Definitive
76 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 ...
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...
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...
UK Machin Series
The definitive series featuring a plaster cast profile of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin. The M...
UK Wildings
The definitive series of Queen Elizabeth II featuring photographs by Dorothy Wilding. The Wildings w...
Australian Kangaroo
The first national stamp of Australia, featuring a kangaroo on a map of the continent. The design wa...
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 Liberty Series
The definitive series replacing the Presidential series. Featured the Statue of Liberty, American la...
US Prominent Americans
A definitive series featuring notable Americans including Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, ...
US Americana Series
The definitive series featuring American themes including the Capitol, the flag, and candle holders ...
US Great Americans
A definitive series featuring portraits of notable Americans including Sequoyah, Clara Barton, and W...
US Distinguished Americans
The modern definitive series featuring portraits of notable Americans in a uniform design. Includes ...
US Flag Series
A long running series featuring the American flag in various artistic treatments. The 1981 18 cent f...
German inflation stamp
Stamps issued during the Weimar hyperinflation of 1923. As prices doubled every days, stamp denomina...
German Hitler Head
Stamps featuring the portrait of Adolf Hitler, issued from 1941 to 1945. The stamps were used throug...
French Ceres
The first stamps of France, featuring Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. Designed by Jacques-J...
French Peace and Commerce
A series of French stamps featuring allegorical figures of Peace and Commerce. Designed by Pierre Ga...
French Marianne
The Marianne series features the personification of the French Republic. Multiple Marianne designs h...
Italian Poste Italiane
The first unified Italian stamps were issued in 1862 after Italian unification. Featured the Savoy c...
Vatican Stamps
The first Vatican City stamps were issued in 1929 following the Lateran Treaty that established Vati...
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...
UN Stamps
The United Nations has issued stamps since 1951 for use at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva, and ...
Israeli Doar Ivri
The first stamps of the State of Israel, issued on May 16, 1948, just two days after independence. F...
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...
Singapore Orchid Series
A definitive series featuring Singapore national flower, the orchid. Various orchid species appeared...
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...
Pitcairn Islands Stamp
Stamps of Pitcairn Island, home to descendants of the Bounty mutineers. The first stamps were issued...
US 1902 Series
A definitive series featuring prominent Americans including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, an...
US Washington Franklin Series
A long running definitive series from 1908 to 1922 featuring only Washington and Franklin in various...
US Kansas Nebraska Overprints
Stamps overprinted Kans. or Nebr. to deter postage theft in those states. Post offices in Kansas and...
US 1938 Presidential Series
A definitive series featuring all 29 US presidents from Washington through Hoover in order of their ...
US Transport Coil
A series of coil stamps featuring various modes of transportation including a stagecoach, freight tr...
US Great Americans Detail
See Great Americans entry. The series featured over 50 different Americans including journalists, sc...
UK Edward VIII
The definitive stamps of King Edward VIII, issued during his brief 325 day reign in 1936. Featured a...
UK George VI
The definitive stamps of King George VI, issued after his coronation in 1937. Featured three quarter...
UK Queen Elizabeth II First Issue
The first stamps of Queen Elizabeth II, issued in 1952 using the Wilding portrait. The 2 half penny ...
UK Regional Stamps
Regional stamps for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man were introduced in 1958. ...
Australian Colonial Stamps
Before federation in 1901, each Australian colony issued its own stamps. New South Wales, Victoria, ...
New Zealand Pictorials
A definitive series featuring scenic views of New Zealand including Mount Cook, Lake Taupo, and the ...
India Republic Issue
The first definitive series of the Republic of India, issued on January 26, 1950, when India became ...
South Africa Definitive Series
South Africa issued its first national stamps in 1910 after the Union of South Africa was formed. Th...
South Africa Pre Union
Before the Union of South Africa in 1910, four colonies issued stamps: Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Tra...
Rhodesia Double Head
A definitive series of Rhodesia featuring double portraits of King George V and Queen Mary. Printed ...
Irish First Issue
The first stamps of independent Ireland, issued in 1922 after independence from Britain. Featured Ir...
Irish Celtic Series
A definitive series based on designs from the Book of Kells and other Celtic manuscripts. The Celtic...
Czechoslovak Hradcany
The first stamps of independent Czechoslovakia, featuring Hradcany Castle in Prague. Designed by Alp...
RSFSR First Issue
The first stamps of Soviet Russia, issued in 1921. Featured the hammer and sickle emblem of the Sovi...
Liechtenstein Stamps
Liechtenstein has issued stamps since 1912 and stamp sales are a major source of government revenue....
Singapore Definitive Series
Singapore first definitive series after independence in 1965. Featured the Singapore lion symbol and...
Pakistan First Issue
The first stamps of Pakistan were Indian stamps overprinted PAKISTAN in 1947 after partition. The ov...
Bangladesh First Issue
The first stamps of Bangladesh were Pakistani stamps overprinted BANGLADESH in 1971 during the liber...
Turkey Ottoman Stamp
The first stamps of the Ottoman Empire, issued in 1863 during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz. Feature...
Turkey Republic Issue
The first stamps of the Republic of Turkey, issued after the abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate in 1...
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...
US 1922 Series
A definitive series featuring portraits of presidents and other notable Americans. The designs were ...
US Prexie Detail
The Presidential series is affectionately called Prexies by collectors. All 29 presidents through Ho...
US Liberty Detail
The Liberty series featured patriotic American symbols. The 8 cent Statue of Liberty was one of the ...
US Americana Detail
The Americana series was innovative for using the USA insignia as the central design element rather ...
US Flag over Mount Rushmore
A stamp featuring the American flag flying over Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Part of the Flags ...