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A Brief History of Stamps

(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.

We can't go any further without mentioning Sir Rowland Hill.

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.

The second Country to issued stamps was Brazil on July1, 1843

(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)

In 1857 - Perforated U.S. stamps appear.

Mauritius issued two 1 penny stamps in 1847 (exact date unknown)

1 penny orange

1 penny blue

1848 Bermuda

1d red on white (third stamp issued)

1849

Bavaria

1kr black (one of several issued)

Belgium

10c brown

France

10c bistre (one of several issued)

1850 Austria

2kr (one of 5 issued)

1850 Austrian Italy (Lombardy-Venetia)

10 cent black (one of 5 issued)

1850 Br. Guiana

8 cent black on green

1850 Hanover

1g black

1850 New South Wales

1p red

1850 Prussia

1850 Saxony

3pf brick red

1850 Schleswig-Holstein
(no image) If you have it, please send to jp@junior-philatelists.com

1850 Spain two stamps

(no image 6cent black)

12 cent lilac

1850 Switzerland two stamps

(no image 2-1/2r)

5r dk blue

1850 Victoria

1d orange vermilion

Today, all countries have postage stamps.

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