Penny Black

The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp of a public postal system.

kottke.org 2010

By now you'll notice we've slipped right into David O'Meara's third book, Noble Gas, Penny Black which is quiet in this way, even quieter than his first two.

If not winter, snow, thinking, and slight of hand, notes toward an essay Lemon Hound 2009

Two-Penny Blues are much rarer than the Penny Black, making this the most highly valued item on offer (estimate: £40,000-£50,000).

Rare Stamps at Auction 2009

The first lot to come under the hammer will be a mint-condition example of the world's first adhesive postage stamp from a public postal system, the Penny Black with the head of Queen Victoria issued in the U.K. on May 1, 1840 (estimate: £10,000-£12,000).

Rare Stamps at Auction 2009

Stamp collecting began in earnest soon after the issuing of the Penny Black.

Stamps of Wild Approval 2008

Ms. Morgan notes that the stamp, of which 13 are known to exist, is a thousand times rarer than the famed Penny Black, the world's first adhesive stamp, issued in Britain in 1840.

Stamps of Wild Approval 2008

During the Victorian era, the postal system underwent an industrial revolution, with the first Penny Black stamp mailed on May 2, 1840, from Bath.

Portrait of a Killer Cornwell, Patricia 1930

Although old, the Penny Black is not rare - 68 million were printed.

Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph Jasper Copping 2011

Although old, the Penny Black is not rare - 68 million were printed.

Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph Jasper Copping 2011

New York venture capitalist Justin Wohlstadter, a director in investment firm Penny Black, says he was impressed by the technical talent at the Riga event, where he judged pitches.

BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011