates, each containing 240 impressions arranged in twenty horizontal rows of twelve (12 pence = One shilling, 20 shillings = £1) which was important for Post office accounting purposes.

The stamp in the upper-left corner of the sheet had the letters AA in its lower corners, the next stamp was lettered AB then AC, AD and on to AL, the first stamp in the next row was BA, etc., down to the lower-right corner of the sheet which was lettered TL (below, a strip of four showing the different letters). So we can see that each of the 240 different combinations of letters are equally rare (or as common!). This was done as a form of protection against forgery as it was thought to be impractical for a forger to be able to reproduce 240 different combinations of lettering and it would be noticed if quantities of mail bearing stamps with the same letters were found. Where the letters are of great significance is in helping us tell which of the 11 (or twelve) plates a particular stamp was printed from. 

Every collector wants a Penny Black. A serious collector of Great Britain would like at least one from each plate. There are a few collectors who want to have examples from each of the 240 impressions from each of the twelve plates (That would be 2,880 Penny Blacks!). Credits: Spink London https://www.spink.com/research-articles/the-lure-of-the-penny-black.aspx

Buying on Ebay and Other Online Auction Sites

Buying stamps online can be seen as a norm nowadays but here are 3 tips that you can take to minimise your risks:

1.  Look at the seller's feedback or the auction houses reputation. Some background reading or a check will ensure that you are buying from a trustworthy source.
2. Is the description and photos clear? If the description is too vague, then make an effort to ask questions or request for a high resolution photo where you will have more time to study in detail. Never take the seller's word for the stamp coming from a certain plate. Study it well and refer to your books. You are getting for what you pay.
3. Pay with Paypal or with a credit card in case you have problems with the purchase and would like to open a dispute.

Collector takes along stamp worth £25,000 to Sheringham Charity Event

The Victorian Penny Black was valued at £25,000 at a charity event held on 10 August 2014 which was owned by former prison nurse, Robin Barr-Thomson of Northrepps. He also brought along his 1843 and 1844 penny reds, and a set of four first day covers commemorating the 1935 silver jubilee of King George V that was valued at £600. A lifelong collector who also attended the event, Mr Harvey, said that Mr Barr-Thomson’s collection was by far the most valuable he had seen. “Stamps can be worth anything from a few pennies to thousands, depending on their condition and plate number, so they really are fascinating,” Mr Harvey said. Mr Barr-Thomson, who owns “several thousand” stamps, said “Because they (stamps) hold and increase their value, stamps really are a good investment,” he went on to comment that stamps “also commemorate important events and convey a lot of information about history, geography and culture, so you can get great pleasure from owning and looking at them.”

Source: Eastern Daily Press News

Bruce Castle Museum and Sir Roland Hill

Bruce Castle (formerly the Lordship House) is a Grade I listed 16th-century manor house in Lordship Lane, Tottenham, London. It is named after the House of Bruce who formerly owned the land on which it is built. The house was home to Sir Rowland Hill, among others. After serving as a school during the 19th century, when a large extension was built to the west, it was converted into a museum.

Hill and his brothers had taken over the management of their father's school in Birmingham in 1819, which opened a branch at Bruce Castle in 1827, with Rowland Hill as Headmaster. The school was run along radical lines inspired by Hill's friends Thomas Paine, Richard Price and Joseph Priestley; all teaching was on the principle that the role of the teacher is to instill the desire to learn, not to impart facts, corporal punishment was abolished and alleged transgressions were tried by a court of pupils, while the school taught a radical (for the time) curriculum including foreign languages, science and engineering. In 1839 Rowland Hill, who had written an influential proposal on postal reform, was appointed as head of the General Post Office (where he introduced the world's first postage stamps), leaving the school in the hands of his younger brother Arthur Hill. Arthur retired in 1868, leaving the school in the hands of his son Birkbeck Hill.

Bruce Castle is now a museum, holding the archives of the London Borough of Haringey, and housing a permanent exhibition on the past, present and future of Haringey. Other exhibits include an exhibition on Rowland Hill and postal history, a significant collection of early photography, a collection of historic manorial documents and court rolls related to the area. In 1949, the building was Grade I listed the round tower was separately Grade I listed at the same time, and the 17th-century southern and western boundary walls of the park were Grade II listed in 1974. Getting there: Junction of Church Lane & Lordship Lane, N17 8NU / Opening Hours: 1-5pm Wednesday to Sunday only / Nearest Tube Station: Seven Sisters/Wood Green.

