Another family treasure ….the first stamp on earth

 I must be rich having the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, introduced in 1840. The Penny Black. The truth is I’m not the one having it. There are a million copies of it. I bought it from Amazon many years back for SGD 50. Being a stamp collector, nothing beats having the first with me ( along with others as well ).

The Penny Black was introduced as a result of reforms proposed by Sir Rowland Hill. Hill argued that high, distance-based postal fees discouraged mail use and proposed a uniform, low-cost rate paid in advance by the sender. To make prepayment simple and visible, he suggested an adhesive stamp. The Penny Black, costing one penny and featuring Queen Victoria, put Hill’s ideas into practice and revolutionized postal systems worldwide.

My retired former colleague, Siti Hajar, assisted me in framing it in a way that emphasizes the stamp’s stature and enhances its sense of value. ( even though it is worth less SGD 100 )