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Penny Black
commonpre-1900

Penny Black

United Kingdom · 1840 · 1d

The world's first adhesive postage stamp, featuring a profile of Queen Victoria facing left, printed in black ink.

Issued in 1840 as part of Rowland Hill's postal reforms, it revolutionized mail delivery by introducing a uniform, prepaid postage system.

Printing Method

Engraved

Image: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Philafrenzy" title="User:Philafrenzy">Philafrenzy</a> · License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Estimated Values by Condition

Superb(S)

Perfectly centered, fresh, no faults

$2
Extremely Fine(XF)

Well centered, fresh colors

$1.04
Very Fine(VF)

Nicely centered, minor flaws

$0.75
Fine(F)

Average centering, acceptable

$0.5
Good(G)

Off-center or visible wear

$0.21

Prices are approximate market estimates for educational purposes. Actual values depend on specific factors including cancel type, margins, and provenance.