Source: Wikipedia

The Postal Service & Stamps: Among London's Top Inventions

An article by TimeOut magazine (a city guide originally conceived in London), claims that the British Postal Service and the Penny Black Stamp as one of the city's top inventions. Among the other inventions were: 

1. Soft toilet paper. St Andrew Mills, Walthamstow
It’s 1941, and German bombs are raining down on a terrified capital. However, unbeknownst to ordinary Londoners, technicians at the stateof- the-art St Andrew paper mill in Walthamstow are working on a secret project that will bring some comfort to the nation. One year later, success! Two-ply soft paper is produced for the very first time and soon issued to Britain’s top brass.

2. Traffic lights. Parliament Square

December 1868, and such is the crush of horses, carts and cockneys selling stuff in Parliament Square that the Home Secretary erects the world’s first ever traffic lights at the junction of Bridge Street, Parliament Street and Great George Street. They are 22 feet high, feature semaphore arms and the lamps are powered by gas. Nonetheless, Londoners ignore the lights until they explode, seriously injuring a policeman.

3. Colour television. 3 Crescent Wood Rd, Sydenham

After inventing black-and-white TV in Frith Street, Soho, in 1925, Scottish genius John Logie Baird moved south of the river to work on the logical next step. Perhaps unwisely, Baird based himself in a villa directly opposite the Dulwich Wood House pub, and it took him a further 15 years to nail it. Today, in an ironic twist, the Dulwich Wood House is one of the few pubs in the whole of south London not to have a massive colour TV in it.

 

4. The Post.  Bruce Castle, Lordship Lane, Tottenham

On the edge of rural Tottenham, the impressive Bruce Castle was the home of postal reformer Rowland Hill. After being asked by the government to find a way of getting letters from one place to another, he came up with the first stamp, the Penny Black, in 1840. Go there today for the collection of old post boxes in a shed, especially the racy blue one.

5. Automatic fire sprinkler. 57d Hatton Garden
Sir Hiram Maxim, the American inventor and boxing bigamist who became a naturalised Brit, bequeathed the world a bloody inheritance when he invented the Maxim machine gun in his Hatton Garden workshop in 1884. However, as well as inventing the lightbulb before Thomas Edison (or so Maxim claimed), he made up for some of the misery caused by his weapon with this sprinkler device that has saved countless lives since.

6. Fish and chips. Whitechapel

In 1860, teenage Eastern European immigrant and culinary visionary Joseph Malin combined the already established Jewish staple of fried fish with the humble spud, and opened an eatery in Cleveland Way, Whitechapel. Although a rival claim was made in Preston, Lancashire, the National Federation of Fish Friers recognised Malin’s in 1968 as the world’s first fish and chip shop.

Source: TimeOut London

How Prices Have Changed

An extract from the Stanley Gibbons Investment Guide shows how the monetary value of the Penny Black has gone up with an astonishing 243% growth over the last 10 years. Take note that they refer to a superb mint example.

Source: Stanley Gibbons Investment Guide November 2012.

Stamps - An Investment to Enjoy (Part II)

We're not affiliated to Stanley Gibbons in anyway, but they sent this to us a while ago and thought it would be an interesting read about how stamps can be potentially viewed as an asset in its own right and for investment. The snapshots come from the November 2012 edition of their Investment Guide. They claim that investing in rare stamps is safer than houses. How true? Only time will tell. Enjoy the hobby.

 

Source: Stanley Gibbons Investment Guide November 2012. 

