Saturday is World Post Day
Letters need stamps to get from place to place. Postage stamps may be small, but they play a big role in our lives. They can be colourful or plain, expensive or cheap. Many people throw them away. Others love collecting them. They tell the history of countries, and have histories of their own.
History
The first postage stamp was printed in Britain on May 6, 1840. The 'Penny Black' was, as its name says, black and cost a penny. Today it is worth around HK$48,000. In 1841, the Hong Kong Postal service was set up.
The edges of the first stamps were not perforated and so could not be torn from a printed sheet. They had to be cut with scissors. But the stamps were printed on watermarked paper to make it harder to forge them.
Before postage stamps came along, the person receiving a letter had to pay for its delivery. Under the new system, the sender paid the cost.
Types of stamps