Stamps
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
Stamps come in different shapes, sizes and colours - and serve different purposes.
The normal standard mail stamp is used for everyday mail. Stamps have different monetary values as delivery fees, depending on their destination.
Commemorative stamps are printed to celebrate a special event or anniversary, like the landing on the moon or the Olympic Games.
First-day covers are brand new stamps stuck on to envelopes and then stamped. The envelope is then sealed in a protective plastic sleeve for stamp collectors.
Online information
Stamp design
Pictures and images printed on stamps tell us about the issuing country's culture and history. Rulers of a country often have their images printed on stamps.
The Penny Black, for example, showed the head of a young Queen Victoria. She remained on British stamps for the next 60 years.
Every country in the world has its name printed on its stamps, except Britain.
Collecting
Stamp collecting has long been popular. The hobby has many advantages:
It can be cheap or expensive, as you choose.
It requires little equipment and space.
It helps you find friends worldwide.
It is an interesting and never-ending hobby as you can never run out of new stamps to collect.
It can help you make money if you invest in rare stamps.
It can be done online from your home.
How to take care of your stamps
Stamps can be easily damaged. You'll need to keep them dry, cool and clean. Use tweezers to handle them because even clean hands can leave stains on them
Learn more about stamps
At the Hong Kong Postal Gallery, you can learn a great deal about the history of stamps and the city's postal service. Besides the many stamps on display, you'll find old mailboxes and mechanical stamp vending machines.
Now do this:
1 When was the first postal stamp produced?
a. 1620
b. 1830
c. 1840
2 Which country does not display its name on its stamps?
a. US
b. Britain
c. HK
3 What was the name of the very first stamp?
a. Penny Blue
b. Penny Black
c. Penny Purple
