The Penny Black, how to determine its value | The Stamp Echo The Penny Black, how to determine its value Posted on November 13, 2008 by Daniel Arpin 1840 Penny Black As most stamp collector already know the Penny Black is the world’s first adhesive postage stamp and was issued by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on May 1st 1840. Due to its significance this stamps is very popular and following my past article What are the most famous rare and valuable stamps? , I have been receiving a lot of questions about its value. Well let’s try to understand a bit more about this famous stamp and what affects its value. Rarity The Penny Black is not that rare a stamp, as there were 68,808,000 issued, yes 68 million! A substantial number of these have survived, largely because envelopes were not commonly used yet, letters being written, folded and sealed with wax, with the stamp and the address on the obverse. This meant that whenever a letter was filed in a lawyer’s office, bank, etc., the whole thing would be kept.

Small crown watermark Printing plates The stamps were printed in sheets of 240, from engraved steel plates, on gummed paper with a single small crown watermark on each stamp. They were imperforated and had to be cut out with scissors. Over time, due to excessive wear, eleven different printing plates were used (plate 1 is usually differentiated into plate 1a and plate 1b), and it is possible in almost every case to work out which plate any individual stamp was printed from by little characteristics. Things like the positioning of the corner letters within their squares, the presence of the “O flaw”, which rays of the stars in the upper corners are broken at what points, and so on, can point to a correct plate identification, but specialized literature is required in order to do this. Some plates are scarcer than others, plate 11 being the rarest, intended originally solely for the new red stamps, only 16800 stamps were printed from this plate. These are now very rare. Penny Black Printing Plates Penny Black with red cross Penny Black with red cross A special postmark was also introduced to cancel the stamps. Popularly known as the Maltese Cross. It was to begin with, in black.

But since it was difficult to see a black postmark on a black stamp the color was changed to red. Many used examples of the period have killer cancellations, so that it could not be used again. The postal authorities were clearly worried that people might ‘clean’ the stamp so that it could be used again. The colour of the Penny Black was later changed to red for this very reason. Used examples with a light cancellation command a much higher premium on the market than heavily obliterated ones. Corner letters Corner letters The stamps were printed in sheets of 240 (20×12) and the stamps had corner letters (bottom left and right of the stamp) corresponding to its position on the plate. Starting with AA, AB, AC…to AL for the top row, the second row goes from BA to BL and the twentieth row from TA to TL. Four different alphabets were used in the course of time to form the corner letters. A penny black with the corner letters «JF» is shown below, as well as its position on the sheet. TL Main factors affecting Value 1- The condition grading and centering. An unused or mint stamp is generally worth much more than a used one.

The number, size, and regularity of the margins make a big difference to value. The stamps were not perforated, and had to be separated using scissors. As there is only about 1mm between one stamp and another, it is very easy to wander off just a little and cut into the printed design of the stamp. A stamp with two full margins and perhaps a couple of other part margins is about average. Collectors will pay higher prices for examples with four good, wide, and even margins. 2- The plate the stamp was printed from. 3- The overall appearance of the stamp. Any fault such as a thin, tear, crease, or stain will lower the value Conclusion The Penny Black is readily available on the collectors’ market today. However, because of its significance, this stamp in fine condition is in demand by collectors and therefore not cheap. It can be dangerously misleading to suggest values, as some readers of this will be naturally optimistic, others being natural pessimists (or realists!).

In 2009, a used Penny Black in poor condition can cost as little as $20 and up to $300 for one in very nice condition, an unused or mint example would average around $1000 to $7000, depending if it has the original gum or not and if the margins around the stamp are close or wide. The retail price on these is steadily rising. By contrast, a used Penny Red is only $20 and a mint $450 in nice condition. Share this: 114 Responses to The Penny Black, how to determine its value Rolland Hagedorn hi i just wondered if you could help me with the age of the stamp that i have. It is s burgubdy red colour, one penny with the letters L top left and O in the top right The bottom right is also an L but it is difficlut to see what the bottom wleft is any advice would be appreciated regarsd January 13, 2009 at 10:41 am Your stamp is probably the Penny Red.

The Penny Red was Great Britain’s longest running stamp, from February 1841 to the end of November 1879. It was used for the standard letter postage rate of 1d and approximately 21 billion were issued. January 29, 2009 at 6:16 am A very informative article and has been useful in helping me to make my purchase. Tell me how does one know which plate the stamp came from, I understand the length of rays on the stars on the top left & right corners is the key is this true and are there any other clues ? February 24, 2009 at 4:15 pm What would a 4 block of mint penny blacks be worth? I haven’t seen the stamps yet to determine their condition but have been informed that they are mint. Just a ball-park figure as I’m sure the owner would wish to sell! October 25, 2014 at 7:52 am Did u ever find out the value of your One Penny Black stamp? I have one with letters JK. Im guessing its plate 8 by the noticable flaws. If so your may have been beside mine.

Since they were cut by hand i was curious about yours and how it would match up. Maybe you would be interested in it? [email protected] 304-671-8658 call or text Thanks,Margie Augusta, WV 26704 July 22, 2010 at 4:07 am My penny black has four margins, one is a bit wonky,one thinner than the other 3 and 2 fairly even.It has the red stamp mark which is quite pale over head neck and face.It has the letter I and E in the bottom corners,it is in excellent condition.Can you give me a rough valuation,thanks Catherine August 19, 2010 at 2:32 pm I have a Penny Black on cover dated August 4 1841 with an accompanying letter of Mr Grodeski from Gibbons,my brother paid 1765 Pounds for it 30 years ago,he gave it to me ,but any Idea of its worth now ?

