From penny post to $8 million as world's first stamp heads for auction
The Peninsula
London: An example of the world's first postage stamp, the Penny Black, is being offered at auction, Sotheby's said on Tuesday, with a price estimate of up to $8.25 million.
Dating from 1840, the item is "the earliest securely dated example of the first postage stamp," according to the auction house that will present it at its "Treasures" sale on Dec. 7.
The adhesive stamp, which features a profile of Queen Victoria, is attached to a document dated April 10, 1840, from the archive of British postal service reformer Robert Wallace, a Scottish politician. The Penny Black, which introduced a flat rate, was used from May 6, 1840. Before that, the recipient paid the postage cost.
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