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ID: 439 Open

Penny Black (OF) with Red MX and 4 Good to Very Large Margins

8113 Entries Suggested Retail Price: $152.00

Time Left: 16 days, 5h

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The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It first was issued in Great Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year. It features a profile of Queen Victoria.

In 1837, British postal rates were high, complex, and anomalous. To simplify matters, Sir Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage. At the time it was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet, and on distance traveled. By contrast, the Penny Black allowed letters of up to half an ounce (14g) to be delivered at a flat rate of one penny, regardless of distance.

Postal delivery systems using what may have been adhesive stamps existed before the Penny Black. The idea had at least been suggested earlier in the Austrian Empire, Sweden, and possibly Greece.

Treasury Competition

On 13 February 1837, Sir Rowland Hill proposed to a government inquiry both the idea of a pre-paid stamp and a pre-paid envelope, a separate sheet folded to form an enclosure for carrying letters. Hill was given a two-year contract to run the new system, and together with Henry Cole he announced a competition to design the new stamps. There were some 2,600 entries, but none was considered suitable; instead, a rough design endorsed by Hill was chosen, featuring an easily recognizable profile of the former Princess Victoria. Hill believed this would be difficult to forge. An envelope bearing a reproduction of a design created by the artist William Mulready was also issued.

Design

The portrait of Victoria was engraved by Charles Heath and his son Frederick, based on a sketch provided by Henry Corbould. Corbould's sketch was in turn based on the 1834 cameo-like head by William Wyon, which was used on a medal to commemorate the Queen's visit to the City of London in 1837. This portrait of Victoria remained on British stamps until her death in 1901, although by then she was 81 years old. All British stamps still bear a portrait or silhouette of the monarch somewhere on the design. They are the only postage stamps in the world that do not indicate a country of origin; the monarch's image symbolizes the United Kingdom.

Initially, Hill specified that the stamps should be 3/4 inch square, but altered the dimensions to 3/4 inch wide by 7/8 inch tall (approx 19 x 22 mm) to accommodate the writing at the bottom. The word "POSTAGE" at the top of the design distinguishes it from a revenue stamp, which had long been used in the UK; "ONE PENNY." at the bottom shows the amount pre-paid for postage of the stamped letter. The background to the portrait consists of finely engraved engine turnings. The two upper corners hold Maltese crosses with radiant solar discs at their centers; the lower corner letters show the position of the stamp in the printed sheet, from "A A" at the top left to "T L" at the bottom right. The sheets, printed by Perkins Bacon, consisted of 240 stamps in 20 rows of 12 columns. One full sheet cost 240 pence or one pound; one row of 12 stamps cost a shilling. As the name suggests, the stamp was printed in black ink. A two-penny stamp printed in blue and covering the double-letter rate (up to an ounce) was issued on 8 May 1840.

Issue

Although the stamps were not officially issued for sale until 6 May 1840, some offices such as those in Bath sold the stamps unofficially before that date. There are covers postmarked 2 May, and a single example is known on a cover dated 1 May 1840. All London post offices received official supplies of the new stamps but other offices throughout the United Kingdom did not, continuing to accept payments for postage in cash for a period.

The Penny Black lasted less than a year. A red cancellation was hard to see on the black design and the red ink was easy to remove; both made it possible to reuse canceled stamps. In February 1841, the Treasury switched to the Penny Red and began using black ink for cancellations instead, which was more effective and harder to remove. However, people still reused stamps by combining the uncancelled parts of two stamps to form an unused whole, so in 1864 as a further safeguard, the top corner stars on the Penny Red were replaced by the lower corner check letters in reverse order.

Imprimatur Sheet

Imprimaturs sheets are among the first sheets of stamps printed from a finished printing plate. The actual imprimatur (Let it be printed) refers to the written permission of the Inland Revenue officials entered on the back of the sheet of stamps. In the 19th century, it was common for officials to remove some stamps from each sheet to present as gifts to dignitaries and other important people. Individual stamps from an Imprimatur sheet can thus be found for sale on the open market.

A complete sheet of the Penny Black without check letters is held by the British Postal Museum. This unique item is in fact plate proof, and by definition, not an imprimatur sheet.

Printing

The Penny Black was printed from 11 plates, but as Plate 1 was completely overhauled due to excessive wear, it is generally considered to be two separate plates, 1a and 1b. Plate 11 was originally intended solely for the printing of new red stamps, but a small number were printed in black. These are scarce.

The stamps were printed in unperforated sheets, to be cut with scissors for sale and use.

An original printing press for the Penny Black, the "D" cylinder press invented by Jacob Perkins and patented in 1819, is on display at the British Library in London.

Rarity

The total print run was 286,700 sheets, containing a total of 68,808,000 stamps. Many were saved, and in used condition, they remain readily available to stamp collectors. The only known complete sheets of the Penny Black are owned by the British Postal Museum.

Source: Wikipedia

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OFFER VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.

The following promotion is open to current legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Canada (excluding the province of Quebec), Australia, and the United Kingdom. Entries outside of these locations may be accepted at the Sponsor's sole discretion, in accordance with applicable laws.

This promotion is governed by and is subject to all applicable United States federal, state and local laws.