PB01: Excellent Penny Black 1d - Impossible to Upgrade

Code PB01: SG2 / 1840 issued Penny Black 1d Black. The stamp consists of 4 generous and even margins that are seldom encountered. These were cut using scissors leaving usually uneven margins. The A-G stamp also has an extremely well-marked red Maltese Cross cancellation. It has a pencilled numeral 3 on the reverse on a clean paper that can be rubbed off. An excellent example that would be impossible to upgrade. £375.00 £345.00 plus postage, shipped from Great Britain with insured post and using Royal Mail Special Delivery. A real investment, don't miss it! To order, email us at pennyblackstore@gmail.com
 

Stamps - An Investment to Enjoy - The GB30 Rarities Index

Mr Marco Kaster, investment director for Hong Kong and Asia at Stanley Gibbons, says there are five golden rules for such investments: rarity, the condition of the stamp, authenticity, liquidity and price. The ability to track long-term historic prices is invaluable to any collector and investor. The Stanley Gibbons GB30 Rarities Index is a collection of 30 desirable classic GB postage stamps, organised by Stanley Gibbons. The Penny Black as this site is about, is not a rare stamp, but still has a very significant presence in terms of historical value and recognition. Having said this, the GB30 index still offers a guide or appreciation in terms of stamp collecting and it has increased by 38.6% in the last year, with the best performing stamp increasing by 93.5% and the worst performer in the index increasing by 8.6%. The GB30 Rarities Index was launched in 2004 and backdated to 1998. For more information view: http://www.stanleygibbons.com/stanleygibbons/view/content/sg_invest_gb30

Such items are considered to be the most likely to show consistent returns over the medium to long term, as demand from collectors exceeds what, in many cases, is a very scarce supply. The best performing stamp currently on the index is the 1903 10d. dull purple & carmine official (SGO40) which has increased in value by 540% since 1998. The worst performing stamp currently on the index is the 1878 10s. greenish grey (Plate 1) (SG128) which has increased in value by 138.1% since 1998.
 

 

There is also a Stanley Gibbons SG100 Stamp Index that has has been designed to provide the definitive measure of overall market performance and helps to measure individual price increases. Stanley Gibbons believe that the index highlights the real prices being achieved, especially among the classic Great Britain and Commonwealth stamps. The index is based on retail and auction prices for the top 100 most frequently traded stamps in the world. It includes items from all major collecting areas, such as Great Britain, Commonwealth and many foreign countries, but does not specify any particular stamp. It has recorded a cumulative increase of 89.7% since its launch in 2000. Source: http://www.stanleygibbons.com/stanleygibbons/view/content/sg_invest_sg100

In addition to the GB30 and the SG100 Indices, the Stanley Gibbons Commonwealth Rarities Index records prices of 30 desirable classic postage stamps from the British Commonwealth, organised by Stanley Gibbons. The index has recorded a compound increase of 143% in the last 10 years, with the best performing stamp increasing by 336% in that time. The Commonwealth Rarities Index was launched in 2004 and backdated to 1998. It is similar to the Stanley Gibbons GB30 Rarities Index but it records the prices of 30 classic Commonwealth stamps that Stanley Gibbons Ltd recommends for investment. Launched in 2004 and backdated to 1998, the Commonwealth Raritites Index is the same as the GB Index, but records prices of 30 classic Commonwealth stamps that the company would recommend for investment. Source: http://www.stanleygibbons.com/stanleygibbons/view/content/sg_invest_cw_rarities

Giveaways ... (now gone to a good home!)

Some giveaways to a good home - They are free and I will pay for the postage if you are in the UK. If you are based overseas, we can always work out the postage costs involved through paypal. For those interested particularly in BPMA's Diamond Jubilee Exhibition, the Newsletter and the British Philatelic Bulletin's Special Souvenir Edition 2012 will make a good read. Also to giveaway is the British Philatelic Bulletin, Volume 49, Number 11, July 2012. They are the Official Royal Mail magazine for stamp collectors and free to anyone who wants them. Do get in touch by emailing me at: pennyblackstore@gmail.com

*update* The giveaways have been posted off - thanks for all who asked!

Happy Collecting!

Bath Postal Museum

As reported by the British Philatelic Bulletin newsletter, the Bath Postal Museum, housed under the City of Bath Post Office has displays of original artefacts and objects that are excellently presented and captioned. In the Room of Firsts, it documents big moments in world postal history where Bath played a major role. One display reveals the personal story behind the famous occasion of the first stamp ever posted - the Penny Black in 1840. The museum records that it was sent by Bath postmaster Thomas Moore Musgrave's daughter Ann on 2 May, four days before the official issue date. Research showed that the letter went to the Collyer family in Peckham, South London. And on display nearby us one of only three surviving Two Penny Mulready envelopes used on the first day of issue, 6 May 1840, believed to be sent by Ann Musgrave. Also in the museum is the only surviving contract signed between Bath postmaster Ralph Allen and the Post Office in 1727, granting permission for Allen to create and run the network of cross-country postal roads that did not pass through London. Previously, all long-distance post went via the capital and was charged according to mileage covered which was an inefficient and expensive way of doing things.

