Stamps: types of stamps, rare collectibles.

home In the 19th century, Great Britain decided once and for all to put an end to the inconveniences that concerned postal fees . Several projects were launched simultaneously.

postage signs The event was led by a man named Rowland Hill. About problems with postal fees
he knew firsthand - his mother worked for and more than once complained to her son about the high cost of tariffs and the difficulties in calculating them.
And so, in 1837, Hill presented to the public his view of solving this problem. He proposed introducing a uniform one, which would be determined by a special payment sign. Hill prophesied two options for the role of these signs:
2) 1) so-called “” with a complex embossed pattern and different colors; postage stamp

- a square of paper of a certain denomination, which was glued in the upper right corner of the envelope. By 1840, Hill managed to convince the government to put his projects into circulation. And although he made his main bet on "", Mulready envelopes brand
turned out to be more convenient and popular. 2,700 applicants put forward their proposals for what the brand should be. The winner was the version of Charles and Frederick Heath and Henry Cole. An artist first postage stamp 1) so-called “” with a complex embossed pattern and different colors; became B. Cheverton. He had not only the idea to depict an engraving with the profile of Queen Victoria (who else?), but also the idea of printing indices on stamps, which indicated the position of the stamp on an uncut printed sheet. Thus, he intended to protect

from fakes. It took a lot of time to find a good composition of glue for the back side stamps . Factory workers even complained in an interview with the newspaper:.

“We have been applying the adhesive layer to the stamps for five days now, and the difficulties we have encountered are beyond description.” It took a lot of time to find a good composition of glue for the back side The characteristic teeth along the edges did not immediately appear. This happened only 14 years later, after were put into production. To a worker at the Dublin Post Office Henry Archer
I'm so tired of constantly cutting off stamps with scissors. The solution to the problem was suggested to him by his wife’s sewing machine. Archer took the sheet from stamps It took a lot of time to find a good composition of glue for the back side and simply stitched it lengthwise and crosswise with a needle without thread. Now the stamps came off easily and conveniently. Soon he made a special machine for perforation in the form of a press with blunt needles, and since 1854

with teeth came into mass use. “The stamps were issued today for the first time to the public. Terrible turmoil at the post office". Because first postage stamp cost one penny and was black in color, it was immediately nicknamed " black penny".

The advantages of the new payment method are eloquently demonstrated by the figures: if in 1829 75 million letters were sent in England, then in the year of introduction postage stamp their volume has more than doubled! Rowland Hill's career also took off - in 1854 he was appointed general secretary of the English Post Office, and after his death a monument was erected to him, and his ashes were laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.

Stamps Other countries quickly conquered them: Germany began producing them in 1843, and the USA and Mauritius in 1847. And in 1857, it was Russia’s turn.
True, the first batch of stamps circulation 3 million copies. came out without teeth, due to the fact that the punching machine was ordered from Vienna and arrived late. The designs on the stamps of the tsarist period were not particularly diverse (the only exceptions were charity and anniversary stamps): it was either a coat of arms with an eagle, or members of the royal family.

But besides the state ones, special ones were produced in Russia, not found anywhere else, zemstvo stamps. The fact is that before the zemstvo reform of 1854, Russian postal service covered only cities and county centers. Village residents had to walk dozens of miles to the nearest post office to send a letter.
Solved the problem creation of zemstvo post office, which worked in all settlements and for the payment of whose services they were introduced It took a lot of time to find a good composition of glue for the back side local significance. That is, for 162 counties there were 162 different types zemstvo marks a wide variety of shapes (in Volchansk - diamond-shaped, in Luga district - oval).

To stamps could not be used again; they were “repaid.” At first this was done by simply crossing out, but the ink pen turned out to be extremely inconvenient, and then they remembered about stamps. Stamp not only canceled the stamp, but also contained information about the date and place of acceptance of the letter.

Did not have time stamps come out, as they immediately became collector's items. Already in 1851, the following advertisement appeared in an English newspaper: “Collector of used stamps. The advertiser will give in exchange 4 red stamps of one penny for one oval of stamped envelopes. Anyone who collects a few pieces will be grateful to T. Smith.".

