As new markets in developing parts of Africa and Asia became more accessible, places like India and China experienced an explosive growth in the popularity of stamp collecting, with this demand helping to fuel a growing interest in collecting in other parts of the world.

The real heyday of the stamp proved to be the 1950s and 60s when, incredibly, the US Postal Service estimated that almost 10 per cent of the US population collected stamps; equivalent to an impressive 20 million collectors.

It’s the Inverted Jenny though that commands the most attention among collectors. The name refers to a printing error of the original airmail stamp, when a full sheet of 100 were discovered at a post office in Washington D.C. – and a modern collectible was born. 

One sought-after stamp from the period is the 1879-1883 issue 3c stamp, thanks to its beguiling blue/green color and its scarcity, with perhaps fewer than 20 believed to exist, of which only 14 have been certified by the American Philatelic Society. A magnificent example of one of the rarest Bank Note Special Printings (above) commanded keen interest when it appeared at auction in 2005

The United States followed suit in 1847 with the introduction of 5 and 10 cent stamps. Like the British stamps before them, the US stamps were cut from printed sheets with scissors, before the skyrocketing volume of letters demanded that perforated stamps be produced. And, as with most collectibles, early stamp issues prove more valuable due to their delicate nature and rarity

revolution in communication in Britain. Millions were produced, and thousands are still in circulation among collectors, making it an ideal place for those looking to start their collection with an accessible slice of history. Keep an eye on the numbers in the corner of each Penny Black, as they denote the row and column placement in the printed sheet of stamps – and its subsequent value. 

The British postal reformer, Sir Rowland Hill is to thank for introducing the world to the Uniform Penny Post in 1840. His introduction in the UK was intended to revolutionize the costly and complex process of sending a letter. Mail rates had previously been based on distance, but Sir Rowland Hill’s Penny Black stamp, featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria, changed how the world communicates and introduced a new hobby that would enchant famous names like Charlie Chaplin, King George V of England, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as John Lennon and Freddie Mercury.

In the United States, the 24c Inverted Jenny from 1918 enjoys special status as a renowned and revered stamp that has even lit up the silver screen, with the help of Richard Pryor in the film, Brewster’s Millions. Beloved among collectors, individual Inverted Jenny stamps have been known to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. 

सरकार द्वारा प्रोत्साहित किया जाए। सहयोग में प्रमाण पत्र गिफ्ट हैंपर आदि की व्यवस्था की जाय।

Posing as miniature windows into the world, stamps not only transport letters from door to door, but also showcase the people, history, and places that shape a national identity in each country across the world. And since the introduction of the world’s first pre-paid postage stamp, the Penny Black in the UK in 1840, people have delighted in collecting this form of functional art.