Bath Postal Museum: 27 Northgate Street, (on the corner of Green St.) Bath, BA1 1AJ / Opening Times: 11.00am - 5.00pm / Monday to Saturday (11.00 am - 4.30pm in winter) / Last Entry: 4.30pm. (4.00pm in winter)

Credit: British Philatelic Bulletin Vol. 49 No. 11 July 2012

Rare Penny Black Find ...

Stanley Gibbons has acquired a rare Master Die Proof of the world's first stamp, the Penny Black. it is one of only two complete examples in private hands from a total of five known examples in the world, and is now being offered for sale at £350,000. The other known example in private hands, once owned by the Earl of Crawford is said to be flawed in comparison. Printed in March 1840, two months before the release of the Penny Black, the die proof was produced to check that all the details in the design would print correctly before the stamp went into production release in May. 

The Penny Black went on to revolutionise the world; by the end of 1840 over 160 million letters had been sent all over the world, doubling the number from the previous year. As the stamp had originally been intended only for domestic use it did not include the country name in the design. To this day Great Britain is the only country in the world not to have its country name on its stamps and this history can be traced back to the die proof offered for sale by Stanley Gibbons.

With a print run of approximately 68 million the Penny Black is not rare; however a used example is currently catalogued at £350, showing an average compound growth of 11% over the past decade.

Credit: British Philatelic Bulletin Vol. 49 No. 11 July 2012

http://stanleygibbonsltd.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/worlds-most-important-proof.html

http://www.stanleygibbons.com/stanleygibbons/view/content/penny_black_proof_pr

New Postal Museum in the Works ...

Plans for a new home for The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) were announced some time in March this year (2012) by the BPMA, Royal Mail Group and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The press statement said that the new Postal Museum will provide access to the BPMA's unique collections of 400 years of postal, social and design history, including photographs, posters, vehicles, pillar boxes, employment records of millions of people and a world-class stamp collection. Under a plan endorsed by the Government, the new centre will be established at Calthorpe House, on London's Mount Pleasant site, where the country's oldest mail centre is located. It is close to the existing home of the BPMA at Freeling House, which has very limited space for exhibitions and displays. Following which in July 2012, the BPMA announced that the planning application for its new home at Calthorpe House, near Mount Pleasant sorting office in London, has been approved by the London Borough of Camden. The grant of planning permission means that the BPMA is now another step further in realising the move of its unique collections to a new and accessible home. The new Postal Museum will provide access to the BPMA's amazing collections of 400 years of postal, social and design history, including photographs, posters, vehicles, pillar boxes, employment records of millions of people and a world-class stamp collection. The new centre will allow the BPMA to exhibit objects from its fascinating museum collection, which is currently held in storage. The new state-of-the-art premises will also include educational facilities for visiting schools, digitisation facilities and a purpose built Archive repository, built to modern environmental and security standards.

A fundraising campaign by the BPMA will be launched shortly to partially raise the funds required to create the art museum and visitor facility. The BPMA is an independent charity set up in 2004 to care for two significant collections: The Royal Mail Archive and the collections of the former National Postal Museum. It is the BPMA's mission to increase public access to these collections, making the story they tell of communication, industry and innovation accessible to the public. The new centre will allow the BPMA to exhibit objects from its collection which is currently in storage. As echoed by Dr Adrian Steel, Director of the BPMA, "We are aiming to create a state-of-the-art, sustainable home for a unique part of our national heritage. The new centre will showcase the UK's pioneering role in developing postal communications, which has shaped the world we live in".

Credit: The British Postal Museum & Archive Newsletter May 2012

http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/calthorpehouse

Visit to the Royal Mail Archive (The British Postal Museum & Archive)

The Royal Mail Archive is free and open for members of the public to use and enjoy. The Royal Mail Archive is based at Freeling House, Phoenix Place, London WC1X 0DL, which is also the main office for The British Postal Museum & Archive. The current exhibition is the Diamond Jubilee - A display featuring material celebrating the Diamond Jubilee, including an exclusive insight into the making of the stamps released to mark the occasion. This exhibition shows how the two main stamp issues from Royal Mail marking the Jubilee came about. The first was a miniature sheet, designed by Sedley Place, featuring six definitives with iconic portraits from British stamps, coins and banknotes. On British stamps and coins the monarch alone is the symbol of the country. For stamps this is unique in the world - every other country's stamps bears the name of the country of origin. However, it was not until 1960 that the Queen's portrait appeared on banknotes.

