Penny Red facts for kids
The Penny Red was a special postage stamp used in the United Kingdom. It was first made in 1841. This stamp took the place of an older stamp called the Penny Black. The Penny Red was the main stamp used in the UK until 1879. Its design stayed almost the same for many years.
The color of the stamp was changed from black to red. This change happened because it was hard to see the red ink used to cancel, or mark, the Penny Black stamps. When the stamp was red, it was much easier to see the black cancellation marks. The Penny Red is not a very rare stamp today. Many of them were made and used.
Contents
Why the Penny Red Was Red
Seeing the Cancellation Mark
The main reason the Penny Red was created was to make it easier to process mail. When the first stamp, the Penny Black, was used, people marked it with red ink to show it had been used. This mark is called a cancellation. But the red mark was hard to see on a black stamp.
So, the postal service decided to change the stamp's color. They made it red instead of black. This way, the black cancellation ink stood out clearly on the red stamp. This made it much simpler for postal workers to see which letters had already been paid for.
The Penny Red's Long History
A Stamp for Decades
The Penny Red was used for a very long time. It was first issued in 1841. It continued to be the main postage stamp in the United Kingdom until 1879. This means it was in use for 38 years!
During this time, millions of Penny Red stamps were printed. Even though the design stayed mostly the same, there were small changes over the years. These changes often involved the tiny details on the stamp.
Related Stamps and People
Images for kids
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This close-up shows the plate number, which is 148 in this example. You can find this number in the margin of the stamp.