Many Thanks September 27, 2010 at 9:48 am Dear Sir, We got a letter dated Jan 1841 with penny black stamp with letters M and F on corners and the wax seal at the back of the letter , the stamp have good even egde all around , any ideas of the value ? Thanks November 13, 2010 at 8:28 pm I have a Penny Black Stamp/ May of 1840/ Issued in England/ Portrait of Queen Victoria. #0560. I would like to know the value if possible and I am interested in selling it. It is in a plastic case in excellent condition. The bottom left has letter T and right G. Please help me what this stamp is worth. Jo I have a 1840 ( December 6th) cover penny black with letters JA on the corners. I purchased it in 2004 for £195 any idea of it’s value now?

many thanks December 4, 2010 at 9:16 pm hi there, I have a used penny red , J and E corner letters and a nice clean bold number 9 in black , it also has one penny printed on the top end of the stamp below perperations and nothing at bottom , is this a common fault , February 7, 2011 at 6:20 pm Hi there I was just wondering if you would give me an idea how much a never used penny black is worth. It has the letters AA on the bottom and the glue is still on the back. Thank you Hi, I have ‘The Penny Black’ May 6, 1840 stamped with the red Maltese Cross. ‘O’ in the bottom left and ‘C’ in the bottom right. The stamp comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and is housed in a capsule. Is this stamp valuable? Hello Very informative. My father has a penny black with a pale red Maltese cross over part of the Victoria’s head. Three of the margins are good but the right one goes in slightly at the top by the star. The bottom left reads G and right reads C.

It’s in a black presentation wallet with the Summer collection printed on the back. Would you be able to give us an idea of it’s value? Thank you July 2, 2011 at 3:18 am i would like to know how mutch is a penny black letters 1d in the corners with a red maltease mark on the stamp would be valued i know it was the first issue and it was the forth row when printed can you please tell me the value of penny black stamp with letters pl durai from tamil nadu I have an unused Penny Black Plate 9 cut close one margin and regummed. Certificate. What would be it’s value? December 23, 2011 at 2:21 am I have a penny black plate with the letters P and L. It has 4 markings on the back : RC in a five sided box, and star within a circle, a lion, and the letter D in italix. What would this be worth? Are you sure about the Maltese Cross colour change from BLACK to RED Surely it was RED to BLACK !!

June 4, 2014 at 10:25 am The Maltese Cross began life in May 1840 in red, during September of the same year experiments were carried out in London using black ink and then in February 1841 the country officially moved to black ink. The comment from Daniel is incorrect Hello, I have a used Penny Black with letter E and G. Any idea how much it’s roughly worth please? Thanks. March 3, 2012 at 5:16 pm I have 5ea. penny black stamps, i’ve been trying to find out the price of these unused stamps, no one seems to know, can’t find any info on the plate letters… 1ea. 1840 mk., 1ea.1854-57ba., 1ea.lb., 1880-81ce., 1883-84 1ea.

Ia…need some help from anyone… john northrop eny one i can send a photo penny black November 17, 2012 at 4:59 am I have a letter, written January 1st 1841, with a Penny Black stamp. The two letters are ‘M’ at bottom left, and ‘G’ at bottom right. The stamp is slightly stained, and has been franked with a red Maltese Cross, and has a circular frank on the letter saying ‘South Molton’. The borders are not central, but a white border can be seen all around. A possible value, please? If the stamp is stained from the oils used in making the ink for the red obliterator, then it’s acceptable, if not, then it detracts from the value. On a full cover [not piece, [part, front, etc.!] they are worth about double those ‘off cover’. Your margins sound like a ‘fine’ copy in British Grading, so about 60% of the generic, non-plated price of £350 as full retail. With Penny Blacks, appearance is ALL! Hi,I have a penny black with red cross.

In great condition and the letters on left and right side are both “F”. Says its 172 years old on the paper I got. Just wondering if you could tell me approx value. Thanks, March 17, 2013 at 6:38 pm I don’t understand many of the people here. “I have a (blah blah blah) How much is it worth?” What part of “It can be dangerously misleading to suggest values….” do you people not understand? This article is largely common sense. April 9, 2013 at 7:27 am Hello I have an 1840 one penny black stamp with a red cross over it..it is on envelope dated July 16th 1840 . I would like to know if it has any value to it please. Kind Regards May 5, 2015 at 11:02 pm Michael, I have a black penny and its May 6, 1840 the black penny has a Red Cross on it !! Would love to no it value ??

April 10, 2013 at 3:01 pm Hi I have a penny black,letters o bottom lift h on right.interested in selling. Would like to here from somebody who know’s about the value, if anybody can help me with that call me 1 519 305 0577 or email me thank you. April 13, 2013 at 6:34 am I have blue stamp with a black ink marking on it. it is hard to make out the date, at the bottom it has TWOPENCE HALFPENNY. I can just make out the letters RSA ON TOP. There is no markings on the back. Please can you let me know if there is any value. It is in fair condition. Thank you. May 17, 2013 at 4:14 pm Hi i when to this thrift store where i found a red nice carpet like a book.when i open it it have a stamp which is the black penny. It have the story about the blak penny and is one of first postage stamps.

It says may 6 1840 and its a letter fold inside and stamp with the black penny. It says first day issue in london may 6 1840 and is sing by james a. Helzer president. It got letter j a in each corner and the other stamp letter t f the floder is in good condiction so the letter. I want to know how much it worth and both stamps are market in red. Plz let me know any informtion thank you. I have had a Penny Black since I was a child in my collection, with the letters P L on the bottom. Does anyone have any idea the value of this. Thanks for your help. December 22, 2013 at 12:45 pm trying to i.d. plate no for 1d black. 4 very good straight margins, slight thinning 1 small patch, very slight. letters t left k rt bottom, centre of top lt star four pointed cross in centre 12 pointed outer star lt top,2-8 th star point thick, top rt star centre black dot only, not cross like lt,2 3 and 11th point of rt star appear small.

red mx cancellation clear, rest of stamp is crisp and sharp, any help appreciated July 3, 2015 at 10:47 am 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. May 1, 2015 at 3:15 am my family have refurbished old buildings for years, just after WW2 we rebuilt what was a post office upstairs (what was left of it) had a small office and safe. The previous postmaster had told us that the safe hadn’t been used in decades and that the key was never found and the only reason it stopped where it was, was due to the weight.

The safe was extremely decorative so it came back to my grandfathers building yard and stayed there until around 1980 when my father decided it needed to go as we were relocating, curiosity got the better of him and despite back in the day the postmaster being adamant that it would be empty he decided to oxyacetylene it open, there inside were two complete sheets of first edition Penny Blacks! I guess their value would be through the roof, however my dad was an honest man and returned them to the post office, how many of us would do that I wonder February 27, 2016 at 10:07 am You don’t say if the stamp is perforated or not. The 1d Red with no perforations and so only letters in the bottom corners came from plates 1-177. The number for this series is not on the stamp itself – it was only in the corner margins of each sheet of 240 stamps. Generally you need to be quite a specialist to plate such a stamp, from the position of the check letters and other tiny differences, but the type of cancel, the shade, the corner lettering type can all narrow down the range.

