Antique Collector - Antique Stamp Collecting |
The first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued by Britain in 1840. It pictured a young Queen Victoria, was produced without perforations (imperforate), and consequently had to be cut from the sheet with scissors in order to be used. While unused examples of the "Penny Black" are quite scarce, used examples are common, and may be purchased for reasonable sums, depending upon their condition.
Children and teenagers were early collectors of stamps in the 1860s and 1870s. Many adults dismissed it as a childish pursuit. Little did they know; Stamp collecting is now one of the world's most popular hobbies of all ages.
It is commonplace to hear that the future of stamp collecting is bleak, because of the increasing popularity of e-mail and other electronic forms of communication. However, both the telegraph and the telephone were revolutionary alternatives to physical mail when introduced in the 19th century, yet neither did much to dent the popularity of real stamps on real letters.
