Components of a stamp

          If you read the previous blog posts in this blog, now you have a idea about postage stamp. By studying this post you can understand the major components of the postage stamp.

            You know that postage stamp is a small piece of paper which is pasted on the top-right corner of the envelope when sending a letter or something. This stamp is consist with four major components. They are,

1. Image or the picture
2. Perforations
3. Denomination
4. Country name

             When considering image or the picture which are printed on the stamp, it always gives the purpose or the idea brought out by the stamp.

           "Perforations" are the small holes around the stamp. These are used to separate the stamps. Number of perforations around the stamp are different from one kind of stamp to another kind of stamp. It is represent in first day cover of the each stamp.

          Every stamp has a face value. It is represent in the stamp. This face value represent in the stamp is known as "Denomination". As an example, if you buy a stamp of $1, it is represent on the stamp that the face value is $1.

         The country name which stamp belongs to is printed in the stamp in most stamps. Some countries doesn't mention their country name on the stamp. Great Britain is one of the countries that doesn't mention the country name on the stamp, because United Kingdom was the country in the world which start to use postage stamps.

            I think that you were learned and understand the major components of the stamp. Be in alert! As soon as I will present another valuable post about a topic based on stamps. So much Good Luck to all...!!!

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World First Postage Stamp

          Before 1840, the British Postal system was highly complex and very expensive. Letters were charged considering two main matters as,

• The distance
• The sheets of paper, letter contained

Penny Black stamp

          As a solution to this problem, Sir Rowland Hill published his pamphlet Post Office Reform: Its Importance & practicability. His solution was pre-payment for the letters & the charge should be low and uniform. As a result Penny Black, world's first postage stamp was manufactured.

Sir Rowland Hill and
his signature.

       Penny Black is the world's first postage stamp used in public postal system. It was manufactured in London, United Kingdom on 1st of May 1840 and it was valid for postage from May 6, 1840. This stamp showed the Queen Victoria's profile. This stamp had a face value of One Penny.

          The Penny Black was in use for only a little over a year. It was found that re cancellation was hard to see on a black background and the red ink was easy to remove, making it possible to re-use stamps after they had been cancelled. In 1841, the Treasury switched to the Penny Red and issued cancellation devices with black ink, much more effective as a cancellation and harder to remove. In 1864, the stars in the top corners were replaced by the check letters as they appeared in the lower coroners, but in reverse order.

          Today also United Kingdom, doesn't their country name on postage stamps because it is the country which introduced the first postage stamp to the world.

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Introduction to Philately

                If you asked someone what is meant by "Philately", sometimes he/she can say that philately is collecting stamps as a hobby. As in Wikipedia, Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items.

                We know that philately is a very popular hobby in the world. But many of those who doing philately as a hobby, don't know the history of philately. Many casual stamp collectors accumulate stamps for sheer enjoyment and relaxation without worrying about the tiny details.The first postage stamps collector was John Bourke. He was the Receiver-General of Stamp Duties in Ireland in 1774. 

                The word "philately" is the English version of the French word "philatélie", coined by Georges Herpin in 1864. Herpin stated that stamps had been collected and studied for the previous six or seven years and a better name was required for the new hobby than timbromanie, which was disliked. (The alternative terms "timbromania", "timbrophily" and "timbrology" gradually fell out of use as philately gained acceptance during the 1860s)

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