What is a Stamp?

History

The world’s first postage stamp was created in 1840, at a time when sending letters was complicated and expensive. Prior to the first stamp’s invention, it was the person receiving a letter who had to pay, not the sender.

However, with the introduction of the stamp, the sender now pre-paid for postage. These small adhesive labels were stuck onto letters to signify that postage had been paid. The first stamp, known as the Penny Black, cost one penny, and could be used to send a letter weighing up to half an ounce (14.2g) anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Penny Black Stamp, issued 1840

The Penny Black stamp featured a portrait of the ruling monarch, Queen Victoria. Unlike other countries around the world, British stamps do not include the name of the country in the design, as they were the first to introduce them. Instead, the image of the monarch represents the country.

This first stamp began an abundant history of stamp design and production in Britain and around the world.

Design Changes

Each British monarch since the introduction of the Penny Black has had their portrait captured on a stamp. This type of stamp is known as a ‘Definitive stamp’. They come in many different values, but we often use the First and Second Class values to send our mail.

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However, Definitive stamps are not the only type of stamp we use today.

In 1924, Britain introduced its first picture stamp, also known as a ‘Commemorative stamp’. These first designs celebrated the British Empire Exhibition, held at Wembley in 1924. Since then, each year, multiple Commemorative stamp issues have been produced. Many popular books, animals and films have featured on these designs. Every Christmas, Royal Mail also produces festive stamps, which can be used to post Christmas cards.

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Over time, technology has advanced and stamp design has adapted. From 1993, we begin to see self-adhesive stamps introduced, with no need to lick them to stick onto post. Barcodes (also known as Data Matrix Codes) were first introduced in 2021 for specific stamps, and now all Definitive and Christmas stamps include these scannable codes. This technology is used by Royal Mail to improve efficiency and enable added security features.  

Stamp Features

1st Class King Charles III Definitive Stamp, 2023

To understand a Definitive stamp better let’s break it down into its parts: 

• Portrait 

Here an image of King Charles appears in profile, a portrait where the head is completely turned to one side. Unlike coins, where the monarch’s portrait alternates in direction, left or right with each new King or Queen, on stamps they always face left. This precedent was set with the accession of King Edward VII, Queen Victoria’s son when officials decided his portrait would face left to allow for his medals to be shown. This direction of the portrait also causes it to face into the envelope when stuck in the top right corner. 

• Value 

This tells us how much a stamp is worth. When a stamp is marked First or Second Class this means the value is whatever First or Second Class postage costs at the time. This will often change each year. Higher value stamps are also used to send post around the world.  

• • Perforations 

Around the edge of the stamp are half-moon cut outs. These are known as perforations and are created by punching holes into the stamp sheet. This divides the stamps individually, helping the user to separate the stamps. 

1st NVI Queen Elizabeth II Definitive Stamp, printed 2014

• • • Date 

From 2010, a Year Code, the year a stamp was printed, can be found hidden in its background text. This text reads ‘Royal Mail’ on repeat. Located just in front of the monarch’s face, the year will appear in the format ‘MA’ (short for mail), followed by two digits indicating the year i.e. ‘MA10’ for stamps produced in 2010. 

• • • Source Code 

Like the Year Code, where a stamp came from can be identified in the background text. Unique codes, such as ‘MBIL’ for stamps from Business Sheets or ‘MRIL’ for stamps from Stamp Rolls, are located above the monarch’s head. For stamp collectors, the Year and Source Code can offer useful information. 

• • • U-shape Cuts 

To help prevent stamps being reused, U-Shape Cuts are punched into stamps at the time of production. These appear either side of the monarch’s portrait and cause the stamp to break apart when removed from an envelope, making it impossible to use the stamp again. 

2nd Class King Charles III Definitive Stamp, 2023

One major change to Definitive stamps in recent years are its colours. Traditionally, First and Second Class stamps have been produced in red and blue respectively. Now, as you can see here, First Class stamps are purple and Second Class are green. Royal Mail is the only postal organisation that matches the colour of the Barcode (or Data Matrix Code) with the body of the stamp.  

The postage stamp has been used in Britain for over 180 years. In that time designs, values and printing techniques have all changed. The Postal Museum will continue to collect these new designs to showcase and preserve the history of the postage stamp.  

For further information explore our stamp dedicated webpages and online catalogue.