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The world’s first adhesive postage stamp was the Penny Black, printed for the British postal service by an American named Jacob Perkins on May 6, 1840. Two days later, a blue two-penny or “Tuppeny blue” stamp came off the Perkins, Bacon & Co. press. Both stamps featured an engraved portrait of Queen Victoria, as would the Penny Red, which replaced the Penny Black in 1841.
Now you might think the Penny Black would be worth a small fortune, but more than 68 million imperforate versions of the stamp were printed, and it’s estimated some 21 billion Penny Reds were produced, none of which were perforated before 1854. If you want rare, go for the Tuppeny blue—only six-and-a-half million of those beauties were printed.
Thanks to their ubiquity, Penny Blacks and Reds are relatively affordable. Less attainable are stamps such as the 1918 Inverted Jenny, a 24-cent U.S. stamp depicting a Curtiss JN...
For many philatelists, these stamps are impossible Holy Grails. More attainable are the countless pieces of postage from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, and China. Each piece of postage produced by these nations tells a story about their unique histories.
Collectors of U.S. stamps might try for commemorative and special issue stamps, such as a set of all four horizontal Zeppelin stamps, printed between 1930 and 1933, or the set of 10 National Park stamps issued in 1934. Definitives, or regular issue stamps, are also popular—many bear portraits of presidents from Washington to Kennedy, while others depict the likenesses of scientists (Albert Einstein), architects (Frank Lloyd Wright), and playwrights (Eugene O’Neill).
Formal portraits of royalty grace most British stamps, but the imagery gets more picturesque as one moves away from the country’s main islands to current territories such as Gibraltar and former ones like Malta. The rise and fall of the Third Reich can be followed on German stamps, which are littered with swastikas before and during World War II. French stamps frequently honor intellectuals and art expositions, such as the one in 1925 that gave rise to the term Art Deco, while Australian stamps naturally feature numerous depictions of indigenous animals such as the kangaroo and platypus.
Chinese stamps are also steeped in their country’s history. Pre-Mao-era stamps reveal the hyperinflation of the early 1930s, as seen in the 500-yuan stamps of that period. During the Mao era itself, the chairman’s smiling face, as well as compositions celebrating the country’s military might, were common, but there were also stamps meant to encourage exercise, such as the series of 40 stamps printed in 1952, when millions listened to, and exercised along with, a daily radio program promoting fitness.
by Interviews & Articles
Stamp Collector Bob Allen on Stamp Design and Production Techniques
Like many collectors, I collected when I was a child, and then I became interested again in the ‘90s. I think eBay and other Inter… [more]
In Postal History, Every Stamp Tells a Story
I have a stamp collection, but I don’t consider myself a collector. I have a collection of my initials on stamps from Great Britai… [more]
Cheryl Ganz of the National Postal Museum on Inverted Jennys and Burning Zeppelins
I’ve been a lifelong collector, even as a kid. There are just certain people for whom collecting seems to be part of their nature.… [more]
John Hotchner Exposes Philatelic Errors, Freaks, and Oddities
My father was a stamp collector, and I just took to it. He was perfectly happy to mentor me, so I began collecting at the age of f… [more]
Essays, The Stamp Designs That Also Ran
It was a shock to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing when a critic pointed out that the view of "Gatun Locks," which it had engr… [more]
Postally Used Works of Art
Paintings and sculpture galore have been reproduced on postage stamps, sort of an Everyman's art gallery. But this, of course, doe… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Alphabetilately
First shown in 2008 to celebrate the Smithsonian National Postal Museum's 15th anniversary, Alphabetilately is esse… [read review or visit site]
Top eBay Auctions
Great Britain 1882 Victorian 
1840 Penny Black Plate 6, Block Of (4) On Piece (royal Cert.) Rare! (m1719)
China Old Republic Junk Stamps Collection Unused Original Gum 1913 !!
Germany Reich 1923-1932 Complete Collection Signed
Switzerland Zu#1s Used Zurich Certificate Cv Chf 20,000 ($21,000) Red Cancel
Germany Reich 1933-1945 Complete Collection Signed
Taiwan China Old Stamps Book With High Value 1952 !!
Dealer's Stock Page Of Columbians, Mostly Nh To $5 Scott 245. Cat $14,760
Germany States Groschen Error Stamps Very Rare Se Scan $$$$$$
Rw2 1935 Federal Duck Stamp Print By Frank Benson Scarce Print No Reserve
Pr China Stamp1967 W2 Set 
Us Stamp:#292 $1 Black 1898 Trans-miss
Nystamps Us Stamp Scott 120 Mint Og $9000
1880 Rare 2/- Brown Sg121 Fine Used Sg Cat 
Victory Of Chairman Mao Revolution
China First Stamps 1878 Large Dragon Thin Paper 1c 3c Mnh
Pr China Stamp 1968 W5 1 Set Complete 
1913 
Ryukyu Islands, Complete Second Revenue Set, Scott R9-16, Mint, No Gum As Issued
1840 2d Blue Pair Plate 1 Lettered Na-nb (sg 5) Very Fine Used With Orange/red
Russia Stamp1934-vasenko-sc#c51a -perf.14-size 33*36mm-cv-$3,500 (kazan Stamped)
Nystamps Us Stamp Scott 39 Mint Dg $3000
Wurttemberg 1857 9kr Car Rose (sc17) Mlh $1275
Pr China Stamp1967 W3 Set Rare Favorites 
Peoples Republic Of China 1626-1627 Mnh Sheets Of 12, Scarce Item.
