Penny Black
Identification, history and collector guidance
Last updated: July 2026
The Penny Black is one of the most famous stamps in the world and a natural starting point for many classic Great Britain collections. Introduced in 1840, it is widely recognised as the world's first adhesive postage stamp.
For collectors, a Penny Black search is rarely just about finding any example. Listings often vary by margins, cancellation, plate, watermark, cover usage, certificate wording, condition claims and seller terminology. StampSeeker helps compare live marketplace results while keeping these collector signals visible.
Image unavailable
View sourcePenny Black, Great Britain 1840.
Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Quick facts
- Country
- Great Britain
- Issue
- 1840 1d black
- Valid for postage from
- 6 May 1840
- Printer
- Perkins, Bacon & Petch
- Design
- Queen Victoria portrait from William Wyon's 1837 City Medal
- Sheet format
- 240 stamps (20 rows × 12 columns)
- Plates used for black printings
- Plates 1 to 11
- Watermark
- Small crown
- Approximate quantity printed
- About 68 million
- Succeeded by
- Penny Red (from February 1841)
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Collector context
When collectors search for "Penny Black", they are usually looking for Great Britain's 1840 one penny black adhesive stamp showing the young Queen Victoria. It is a classic line-engraved issue and one of the most recognisable stamps in philately.
The stamp is popular partly because of its historical importance, but examples appear in many different collecting grades. A simple used single, a four-margin example, a stamp on cover, a plate variety, or a certified premium item can represent very different collecting situations — and very different price points.
Marketplace listings can use inconsistent wording. Some sellers write "Penny Black", others use "1840 1d black", "GB QV 1d black", "SG 1", "plate 1", "plate 5", "red Maltese Cross", "black Maltese Cross", "on cover", or "certificate". A good search should catch these variations without pretending to verify the stamp.
What to check in listings
Margins matter. Penny Blacks were imperforate, so collectors usually look closely at whether the design has clear margins on all four sides. A listing that says "four margins" may be worth closer inspection, but the image still needs careful checking.
Cancellation matters. Many Penny Blacks are found used with Maltese Cross cancellations. A clear, attractive cancellation can make a listing more appealing, while heavy, smudged or intrusive cancellation can affect desirability.
Condition wording matters. Watch for terms such as thin, tear, crease, repaired, cut into, touched, close margin, regummed, cleaned, or stained. These words do not automatically make a stamp undesirable, but they change what kind of purchase it is.
Covers are different from loose stamps. A Penny Black on cover or piece should be judged as postal history as well as a stamp. The date, address, cancellation, rate, route and overall condition of the cover can all matter.
Certificate wording matters. StampSeeker may highlight "Certificate mentioned" in listing signals, but that only means the seller used certificate-related wording. It is not proof of authenticity.
Watermark and plates
Collectors treat the Penny Black as a small-crown watermark issue. A watermark check can help confirm that a stamp matches the expected issue characteristics, but it should not be treated as proof of authenticity or quality by itself.
The Penny Black was printed in black from plates 1 to 11. Plate 1 is especially famous because collectors distinguish plate 1a and plate 1b, reflecting an early repair state. Sheets contained 240 stamps, and the corner letters made each sheet position unique — a characteristic that gives Penny Black study a rewarding level of depth for serious collectors.
Plate and position identification can be specialist work. If plating or specific corner-letter positions are important to a potential purchase, specialist references and expert advice are sensible additions to a marketplace search.
Small Crown watermark used for the Penny Black.
Public-domain illustration from Edward Denny Bacon, 1920 — Great Britain Philatelic Society
Famous Penny Black examples
Kirkcudbright cover
The Kirkcudbright cover is one of the best-known Penny Black covers in philatelic history. It bears ten Penny Blacks and is recorded as having been mailed on the first day of issue. It is frequently referenced by auction houses and philatelic writers when discussing important Penny Black postal-history material.
Covers of this significance are well beyond the everyday marketplace and are noted here as context for understanding what the high end of Penny Black collecting can represent.
Plate 1 imprimaturs
Plate 1 imprimatur impressions relate to the official approval and early production process for the first Penny Black plate. Imprimatur sheets were retained by the printers as a record, so surviving individual imprimatur stamps represent an important category of Penny Black material in specialist collections.
Plate 11 examples
Plate 11 is a recognised collecting area within Penny Black specialist study and is regularly mentioned in auction catalogues and specialist literature. It represents one of the rarer plates among the black printings, and correctly identified plate 11 examples are notable for serious GB line-engraved collectors.
