Every stamp has a story to tell but do you know the story of where stamps came from in the first place? Didn’t think so. Over 140 billion letters are posted all over the world every year and the simple, effective and efficient way of posting that letter through the box and making sure it reaches its destination boils down to a few key figures and moment in history. Signed, sealed and delivered discover the story of the first stamp!
Rule Britannia!
1680 was the year when English merchant William Dockwra first introduced the first ever public postal service to Great Britain which served London and its ten-mile radius. A nice idea but unfortunately the plan lacked logic and quickly caused problems. The recipients of the letters were expected to pay for the service however at the time they seemed to never be home/hiding behind their curtains when the postman came knocking or even more rudely they just flat out refused to pay for postal cost. Corrupted, unreasonably expensive and untrustworthy the idea was there but system needed some serious adjusting.
A penny for a penny black
160 years or so later and some progress was finally beginning to be made thanks to the one and only Rowland Hill. This man came up with the idea of replacing Dockwra’s system with a single national rate of one penny per postage that would be paid for by the sender. Not taken seriously, the idea at first was ignored by the Post Office and deemed ridiculous by the Post Master General himself. Devoted to the case, Hill published various essays on the subject which were soon picked up by notable figures including Henry Cole, the founding director of the British Victoria & Albert Museum as well as other notable London based firms and organisations that resulted in the convincing of Parliament to change the system once and for all! Stamps had finally got the stamp of
The first stamp
Stamps had finally got their much-needed seal of approval and the first to show face on letters all over the nation was the penny black. Straight up what it says it is, one penny will buy you one black stamp. Now highly sought after by collectors, this stamp was the first ever to be made in the world which and has even sold for tens of thousands of dollars at auction. A simple black stamp with the Queen’s profile was drummed up by competition winner William Wyon, who was inspired by a medal he had previosuly produced to commemorate the Queen’s first visit to London. The stamp went live and smashed through letter boxes all over Britain on 1 May, 1840 and over the next year 70 million letters were sent, and over the next year this figure doubled. Who’s laughing now Post Master General?
Wacky and Wonderful Stamps All Around the world
After the immediate success in the UK of the penny black, stamps ran fast and wild all over the globe and were picked up by other countries at a rapid pace. Designs got fruitier and more fantastical too. Coffee scented stamps from Brazil that contain an aroma set to last up to five years, a Swarovski crystal coated swan from Austria, nocturnal animals that glow in the dark from Malaysia, a sweet and sour pork scented Chinese stamp and everyone’s favourite American cartoon characters The Simpsons even made it on to the US postal stamps in 2009.
Stamp your way through history
Believe it or not, stamp collecting has been one of the world’s favourite past times since the late nineteenth century. Miniature works of art, stamps represent the history and pride of the country it originates from. If you are looking to invest or start your own stamp collection, then head to auction now where you will find a huge variety of stamps from all over the world fetching great value at the Catawiki auction house online.