Pre-1900
39 entries
Penny Black
The worlds first adhesive postage stamp. Featured a profile of young Queen Victoria. Designed by Hen...
Penny Red
The successor to the Penny Black, printed in red to make the black cancellation marks more visible. ...
Two Penny Blue
Issued alongside the Penny Black in May 1840. The twopence blue was for heavier letters. Only about ...
Mauritius Blue Penny
Among the rarest and most valuable stamps in the world. Only 500 were printed, with 12 known survivo...
Mauritius Red Penny
The one penny companion to the Mauritius Blue. Same Post Office error. Only 27 known survivors. The ...
British Guiana 1c Magenta
The rarest and most valuable stamp in the world. Only one specimen is known to exist. Printed in Geo...
US Franklin Z-Grill
A 1 cent Benjamin Franklin stamp with a rare Z pattern grill. The grill was an experimental embossin...
Treskilling Yellow
A Swedish stamp that should have been green but was printed in yellow due to a color error. Only one...
Hawaiian Missionaries
The first stamps of the Kingdom of Hawaii, known as the Missionary issue because they were primarily...
Basel Dove
The only stamp issued by the Canton of Basel. Featured a white dove embossed on blue and red paper, ...
Geneva Double Stamp
An unusual stamp from the Canton of Geneva that could be cut in half for two separate uses. Featured...
Zurich 4 and 6 Rappe
The first stamps of the Canton of Zurich, and among the first stamps in the world outside Britain. T...
Brazil Bullseye
The first stamps of Brazil and the third country after Britain to issue stamps. Featured large numer...
US First Issue
The first general issue US postage stamps, issued in 1847. The 5 cent featured Benjamin Franklin and...
US 1869 Pictorial Issue
The first US stamps to feature pictorial designs rather than portraits. Included a ship, a locomotiv...
Canadian Beaver Stamp
The first stamp of the Province of Canada, featuring a beaver as the central design element. The bea...
New Zealand Chalon Head
The first stamps of New Zealand, featuring the same Queen Victoria portrait as the Penny Red. The Ch...
Cape Triangular
The first stamps of the Cape of Good Hope colony in South Africa. Distinctive triangular shape desig...
Transvaal First Issue
The first stamps of the South African Republic (Transvaal). Featured the coat of arms of the republi...
US Columbian Issue
The first commemorative stamps of the United States, marking the 400th anniversary of Columbus voyag...
US Trans-Mississippi
A set of 9 commemorative stamps marking the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha. Featured sce...
French Ceres
The first stamps of France, featuring Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. Designed by Jacques-J...
Italian Poste Italiane
The first unified Italian stamps were issued in 1862 after Italian unification. Featured the Savoy c...
San Marino Stamps
San Marino has issued stamps since 1877, making it one of the oldest postal administrations. San Mar...
Monaco Stamps
Monaco has issued stamps since 1885. The stamps feature the ruling Grimaldi family, Monaco landmarks...
Chinese Dragon Stamp
The first stamps of China, featuring a dragon. The Large Dragon issue of 1878 was printed by the Chi...
Indian First Stamp
The first stamps of India featured Queen Victoria and were issued in 1854. The 1 anna red and 4 anna...
Hong Kong Queen Victoria
The first stamps of Hong Kong, featuring Queen Victoria. Hong Kong was a British crown colony from 1...
Korean Taegeuk
The first stamps of Korea, featuring the taegeuk, the yin yang symbol from the Korean flag. The Jose...
Australian Colonial Stamps
Before federation in 1901, each Australian colony issued its own stamps. New South Wales, Victoria, ...
New Zealand Life Insurance
Official stamps overprinted for use by the New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department. These s...
New Zealand Pictorials
A definitive series featuring scenic views of New Zealand including Mount Cook, Lake Taupo, and the ...
South Africa Pre Union
Before the Union of South Africa in 1910, four colonies issued stamps: Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Tra...
Turkey Ottoman Stamp
The first stamps of the Ottoman Empire, issued in 1863 during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz. Feature...
US 1851 Issue
The 1851 definitive series featured Benjamin Franklin and George Washington in new designs by Toppan...
US 1861 Issue
The 1861 series was issued during the Civil War. New designs were created to prevent the use of stam...
US Bank Note Stamps
US stamps printed by the National, Continental, and American Bank Note Companies from 1870 to 1888. ...
US 1890 Issue
The 1890 definitive series was the last small format regular issue before the Bureau of Engraving an...
US Bureau Issues
The first stamps produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, taking over from private bank not...