To view material from the philatelic collection please telephone the Curator (Philately), Douglas Muir, on + 44 (0)20 7239 2565 / Email: info@postalheritage.org.uk. The Royal Mail Archive is open Monday to Friday, and on selected Saturdays. They are closed on all public holidays. Monday to Wednesday - 10.00am - 5.00pm / Thursday - 10.00am - 7.00pm / Friday - 10.00am - 5.00pm Some of their facilities available include: leaflets and information sheets; reference library publications and journals; paper catalogues; computer catalogue; Microfilm / microfiche readers with printing facilities; reading desks with lights and magnifiers; power points for personal computers; IT facilities - access to our online catalogue, NPS catalogues. For more information, visit these sites:

http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/archive

http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/3290/Royal-Mail-Archive--Overview-Guide

http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/3291/Royal-Mail-Archive--At-A-Glance

http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/archive-gettingto

credit: http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/archive

Which Plate does your Penny Black stamp come from?

To many, the plating of the worlds most famous stamp is a mystery, indeed it was to me when I first started stamp collecting. But the plating of the 1d black can be both absorbing and rewarding. The 1d black was placed on sale to the public on May 2nd 1840 for use on May 6th. It was printed in sheets of 240. From a series of plates, each plate was manufactured from the same master dye. This dye was engraved and hardened before being pressed 240 times on to a softened plate. This plate was then hardened, cleaned and polished and eventually set to print many millions of stamps, 68 million 1d blacks were printed and released from 12 different plates, numbered 1 to 11, plate 1 being 2 plates, the softened version plate 1A and the hardened and longer wearing plate 1B. The plate numbers appeared in the sheet margin at the bottom left and right hand corners. At the end of 1840 it was decided to change the colour of the stamps to red brown as the black cancellers used in the later stages of this issue did not show up too clearly on the black stamp. Plate 11 was the first plate produced solely for printing stamps in the new red brown shade, due to last minute shortages of the black stamp before the red could be issued, it was, for two days only, used as an emergency to supply the late demand. Plate 11 therefore is by far the rarest of all the 1d blacks and is highly sought in any condition.
 

In order to plate a 1d black we must first look at the corner letters, on each sheet there are 240 differently lettered stamps, the first stamp of the top row is lettered AA. The row continues to AL and then starts at the 2nd row BA to BL and so on throughout the sheet until the final row TA to TL. These letters are the only part of the design that was put in my hand. After the steel dye had been rolled 240 times to produce the plate, the letters were then punched in. It is therefore possible to collect a 1d black lettered say, AA from each plate, although the stamps looks identical it can be seen that in each case the letters differ in position, some may be high, others low or to the left or right, some may be crooked or doubled where the punch was struck twice, so these letters play an important role in plating the black. As the dye was pressed during the manufacture of this plate, weakness occurred, some of the arms of the top left hand star became invisible in certain plates, known as the 5 o clock, 7 o clock ray flaws because of their positions on the clock face appearance of the star. These rays became faint and disappeared and this clue is a guide to some plates. Let us suppose that a 1d black shows a ray flaw in the top left star, as this was only found on plates 1A, 1B and 2, then it must come from one of these three. The engravers finally saw what had happened and retouched the dye, so this clue has your black almost plated, but there are other clues, the O flaw, where the O in one of one penny grows a leg, much like a Q in appearance. Plates 7, 8, 9 and 10 have this flaw, it is faint in plate 7 but gets worse in plate 10 and there are three stages of the flaw, known as O flaw 1, 2 and 3. Faint to pronounced as the dye works through the four plates. Plate 11 has a single flaw that sets it apart from the others. A 7 o clock ray flaw in the right star. It is completely missing and very clearly so, it is the easiest and rarest of blacks to plate.