At first, stamp collecting was nicknamed " timbrophilia" (from the French "timbre" - Postage Stamp). But in 1864, the Frenchman Georges Hernin proposed calling this passion, with the word familiar to us, " Philately"(from "phil" - love, and "atelya" - liberation from postage, i.e. Mulready envelopes). Wherein " philately"he understood in the broadest sense, including the collection stamped envelopes And postcards. Of course, the cost is the same It took a lot of time to find a good composition of glue for the back side when quenched, it decreased by 5-8 times.
Published in Liverpool in 1862 first philatelic magazine, and in 1864 the first philatelic society. As for Russia, the first philatelic society was formed in 1883 in Moscow, and the first philatelic magazine was published in 1896 in Kyiv.

A clever way to get free money foreign brands invented by one of the authors of “12 chairs” - Evgeniy Petrov. He wrote a letter to some country to a non-existent address, and when the letter was returned, he carefully peeled it off foreign stamp. There was even a murky story circulating in the media that one day Petrov finally received a response from a seemingly non-existent addressee, and he allegedly even predicted the writer’s death...

Another interesting incident occurred in 1973 with a student at the Moscow Printing Institute - Vladislav Koval. The student took a rather dangerous adventure - he drew with his own hands brand with his self-portrait and signed “Soviet artistic graphic artist V. E. Koval.” The work was done so well that the Soviets postal departments didn't notice the fake...

Editor's response

In 1840, the world's first postage stamps appeared in England.

Today there are more than two hundred thousand stamps. In almost all countries, a significant portion of stamps are issued for the primary purpose of selling them to collectors. First of all, philatelists try to obtain extremely rare stamps. Stamps without glue on the back side are not in great demand and can be purchased relatively inexpensively. The price of a stamp also drops if its teeth are damaged or missing, or if the design of the stamp is difficult to make out behind the stamp.

Stamps that have a small circulation, or those of which very few have survived, or some errors were made during printing, have a high price.

Many states receive significant revenue from the sale of stamps. For example, Liechtenstein, Trinidad and Tobago and others consider means of payment for postal items (stamps, envelopes, postcards) as one of the tools in the formation of budget revenues.

Uncanceled stamps are often more expensive than canceled ones, with the exception of two cases: if the canceled stamp has a commemorative stamp and if the stamp was placed on the first day of circulation. A canceled stamp contains certain markings, postage marks, that prevent further use of the stamps to pay for postage. The stamp may have a special cancellation. It is carried out in connection with a memorable date. The special stamp also excludes the possibility of receiving and processing postal items with such a stamp; they have only collection value.

AiF.ru has collected 10 interesting facts from the history of the postage stamp.

How much can you buy the first Russian stamp?

Stamp of the Russian Empire, First issue, 1857, 10 kopecks. Photo: public domain

Depending on the catalog and type of cancellation, the cost of the first Russian stamp ranges from 275 dollars to 700 dollars for a canceled stamp and from 12.5 to 20 thousand US dollars for a clean one. After going into circulation, the Postal Department ordered stamps to be canceled with pen and ink, following the example of stamped envelopes, since at that time not all postal institutions had postmarks.

Why are there no country names on UK postage stamps?

Any postage stamp bears the name of the country that issued it in Latin letters. If there is no name, then it is a UK stamp. Today, Great Britain is the only country in the world that does not print its name on postage stamps. The Universal Postal Union, establishing requirements for stamps in different countries, obliged all countries to indicate the name of the issuing country on the postage stamp. Great Britain, as the first country to put the stamp into circulation, was exempt from this obligation.

What was the first official postage stamp?

Penny Black postage stamp. Photo: public domain

The first stamp was issued in England in 1840 and was called “Penny Black”. It is considered one of the first official postage stamps to have an adhesive back. The stamp depicts Queen Victoria of England. In total, about 68 million of these stamps were printed, a significant number of which have survived to this day. Although this stamp is by no means rare, its value is determined by the fact that it is simply the first stamp. While a canceled Penny Black can be purchased for between $10 and $200, an outstanding stamp costs tens of thousands.

Which brand is considered the rarest?

Postage stamp "Holy Grail". Photo: public domain

The "Holy Grail" (Z-Grill) is a 1-cent postage stamp featuring the first U.S. Postmaster, Benjamin Franklin, issued in 1868. Today there are only two copies of this brand. The first is in the New York Public Library, and the second belongs to the famous American collector Bill Gross. In 1988, the brand was sold for $1.5 million.

