Penny Black stamp 175th Anniversary

The Penny Black was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system, featuring a portrait of the young Queen Victoria . It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year and features a profile of Queen Victoria. It was printed using the line engraved printing method from 11 plates numbered 1 to 11, although plate 1 deteriorated quickly and was repaired to such an extent that it is generally considered as two separate plates – 1a and 1b – making 12 plates in total. The stamps were printed on large sheets each containing 240 stamps which were cut apart by scissors and to prevent forgery, the stamps had small crown watermarks on the back and check letters in the bottom corners. The Penny Black was initially cancelled by a red Maltese Cross cancellation however this was both difficult to see and easy to remove on a black stamp. After a brief period of using black ink cancellations the Penny Black was replaced by the Penny Red. Maltese Cross Cancellation. The Penny Black was in use for just over a year. It remains today one of the world’s most enduringly popular stamps, however, and is recognised as a design icon.