A Penny Black stamp on a Mulready one penny letter sheet, will provide the highlight of the National Postal Museum's new William H Gross Stamp Gallery in the US in May.
 The Penny Black was issued on May 6, though this was sent on May 2 and is the earliest known use in conjunction with a Mulready one penny letter sheet |
A stunning piece displaying the world's earliest philatelic items, the letter sheet will go on display from May 3-11 in celebration of the May 6, 1840 issue of the world's first adhesive pre-paid postage stamp, the Penny Black, which forever changed postal services across the world.
The example on display is the earliest known use of the Penny Black in conjunction with a Mulready one penny letter sheet, sent on May 2, 1840. While the official release for both sheet and stamp was planned for May 6, some post offices in Great Britain sold the items slightly ahead of schedule.
"The May 2, 1840, cover connects us to the very beginnings of philately and the modern postal system," commented Allen Kane, director of the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a fantastic Mulready Two Penny letter sheet that boasts four superb examples of the Penny Black, each cancelled with a fantastic Maltese Cross - philatelic history at its finest.
See our stunning collection of stamps for sale.
