From Penny Black to Penny Red

The Penny Black changed mail forever in 1840. Designed by Henry Corbould from a William Wyon sketch of young Queen Victoria, it was printed imperforate, so clerks cut each stamp with scissors, and over 68 million were produced in little more than a year before the Penny Red took its place.

Today unused examples with original gum are the prizes of classic philately. Read the full story in the stamp database, then explore errors, commemoratives, and the propaganda issues that turned tiny paper into world history..