Who amassed the largest stamp collection in history?

Philip Ferrari collected the largest collection of stamps. He was called the King of Postage Stamps. He began collecting them at the age of 10, in 1859. After his death, the famous collection was sold in Paris and Zurich in 1921-1925. The proceeds from the sale amounted to over 23 million French francs. Today, the largest collection of postage stamps is in the American Philatelic Society, which has a special museum. The total collection still cannot be definitively calculated, since the exhibitions and temporary exhibitions of the society are constantly being replenished.

Which brand is considered the most expensive in the world?

Postage stamp "Yellow Treskilling". Photo: public domain

"Yellow Treskilling" is considered one of the most expensive and rare brands in the whole world. This is the first stamp to be published and issued by the Swedish government back in 1855. During the production of the stamp, a mistake was made which caused the blue stamp to turn yellow. Only a few of these stamps were produced, which is why they became the rarest. The last price offered was $4.6 million, but the brand was bought back for $2.3 million. The brand's insurance is 15 million.

Which Russian brand is considered the most expensive?

One of the famous variants of the image of the Tiflis stamp, which appeared in the Michel catalog in 1934. Photo: public domain

"Tiflis Unique" is considered the most expensive Russian brand. It was issued for the Tiflis city mail back in 1857. The stamp cost 6 kopecks. The stamp depicts the coat of arms of Tiflis, above which a double-headed eagle is located with lowered wings. The brand was in circulation for only about 10 years. By the beginning of the First World War, only three such stamps had been found. Agathon Faberge became their owner, then the unique pieces often changed their owners during auctions. At one of them, this brand was valued at 700 thousand dollars; the transaction took place in 2008.

What non-standard brands are there?

Postage stamp "Blue Alexandria". Photo: public domain

The Blue Alexandria was in limited circulation in 1847. This round stamp cost 5 cents. The stamp was found on a letter that a city resident in love sent to his beloved. Their daughter discovered the unique item 28 years later. In 1907, she was able to sell the rarity for $3,000 to a collector. There are currently seven known stamps of Alexandria, six of them printed on yellow paper and only one on blue paper.

In Austria, in March 2008, an unusual round stamp made of the same material as a soccer ball appeared. The stamp contains the logo of the famous company Adidas. In total, about 490 thousand special stamps with a face value of 3.75 euros were issued.

Why is the “Inverted Jenny” of particular interest to philatelists?

Postage stamp "Inverted Jenny". Photo: public domain

The “defective” Inverted Jenny brand is considered rare and expensive. This American stamp was issued with a defect - an inverted image of the Curtis-Jenny airplane. Thanks to this, the block of four stamps became unique, and now its value is about three million dollars.

Who produces “delicious brands”?

1960s In France, so-called “delicious” brands were released, where lemon juice, mint, and vanillin were added to the glue. And even a brand with the addition of pepper was released. And in 2013, a series of postage stamps went on sale in Belgium that depict chocolate in various forms - from chocolate cream to praline. They smell like a sweet treat, and if you lick the back of them, you can feel the chocolate taste.

The most expensive stamp was issued in the 19th century and is not only a postal sign that confirms payment for delivery services, but also a collector's item. Since then, its appearance has changed several times, and all stamps put into circulation are systematized in catalogs.

The auction valuation and sale of the most expensive brand was carried out in 2008, and the amount was 700 thousand US dollars. Its seal was made in 1857 for the post office of the city of Tiflis. It depicts the city's coat of arms - a double-headed eagle, and the nominal value of the sign was 6 kopecks. It was in circulation for 10 years, but only three copies survived before the First World War.

Stamps began to be used to pay for services for the delivery of postal messages in 1832, and since then they have been a security with the denomination of the cost of postage printed on it. The history of its serial production and use was preceded by several projects. One of them belonged to Lieutenant K. Treffenberg in 1832, and two years later the publisher D. Chalmers printed a trial batch. They began to stick them on an envelope, the cost of sending which depended on the weight, and not the distance of delivery to the addressee.

The idea of gluing a special sign confirming payment for postage belongs to the English postmaster, Sir Rowland Hill. In fact, he developed a sketch of the world's first postage stamp, which was printed in England and went into circulation in May 1840. The details and insignia of the issuing country were established much later by the Universal Postal Union.

