PENNY BLACK- THE FIRST MODERN POSTAGE STAMP

Penny Black

The First Modern Postage Stamp 

The first issued postage stamp began with Great Britain's Penny Post. On May 6, 1840, the British Penny Black stamp was released. The Penny Black was engraved the profile of Queen Victoria's head, who remained on all British stamps for the next sixty years. Rowland Hill created the first stamp.

 

Penny Black
Country of production	United Kingdom
Location of production	London
Date of production	1 May 1840– February 1841 (1840-05-01) (1841-02)
Perforation	None
Notability	World's first adhesive postage stamp
Face value	1 penny
Estimated value	£3–4,000 (mint)

Rowland Hill Invents Adhesive Postage Stamps

Sir Rowland Hill
Rowland Hill and a facsimile of his signature
Born	(1795-12-03)December 3, 1795 Kidderminster, Worcestershire
Died	August 27, 1879(1879-08-27) (aged 83) Hampstead, London
Resting place	Westminster Abbey
Nationality	British
Occupation	schoolteacher, social reformer, postal administrator
Known for	Uniform Penny Post

 

A schoolmaster from England, Rowland Hill invented the adhesive postage stamp in 1837, an act for which he was knighted. Through his efforts the first stamp in the world was issued in England in 1840. Roland Hill also created the first uniform postage rates that were based on weight rather than size. Hill's stamps made the prepayment of mail postage possible and practical.