May 25, 2016 at 8:08 pm KoKo, If your stamp has 1840 on it as part of the printing, it does not sound like an original 1d Black. A modern stamp that depicts a 1d Black might be worth 10 cents. If you have identified your stamp as a genuine 1d Black that was printed in 1840 (before a scarce printing in January 1841), then you need to look at the “Main factors affecting Value” section within the opening part of this article. The values given in the conclusion to the opening part above are from 2009. Values have increased since then. To get to 2016 values, I suggest you add 50% to 75% to the 2009 values. May 27, 2016 at 11:07 am The 1B on the back could be from someone plating it as Plate 1b. We just don’t have enough relevant information from Koko. To Koko, no thanks, I don’t want to see a picture of your stamp.

Great you are sure your stamp is original. There were over 68 million of them printed and although just a small proportion have survived, it would still mean that I could be inundated with queries and photos. To anyone who has a question about their 1d Black, I strongly suggest:- 1. You read Daniel Arpin’s excellent opening article first. 2. For the vast majority of 1d Blacks, which are used and not from a scarce plate, condition is the all important factor on value. 3.. If you have an interest beyond pure value (you would have to be lucky to find a 1d Black from Plate 11 at random, but even 400-1 odds means it does very occasionally happen), and are thinking about becoming a philatelist, do try and plate your stamp. In which case first read what Dawn says in her posting of July 3, 2015. To that add the excellent photos (see my posting of May 17, 2016) at which were only put on-line in 2012, so after Daniel wrote his article. 3. That just leaves values, which have increased 🙂 since Daniel wrote his article.

My posting of May 25, 2016 suggests you add 50% to 75% to the 2009 values. Anything more specific is probably not for this forum. Happy stamping everyone. Great Britain: Line Engraved Victoria Made Easy by Wm F Blank The advent of the adhesive postage stamp officially began on May 6, 1840 with the release of the famous Penny Black and 2 days later the Tuppence Blue. Thus began a series of events that was to change how the world communicated. The early issues of Great Britain, from May 1840 until 1855, where printed almost exclusive using the line engraved (gravure, recess) printing method. Billions of stamps were printed using more than 480 printing plates. Most of these plates had 240 individual stamp images, all different, since, as a forgery precaution , "check" letters were placed in the corner squares with the stamp in the upper left hand corner being lettered AA and in the lower right hand corner being TL. For engraved stamps printed before 1864, the letters were individually punched into the printing plate.

As this was done by hand, the position of the letters relative to the surrounding square varied and allows an expert to tell from what plate an individual stamp comes. These issues, that had the letters hand punched, all have letters in the 2 bottom squares only, the upper 2 square containing "stars". After 1864, line engraved issues had letters in all 4 corner squares, that were engraved, rather than punched into the printing plates, but more importantly also had the plate numbers engraved onto the stamp, making plating much simpler. This exhibit will discuss the stamps having hand punched check letters and stars in the upper corners, issues prior to 1864. The World's First Adhesive Postage Stamp: This image illustrates the points that this exhibit will attempt to make clear. The stamp is imperforate, has stars in the upper corner squares and a 'B' in each of the lower corner squares. The difference in the position of the letters in the lower squares is easily seen. What is not visible is the watermark. All of these issues printed before May 1855 had a small crown watermark, centered on each stamp: After May 1855, most stamps used the large crown watermark (right below).

The penny black was printed from 11 plates numbered 1 to 11, many having more than one state due to repairs and re-entries. There are other differences between the plates which are beyond the scope of this exhibit and can be found in the references for those interested. The following 2 stamps illustrate 2 plates of the penny black. The positions, angles and typography of the check letters, 'BB', in the lower squares are clear in the above 2 examples. The Penny Red: In 1841, for a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with fraudulent re-use of postage stamps, the color of the one penny was changed from black to red. The term 'Penny Stars' is often used for this incomparably complex series of stamps which were in continual production from Fed. 10, 1841 until April 1862.

The complexity of this series is due, ignoring at least 20 distinct shades color shades, not only to the hundreds of plates used for printing, but to that fact that 2 master dies, both imperforate and perforate issues (2 gauges as well as experimental perforations), 2 watermarks (and 2 varieties of one) and 4 fonts (alphabets) as well as various combinations were used for these stamps. The first printing of the imperforate penny reds were made from the some of the same plates as the penny blacks. The following 2 stamps are both printed from black plate 10. Notice that the positions of the check letters are identical on both stamps. The differences in the strength of the check letters and the absence of the white flaw at the bottom of the 'O' in ONE on the red is due to the fact that this plate position was re-entered before this red stamp was printed. Note also a prime reason for changing the color from black to red. Initially the penny blacks were canceled using red ink that was easy to remove. This was later changed to black which was more permanent. As you can see, black shows up much better on a red stamp than a black stamp.

The imperforate penny red was printed from about 166 plates, besides those printed from the black plates. An interesting change occurred in February 1852 with plate 132. The style of the font used to punch the check letters was changed. This is now known as Alphabet II, the previous font being known as Alphabet I. Later, 2 more fonts were used, Alphabet III and IV, the latter being engraved directly onto the plate rather than punched. Above is illustrated the 4 alphabets for the 'B' check letter. As you can see there are variations within an alphabet as well as between alphabets. The letter 'B' is fairly easy simple to assign to an alphabet, some letters are much more difficult. Shown below are two penny reds showing examples of the the two alphabets used for imperforate penny reds. The differences in these fonts is quite obvious. Penny Red, plate 65, Alphabet I Penny Red, plate 173, Alphabet II In general alphabet I letters are smaller and more delicate than alphabet II, while the latter are blockier and larger than alphabet I.

