The embossed head is based on the Wyon city medal of 1837 which William Wyon modelled in 1834 when Princess Victoria was only 15. The primary die was engraved by William Wyon. The 1s and 10d have the initials ww and the die number engraved at the base of the queen's neck.

The 1s embossed stamp was the first value over 2d to be produced. It was required because the postage to the USA and some colonies was 1 shilling, in addition it was also the registration fee. It was very inconvenient to fix 12x1d or 6x 2d stamps to a letter. The 1/- embossed stamps were printed one by one from a single die in sheets of twenty. The 10d was introduced to pay postage to France or Italy. The 6d was introduced for the purpose of paying the postage rate to Belgium and the reduced registration fee. The 6d and 1s were superceded by the surface-printed stamps in 1856. The rate to continental Europe was reduced to 4d in 1855 and the 4d (the first stamp to be printed surface-printed) was used for this purpose in 1855.