First postage stamp

The first postage stamp with an adhesive backing was the 1d (one penny) Penny Black, which was put on sale in major post offices in the UK on 1 May 1840; however, the stamps were not valid for use until 6 May 1840. The stamp included the profile of Queen Victoria, at 15 years of age, and was printed until February 1841.

In total, 68,158,080 Penny Blacks were printed – with an estimated survival rate of around 2% (though it may be higher) – so it is not a particularly rare stamp. However, mint examples are scarce so these can command values of several thousand pounds.