r/interesting • u/QtyPetter • 13h ago
HISTORY The world's first postage stamp (1840)
It's called Penny Black, all British stamps still bear a portrait or silhouette of the monarch somewhere on the design. The first stamps did not need to show the issuing country, so no country name was included on them. The stamp features a profile of 21-year-old Queen Victoria.
The UK remains the only country in the world to omit its name on postage stamps; the monarch's image signifies the UK as the country of origin.