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(The first 10 years) On May 6, 1840 the first postage stamps were issued in England.
The 1 Penny Black and the 2 Pence Blue
The 1 Penny Black (unused) The stamp were initially not perforated, but had to be cut with scissors, perforations were introduced in 1854. Initially the cancellation was in red, then changed to black. In 1841 some of the same plates would be used to print the Penny Red, the color was changed so that the black cancellation would be more clearly seen.
The 2 Pence Blue (cancelled) The two pence blue was issues two days later and was not perforated like the 1 penny. Before the invention of the stamp the receiver paid the postage rather than the sender. Sometimes the receiver refused to accept the letter or the sender would put a secret message on the letter and when the receiver viewed it he got the message and thus didn't have to pay for it.
Sir Rowland Hill Rowland Hill is the man usually connected with the postal reform. He was born in Kidderminster , England in 1795. Hill published his most famous pamphlet "Post Office Reform: its Importance and Practicability" in 1837. Hill wrote in his reform plan about the need for pre-printed envelopes and adhesive postage stamps. The Reform also called for a uniform low rate of one penny per half-ounce a letter. The basic plan of Hill was that sending a letter should be cheap. More letters would be sent and because of this and the uniform tariffs the sending costs per letter should drop dramatically and stop the practice of secret notes etc.. In 1843, he was Secretary to the Postmaster-General in 1846 until his retirement in 1864, he was knighted in 1860 and died in 1879. Sir Rowland Hill himself designed the first stamp which bore the profile of Queen Victoria.
(cancelled)
The third Country to issue stamps was Zurich (a cantonal of Switzerland) in 1843
4 Rappen (cancelled)
The first official stamps in the United States were issued in July of 1847
(Issues of postmasters were issued earlier, first issue 1842)
5 cent (cancelled)
10 cent (unused)
1 penny orange
1 penny blue
1848 Bermuda
1849
Bavaria
Belgium
10c brown
France
1850 Austria
1850 Hanover
1g black
1p red
1850 Prussia
1850 Saxony
1850 Schleswig-Holstein
(no image) If you have it, please send to jp@junior-philatelists.com
12 cent lilac
5r dk blue
1850 Victoria
1d orange vermilion
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