Golden Oxen's First Amendment Forum

                                                                   

   
The Penny Black, with its partner Twopence Blue, are generally regarded as being the World's first postage stamps. They were valid for postage from 6th May 1840, and in the course of the next eight or nine months, more than 70 million of them passed over the Post Office counters. A Penny Black paid to send a letter of half an ounce (14g for the metricated among us) anywhere in Great Britain and Ireland. The Twopence Blue paid for a one ounce letter, and other multiples of the basic rate.

 

It is a common misconception that Penny Blacks are very rare, they aren't. They are extremely popular as the subject of collections here and around the world, and this popularity leads to quite firm prices, but the stamps are definitely not rare. A good, collectable, stamp such as that illustrated is probably worth about £150. The Twopenny Blue stamps are much scarcer, but are valued at around two or three times the price of the Penny stamp. Much depends on the size of the margins, and the clarity and position of them.