If a stamp is on a dated cover, your chances of finding its plate are even better, if the cover is dated say August 1840, then that black can only come from 1 to 6, as later plates were not set for printing until after this date, if the stamp shows no ray flaws then it must be from plate 3, 4, 5 or 6. Narrowing the field by eye is relatively simple, it is when you want to pin point the plate that you must look closer at your black much closer in fact for fainter, slighter clues are hidden in this most perfect of designs. With a strong glass (a watch makers glass in perfect) and a good light, there are many tiny flaws that show up as pointers to the correct plate. 'Re entries'. The most substantial variety, where the roller impression on the newly prepared plate was not firm enough, resulting in loss of design. The engravers sometimes rolled the impression over again or re entered the design by hand, engraving or touching up lines or strokes, usually visible in the corner stars, they look hairy or bitty with doubling or odd marks that should not be there. Also marks in the wording and lower squares 'Guide Lines'. Simply lines scratched on to the plate to guide the dye roller, usually seen horizontally or vertically in the star and letter squares and sometimes through the value wording, fairly clear to see in most cases. 'Extended Lines'. Going past the design at the corners. 'Dots and Spots'. Again for guiding purpose in laying the plate. All over the place but generally in or around the letter squares. 'Double or crooked letters'. A good guide. 'The colour of the cancel', red for early plates, black for later plates although all plates can be found in RED and BLACK, but a reasonable guide especially for plate 10, which is rare, with red cancel and plate 11, which is almost always in black.

But to be honest it is impossible for all but the true black specialist to plate a stamp by eye, if you handle them in quantity which is a dream of course we would all like to realise, then with careful study you can plate more or less without turning to the reference works on the subject. If however you have just a few blacks then you will need to get a book and use it with this short guide. Gibbons specialist red book vol 1 is a good aid, although not outstanding. 'The Postage Stamps of Great Britain Vol 1' by Seymore is better and if you have both books it is easier. Ormond plating cards in folder give a good break down with most flaws listed, but by far the best book is 'Guide lines to the Penny Black' by Litchfield, with almost 100% success every time. Plating the 1d black is not easy but it is a most rewarding and worthwhile pastime that can be polished to a fine art. Plating penny reds is exactly the same but much harder, as instead of twelve plates to choose from, there are over 170, but it is always a delight to turn the page of a collection and see a fine plated set of penny blacks. Yes, very nice indeed.

credit: http://stevenallenstamps.com/archive/how-plate-1d-black

Stamp collecting offers high returns and history lessons

Philately offers investors an opportunity to buy a little piece of history, where the best investments are often due to a small stamp-printing error. Whether alternative investments are more or less risky than the JSE is a neverending debate, but the demise of Lehman Brothers and the near collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland will not soon be forgotten by this generation of investors.It is therefore hardly surprising that boutique stamp investment companies such as Johannesburg-based Doreen Royan & Associates are doing a brisk trade. "Stamp collecting is the second largest-hobby in the world with more than 50-million serious stamp collectors," said Graham Royan, a member of the Institute of Financial Markets and the Philatelic Traders’ Society in London, in an interview on Summit TV on Monday. "It’s not about ripping old stamps off envelopes and stuffing them in a book — this is people collecting, and normally specialising in, a particular type of stamp," said Mr Royan. His clients are often introduced to stamps as an investment, but then become interested in certain types of stamps, such as those from a particular country. "It’s a hobby where one can easily become hooked because it’s fascinating — the amount of historical and geographical information you can learn from a little stamp collecting is vast," he said. The Penny Black is the world’s most iconic stamp, a small piece of paper less than an inch wide. "The Penny Black is the world’s first stamp," said Mr Royan, "but a lot of people don’t realise there were in fact two stamps issued on May 6 1840, being the Penny Black and the Tuppenny Blue." The black stamp was worth a penny — the standard rate for postage at the time. Prior to that, customers had to pay the postmen, which was risky as the officials were often hijacked for the cash they carried. Putting a pre-paid label, as stamps were called back then, on a letter revolutionised the industry. "The first stamp ... was only in issue for a year, but they printed 66,5-million," said Mr Royan. The most valuable of these first Penny Black stamps, many of which have survived, are those that are in mint condition, having never been used. 