Perforated Penny Reds: The next major change to the line engraved Victorian issues, occurred in February of 1854 with the release of officially perforated stamps for the first time in Great Britain. A number of experimental perforation trials were conducted largely by Henry Archer and is an interesting tangent to this issues, but it beyond the scope of this exhibition. The first printings were made from existing plates that were used for imperforate issues. As illustrated below: Penny Red, plate 164, Imperforate Penny Red, plate 164, Perforated 16 Note the absolute identical configuration and position of the check letters. The New Master Die II: In February 1855 and new master die was produced by retouching the original master die to provide roller dies for laying down the printing plates. All previous impressions had come from the original master die, now known as die I. There are many distinguishing features of these two dies. But, the overall effect is to create an illustration of Victoria that looks different. With a little practice stamps from these dies are immediately recognizable in the same way that one recognizes a friend's face-- hard to explain, easy to do.

Humphrey's Die II With the advent of Die II, plate numbering started over at plate 1 for the penny Reds. Plates 1-21 were used for alphabet II stamps. The large crown watermarked paper began being used in May of 1855 for per. 16 stamps and in June, 1855 for perf 14 stamps. Die II, Plate 1, perf. 16, Small Crown Die II, Plate 1, perf. 14, Large Crown The Change to Alphabet III: In August, 1855, alphabet III stamps started appearing. These were printed from plates 22 through 68 and a reserve plate called R17. All alphabet III stamps were perforated 14, except for a small printing on Dec. 16, 1857, when the perf 16 machine was used on large crown watermarked sheets. Also nearly all are watermarked with the large crown paper, except from printing from the early plates, 22 to 26, from August to November 1855 during which small crown paper was also used.

Alphabet III stamps on small crown paper are particularly rare which can make knowing your alphabets profitable. In general letters of alphabet III are as large or larger than alphabet II letters, less blocky, and somewhat more delicate: In the letter 'B' the lower space is larger than the upper. Alphabet IV, plate 51 Although the stamp from plate 51 above is off center so that the left check letter is not visible, it illustrates another factor that can make plating easier. Plate 51 , from the 'BB' position has a constant plate flaw. As can seen above the lower portion of the 'E' in POSTAGE is missing, a characteristic of BB, plate 51, alphabet IV. The Two Pence Blue: The two penny blue, line engraved stamps with stars in the upper corners present many fewer complexities compared to the penny reds. Only 6 plates were used. All of these used the original master die, die I. Plates 1 and 2 were imperforate and is essentially identical to the penny black except for the word 'TWO' and the color. They are of course die I, alphabet I and on small crown paper.

1840, 2d blue, Alphabet I, Plate 1 Although the positions of the check letters can be used to differentiate plate one from 2, an easier method is the presence of a small notch on the 'O' and a joining of the 'TW" on TWO on most stamps from plate 2: The 1841 2d blue, plates 3 and 4 are also imperforate, die I, alphabet I, but have the addition of white lines above TWOPENCE and below POSTAGE. Although plate 3 was only issued imperforate, plate 4 was also issued perforated 14 and 16 on small crown paper in 1854 to 1855 1841, plate 3, alphabet I 1841, plate 4, alphabet I Besides the positions of the check letters, these plates can often be differentiated by the firmness if the left border and often irregular letters in TWO PENCE on plate 3. Plate 5 is easy to recognize since the check letters are now alphabet II. It was issued on both small and large crown paper, and both papers perf 14 or 16.

Plate 6 is also easy to recognize as it used alphabet III. It was only issued on large crown paper, perf 14 and 16. An additional feature (which one stamp catalog makes too much of, since it is hard to recognize on an individual stamp) is that the white lines above and below with words are a bit thinner than on plates 3 to 5. 1855, plate 5, alphabet II 1857, plate 6, alphabet III References: The 2 best general references are the Stanley Gibbon's Specialized Stamp Catalog for Great Britain, volume 1 and The Great Britain Concise Stamp Catalog, published annually by Stanley Gibbons. The Specialized Catalog lists nearly all the pertinent references for those interested in delving deeper into this interesting subject. A remarkable new series of books about the Plating of these issues is being written by Kenneth W. Stathan and published by Eric Paul Ltd: The Essential Guide to the Great Britian Line Engraved 1d and 2d Stars 1840 - 1864, vol 1 and vol 2 1995. This series will eventually run to 8 or 9 volumes.

Great Britain Queen Victoria 1840 1d Penny Blacks 2d Blue - Line Engraved Postage stamps - UK INVESTMENT STAMPS Great Britain Queen Victoria 1840 1d Penny Blacks 2d Blue - Line Engraved Postage stamps 1840 1d Penny Blacks 2d Blue - Line Engraved Postage stamps﻿ ﻿GREAT BRITAIN 1840 1d Black S.G. 2 plate 3, lettered P-B, Mint (Lightly Mounted with traces of original gum) - (see second scan), Four large margins and a well incised impression. - VERY FINE - A HANDSOME MINT EXAMPLE OF THE WORLD'S FIRST POSTAGE STAMP. 'Who hasn't heard of the famous Penny Black!' CAT £20, 000.00 £- Price on Application - - Ref: QV1969/0010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----​--------------------- Plate 3 was registered on 09 May 1840. This plate was the first of the Penny Black Plates to be destroyed (October 1841) after being in service for only five months.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Plate 3 is one of the scarcest Penny Black plates to find Mint - this example has 4 Margins and Mint, scarcer still! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1840 1d Penny Black Cancelled with a 'White M﻿altesse Cross of Cirencester' A lovely example of this scarce variety M.X. Ref: QV1969/0011 "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1840 1d Penny Black Cancelled with a 'Black Maltesse Cross' £.00 "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1840 1d Black, Plate 5. 'G.G' - Stanley Gibbons 'Intense Black' ​ Cancelled by a 'Magenta Maltesse Cross' - Fine Strong Strike with Excellent Colour Four Fine Huge Margins.

- With Expert Certificate - see below - Ref: QV1969/0013 uk investment stamps -----------------------------'Not just your average stamp!' ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" ​​Plate 6, "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" ​Plate 8 "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1840 1d Black, Unknown Plate. 'F.G' "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1840 1d Black, Unknown Plate. 'T.H' "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1841 1d red-brown SG 8, position S.E. lower corner letters ​4 margined example - showing part of stamp above. ﻿£﻿ "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1841 1d red-brown SG8, S.K. lower letters 4 margined example showing light 'Irish Diamond Cancel' Very Fine used - Lovely Stamp! £﻿ "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1841 1d red-brown SG 8l ​ ' Cancelled by Black Maltese Cross' N.B.

"CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1841 1d red-brown SG 8m, position E.H. ​' Cancelled by Maltese Cross with number 1 in centre ' - used at London Chief Office 1843-1844 - £ "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1841 1d red-brown SG 8m, position C.H. ' Cancelled by Maltese Cross with number 2 in centre ' - used at London Chief Office 1843-1844 - £﻿ "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" ​1841 1d red-brown SG 8m, position M.C. ' Cancelled by Maltese Cross with number 9 in centre ' - used at London Chief Office 1843-1844 - £﻿ "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" ​1841 1d red-brown SG 8m, position C.C.

'Cancelled by Maltese Cross with number 10 in centre' - used at London Chief Office 1843-1844 - £﻿ "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" ​1841 1d red-brown SG 8m, position Q.K. 'Cancelled by Maltese Cross with number 11 in centre' - used at London Chief Office 1843-1844 - £﻿ "CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE!" 1841 S.G. 14 2d Blue Corner letters O.L. Penny Black Stamps HISTORY OF PENNY BLACK STAMPS Pre 1840 In the year 1840, the United Kingdom introduced the Penny Black, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp. It was followed one day later by the 2d blue and at the beginning of 1841 the 1d red appeared. But before 1840, the post service was prohibitively expensive for most people to use. In fact the cost of sending a single letter could cost of much as a working man’s daily wage. Postage was charged by the sheet and the distance travelled.

(This led to the habit of writing a letter, then turning the page upside down and writing the second page of the letter between the lines of the original – thus saving sheets as four pages of letter could be written on one piece of paper.) But cost was not the only issue. There were many oddities. Certain items of post went free of charge, newspapers could be sent very cheaply and most mail was paid for by the person receiving the mail, not the sender. Postal reform ideas – James Chalmers It’s not surprising then that for many years prior to 1940, there were calls for reform of the postal system. As early as 1822, James Chalmers, a bookseller and printer from Dundee, was interested in postal reform. Some say that he was the actual inventor of the adhesive postage stamp. He also advocated the introduction of standard prepaid letter folders, letter sheets or envelopes which were eventually introduced in 1840 using a design by William Mulready. He printed samples of his idea for printed gummed labels in August 1834. James Chalmers Inventor of the Adhesive Postage Stamp edited by W.J.

Smith, and published in Dundee in 1970 gives an account of James Chalmers’ activities in the area of postal reform. Later reformers - Rowland Hill and Robert Wallace Rowland Hill and Robert Wallace (Member of Parliament for Greenock) were notable campaigners. In 1837, Rowland Hill proposed the radical reform of wapping a letter in an additional piece of paper (now known as the envelope) and attaching a ‘label’ (now known as a stamp) to indicate prepayment of the postage charge. Social reformer Rowland Hill 1839 Penny Postage Bill Eventually, on 17 August 1839, Penny Postage Bill was passed by Parliament. The act required that the basic postal rate for simple letters should be set at one penny. It also required that prepayment should become the standard for sending letters and that prepayment should be indicated by ‘labels’. There labels were the Penny Black and the Twopence Blue. Like today, the stamps were cancelled by a cancellation stamp, although this mark was red rather than the black used today.

Competition for design of new stamps In 1839, the British Treasury announced a competition to design the new stamps, but none of the submissions was considered suitable. Instead, Rowland Hill launched the service in 1840 with an envelope bearing a reproduction of a design created by the artist William Mulready and a predominetly black stamp bearing a reproduction of the profile of the reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria facing to the left. Hill believed this would be difficult to forge. The head of the reigning monanarch has featured on postage stamps eversince. Because Penny Blacks and Twopenny Blues were the world's first postage stamps, they did not show a country of origin. Brisitsh stamps today are still the only stamps in the world that do not name their country of origin. Example of a Mulready lettersheet Design of Penny Blacks Queen Victoira’s head was engraved and based on a sketch done by Henry Corbould. who was influenced by the work of William Wyon.

Wyon orignially drew a caneo-like head of Queen Victoira for a medal that commemorated her visit to London in 1837, the year that she was crowed queen at the age of 15. Penny Black stamps were printed by Perkins, Bacon & Petch.. The top of the stamp featured word "POSTAGE" intended to distinguish it from ‘revenue’ stamps that had long been used in the United Kindgom. The words "ONE PENNY" appeared at the bottom of the stamp, indicating the amount that had been pre-paid for the delivery of the letter to which it had been fixed. The background of the stamp featured finely engraved engine turnings. Positioned in the two upper corners were star-like designs. Positioned in the lower corners were letters indicating the position of the stamp in a sheet of 240 stamps. For example, "A A" indicates the stamp located on the top left position, and "T L" indicates the stamp on the bottom right position.. Penny Blacks were printed by Perkins Bacon.

Design of the Penny Black Stamp Date of release The new Penny Black stamps first went on sale 1st May 1840 although they were only valid for postage from 6th May 1840 (some were used between the date of introduction and the official launch day on the 6th). All London post offices received ample supplies of the new Penny Black stamp, but provincial post offices throughout the United Kingdom did not. As result, post offices outside London continued to accept postage payments in cash only for some time. The Mulreadies (letter sheets) were issued at the same time as Penny Blacks. Public reaction to these new items not what Rowland Hill's expected. The Penny Black stamps were well-received and admired whereas the the Mulready letter sheet design was intensely disliked. Printing and perforations Eleven different plates were used during the short lived, one year long, production period of the Penny Black stamps. Unlike stamps of today, Penny Blacks were not perforated and the postmaster or mistress of the time had to use scissors to cut out the stamps.

