British Penny Red

The British Penny Red was a line-engraved adhesive postage stamp printed by Messrs. Perkins, Bacon & Co. for the United Kingdom. First issued in February 1841, it replaced the Penny Black as the standard one-penny postage stamp. The transition from black to red ink was introduced because red postmarks were difficult to detect on the earlier black stamps and could be washed off; changing the colour of the stamp to red allowed post offices to apply cancellations in black ink, which proved far more legible and difficult to remove.

Printed in sheets of 240 configured in twenty rows of twelve, the Penny Red served as the principal postage stamp of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for nearly forty years. Early sheets were imperforate and had to be cut apart with scissors, occasionally using plates originally prepared for the Penny Black. Experimental gauge 16 perforations were introduced in 1850 and officially adopted in 1854, followed by a switch to gauge 14 in 1855 to keep sheets from parting too easily. Production encompassed more than 400 distinct plates before the issue ceased at the end of 1879, when Perkins Bacon's contract concluded and the type was replaced by the Penny Venetian Red.

The stamp displays a profile portrait of Queen Victoria derived from William Wyon's City Medal, flanked by engine-turned engraving, with the word "POSTAGE" at the top and the denomination "ONE PENNY." at the foot. Early impressions featured stars in the upper corners and check letters in the lower corners indicating sheet position. From 1 April 1864, the stars were replaced by repeating the check letters in the top corners in reverse order to deter the reuse of uncancelled stamp pieces, and the specific plate number was engraved into the lace work on both sides. Paper watermarks similarly changed over time, progressing from a small crown device to a large crown in May 1855.