British Two Pence Blue, 1840

The British Two Pence Blue, colloquially known as the Tuppenny Blue, was the second official adhesive postage stamp in the world. Produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, it was introduced in 1840 alongside the Penny Black to serve as postage for double-rate letters weighing up to a full ounce sent anywhere within Britain or Ireland.

Initial printing of the stamp began on 1 May 1840, with a total of 6,460,000 examples printed from two plates until 29 August. It was first sold to the public at the London Inland Revenue office on 6 May 1840, the date the stamps became officially valid for postage and the date of the earliest recorded postmark. Although originally intended to be released at the same time as the Penny Black, the original two pence issues were produced exclusively from plates 1 and 2, which were subsequently destroyed in 1843.

Struck from the same die as the Penny Black, the design features the profile of Queen Victoria and is identical in execution except for the two pence denomination. The stamps were line-engraved and issued imperforate, with check letters positioned in the lower corners to identify the plate position. Unlike the revised printings introduced in 1841, the original 1840 stamps lack the horizontal white lines that were later added above and below the lettering labels.