Between 1848 and 1854 trials were carried out in order to find a better and more acceptable way of separating stamps than the scissors and in early 1854 the first ‘perforated’ penny red was issued. Demise of the Penny Black stamp Penny Black postage stamps were only in circulation for one year because the red cancellation mark was hard to see on the black background colour of the stamp and easily removed, making it possible to re-use stamps, even after they had been cancelled. In response, the Treasury decided to reprint the stamp as a red stamp. The cancellation mark was changed to black as they were easier to see and harder to remove. FAQs FAQs 16823-1367 Frequently Asked Questions Find answers to many frequently asked questions. If you have a question that isn't answered here or for more information about the American Philatelic Society, feel free to submit a question or call 1-814-933-3803. Our staff will be happy to assist. Specific questions about APS departments or services should be forwarded to the appropriate staff member as listed at Headquarters Staff . FAQ Topics Who invented the postage stamp?

What country issued the first postage stamp and when? Who invented the postage stamp? What country issued the first postage stamp and when? Sir Rowland Hill is generally credited with the idea of requiring prepayment of postage and the use of postage stamps to show this payment. Previously the recipient of a letter had to pay for delivery and a large portion of the mail was refused. (Some people devised codes to convey messages on the outside of the letter so when the postman showed the letter to the intended recipient, the letter could be refused but the message was still received.) Hill advocated lowering the rates but requiring payment in advance. Great Britain issued the first postage stamps in 1840. Nicknamed the Penny Black, the stamps cost 1 pence and showed Queen Victoria. Although first to be issued, these stamps are not tremendously valuable as millions were used. Today a nice used copy can be obtained for around $100. In what year and in what city was the first U.S. postage stamp made? Also, what image was on the first U.S. postage stamp? In what year and in what city was the first U.S. postage stamp made? Also, what image was on the first U.S. postage stamp?

The first two U.S. stamps were printed by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and Edson and were issued July 1, 1847. The five cent red brown pictured Benjamin Franklin, the first U.S. postmaster general, and the ten cent black depicts George Washington. At that time stamps were not issued in a specific city on the first day of release. Do self-adhesive stamps soak off? Do self-adhesive stamps soak off? Until 2007 almost all United States self-adhesives could be removed from the envelope by soaking in water. However, the United States Postal Service has changed the printing specifications and most current U.S. self-adhesives will not soak off paper. With a few exceptions such as some French and Brazilian stamps, self-adhesives from other countries can be soaked off in water. For information on how to soak see our pamphlet Three Tips for Stamp Collectors: Soaking Stamps . What album would you recommend I purchase? What album would you recommend I purchase? No single album is best for every collector. Many options exist ranging in price from under $20 to more than $1,000.

And an album that may be best for you now might be inappropriate for you in ten years. Specific tips are provided in our brochure Three Tips for Stamp Collectors: Soaking Stamps . I have a postage stamp without any country's name. How can I determine where it is from? I have a postage stamp without any country's name. How can I determine where it is from? Only one country is permitted to issue postage stamps without including their name. This is Great Britain because it was the first country to issue postage stamps in 1840. In place of the country's name, Great Britain is allowed to simply include an image of the ruling monarch (frequently in the upper right hand corner of the stamp). Remember that many countries do not use English and thus you may not recognize the name. An on line country stamp identifier is available at . What's the difference between a new unused stamp and a new unused stamp with some type of cancellation marks on the front? Are they both considered new unused for collection purposes? What's the difference between a new unused stamp and a new unused stamp with some type of cancellation marks on the front? Are they both considered new unused for collection purposes?

A stamp with cancellation marks generally would not be considered unused even if it still has its gum. Cancelled to order (CTO) stamps have been postmarked even if they have not been used. Sometimes the cancels are applied as part of the printing process and in other cases simply by a philatelic bureau so they can be certain that a collector can not subsequently use them for postage. While this almost always results in a nice clear cancel that does not obstruct the design, catalogs consider them used and most of our members consider cancelled to order stamps less desirable than postally used stamps. What does F-VF mean? What does F-VF mean? Fine to Very Fine. The term is one of several grades generally used to refer to the centering of a stamp although it may also be used to refer to the stamp's overall condition. Typical terminology follows although some collectors and dealers will use additional categories such as extra superb or good (between average and fine): Average (Avg) - The design is cut into by the perforations Fine - Design is clear of all perforations but not well centered Fine to Very Fine (F-VF) Very Fine (VF) â Scott Catalogue values are based on this centering.

Superb - Perfect centering What is the difference between carmine and red? Are there any color guides available to help me distinguish colors? What is the difference between carmine and red? Are there any color guides available to help me distinguish colors? There are several color guides available from dealers who sell supplies, but some catalogs use different names to refer to the same colors. Exposure to light may also cause stamps to fade. The best solution may be to try to make a reference collection of stamps with known colors. (Damaged stamps are fine.) However, in the end if the color makes a significant difference in value you will probably need to get the stamp expertized. More information on having stamps expertized is available at the authentication area of our site. How can I tell the difference between stamps issued both with regular gum and as self-adhesives? How can I tell the difference between stamps issued both with regular gum and as self-adhesives? Assuming the stamps have been used and soaked off the paper, take a look at the perforations. When water-activated stamps are separated the perforations do not break perfectly evenly. Most self-adhesive stamps are die cut so all the perforations will be exactly the same shape.

I have a stamp without any perforations. Is this a valuable error? I have a stamp without any perforations. Is this a valuable error? Possibly, but not necessarily. Imperforate errors are known on a number of U.S. stamps and typically range in value from about $10 to $1,000. However, some stamps have been issued imperforate as part of a souvenir sheet and a stamp's perforations may be trimmed off to make it appear that it is imperforate. Most stamp catalogs indicate whether a stamp should have perforations. Authentication may be needed to be certain you have an error stamp. What does it mean for a stamp to be tagged? How do I determine this? What does it mean for a stamp to be tagged? How do I determine this? Tagging is coating applied on or in the paper or ink of postage stamps to help machines detect and cancel the stamp. Most U.S. stamps issued since the 1970âs are tagged with zinc orthosilicate and will glow yellow green under shortwave ultraviolet light.

(Since the 1980s many stamps with denominations of less than 10Â¢ are not tagged.) Many other countries use tagging which will be visible under long wave ultraviolet light. What is a watermark? How do I determine if a stamp has a watermark? Is it safe to use lighter fluid to detect a watermark? What is a watermark? How do I determine if a stamp has a watermark? Is it safe to use lighter fluid to detect a watermark? Some paper is manufactured so that certain parts are intentionally slightly thinner than others. These thin parts form a pattern such as a country's coat of arms or initials. Watermarked paper is one method to discourage counterfeiting of stamps. Sometimes the pattern can be seen by simply holding a stamp up to light as is normally the case for quality bond paper. Watermarks on stamps from Italy are among those most easily seen. For stamps with tougher to see watermarks the most common method of detection is to use a fluid. The watermark should be easiest to see when the fluid first wets the stamp and when the stamp dries as the thinner portion of the stamp absorbs liquid quicker and dries quicker.

