Penny black

Like many people my age, I used to collect stamps in my teens and beyond. It was a hobby I shared with my father, and after he died when I was fifteen I kept the collection going, partly out of love for him, but also because it was so interesting. I think my love of geography, and my knowledge of countries, stems from my stamps.
I am pleased to have a penny black in my collection. This is not a very valuable one, but as the first adhesive stamp in the world, it is a historic item. Before the penny black, postage had to be paid on delivery and it was charged according to weight and distance travelled. With the new system, introduced on 1st May 1840, sending letters became affordable and it changed the way people communicated. It unified the price and encouraged people to read and write. The image of Queen Victoria was taken from a portrait of her aged 15 and the same image was used on stamps throughout her reign. Because Great Britain invented the postal system, our stamps do not show the country of issue, the only country not to do so.
I had somebody value my stamp collection a few years ago, and was disappointed at the sum quoted. My stamps mean so much to me so I didn’t sell them, but they are just stored in a cupboard.I don’t know what will happen to them.