Mr Royan owns a Penny Black still attached to a letter. "Envelopes hadn’t been invented yet, so you wrote your letter and folded it up and applied the Penny Black and sent it," he said. Closer to home, Cape triangles, first issued in 1853, also get alternative investors’ pulses racing. "A Mauritian stamp just sold in London for £1.5m, the island being one of the world’s first stamp issuers as well," said Mr Royan. The highest trade for a Penny Black so far was for a letter posed on May 1 1840, five days before the stamps were officially issued in Britain. "That was a little instance of insider trading — it is believed the postmaster received his allocation of Penny Blacks that were only to be sold on May 6, but he decided he’d be the first." The last recorded trade in Geneva on that particular Penny Black was in Geneva in the late 1990s. It traded at about £1.2m, said Mr Royan. The sister to the Penny Black — now far rarer — was the Tuppenny Blue, a two-penny stamp meant for greater distances – or for parcels, the same way it works today. The most valuable rare stamps come in sheets or multiples that were never used, and remain in mint condition. Few such stamps have survived, however. Scarcity also occurs due to printing mistakes, such as a set bearing an image of South Africa’s Union Buildings with some stamps printed upside down compared with the rest. They were printed on a sheet in reverse order to appear the right way up in a one-shilling stamp booklet. Another valuable find would be stamps from Rhodesia printed "albino" — in one colour twice, instead of two colours. "By 1962 a lot of stamps were being printed – a stamp from that era might be worth 20 pence, but a rare stamp with Queen Elizabeth II omitted in a sheet of four is the largest multiple of that error in the world," said Mr Royan. The stamp with the missing queen is now worth about £18250 to collectors, he said.

Source: Michael Ettershank http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=164899

World's Most Expensive Stamps

In 2010, the Treskilling Yellow made the record for the most expensive stamp ever sold. It was thought the  Swedish rectangular treasure went for £1.6million, though it has never been confirmed. The world's most valuable object by weight, the first owner is said to have been a Swedish schoolboy, who found it in 1885 among a pile of letters left by his grandparents. The Treskilling Yellow is 'one of about a half dozen highly notorious stamps in the world,' according to noted U.S. stamp expert Robert Odenweller. Others include the 1856 British Guiana 1 cent Magenta which has been locked away in a vault since 1980 when it was bought for nearly one million US dollars by chemicals fortune heir John du Pont. Another is the 2 Penny Post Office Mauritius Blue that sold for £970,000 in 1993.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101520/Penny-Red-rare-imperfections-set-sell-550-000-auction.html#ixzz1mabLsEfR

Penny Red with rare imperfections set to sell for £550,000 at auction

One of the rarest and most sought after stamps ever produced is up for sale and expected to fetch over half a million pounds. The plate 77 Penny Red has been dubbed the ‘Holy Grail of philately’ and is one of just nine examples of the stamp ever recorded. Although millions of Penny Reds were printed between 1841 and 1879, a number of plates were never used due to technical faults. Flaws in plate number 77 meant the stamp’s perforations were lined up incorrectly, so all of the test sheets were destroyed. But at least one sheet was released into circulation by mistake - making the 77 every stamp collector’s dream. Dealer Stanley Gibbons heralds it as the 'most valuable single stamp' the company has ever had for sale in their 156 year history, with a value of around £550,000. Collectors worldwide religiously check every Penny Red they come across to see if it is a real example of the 'philatelic Holy Grail'. Spokesman Vince Cordell said: 'This example has graced some of the finest stamp collections ever formed and is not only a magnificent exhibition piece but one of the great rarities of Great Britain and world philately. 'To date, four mint and five used examples have been reported, although some have not been seen for so long their authenticity is unconfirmed and often doubted.' Of the mint examples, there is one in the Royal Philatelic collection, one in the Tapling collection in the British Library, one in the Raphael collection that was stolen in 1965 and has not been seen since, and the fourth was in the Ferrary collection sold in the 1920s. The used examples include two found in the early 20th Century that were damaged and have not been seen for more than 50 years, one that was lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and one in the Adams collection - now in the British Library.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101520/Penny-Red-rare-imperfections-set-sell-550-000-auction.html#ixzz1maaKjCU2

The Mulready Design

The "Mulready Design" refers to Irish artist William Mulready (1 April 1786 – 7 July 1863) who created a representation of the profile of the then reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria for the stamps and stationery. All British stamps still bear a picture or silhouette of the monarch on stamps, and are the only postage stamps in the world that do not name their country of origin, leaving the monarch's image to symbolise the country, United Kingdom. 

