Penny Black

United Kingdom · 1840 · 1d

The world's first adhesive postage stamp, featuring a profile portrait of Queen Victoria facing left. The design includes 'POSTAGE' at the top and 'ONE PENNY' at the bottom.

Issued as part of Rowland Hill's postal reforms, the Penny Black revolutionized mail delivery by introducing a uniform, prepaid postage rate based on weight rather than distance, making postal services accessible to the masses.