The Penny Black was the world’s first commercially used adhesive postage stamp in a public postal system, with a face value on buying of 1 penny.

It was brought into production due to high postal rates up to the year 1837 which were also more complex and anomalous without the use of such a stamp.

Sir Rowland Hill then proposed the use of an adhesive postal stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage rather than paying on delivery – charged by the sheet and on distance travelled.

The stamp allowed letters of up to 1/2 Ounce to be delivered anywhere regardless of distance at the flat-rate of 1 penny.

This revolutionised the way we communicate, incentivising many previously uneducated to read and write as sending letters were no longer an unaffordable privilege.

Stanley Gibbons have an online store where you can collect your Penny Blacks – an iconic stamp.