Made by Perkins, Bacon and Co in London, the penny black first appeared on May 6th 1840. The penny black features a portrait of Queen Victoria taken from a medal designed by William Wylon, and made into a sketch by Henry Corbould. This portrait was thereafter used on all postage stamps during the reign of Queen Victoria.

The penny black is recognised as the first adhesive postage stamp made and is one of the most sought after and collectable postage stamps in the world.

Collections of the penny black are wide and varied. There are plate collectors, corner letter collectors, error collectors, and a whole range of other postal history collections made possible by the introduction of this stamp.