ANY ENTRANT WHO IS UNDER 18 AND/OR A MINOR IN HIS/HER STATE OF RESIDENCE MUST HAVE PERMISSION OF PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN TO ENTER

Employees of Sponsor, Sponsor's parent company, affiliates and subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies directly involved in this giveaway, and members of the immediate families or households of any of the foregoing, are NOT eligible to participate in this giveaway.

Companies which created and/or manufactured the item in this giveaway are not a sponsor of this Giveaway, unless otherwise noted, and is not involved in this Giveaway in any manner. All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

How to Enter

To enter online, visit the specified URL, or visit our website, and append /giveaways/browse to the URL.

You will be required to complete fully the official entry form and provide all required information, which may include your first name, last name, complete address (no P.O. boxes), daytime phone number, email address and birth date.

A person can participate in the giveaway by completing any of the specified actions on the giveaway page, which may change throughout the course of the giveaway.

Limit one (1) entry per person and/or email address per day, per method of entry listed on the giveaway page. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of any entrant, the entry in question will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry (i.e., the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address). Entries must be received before the indicated time in which the giveaway ends, as noted on the giveaway page.

This Giveaway may be presented in conjunction with different offers sponsored or co-sponsored by Sponsor, its affiliates, and partners, and may be presented in conjunction with offers sponsored by different organizations. Giveaway may be presented in different creative presentations by different organizations and under different creative titles.

Sponsor is not responsible for incomplete, lost, late, damaged, illegible, delayed, corrupted, non-delivered or misdirected entries or e-mail, or for any technical problems, malfunctions of any telephone lines, computer systems, servers, providers, hardware or software, lost or unavailable network connections, incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry information or loss of entry information, failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions, or any other human or technical errors of any kind, or any combination of any of the foregoing. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for undeliverable e-mails resulting from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering by a user's Internet service provider and/or e-mail client or for insufficient space in user's e-mail account to receive e-mail. Sponsor is not responsible for any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participation in or accessing or downloading information in connection with this promotion. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS GIVEAWAY IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend this giveaway should a virus, bugs, entrant fraud or misconduct, or other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor, in Sponsor's determination, corrupt the administration, integrity, security or proper operation of the giveaway. In the event of termination of the giveaway, a notice will be posted on-line and a random drawing to award the prize will be conducted from among all eligible entries received prior to the time of termination. Entry times will be determined using the website’s server (the website on which this giveaway is hosted), which will be the official clock for the giveaway.

No automatic, programmed, robotic or similar means of entry are permitted, and individuals engaging in such practices will be disqualified. Incomplete entry forms will be disqualified.

Odds of Winning

Odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries received.

Prize(s)

The prize consists of the item which is specified on the relevant giveaway page. All prize details will be determined by Sponsor in its discretion. Prizes may vary, in color, size and other respects, from items shown on website. All expenses and costs associated with the acceptance or use of the prize are the responsibility of the winner.

If winner is an eligible minor, prize will be awarded in the name of his/her parent or legal guardian, who must sign and return all required documents.

Sponsor may, at its sole discretion and for any reason, substitute a prize of equal or greater value, including a cash award.

Winner is solely responsible for all applicable Federal, State and local taxes on the prize. An IRS form 1099 will be issued if required by law. No substitution, cash redemption or transfer of right to receive prize is permitted, except in the discretion of Sponsor. To receive prize, winner (and/or his/her parent or legal guardian if the winner is below the age of 18) must execute an affidavit of eligibility, publicity release, and release of liability within 10 days of notification, if required by Sponsor. Noncompliance or return of any form as undeliverable will result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

Drawing Methodology and Winner Notification

Winner will be selected by a random drawing held within 5 days after the conclusion of the entry period set forth herein from among all eligible entries received. The drawing will be conducted by or under the supervision of Sponsor, whose decisions will be final in all matters concerning the giveaway.

Winner is subject to verification. Winner will be notified by e-mail within fourteen (14) days after the drawing. If winner cannot be contacted or does not respond within 5 days of being contacted, if any prize is returned as undeliverable, or in the event a potential winner does not accept the prize or fails to comply with these rules and requirements, the prize will be forfeited. Upon prize forfeiture, no compensation will be given.

General Terms

By entering, entrants agree to release and hold Sponsor, its parent company, affiliates, subsidiaries, distributors and agents, and each of their directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless from and against any and all claims and liability arising out of participation in the giveaway or use of prize. Winner assumes all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by participation in this giveaway or use or redemption of any prize. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for the Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, agents and licensees to use winner's name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising and trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. All entries become the sole property of Sponsor and will not be returned. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor and the judges, which are final and binding in all respects. Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the giveaway or in the announcement of any prize. In no event will more than the stated number of prizes be awarded.

Sponsor may offer multiple giveaway simultaneously on their website.

Sponsor (unless otherwise noted)

Hip eCommerce | 6300 Creedmoor Road #170 Box 315 Raleigh, NC 27612 United States

Winners List

For the name of the winner(s) send a stamped self-addressed envelope to:

Hip eCommerce | 6300 Creedmoor Road #170 Box 315 Raleigh, NC 27612 United States

Be sure to include with any request for a winner's list the name and id number of the giveaway.

Vermont residents may omit return postage.

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Penny Black (OF) with Red MX and 4 Good to Very Large Margins

No Purchase Necessary

How to Enter

Odds of Winning

Prize(s)

Drawing Methodology and Winner Notification

General Terms

Sponsor (unless otherwise noted)

Winners List

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