Nystamps Us Stamp Scott 101 Mint With Gum $14500
Us Stamp:#263 $5 Dark Green Marshall 1894 Mh/og Stamp $4,500
China - Gate Of Heavenly Peace 200,000
China 1980 Monkey Stamp Used
Us Sc#42 F/vf Ngai Fresh&brite-1875- Re-issue 5c-scarce W/certificate -$1200+
Group Of Early Mint Classics Including Scott 15, 68, 120, 150, 152. Cat $18,800
Us Stamp:#o69 $5 Green 1873 State Official Used Stamp $13,000 Rare!+certificate
China 1968 Picture Postcard With Cultural Revolution Stamps 
France Classic Mint Collection
China 1915 First Peking Print Hall Of Classics $5 O.g Fine 
1840 1d Intense Black Pair Lettered Ni - Nj (sg 1) Full Margins Very Fine Used
Lot Of Muh Decimal Stamps ,face $806.
Joyce Grenfell Rare Error Stamp 1998 Unused Incorrect Value
Us Stamp:#j58 50c Carmine Lake 10p.1914 Postage Due Mh/og $12,500 Rare!+certifi
1850-1852 France Stamps Lot, Very Rare Items, Cv $7500.00, No Reserve Price
Sweden Scott 15 Mnh.
Russia , 1935 , Very Scarce Stamps Ex Set , Tscheljuskin , Mh / Mnh 
United States Imperf 5c Sc 1. Used. Scott $1200.
Us Stamp:#2 10c Black Washington Imperf 1847 Used Stamp Red Grid Cancel
Us Stamp:#16 10c Green Type Iv 1857-61 Imperf. Used Stamp $1,650 + Certificate
United States Pictorial 90c Sc 132. Hinged. Scott $3750.
Gb 1866 Scilly Islands 1d Red Tied Horiz Oval 610 With 'scilly' Cds On Reverse
1935 Russia,sc C58-67,mi 499-508,mnh,famous Cheluskin Rescue Fantastic Centered!
Unused $3 1893 Columbian Exposition Stamp #243. Xf
Russia 1858 Sc 4/mi 4 Coat Of Arms, Watermark Shift, Rare
Us Sc#459 Xf Lh Og Scarce Fresh&brite 2c Imperf Coil Pair W/certificate 1914-
Ckstamps: Us Stamps Scott#c15 $2.60 Graf Zeppelin Airmail 1930 Mint Hr Og Cv$575
Pr China 1967 W1 Thoughts Of Mao Complete Set Used Sc#938-948
Nystamps France Old Stamp Collection Scott Album Page 
United States Imperf 10c Sc 2. Used. Scott $1050.
Us 2002 .925-999 Silver 25 Pc =17.79 Oz Stamps With Coa & Box Rare
United States Franklin 50c Sc 440. Never Hinged. Scott $1175.
China*republic 1914*uprated Postal Stationery Card From Kashing To Switzerland
Us Stamp:#39 90c Blue 1851-57 Unused Stamp
Recent News: Stamps
Source: Google News
Beaverton police officer on leave for alleged food stamp fraud, now accused of ...
OregonLive.com, May 22ndWarren allegedly applied for food stamps in Oregon after he was fired even though he was living in Vancouver. He is accused of also continuing to collect food stamps three months after he rejoined the Beaverton Police department. Oregonian reporter...Read more
Stamp collecting big business in Asia
BBC News, May 20thStamp collecting may be an age old hobby, but at the elite end of the market it is big business. And it is getting bigger in the Asian region as more investors look for alternative places to preserve their wealth. Rare stamp experts, the UK-based...Read more
Stamped a collector: John's love of philately offers him an education into the ...
Sunraysia Daily, May 20th“I found early interest in reading about stamps and stamp collecting; I learnt about famous people, geography, history, nations of the world and their currencies, flags – it was an interesting subject for a child,” the 70-year-old stamp and coin...Read more
Size: 9¼ x 10½
Quill & Quire (blog), May 13thWith The Stamp Collector, illustrated by François Thisdale, Lanthier has succeeded in overcoming these challenges. In measured, precise prose, Lanthier tells the story of a Chinese boy who discovers a discarded postage stamp and realizes he is...Read more
Lucas Johnny a collector as rare as his stamps from pen pal days
The Borneo Post, May 12thMIRI: It was the trend of pen pal letter-writing in yesteryears that gave local antique collector Lucas Johnny a boost to continue with his hobby of collecting stamps since his childhood days. He started on stamps since he was seven years old in 1953...Read more
Letters carriers collect food for Stamp Out Hunger
WLBZ-TV, May 11thPORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- People here in Maine donated generously to the nation's largest single-day food drive. It was the 21st annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Letter carriers collected non-perishable food items left on doorsteps across...Read more
Stanley Gibbons boosted by rise in stamp collecting
Financial Times, May 1stStanley Gibbons, the stamp and rare coin dealer formed in 1856, has reported a 12 per cent rise in first-quarter revenues as more people across the world have turned to stamp collecting. The group, whose shares are traded on the Alternative Investment...Read more
Shocking US government leaflet tells Mexican immigrants they can collect food ...
Daily Mail, April 26thA Spanish-language leaflet that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided to the Mexican Embassy in Washington advises border-crossing Mexicans that they can collect taxpayer-funded food stamp benefits for their children without admitting that...Read more