Classic British Stamps

The world's first postage stamps were issued in Great Britain in 1840 and since then there have been an array of GB stamps each with an interesting story to tell.

In our growing archive of classic British stamps, we profile the famous issues and explain why they are so popular with stamp collectors.

	PENNY BLACK STAMP 1840 1d Black The world's first postage stamp was issued in May 1840 and is eagerly collected by philatelists more than 170 years later. Find out more in our in-depth guide to the Penny Black.
	'PLATE 77' PENNY RED 1858-1879 1d Red The background to the very scarce Plate 77 1d red stamps, created more than 150 years ago, is still shrouded in mystery, but the facts we do know are revealed in our classic GB stamps guide. Read about the 'Plate 77' Penny Red here.
	TYRIAN PLUM 1910 2d unissued design Millions of copies of this 1910 stamp were printed but the death of King Edward VII ensured almost all of the stamps would be destroyed. Those that survived are now very rare, as our guide to the Tyrian Plum stamp reveals.
	PRUSSIAN BLUE 1935 2 1/2d Blue Error of Colour Stamp The rare shade of the GB 1935 Silver Jubilee 2½d stamp is one of Britain's most famous errors. Find out more in our in-depth guide to the Prussian Blue.
	CASTLE HIGH VALUES 1955 stamps of four values Showing British castles and an image of the recently crowned Queen, the Castle High Values are still popular with collectors today. Find out more in our in-depth guide to the Castle High Value stamps.