According to the standards, letters with the name of the country printing it are written on the stamp in Latin letters. Due to the fact that Great Britain is the first in issuing postage marks, it was exempted from applying a distinctive sign to the document.

Stamps are not only an indispensable attribute of sending messages, but also collectibles, and the science of studying the history of postal circulation, communications, and payment marks for forwarding services is called philately. Its history begins with the “black penny” stamp, with a face value of 1 penny with the image of Queen Victoria. It is made in black, which determined the name.

The first postage stamps of Tsarist Russia

Following Great Britain, postal signs began to be used in other countries. The first postage stamp with a face value of 10 kopecks. with smooth edges was printed in Russia at the end of 1857. It came into use early next year. It depicted the state emblem and mantle. The price of a canceled stamp today is 275-700 US dollars, and a clean one - 12.5-20 thousand dollars.

The first stamps of the USSR

The first postage stamp of the Soviet state was printed in November 1918. Its name was determined by the image “Hand with a sword cutting a chain.” The author of the sketch belongs to R. G. Zarins. The stamp was in circulation for 4 years. The auction price for perforated samples with denominations of 1 and 2 kopecks was 71,875 US dollars.

The souvenir block with 4 stamps printed on it was published in a limited edition on a sheet of thick paper. Hence the name "Cardboard". It was dedicated to the opening of the first philatelist exhibition in Moscow, which took place in 1932. They were printed in only 525 copies, 25 of which contained the inscription “To the best drummer of the All-Union Society of Philatelists.” The only surviving copy with a personal overprint was sold at the Cherystone auction for $776,250. The cost of the stamp without overprint is 35 thousand dollars.

Rare USSR postage stamps are of great interest to collectors. On the specialized market, their number is limited and is replenished in most cases from private collections. As a result, the price of rare specimens increases. Collectible stamps are a means of reliable investment. Rare stamps of the USSR are no exception to obtaining financial benefits.

Stamp Blue Gymnast

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Union Circus, a stamp called “Blue Gymnast” was issued. Uncertainty regarding the date led to the cancellation of its release. Many years later, in 1979, the stamp was printed for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the circus. The unissued “Blue Gymnast” stamp is a philatelic rarity. It was sold under the hammer in 2008 at auction for 13.8 thousand US dollars.

Mark Limonka

"Limonka" is the most valuable stamp of the USSR. It belongs to the "Gold Standard" series. She was released in 1925. In its unextinguished form it is the rarest. As a result of a technical malfunction of the perforation machine, the 15-kopeck stamp was not printed. The insufficient circulation determined its modern value, which ranges from 15 to 20 thousand dollars.

Unissued rare stamps

Due to political considerations, in 1959 a stamp was not released into circulation for the 250th anniversary of the historical Poltava victory of 1709. The circulation was completely withdrawn from circulation and destroyed. The cost of the preserved 40 stamps ranges from 10-20 thousand dollars per copy. For the same reason, the “Flight of Peace and Friendship” stamp was not released, the auction price of which is 28,750 thousand dollars.

Each USSR stamp is included in a special catalog, which contains their detailed description, history and photographs.

Overprinted stamps

Among them are valuable pieces with a history that makes them special. The “Levanevsky with overprint” stamp belongs to the “Salvation of Chelyuskinites” series. Issued in 1935, copies contain a portrait of the pilot S. A. Levanevsky and the overprint “Flight Moscow - San Francisco via North. pole 1935". Typographical errors on the stamp in the form of an inverted overprint and a small “f” determined their super value as a rarity on two stamp sheets (50 pieces each).

The “Consular Fifty Kopeck” stamps were intended for sending official mail by order of the RSFSR Embassy in Germany. The stamp has a red text overprint - “R.S.F.S.R. Air Mail.” Due to disagreement with management, it was withdrawn from circulation. In this series, the most expensive stamp is the one with a face value of 50 kopecks and the overprint “1200 Herm. stamps." Consular stamps of the RSFSR 1922 are rare due to an error in the inscription. One of the sheets contains the inscription “24 German. marks" instead of "brand", which determines the high value.

