The bidding took place on 7th of December 2022 at an auction organized by the auction house Sotheby’s, Reuters reported.
It is estimated at about $ 8.25 million.
The postage stamp with glue on the back is from 1840, and on it is depicted the British Queen Victoria. It is placed on a document dated April 10, 1840, found in the archives of the British postal service reformer and Scottish politician Robert Wallace.
The “Black Penny” stamps have been in use since May 6, 1840. Prior to that, the recipient of the letter paid for postage.
“This is the very first stamp, the forerunner of all stamps, and definitely the most important part of the history of philately,” said Henry House of Sotheby’s.
According to him, this is “the brand that marks the beginning of the postal system as we know it.
The copy put up for sale is one of three of the Black Pennies considered to have survived from the very first sheet on which stamps were printed. The other two are part of the collection of the British Postal Museum.
The “Black Penny” came into being after Sir Roland Hill, the “Father of Stamps” in the United Kingdom, proposed the postage prepayment method. This payment method has been adopted by various countries and has been in use ever since.
The printed “black penny” of Victoria’s profile was used until her death in 1901, a total of 60 years.
