Catalogue
Postage Stamps
Definitive, commemorative, airmail and official issues.
Records (24)
stamps
Basel Dove, 1845
1845
Cantonal postage stamp of Basel issued in 1845, printed in three colours with an embossed white dove, and regarded as the first tricolour postage stamp.
stamps
British Penny Red
1841–1879
Adhesive postage stamp of the United Kingdom in red, which succeeded the Penny Black and remained in use, through several printings, for nearly four decades.
stamps
British Two Pence Blue, 1840
1840
Adhesive postage stamp of the United Kingdom issued in 1840 alongside the Penny Black, printed in blue for the two pence rate.
stamps
British Wilding definitive stamps
1952-1967
Definitive stamps of Elizabeth II based on a Dorothy Wilding photographic portrait, preceding the Machin series.
stamps
Bull's Eye issue
1843
The first postage stamps of Brazil, showing large numerals and no country name.
stamps
Columbian Exposition issue
1893
The first United States commemorative stamp series, issued for the World Columbian Exposition and running to sixteen denominations.
stamps
Confederate States general issue stamps
1861-1865
The small series of adhesive postage stamps issued centrally by the Confederate post office, alongside earlier provisional local issues.
stamps
First United States airmail issue
1918
The first United States stamps issued specifically to prepay airmail postage.
stamps
France — Semeuse (Sower) Definitive Series
from 1903
Long-running French definitive series showing a sowing female figure, first issued in 1903 and reused across several decades and formats.
stamps
French Ceres Issue, 1849
1849
First adhesive postage stamps of France, showing the head of Ceres, issued from 1849.
stamps
French Marianne definitive stamps
20th century onward
Long-running French definitive series depicting Marianne, redesigned repeatedly under successive republics.
stamps
Germania definitive series
1900-1922
The long-running German imperial definitive series showing an allegorical figure of Germania.
stamps
Great Britain — Penny Black — 1840
1840
The first adhesive postage stamp issued for public use, placed on sale in May 1840 as part of the Uniform Penny Post reform.
stamps
Japanese Showa era definitive stamps
Showa era
Definitive postage stamps of Japan issued during the Showa era, with designs drawn from national landmarks and cultural motifs.
stamps
Kangaroo and map series
From 1913
The first Commonwealth of Australia stamp series, showing a kangaroo on a map of the continent.
stamps
Machin definitive series
From 1967
A long-running British definitive stamp series showing a sculpted profile of the monarch against a plain background.
stamps
Merson type high values
From 1900
French high-denomination definitive stamps showing an allegorical seated figure, used over several decades.
stamps
Scinde Dawk
1852
An early adhesive postage stamp issued for the Scinde district, among the first in Asia.
stamps
Seahorse high value stamps
1913 onwards
High-denomination British stamps showing Britannia driving seahorses through waves.
stamps
South African bilingual definitive stamps
Union period
Definitive stamps of the Union of South Africa inscribed in both English and Afrikaans, in several cases printed as alternating se-tenant pairs.
stamps
Three penny beaver
1851
The first postage stamp of the Province of Canada, showing a beaver.
stamps
United States First Issue, 1847
1847
First general issue of adhesive postage stamps of the United States, comprising a five cent stamp bearing Benjamin Franklin and a ten cent stamp bearing George Washington.
stamps
United States Inverted Jenny, 1918
1918
Twenty-four cent United States airmail stamp of 1918 on which the central vignette of the Curtiss JN-4 aircraft was printed inverted relative to the frame, the result of a sheet fed the wrong way during the second printing pass.
stamps
West German Heuss definitive stamps
1954-1960
Definitive stamps of the Federal Republic of Germany bearing a portrait of President Theodor Heuss.