For air mail in 1923, the first series of 4 multi-colored stamps was produced, which depicted the Fokker F-111 aircraft. The value of these stamps lies in the “thick” number “5” printed on one sheet from the total circulation. It sold in September 2008 for $86,250. A USSR stamp entitled "2nd International Polar Year" was printed in 1932. They were intended to send airmail from Franz Josef Land to Arkhangelsk. The difference in perforation of a small part of the circulation from the main issue determines the high cost of the stamp.

The stamp originated as a unit for paying for postal services. In appearance, postage stamps are ordinary small rectangular pieces of paper. They usually depict landmarks of countries, cities, beautiful landscapes, famous paintings and sculptures. There are collectors who collect stamps. These people are called philatelists.

By what principles are stamps collected? Philately and its area of interest

The word "philately" came to us from the Greek language. Translated, philéo means love, and atéleia means liberation. The term was first introduced by the collector G. Erpen.

There are three aspects to the study of philatelists:

The quality of the paper on which it is printed, the shape and size of the copy, watermarks, defects, errors, type and form of perforation, how the stamp was cancelled.
Historical. Political and economic conditions in which the brand was released. The reason for its withdrawal from circulation.
Thematic collections. They are divided chronological and special. Chronological stamps are presented in the order of their release. They are divided into general (collections of copies of all countries or within one power); specialized (stamps that were sent to the office of the Universal Postal Association; they could be overprinted “sample”). Specialized collections contain rare stamps of air mail from the origins of its development (pigeon, catapult, balloon, glider, rocket, helicopter, airplane).

Classification of brands

Not many collectors know that stamps have their own classification. Postal currency is divided into:

Official - issued by the state.
Semi-formal. They were issued as an additional payment for early delivery, for example, by air. These types of stamps were usually canceled with a postmark.
Unofficial brands. First of all, it is the currency of private mail. In England, such stamps circulated during a long strike by postal workers. Today they are used in Holland. Such post offices carry correspondence to places where the state postal service cannot reach. Unofficial stamps have another purpose - charity. Additional stamps can be purchased and affixed as a sign of the volunteer's goodwill. The money goes to help people who suffered from hostilities, to purchase medical equipment, and the like.
Private mail stamps.

Types of official stamps:

Stamps that act as currency in post offices.
Stamps, which are used as the internal currency of the post office. They are not available for free sale. Very rarely the Post Office may offer them for sale to philatelists.
Copies to cover taxes.

Official stamps are divided into several types:

Brands "Standard". Everyday copies that are needed to pay for the rest of the correspondence. The images on them often do not change for 20 years. If necessary, their circulation increases. Because of this, varieties appear.
Anniversary, holiday and themed stamps. Types of stamps that philatelists hunt for. Instances that were produced for a specific type of transportation.

The first postage stamp in Russia

The first postage stamps were issued on December 22, 1857. The circulation was without perforation, that is, there were no characteristic teeth on them. A special machine was ordered from Vienna for this purpose, but it arrived very late. The drawing for the sample was created by senior engraver Franz Mikhailovich Kepler. The stamp featured postal horns and indicated the price: “10 kopecks. per lot." Copies with this image were produced until 1923.

USSR stamps

On November 7, 1917, the Great October Revolution took place. The first Soviet stamps were issued in July 1918 by the Perm Soviet of Deputies. These are the first Soviet copies in Russia. There were exclusive brands in the USSR. We will consider further the types of USSR stamps that were sold for huge amounts of money.

"Blue Gymnast"

A unique and expensive brand is “Blue Gymnast”. It was supposed to be put into circulation in honor of the holiday - the fortieth anniversary of the Soviet circus. Since there was confusion over the exact date of birth, the copy was never published. “The Blue Gymnast” remained in a private collection, and philatelists began hunting for it. Its price is 13.8 thousand dollars. The stamp was sold at auction in 2008.

"Limonka"

In 1925, as a result of the fact that the machine ran out of paint and the perforation machine broke down, an unprinted rare copy of the fifteen-kopeck stamp appeared. It belongs to the “Gold Standard” category. The estimated cost of "Limonka" is about 20 thousand dollars.

Unissued stamps (types of stamps that have not entered into circulation)

A famous issue in philatelic circles, which was withdrawn for political reasons, is the stamps dedicated to the Poltava victory in 1709. 40 copies have survived to this day. The price of one copy is twenty-eight thousand dollars.

