Stephen JonesOwner, Liverpool Stamps · Rare GB Victorian Stamps, Penny Reds & Worldwide Collections | Liverpool Stamps

Why We Stopped Using the 1d Penny Black: A Story of the 1d Penny Red Postage Stamp

23 Jun 2024 · 0 min

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Britain's 1d Penny Black stamp was replaced by the Penny Red in 1841 because the dark color made cancellation ink invisible, letting people clean and reuse stamps. Red-brown ink solved the problem by making tampering obvious.

In 1841, this stamp was replaced by the Penny Red because of one major problem, and that is color. The Penny Black encountered fraudulent cleaning and reuse as the cancellation ink was difficult to see on its dark background. To prevent this, the Penny Red was introduced with a red-brown color, and any attempt to remove or alter the cancellation mark would be more apparent. There were 3 main types of Penny Reds issued.