360The Penny Black, the first postage stamp, comes into use
On 6 May 1840, the Penny Black became valid for postage in Britain, the world's first adhesive postage stamp. It showed the young Queen Victoria and paid for a letter anywhere in the country for one penny. The idea, from the reformer Rowland Hill, made sending letters cheap and simple, and other countries soon copied it.
Before 1840, postage in Britain was expensive and complicated. It was charged by distance and number of sheets, and usually paid by the person receiving the letter.
The teacher and reformer Rowland Hill proposed a single cheap rate for any letter within the country, paid in advance with a small printed label stuck to the envelope.
The Penny Black went on sale on 1 May 1840 and became valid for use on 6 May. It carried a profile of Queen Victoria and no country name. To this day, British stamps carry no country name, only the monarch's head.
The number of letters sent soon multiplied. Switzerland and Brazil issued stamps in 1843, and within decades almost every country had them. Stamp collecting became one of the world's most popular hobbies.
- 1837
- Rowland Hill proposes postal reform
- 1 May 1840
- The Penny Black goes on sale
- 6 May 1840
- The stamp becomes valid
- 1843
- Switzerland and Brazil issue stamps
Sources: The Postal Museum · Royal Mail · Britannica.