4. England, Letters. 1840 One Penny Black

Queen Victoria

One Penny black on letter pieces, three good margins and one poor. Cancelled DE 28. 1840

Letters Q K. Re-entry plate 6.

One Penny Black

The Penny Black stamp was the world's first adhesive postage stamp and it went on sale in Great Britain on May 6th 1840. The pre-paid adhesive postage stamp was borne out of a need for a standardised rate of postage in the United Kingdom that was available to all and not just the wealthy. Until 1837, sending a letter was an expensive and complicated task. Like any other transaction, payment was received at the end but this meant it was the recipient who was left to settle the bill. 

Rowland Hill, a schoolmaster, was so moved by the inefficiency of the process that he took it upon himself to revolutionise communication forever. Hill published a pamphlet, Post office reform; Its importance and practicability, in which he made a case for a big change. He argued that the new system should require a cheap, flat-rate which would be prepaid when posted. 

After months of lobbying, Hill’s idea took shape in the world’s first postage stamp.

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Fuente : https://victorianweb.org/technology/lett...

Colección : XXVI Letters and Postcards