Welcome to the Penny Black 1840 Blog

Thematic StampsWelcome to the Penny Black 1840 Blog looking at the stories behind postage stamps and taking a wide look at philately and stamp collecting around the world.

Whilst leafing through some old stamp albums from childhood recently I suddenly felt a renewed interest in some of the postage stamps that I had long ago dismissed as a merely juvenile collection of jumbled commemorative issues from around the world, in favour of my adult interest in Victorian line engraved stamps. With a jolt I realised that most of these stamps had been issued in the late 1960s and early 1970s and that I’d hardly looked at them in last thirty years! Although none of them were particularly rare some them of them were actually rather interesting…

I’m now in the process of scanning and researching the stories, anniversaries and events behind the postage stamps in my collection and will post them here regularly.

1981 Commemorative 20 Cent Stamps 50 States Bird Flower 1981 Commemorative 20 Cent Stamps 50 States Bird Flower
Paypal 1 Bid US $7.99 17m
1991 US Commemorative Year Set Mint NH 1991 US Commemorative Year Set Mint NH
Paypal US $13.99 44m
1964 usa fdc card THE AMERICAN MUSIC COMMEMORATIVE 1964 usa fdc card THE AMERICAN MUSIC COMMEMORATIVE
Paypal 0 Bid US $3.00 51m
1893 Puerto Rico Columbus Commemorative StampScott 133 1893 Puerto Rico Columbus Commemorative StampScott 133
Paypal 1 Bid US $49.99 1h 3m
Japan 1916 Joint Fair commemorative cancel SH1054 Japan 1916 Joint Fair commemorative cancel SH1054
Paypal US $5.00 1h 8m