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When talking about the history of British stamps most individuals will have heard about the Penny Black as well as this is thought of as the first of its kind here in the UNITED KINGDOM. The penny black was the first issued postage stamp that was used for the UK's penny post in 1840, though postage stamps were around before that.

Before adhesive paper stamps, letters could be stamped with ink or hand stamped. The initial postmarks were known as Bishop Marks after they were invented by the person who - - Henry Bishop. They were first found in 1661 and acted as a resource by indicating the date and month that the item was sent.

Adhesive postage stamps were first used in 1837 when they were devised by a guy by the name of Rowland Hill. The English schoolmaster was knighted for his efforts and he even created the first uniform postage rates that have been predicated on the weight of the thing being posted rather than the size of it. It was right after this in 1840 that the penny black became the very first postage stamp in use in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Ever since then there have been many changes to GB stamps, particularly in the Victorian era when perforated and embossed postage stamps became normal. Stamps had always featured the image of the King or Queen until the first commemorative group of stamps was issued in 1924 to commemorate the British Empire Exhibition. Ever since then commemorative stamps have grown to be more and more popular with stamps being issued to remember special occasions, royal birthdays and important British dates.

In addition to being used as payment for postal services across the UK and overseas, stamps also serve yet another function as a collector's item. Rare stamps are often sold at auction for tens of thousands of pounds and there are many people who consider themselves to be stamp collectors or philatelists because they are also known.

Specialist organisations that offer stamp auctions and can buy collections from those people wishing to market can help anyone who needs to value their stamps or desires to increase their own set. stamp collection valuations