Prince Consort Essay facts for kids
The Prince Consort Essay was a special sample stamp made in 1851. It was created to show how Henry Archer could print and add tiny holes (perforate) to stamps for the British government. He offered to do this at a lower price than the company printing stamps at the time, Perkins Bacon.
The pictures on these sample stamps were drawn by Robert Edward Branston. The image was then carved into a plate by Samuel William Reynolds. Even though it's called an "essay," it wasn't meant to become a real postage stamp. It was more like a test stamp or a "dummy stamp" to show off Archer's printing skills.
Why Was This Sample Stamp Made?
The very first test stamp showed Queen Victoria. However, Edwin Hill advised Reynolds not to use the Queen's picture on these samples. So, they used a portrait of Prince Albert instead.
Some experts believe that the letters "F" and "J" found on these sample stamps might be the initials of Ferdinand Joubert. He designed Britain's first surface-printed postage stamp in 1855. It's thought he might have helped create the Prince Consort Essay too.
How the Sample Stamps Were Made
The Prince Consort Essay stamps were printed using copies (called electros) made from one main printing plate. This main plate had 12 different stamp designs on it. Each of these 12 designs had its own special features.
These sample stamps were printed in several colors: red, red-brown, black, and blue. They came in different sheet sizes, like sheets of 36, 240, or 252 stamps.
These sample stamps are quite rare today. Only about 25 examples are known to have the tiny holes (perforations) added by Archer. Most of them are imperforate, meaning they have no holes at all. There is also one example that has small cuts instead of holes, called "rouletted," which is kept in the important Royal Philatelic Collection.
Collecting These Rare Stamps
If you want to collect these stamps, the ones without holes (imperforate copies) can usually be found for a few hundred pounds.
The stamps with the tiny holes (perforated examples) are much rarer. Only about 36 of these are known to exist, and they sell for much higher prices. Out of these 36, three are in brown, and three are in blue. One blue example recently sold for over £38,000 at an auction! The rest of the perforated stamps are in black.