Also, the Soviet government did not allow the release of a stamp called “Flight of Peace and Friendship.” The estimated cost of the rare specimen is 10-20 thousand dollars.

Stamps with printing flaws

There are copies that are especially prized due to typographical errors. This feature makes them exclusive. These include the “Levanevsky with overprint” brand. The series in which it is included was called “Saving the Chelyuskinites.”

The postage stamps of this edition contain a photo of the pilot Levanevsky. In 1935, a stamp appeared with the overprint “Flight Moscow - San Francisco via North. Pole 1935". Because of the small letter f and the inverted plug, the super value of the stamps, which were placed on two sheets, was determined. Rare stamps are included in a special catalogue. The types of stamps are described in detail here, there is their history and photos.

There were also rare varieties among airmail copies. In 1923, they were first issued for the delivery of correspondence by air. The first edition was very small and consisted of 4 colorful copies. They were marked with an image of a Fokker F-111 aircraft.

In this article we wanted to draw your attention to such an interesting object of study of philately as stamps. The types of stamps (rare items) that collectors study help historians gain a deeper understanding of our glorious past. This postal currency is very convenient not only in terms of payment, but also helps sort letters much faster. Each country and region has its own identification marks.

The road is a spoon for dinner. It is not difficult to verify this by reading the legend and truth about the origin of the postage stamp.

Once, the legend tells, in 1836, a member of the House of Commons of the English Parliament, Sir Rowland Hill, traveled around Ireland. Stopping at a hotel in a small town, he saw the postman handing a letter to the maid. The girl turned the letter over in her hands and returned it back.

Hearing that the pretty Irishwoman could not redeem the news from her groom, Rowland Hill handed her a shilling. The girl thanked and refused, and when the postman left, she told about a little trick: using the symbols on the envelope, you can find out news about each other for free.

Sir Rowland Hnnp, the inventor of the postage stamp, is depicted on stamps from several countries around the world.

The end of the legend is not difficult to guess. Hill thought about the imperfections of the postal service and then passed a law on its reform in parliament. Hill proposed a flat fee: one penny for a letter weighing half an ounce. Mail became not only publicly accessible and widespread, but also very profitable.

The world's first postage stamp

Another Englishman, bookseller Chalmers, developed Hill's project. He proposed introducing a postage sign - the same receipt that is still stuck on envelopes to this day. So in 1840 she was born world's first postage stamp, decorated with a portrait of the English Queen Victoria.

Yes, but not so! If you believe the legend, then everything depended on Rowland Hill’s meeting with the cunning lovers and on Chalmers’ acquaintance with Hill’s project. If it weren't for these accidents, there wouldn't be a brand? No, the truth looks different...

The first stamps. Their inventors and stories

Two hundred years before Hill and Chalmers, the Polish king established a uniform payment for all distances, and a certain de Velaye came up with postage stamps for the city post office he organized in Paris.

What did these stamps look like? Unknown. But they existed, they were called postal tickets and cost one sou. The inscription on the postal ticket read: “Postage paid... day... month 1653.” By entering the date, you could send the letter.

Sardinian stamped envelopes from 1818-1819.

In the 18th century, the Swedish engineer Treftenberg joined the list of inventors. However, his project did not receive support from the government.

Two decades before Hill and Chalmers appeared in Sardinia stampedenvelopes. However, in Sardinia there was not such an urgent need for mail as in England, and the stamp did not serve as a postage stamp for long.

An inventor was also found in Germany. Special ones were released in Berlin postal receipts. They were handed to the collectors when the letter was sent. All that remained was to smear the back of this receipt with glue, and the stamp was ready... But... They didn’t think of that then.

History of the birth of the brand

It was not for nothing that luck came to Chalmers and Hill, beating many inventors. They lived in England - a great power of merchants and manufacturers. For both, a good communication system was a prime necessity, but in reality it was expensive, cumbersome and clearly required the kind of streamlining that Hill and Chalmers proposed.

Note that, contrary to legend, the relationship between the inventors was by no means idyllic. The fame of the postal reformer mainly went to Hill. James Chalmers was remembered later, and this is what the history of the postage stamp looks like, with amendments made by his son, Patrick Chalmers.

James Chalmers provided these stamps for himself.

