Penny Black Stamps for Sale

On 1st May 1840 the Penny Black stamp was available for sale and although not due to be used until the 6th May, some postmasters did start franking them and there are a few rare examples used before the official day. The Penny Black was the first adhesive stamp and made it possible for ordinary people to write to each other at a affordable price. The stamps were only issued for a year before the This was because it was easier to remove the franking on the black stamp and reuse it. Black franking on a red stamp was more difficult to remove.

The Penny Black stamps were issued in sheets of 240 but, unlike modern stamps, were not perforated and had to be cut by hand. With narrow margins between the stamps it was difficult to leave an edging or margin. Collectors look for stamps with as many margins as possible, a stamp with four margins will command a higher price than those with less.

The Penny Black, like all subsequent GB stamps did not have its country of origin. The head of the reigning monarch is considered sufficient to identify it.

The Penny Black is not a rare stamp, over 68 million were sold and many have survived, yet every collector of GB stamps wants to have one in their collection. The introduction of the stamp created a postal system copied around the world and changed the entire communication system.