First Postage Stamp Issued

Before the adhesive stamp was what they called the ‘Bishop Mark’ named after the inventor Henry Bishop. First used in 1661 at the London General Post Office. Each letter was hand stamped with a day and month in which the letter was to be mailed.

Moving on to 1840 - A Scottish inventor named James Chalmers and Austrian civil servant named Lovrenc Kosir lay claim to the concept of the postage stamp. Rowland hill was a British teacher who campaigned for reform based on the penny postage concept. He wrote the pamphlet “Post Office Reform: Its importance and Practicability” in 1838 which included his call for official pre-printed envelopes and adhesive postage stamps. Now for one penny you could have your mail delivered anywhere in the country. Before that it was depended on distance and how many sheets or the size of the letter.

The adhesive stamp was first introduced in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1840, May 1st. The Penny Black was the first postage stamp issued with and adhesive back. Just like today the postage fee was to be paid by the sender.