GB stamps Penny Black sweatshirt
by William
(San Francisco)
GB stamps Penny Black sweatshirt
(CafePress)
The Penny Black is considered to be the first postage stamp in the world, issued by Great Britain in May of 1840.
It was a very simple idea, which allowed the public to buy prepaid postage and avoid having to take letters to the Post Office and pay cash each time.
Prior to this, postage was complicated to figure out as it depended on the distance a letter was being sent. With these penny stamps, a one ounce letter could be sent anywhere in the UK for that penny.
The design was elegant and simple and beautifully engraved in black.
The black design did cause problems with postmarking the stamps, as a black cancel on a black stamp meant the post office had to check each one carefully. Very quickly red cancels were brought into use and by the following year, the stamp was reissued, only in a reddish brown color.
As this was the first stamp, Great Britain is the only country in the world not required to inscribe the name of the issuing country on their stamps: the portrait of the current monarch suffices.
The Penny Black is not a rare stamp, millions were printed. There is great demand for this stamp, as every stamp collector wants a copy of this first ever stamp. You can own a mint example on various gift items, from a sweatshirt to a dog bowl, without shelling out $$$$s!
Click on the image of the GB stamps Penny Black sweatshirt to see T-shirts, mugs and other Penny Black gift items from StampGiftShop.com.