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Penny Black

British

noun

the first adhesive postage stamp, issued in Britain in 1840; an imperforate stamp bearing the profile of Queen Victoria on a dark background

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“It just became obvious that it wasn’t going to go anywhere than where it’s gone,” Wallinger told Penny Black Music in 2022 interview.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 12, 2024

King Charles becomes the seventh monarch to appear on stamps - Queen Victoria was the first, in 1840, when her profile was shown on a "Penny Black".

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2023

The world’s first adhesive postage stamp, known as the Penny Black, was launched in England in 1840, according to the Royal Mail.

From Washington Post • Sep. 9, 2022

The Penny Black, which introduced a flat rate, was used from May 6, 1840.

From Reuters • Oct. 26, 2021

You may use the comment thread on this page to celebrate the Penny Black, generally recognized as the world’s first adhesive postal stamp, and first issued 177 years ago on Monday.

From Slate • May 1, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023