A cover bearing Penny Black stamps, dated 6 May 1840.
Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Common search variants
Marketplace sellers use different wording for the same stamp. Try these search terms to broaden your results.
Buyer cautions
A Penny Black is famous enough that misdescribed, damaged, altered or over-optimistic listings can appear. A low price may reflect condition, margins, damage, uncertain identity, a reproduction, or a listing that is not actually a Penny Black.
Be careful with listings that rely on dramatic wording such as "rare", "investment", "museum quality" or "valuable" without clear images or supporting information. StampSeeker's quality signals are cautious text indicators, not valuations.
For expensive examples, do not rely on the listing title alone. Check the image, description, certificate details, seller reputation, return policy and whether the item is a loose stamp, on piece, or on full cover.
StampSeeker does not authenticate stamps. For serious purchases, especially high-value classic material, independent expertising may be worth considering.
Expertising guidance
Expertising is most relevant when the price, condition claim, plate identification, cancellation, cover status or rarity claim makes the purchase higher risk. A certificate can help establish an expert opinion about the item, but buyers should still read what the certificate actually says.
For Great Britain classic material, collectors often look for recognised expertising bodies and established philatelic opinions. The presence of certificate-related wording in a marketplace listing should be treated as a prompt to inspect further, not as a guarantee.
StampSeeker does not authenticate stamps and is not affiliated with any expertising body. Guidance here is general and does not constitute professional advice.
Catalogues and literature
Specialist Great Britain catalogues and line-engraved references can help collectors understand how Penny Blacks are normally described, including plates, margins, cancellations, watermark, condition language and postal-history context.
A catalogue reference in a marketplace listing is useful search wording, but it should not be treated as proof by itself. StampSeeker may surface catalogue-related terms in listings, but the buyer should still verify the item using appropriate references and expert advice where needed.
No catalogue values, issue tables or proprietary catalogue data are reproduced here.
Auction-house direction
Higher-grade Penny Blacks, attractive covers, scarce plates, premium cancellations and certified examples may appear through specialist philatelic auction houses as well as general marketplaces.
Auction-house listings can offer stronger philatelic descriptions than ordinary marketplace listings, but StampSeeker does not copy live auction lots or verify auction descriptions. Use auction-house links as a research route and always read the original sale terms.
How StampSeeker helps
StampSeeker is designed to help collectors search like collectors. For Penny Black searches, it can surface marketplace results, highlight seller wording such as certificate mentions or cover and postal-history terms, suggest catalogue-number search normalisation, show relevant expertising resources, and point to specialist auction-house directions.
The aim is not to replace expert knowledge. The aim is to give collectors a cleaner starting point for research and comparison.
Related searches
Frequently asked questions
Is StampSeeker authenticating Penny Black listings?
No. StampSeeker does not authenticate stamps or verify seller descriptions. It highlights useful wording and search signals so collectors can inspect listings more carefully.
Why do Penny Black margins matter?
Penny Blacks were imperforate, so collectors often prefer examples where the printed design is clear on all four sides. Listings may describe four margins, close margins or cut-into examples, but the image should always be checked.
What watermark should a Penny Black have?
Collectors normally treat the Penny Black as a small-crown watermark issue. A watermark check can be useful, but it is only one part of assessment and is not proof of authenticity by itself.
How many Penny Black plates were used?
The black printings are associated with plates 1 to 11. Plate 1 is especially famous because collectors distinguish early states such as plate 1a and plate 1b.
Why do some listings mention Maltese Cross cancellations?
Maltese Cross cancellations are closely associated with early Penny Black usage. The colour, clarity and placement of the cancellation can affect how collectors view an example.
Should I only buy a Penny Black with a certificate?
Not every Penny Black needs a certificate, especially lower-value or study examples. For expensive examples, unusual claims, covers, premium condition or scarce varieties, an expertising opinion may be worth considering.
Can I search by catalogue number?
Yes, catalogue-number style searches can be useful marketplace search terms. StampSeeker can help normalise common search formats, but it does not publish catalogue equivalence tables or verify catalogue identifications.
Sources and further reading
Image credits
Penny Black postage stamp, Great Britain 1840: Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Penny Black cover mailed on 6 May 1840, the first day of issue: Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Small Crown watermark associated with the Penny Black: Public-domain illustration from Edward Denny Bacon, 1920 — Great Britain Philatelic Society