In 1834, the English publicist Charles Knight published a proposal to introduce stamped envelopes. His idea was picked up and developed by James Chalmers, who published the Dundee Chronicle newspaper in the small town of Dundee. Also in 1834, Chalmers produced stamp samples in his printing house, smearing the reverse side with glue.

Chalmers shared his idea with the postmaster. In 1837 he presented a draft stamp to the chairman of the parliamentary commission, Wallace, and in 1838 to the London Trade Committee. The sample still bears the proof stamp: “Dundi 10 February 1838.”

It is difficult to say whether Hill knew about Chalmers' proposals. In any case, his pamphlet Postal Reform, published in 1837, attracted much more attention. And although postal officials were not enthusiastic about the idea of a single postal payment, not wanting to complicate their lives with any innovations, English society no longer wanted to live the old fashioned way...

A wide campaign in the press, protest rallies, sending resolutions to the government, led to the fact that parliament created a special commission in 1838 to discuss the draft of a single postal tariff. After much debate, it was finally decided to establish and introduce a uniform rate for the whole of Great Britain: two pennies per unit of weight.

Penny black stamp

As evidence collected by Patrick Chalmers shows, his father closely followed the debate surrounding postal reform. In 1838, he sent samples of the stamps he had invented to a parliamentary commission. In 1839, the idea was officially adopted by the government. However, the samples proposed by Chalmers did not satisfy the officials. The production of stamps was entrusted to the engraver Heath. He created the famous penny black stamp with a portrait of Queen Victoria of England, printed by Perkins, Bacon and Co.

This is what samples of the world’s first stamps looked like, the development of which culminated in the creation of the “penny black”.

Today, the “black penny” is a great value in the world of philatelists. And it is not surprising that these stamps were repeatedly sold and resold at stamp auctions. Recently a block of 43 such stamps was sold in England. A radio commentator asked the auction organizer: “What would happen if the buyer of these stamps glued one of them to an envelope and sent a letter?”

And it turned out that these stamps did not lose the right to use in English mail. But unlike philatelists, postal officials value them differently, since tariffs have changed over a hundred years. The Post Office would require an additional sixpence for such a letter.

Why don't English stamps have the name of the country on them?

You can see a photo of the “penny black” stamp in this book. Please note that, like other English postage stamps, it does not contain the name of the country.

“Neither “England” nor “Great Britain” can be printed on a British stamp. Both of these concepts have a purely geographical meaning. Great Britain is an island, and England is only part of this island (the other two parts are Scotland and Wales). The full name of the country is very long: “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”

In 1984, the king of playwrights, Shakespeare, appeared on the stamp next to the Queen of Great Britain.

This statement by one of the senior officials of the British Post Office, published by the Polish magazine Philatelist, testifies to the proud confidence of the English Post Office that the whole world knows its head of state. Hence the British tradition of not writing the name of their state on stamps, which brought a lot of pleasure to philatelists. As one journalist wrote at the beginning of this century, “for philatelists, the accession to the throne of the new British king will be of very great importance ... About 1,300 new stamps will be issued for this occasion, since the image of Queen Victoria is now placed on the stamps of 65 different states and colonies, and each country has on average about 20 different types of stamps.”

Shakespeare stamps

The tradition of depicting a portrait of the king on a stamp was broken only once by stamps in honor of William Shakespeare. In addition to the portrait of Queen Elizabeth, the English post office decorated the commemorative stamps with a portrait of Shakespeare and characters from his plays.

Shakespeare's stamps were warmly received throughout the world.

But let's return to the first English stamps. The mysteries and obscurities of their birth have not yet been dispelled. After all, in addition to Chalmers and Hill, a certain L. Koshier, an assistant state accountant in Vienna, also laid claim to the honor of the invention. In 1858, Kochier declared that he was the true inventor of the brand. Kochir explained that back in 1835 he shared his idea with the Englishman Galwey, who abused his trust. Why did Koshier voice his claims only in 1858? Unclear! However, a special commission of the Leipzig postal directorate confirmed: the documents presented by Kochir prove that he really presented to the Austrian government in 1836 a project for reform of the postal business and the postage stamp...

The legend tells of poor lovers. But the monument to Hill was erected by merchants and erected it opposite the London Stock Exchange building...