Most commercial watermark fluids are toxic, flammable or contain hazardous materials that are only marginally safer than the traditional solvents such as lighter fluid and benzene. Recently, Clarity watermarking fluid was developed at the request of the American Philatelic Society to address these concerns and is available from many philatelic supply dealers. Further information is also available from . What are semipostals and what are they used for? What are semipostals and what are they used for? Semipostals are postage stamps which are used to raise funds for a charity. The first United States semipostal was issued to support Breast Cancer research. When issued this stamp cost 40Â¢ even though it was only valid for the 32Â¢ standard first class rate at that time. As postage rates have increased the cost of the Breast Cancer stamp has increased to 55Â¢ by 2009. The difference between the price and cost of first class postage helps fund research for the treatment and prevention of the cancer. Semipostals have been quite successful in some European countries and New Zealand but have been less well received in England and Canada.

In the Scott Catalogue semipostals are listed after a country's regular issues and before its airpost issues and given the prefix B. What is a "cut square?" What is a "cut square?" This term is normally used to refer to a corner cut from postal stationery (envelopes or cards with postal imprints). Many collectors find it easier to keep a 2" x 4" corner of the envelope with the imprint rather than the entire envelope. Some postmark collectors also save "cut squares" rather than the entire envelope. What is an International Reply Coupon? What is an International Reply Coupon? International Reply Coupons (IRCs) are a method to provide return postage to someone in another country. You can purchase a coupon from your post office and mail it to a person in another country who can then redeem it at their post office for postage to cover the basic international rate. I found a dark blue stamp with the American Lung Association symbol in red on the left side. There is an angel in the bottom half of the stamp. Is this valuable? I found a dark blue stamp with the American Lung Association symbol in red on the left side. There is an angel in the bottom half of the stamp. Is this valuable?

This is a Christmas Seal and not a postage stamp. A postage stamp would generally have a country name and denomination. Christmas Seals are sent to individuals asking for a donation. Although not postage stamps, U.S. Christmas Seals are listed in the Scott U.S. Specialized Catalogue. Most have minimal value. I found some old documents with stamps in our attic. Are they valuable? I found some old documents with stamps in our attic. Are they valuable? What you have are probably revenue and not postage stamps. We recommend leaving these stamps on their original documents until you find out more about them. The Scott U.S. Specialized Catalog, available from many libraries, does list and value United States revenues. (In some countries the same stamps may be used for revenue or postage purposes. Typically such stamps used as revenues are less valuable than the same stamps used to pay postage.) What is a cachet? What is a cachet? A cachet (pronounced ka-shay') is a design on an envelope, usually on the left side. Cachets are most commonly found on first day covers and typically are illustrations and or text relating to the subject of the stamp or event being commemorated. What is a frank? What is a frank?

A frank is a marking on the face of an envelope indicating that postage has been paid or that the letter is to be carried free. Early presidents and postmasters often had the right to free franking. More recently, individuals in the military have sometimes received free franking for mail during armed conflicts. What is a grill? What is a grill? A security measure applied to some U.S. stamps between 1867 and 1874, grills are a pattern of small, square pyramids in parallel rows impressed or embossed on the stamp to break paper fibers. Grills were intended to allow the cancellation ink to soak in to the stamp easier to make it harder for people to remove cancels. What is selvage? What is selvage? The margin around the sheet of stamps. The selvage may include the plate number, copyright, and other markings. I was told my cover would be worth more if the stamp were tied. What does this mean? I was told my cover would be worth more if the stamp were tied. What does this mean? A stamp is tied if a cancel or postmark lands partly on the stamp and partly on the envelope on which it was used.

This provides a greater degree of confidence that the cover was not faked by adding one or more stamps to it. How do I get my kids/grandkids interested in stamp collecting? How do I get my kids/grandkids interested in stamp collecting? Share the fun of the hobby with them. Let them collect what they want and don't impose a lot of rules. There is nothing wrong if they want to collect Cancelled to Order stamps because they are pretty (unless a significant amount of money is being paid for them). Topicals related to other interests attract many youth. The value of stamps usually has little relation to enjoyment. Don't panic if a few stamps are ruined, most of us have made mistakes at one time or another and it is one of the best ways of learning. A number of youth related sites are listed on our Just for Kids page. How do I collect a single of a self-adhesive? How do I collect a single of a self-adhesive? Some U.S. self-adhesives have backing which allows for the separation of a single, however, many do not.

For those that do not, the suggested method is to use the stamps surrounding the one you want to save and then cut the backing paper along the edges of the stamp to get your single. Leave your stamp on its original backing paper. What are the most popular U.S. stamps? What are the most popular U.S. stamps? According to the United States Postal Service , the most popular U.S. stamps based upon total sales are: Stamp Subject The Lure of the Penny Black Mar 12 2012 Stamps Practically every stamp collector in the world would like to own a Great Britain 1840 Penny Black. ﻿﻿﻿It doesn't matter if you collect stamps from countries from Abu Dhabi to Zululand or anything in-between. The Penny Black is the Mother (therefore perhaps the Two Pence blue is the Father!) of Postage Stamps. However there is much more to the Lure of the Penny Black than the fact that it was the first Postage Stamp in the world, beating off other contenders for the title, such as the Greek 40 Lepta label of 1831 or the so-called Austrian 1k.of 1839.

The Penny Black was put on sale on to the public in London on Friday 1st May 1840, although it was not valid for use until Wednesday May the sixth. However, a few are known used before the sixth. These pre-Official first day usages are very greatly prized by collectors. It is a fact, perhaps not widely appreciated, that the "labels" (the Penny Black and Two Pence Blue Postage Stamps) were considered by the authorities a somewhat poor alternative to the prepaid 1d. and 2d. envelopes and letter sheets designed by the noted artist of the day, William Mulready, R.A., which were placed on sale at the same time (but that is another story). So what is the Lure of the Penny Black? The design is beautifully simple and elegant with the beautiful William Wyon head of Queen Victoria and the legends "POSTAGE" at top and "ONE PENNY" at the foot, at the same time combined with an intricate engine turned background. The parallel with our current definitive stamps which are based on a plaster cast of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin is obvious.

