SG 198/210, mint set

In 1887, Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Empress of India and ruler of the British Empire, celebrated 50 years on the throne. With Britain’s Empire at its height, the occasion was a focus of national and international celebration. 

These fourteen stamps are known as the “Jubilee series”, because the original eleven were first issued in 1887*, coinciding with Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. They weren’t intended to commemorate the event – Royal Mail would not release the first official commemoratives for another 37 years – but they proved so popular with people keen to mark the historic occasion that they are often referred to as the first commemoratives.