William Milready

Many of Mulready's early pictures show landscapes, before he started to build a reputation as a genre painter from 1808 on, painting mostly everyday scenes from rural life. In 1815 he became an Associate of the Royal Academy (A.R.A.) and R.A. in 1816. In the same year, he also was awarded the French "Légion d'honneur". Mulready's most important pictures are in the Victoria and Albert Museum and in the Tate Gallery. In the former are 33, among them Hampstead Heath (1806); Giving a Bite (1836); First Love (1839); The Sonnet (1839); Choosing the Wedding Gown (1846); and The Butt (Shooting a Cherry) (1848). In the latter are five, including a Snow Scene. In the National Gallery, Dublin, are Young Brother and The Toy Seller. His Wolf and the Lamb is in Royal possession. In 1840, Mulready designed the illustrations for the postal stationery, known as Mulready stationery for the royal Mail, and at the same time as the Penny Black in May 1840. He died at the age of 77 in Bayswater, London and is buried in the nearby Kensal Green Cemetery where a monument to his memory was erected.

Mulready Stationery - Example of a Mulready lettersheet

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mulready
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulready_stationery

The Chartwell Collection

The Chartwell Collection was formed by one man with a great passion for collecting, Sir Humphrey Cripps. Sir Humphrey, the custodian of the collection, was both a great English businessman and philanthropist, but also an enthusiastic philatelist. Educated a Northampton Town and County Grammar School, it was during this period that Sir Humphrey first displayed a passion for collecting. After his death, his children found a shoebox in the back of his wardrobe. Upon opening the lid they discovered thousands of train tickets bundled and carefully placed in the box. Sir Humphrey had retained every train ticket from his time at school and kept them hidden away in perfect chronological order. These were memories of his past and a clear indicator of the true collector he would become. After graduating, Sir Humphrey continued his education at St John’s College, Cambridge, where he read Natural Sciences. On completion of his education, he joined the family firm, Pianoforte Supplies Limited. Sir Humphrey’s personal drive would see him rise to Managing Director of his family’s company in 1960 and Chairman in 1979. Along the way, Sir Humphrey also picked up several other passions. First and foremost, he was a charitable man and at every turn in his business progression he would channel funds regularly into the family charitable foundation. The Cripps Foundation was established in 1956 by the Cripps family and has made huge gifts to universities, colleges, schools, churches, hospitals and museums. Many Cambridge Colleges have benefitted from this generosity, as well as the Fitzwilliam Museum. Residential Courts at St John’s College, Magdalene College, Selwyn College, Queen’s College and the University of Nottingham are named after the Cripps family. His former school also benefitted. The  construction of many facilities were made possible through its generous donations. Sir Humphrey was knighted in 1989, having been High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1987 and then Deputy Lieutenant of the County. Sir Humphrey began collecting stamps in the 1950’s and soon became an insatiable collector focussing firstly on all aspects of Great Britain philately and secondly selected stamps of certain countries of the British Empire. Sir Humphrey travelled frequently on business and his interest in stamps went with him. For example, Sir Humphrey regularly visited Bermuda, hence the three Perots and other Bermuda rarities in the collection.

 

The Great Britain collection, housed in over 80 volumes covers all reigns and all aspects of this fascinating area of philately replete with wonderful essays, proofs, rare stamps and covers throughout. It is hard to believe that this collection was all put together by just one dedicated collector and the sale took place in June 2011 in London.

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

Invest in a good quality Penny Black and it will stay in your collection with appreciating value. I like the ending sentence that goes "But the main point is that, like a good penny black, if you buy proven quality, like Ferdinand and Rooney, you'll more easily get your money back . . ." Read the full story here: http://www.newstatesman.com/200503210051

PB06: A Penny Black with Generous Borders and a Well-Centered Crisp Cancellation

Code PB06: SG2 / 1840 issued Penny Black 1d Black: The well centered crisp strike of the deep red Maltese Cross cancellation gives this Penny Black a sense of spacious scale. This O-K stamp from the scarce Plate 6 has very generous borders all round. Unperforated Victorian stamps with large borders as this piece are very well sought after and hard to find. £255.00 SOLD shipped from the United Kingdom. A handsome stamp, worth every penny!