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, but more of that later) plates a particular stamp was printed from. The 240 impressions in each of the 11 (or 12) plates were produced from a single Mother Die which had blank lower corners. This was rocked onto a steel plate 240 times and the corner letters were then hand-punched onto the plate. As one would expect, there are small differences in the positioning of these letters which, along with other plating aids, enables us to distinguish between the plates (below, examples from plate Ia and III, note the difference in the "B" square). The first plate (plate I) was rushed into use to meet the issue date for the stamps and was used before the steel plate had been hardened, this resulted in very rapid wear. Owing to the extreme wear, the engraved lines of the Queen's head became very faint, and this necessitated the restoration of every one of the 240 units of the plate. Therefore stamps from plate I are classified as either plate Ia (the original plate) or plate Ib (the re-entered plate).

The Penny Black and Two Pence blue immediately proved to be very popular with the public despite the fact that they had to be cut from the sheets with scissors (perforations were still 10 years or more away) and the rather uncertain glutinous wash on the back has to be licked to adhere the stamp to the letter. The stamps were to be cancelled by a red postmark, known to collectors as the "Maltese Cross", a few of these cancellation devices were damaged or lost and replaced, resulting in what are known as "distinctive" Maltese Cross cancellations, occasionally the cancellation was applied in a different coloured ink such as blue, magenta, yellow or violet. However, it was soon discovered that the red ink used for cancelling the black stamps could quite easily be cleaned off and there was a danger of the stamp being used again. This was definitely not what the Post Office wanted. In August 1840 it was decided to change the colour of the 1d. value from black to red, however printing of the stamps in the new colour was delayed whilst extensive experiments were conducted to find a new type of black ink for obliterating the stamps in order to prevent the removal of postmarks and re-use of the stamps.

Printing of the stamps in red commenced in late December 1840 and the stamps in that colour came into use in early February 1841. Several of the original Penny Black plates, Ib, II, V, VIII, IX, X and XI, were also employed to print the stamps in red. Interestingly, because supplies of the Black stamps were running low, additional printings were made in that colour, after the red printing had commenced. Below, plate VIII, DD printed in black and in red, a "matched" pair. In total about 280,000 sheets of Penny Blacks, 63,000,000 stamps were produced, not counting another nearly 8,500 spoilt sheets printed and officially destroyed. As was said at the beginning of this article 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!). What is a Penny Black worth?

When assessing the value of a Penny Black there are many things that must be taken into consideration: Condition, Plate, Margins, Cancellation, etc. In June of 2011 Spink and Son Ltd sold a single 1d. black on a cover for nearly £300,000, this was for a quite remarkable example from Plate 2, lettered TL, from the lower-right corner of the sheet with marginal inscription and Plate number. This is considered to be the finest Penny Black on cover in existence and is no indication as to the value of a normal Penny Black (below)! Let's take the various catagories above and consider them for a moment. Condition: Thins, creases, small tears (even if not readily apparent will reduce the value considerably. Plate: The plate is very important, the commonest plate is plate VI with a little over 9,000,000 stamps being printed. The rarest is plate XI with only 168,000 stamps (just 700 sheets) printed.

Margins: As already mentioned, the Penny black was issued imperforate, therefore the stamps had to be cut from the sheet by scissors (or occasionally torn from the sheets). The gap between the impressions is not large and so it is not surprising that the design is often cut-into, this detracts from the value enormously, the more a stamp is cut into the more the value is reduced, however bear in mind that for every stamp that was cut into when separating them there is another with an extra large margin, and this, naturally enough, enhances its value. It is not unusual for a multiple, for example a pair, where one stamp is fine with good margins but the adjoining stamp is defective or cut into, for the damaged stamp to be sacrificed leaving the fine example with an extra large margin (below, note the postmark at right, clearly a pair that has been sacrificed). Cancellation: This is of course a matter of opinion. I much prefer the red Maltese Cross to the black one, a crisp, rather than overinked impression is much more pleasing to the eye, complete and upright is an advantage but most preferred is when the cancellation leaves to profile of Queen Victoria clear.

If you can get a combination of all the points above you have the final consideration - Aesthetic appeal (below). Here are a few tips to plating the Penny Black: Cancellation - The red and black Maltese Cross cancellations exist on all plates but the black Maltese Cross is more likely to come on the later plates. The "O" flaw - This is a white blob that develops on the right of the "O" of "ONE" and only occurs on plates VII, VIII, IX and X. (below, a matched pair from plate X showing the "O" flaw). Shade - Plates Ia can, because of the very rapid wear of the plate, be greyish black in shade, plate XI, the rare Plate, is also often a grey-black shade (but a different grey-black), although this is due to the ink rather than plate wear (below, the grey-black of plates Ia and XI). There are also a number of plate varieties, such as double letters, guide lines, etc. that can be of help. However, almost always we need to go to the reference works to successfully plate a Penny Black by studying the positions of the corner letters.

I find "The Plating of the Penny Black" by Nissen and Mc Gowen the most useful guide, this magnificent opus has recently been reprinted and can be bought for between £70-£80 and is invaluable if you are to specialise in this beautiful stamp. Another useful book is "Guide Lines to the Penny Black" by P.C. Litchfield, this can be picked up for around £10 and although helpful, it is not, in my opinion, as good as the "Plating of the Penny Black". Taking all the points above into consideration, the best tip I can give for plating a Penny Black is to take a quick look at the back of the stamp, there will often be a pencilled plate number written by a previous owner! They may not always be 100% accurate but it's a good starting point. Perhaps the "Lure of the Penny Black" is attempting to find with larger margins, a crisper cancellation and more aesthetic appeal than the one you already own. Happy Collecting!

Question: In 1840 Great Britain issued the first postage stamps. The 1d. (one penny) stamp was black. What colour was the 2d. stamp?
Answer: BLUE